To think that Aldi isn’t the answer to everything?

[ShirleyPhallus]

On pretty much every thread here to do with food and drink within about 2 posts someone pops up with “I get mine from Aldi and it’s amazing”. On literally every thread like this it’s praised like it’s the best thing ever. See also Lidl.

Anyway, I went to an Aldi this week on the back of all the MN love and it’s just a cheap supermarket. Not the answer to my prayers. Am I missing something? Am I being unreasonable? (Answer is no fyi)

the answer is 42

Chocolate is the answer to everything.

Well quite clearly it's not the answer to everything.

But it does sell some really good stuff at good prices.

It saves me £40 per week of I shop there instead of Tesco so it's the answer for me.

@TheHoptimist

the answer is 42

Meh.
You obviously didn’t like it. I think it’s the best supermarket I have ever used.
It is a cheap supermarket yes. It’s the reason my kids eat healthy and cheaply because I can’t hope to feed them for the same spend in other supermarkets.

I can't do a full shop in Aldi but if I do go for a main shop (and then a small top up shop), I spend a lot less. I don't think anything is amazing, neither is it significantly worse than tesco for example.

I'm not a fan either , whenever I go I come out with a bar of chocolate and some jam and thats about it except maybe something random from the middle aisle. I honestly don't know how people manage to do a whole shop there or do you just adjust your menus to what they have in stock?

It is the answer to some thing though. Mainly how to spend less on your weekly shop.

Lidl and Aldi aren’t comparable. Lidl is much better (Aldi has a lot of cheap knock offs of leading brands which are made of cheaper ingredients; Lidl has a limited range of often more generic products that are generally much cheaper than other supermarkets for often no real difference in quality).

Both supermarkets seem to have a business model which centres on keeping food prices down and having decent revenue from the ‘middle aisles’.

I shop at Lidl frequently, but still have to go to Sainsburys/Waitrose for some things. I rarely shop at Aldi

I think what did it for me was the thread on supermarket sushi and someone said “try Aldi!” but the Aldi sushi was all sad and dry looking

It’s like it’s the favoured child that can do no wrong

as someone who shops in aldi over time i have found out what products i like from there and what products i dont like i get 90% of my shopping there and adapt my cooking to what ive bought rather than have a set idea of menus for the week or brand loyalty in will only eat that brand of beans etc my OH likes certain branded goods and he gets those from Asda i spent £100 in there today and my fridge and freezer are full to the brim and the quality at our local one is good

Lidl and Aldi aren’t comparable. Lidl is much better

For me Aldi is much better. It varies by location I'm sure though. I love Lidl's bakery and the occasional other item but not for much else.

I tend to shop between almost all of the supermarkets though.

I find its a false economy as their fruit and veg goes rotten incredibly quicky so I end up binning a lot of what I buy there. I just don't bother doing a full shop there any more. Occasionally I'll run in and pick up sone wine, cheese and a salmon en croute (which is deliciousand such a bargain). I find Lidl slightly better quality than Aldi.

@XiCi

I find its a false economy as their fruit and veg goes rotten incredibly quicky so I end up binning a lot of what I buy there. I just don't bother doing a full shop there any more. Occasionally I'll run in and pick up sone wine, cheese and a salmon en croute (which is deliciousand such a bargain). I find Lidl slightly better quality than Aldi.

It must vary from shop to shop as ours is amazing quality.

@HoldingTheDoor

Lidl and Aldi aren’t comparable. Lidl is much better

For me Aldi is much better. It varies by location I'm sure though. I love Lidl's bakery and the occasional other item but not for much else.

I tend to shop between almost all of the supermarkets though.

Indeed. My local Lidl is tiny, shabby, tired and drab. The staff are rude and unpleasant.

The Aldi by contrast only opened a year ago, it's twice the size, light, bright, airy and has friendly staff.

Lidl is better for bakery and I like their spanish/italian/greek weeks.

I think it depends how much cooking you do? I buy very basic ingredients for my very basic cooking! Rice, pasta, chopped tomatoes, meat, fish, veg. Saves me a fortune
But there's a lot of stuff you can't get for more "sophisticated" recipes
And I don't know how their convenience food compares either

all you need is love

There are certain products I get from Aldi. Antibacterial wipes;eggs, yogurt, cereal. Tastes the same but far cheaper than anywhere else. My main shop is Asda.

OP- You should instead be looking at the threads on what items ARE good from aldi/lidl. I can get basics there, but many things they don't stock, so I still to go to sainsburys/tesco etc. I agree that the fruit/veg seems to go off so quickly from lidl and aldi. I do like the fresh bakery bread in aldi though.

I think it's hugely variable from shop to shop as is Lidl. A good branch may not be life changing but you can get really good quality stuff at very reasonable prices. Some things aren't as good as big brands - e.g, bread, coffee, tea. Some are better - e.g, olive oil, chocolate, cereals and anything baby related.

It's the answer to many people who are on a very limited budget

I'm lucky enough not to be very limited on my weekly shop but can find that a top up shop for items to use straight away saves money ,
I also like the anti bac kitchen wipes, sanitary products & anti bac liquid soap to name a few in preference to branded products

I do find that previously the perishable items had quite a short life before they were off but to be fair all the supermarkets seem to be in this category at the moment with short dates on most things and little lasting beyond the dates

I think it's true it varies from shop to shop. Every time I've ever bought produce there it has already been rotten when you cut into it, and it's hard to tell with things like peppers.

However their own brand prosecco is nice.

@MrsPelligrinoPetrichor

It saves me £40 per week of I shop there instead of Tesco so it's the answer for me.

Exactly this.

Well quite clearly it's not the answer to everything.

But it does sell some really good stuff at good prices.

This ^
I don't understand these monthly threads.
Aldi is a great supermarket that offers quality products at low prices and also has a system that means you can be in and out in less time than any other supermarket.
If that is helpful to you, as a shopper, then great. If it isn't, then it isn't the shop for you.
Some people like a greater range of products or a long chat whilst people wait in a queue at the checkout or to recognise more brand names, and all that is fine. Freedom of choice.
No-one claims it is the answer to everything, but quite often, when people are asking about how to cut down their spending, then it is a helpful answer.
If people don't like it, then great, it means there will be more parking next time those people who do like it want to go.