To say Lidl and Aldi are not cheaper or better quality than other supermarkets?

[WeetabixTowels]

A Lidl has opened near me and so many people have said how good it is and how much cheaper it is to shop there. So I thought I’d give it a go.

I meal plan over 2 weeks and we generally eat the same things. So I went with my usual list - and spent £20 more than I do in Asda!

This was yesterday, and we ate chicken last night which was very gristly and then today I made the kids bacon sandwiches for breakfast - I had to bin the bacon as it was so fatty and shrivelled and grey it was revolting.

Comparing my receipt, I saw that

• The only things that were cheaper than Asda were bakery items and biscuits/treats - but I don’t tend to buy a lot of either so made no massive difference
• Fruit and veg were more expensive in Lidl
• Meats were a little more expensive in Lidl
• Frozen stuff was a lot more expensive and smaller quantities too so it won’t all last as long. We always have a movie and pizza night on Saturdays and I spent £3 per pizza whereas in Asda I can easily find them for £1.50 or cheaper
• Cupboard things like olives are more expensive in Lidl
• Toilet roll is cheaper in Lidl but honestly I wouldn’t buy it again, it’s like wiping my arse with a cheese grater

Now I will say that I bought 2 things I can’t get in Asda that were to die for and I would 100% make a trip to Lidl again for these - pickled garlic cloves and the Towergate digestives 🤤 amazing!

But have I done something wrong? I have officially failed at Lidl and I have no idea why 😂 was chatting to my cousin about this last night and she said the same happened in Aldi to her!

It was always going to hit a point with Lidl and Aldi where they would hit issues - simply because so much of their produce is if European origin too - post Brexit then that model is a bit busted and to keep prices down I think they've had to look at some changes. Interestingly in Europe now you are seeing lorries with big signs on saying 'we don't go to the UK' - I don't think it's an anti UK sentiment, more a practicalities thing of wasted time stuck in queues etc!!

@Funkyslippers yes they were really handy with kids

About ten years ago I worked out that Lidl own brand was approximately 30% cheaper than branded products but now most supermarkets have their own line of competitive products. So the gap has narrowed.

I do NOT like Aldi, and I have tried. They make products that look the same but contain less (biscuit packets with false bottoms or a half-empty spray canister) and their fruit/veg is over packaged and often on the turn. Their meat looks like cheap and nasty cuts and their bakery is all show with no flavour.
Lidl is my closest so I get 80% including all staple products there.

But lower quality and less good value than they once were.

I don’t care what anyone says about Lurpak and digestives, nothing comes close to the originals (and yes I’ve tried them all)

Yes the mental packing - was once a small sacrifice to pay for exchange of cheap goods.

Now it’s just a PITA and a game of ‘dodge the load of bread’.

I think they're great for some things - esp cleaning / laundry products and basic staples. But the fruit and veg goes off very quickly and just isn't as good...

Cat litter and washing powder too.

we tend to have to go to a few shops - luckily we live next to a busy high-street and can walk to a big tesco, big Sainsburys, Aldi, Asda and a fruit and veg market

end up doing pretty much all shops in the week to get what we need and find the best deals!

I used to regularly shop at Aldi and always found lidl was much more expensive.
I now only use Tesco, and find that it is much cheaper than ASDA but a family member that always uses ASDA thinks Tesco is much more expensive.
I think it massively depends on what you buy

I like Tesco food and veg especially their broccoli and baby plum tomatoes.

It’s an Aldi and an Asda near us, I find them comparable in pricing and then Tesco slightly higher so we do Ocado/M&S. It is more expensive but I find it’s less of a difference now vs a few years ago and the slight increase is worth it as the quality is so much better.

I find Lidl and Aldi a lot cheaper than most supermarkets and the quality is usually good but the meat can be a bit hit and miss. I got chicken thighs in Lidl the other week and they were absolutely disgusting. So I buy my meat from Asda, but overall I do save a lot on my bigger weekly shops from Aldi and Lidl.

This is interesting as I find Aldi much cheaper and the fruit and veg really good. I do tend to look for the British-grown stuff, perhaps that makes a difference? We rarely eat meat, but the cheese is very good quality and I like their frozen/smoked fish.

Lidl and Aldi used to be substantially cheaper than the other supermarkets. It took a while for them to respond and drop their prices a bit. And I’m the meantime Aldi and Lidl got notions and started upping their game with posher sounding things to draw in the curious middle classes.

We’re overdue a new entrant in the supermarket wars to freshen up the competition.

I shop mostly is Aldi & Sainsbury's, with extras bits from Waitrose & M&S, occasionally Asda.
Aldi has definitely got more expensive, but if you're careful with what you buy, a lot of it is very good (tinned goods, deli meats, cheese, cleaning products etc).
A Lidl has just opened in our town & I thought I'd give it a try but found it didn't have half the choice of Aldi, let alone other supermarkets, so I'll only go in there for emergencies now.
Sainsbury's has got a bit better price-wise recently with their Aldi price match & Nectar prices.
However, we tend to buy all our meat from the local butcher's.

I get my staples (pasta, rice & tinned stuff) from lidl.

We do like the odd thing from the bakery- love the low GI rolls & french stick!
But I agree, prices have gone up so much now that it's hardly any difference to other supermarkets.

I never buy any supermarket meat. To much water, to much fat and minimum animal standards.

I go to Lidl every couple of months for kidney/cannelini beans, chick peas, olives, cornichons, roasted red peppers, dried pasta, cleaning stuff. These things are definitely cheaper than the other supermarkets. Then I do a weekly online shop with Sainsburys.

In my experience we spend less at aldi than at Sainsburys and get way more for our money as well. I have found the quality to be better than I expected as whenever I read these types of threads I see comments on how the quality is awful. We do go shopping at least twice a week though so aren't generally looking for things to have a long shelf life which would be a consideration for others.

My bestie is an Aldi fanatic. And I mean fanatic as in she will try and convert everyone from Tesco, Asda etc to shopping at Aldi. Staying at her house last week and I felt like I was in a sci-Fi episode where the characters are in an alternative Earth. Everything almost exactly the same but different. Nutella was Nutoka yet in the exact same packaging. Head and shoulders, Colgate, butter, jars and everything else was a mocked up named brand copy. And she insisted that it all tasted the same.

It didn't. Especially the Nescafe Azera rip off that didn't even come close.

She was most put out when all three of my kids picked their usual name stuff out on her blind taste tests 😂 and they struggled to eat (but did out of politeness) other things that were just horrible, like gristly meat, overly fatty bacon etc.

I shopped at Aldi a number of times but lost money. The fresh veg and fruit wilted and rotted quickly. The costs are pretty much the same and some of the Aldi alternatives weren't edible and got binned. And we had to do a Tesco top up for all the things we couldn't get at Aldi so it was pointless.

Bloody love that Middle Aisle of madness though.

There used to be a website called MySuoermarket where you filled your trolley at the supermarket of your choice and it showed you how much it was elsewhere. Asda was always cheapest and Waitrose the most expensive.

It closed down and nothing had taken its place - unless somebody knows of anything,

We use Sainsbury's as there are certain things we really like we can't get elsewhere.

Sainsburys is incredibly expensive to shop for a family. Aldis have the nicest meat. Sainsburys gammon and pork was inedible. And to do a weeks shopping for a family at m&s you'd have to remortgage.

Weekly shop in Lidl usually works out about £20 cheaper than Morrisons for me, find everything good quality except the meat (bakery stuff especially is lush)

I wouldn't use Aldi for a main shop, but it's good for things like wine (not the cheapest ones, but if you are spending, say, £5-7 a bottle, you'll get better quality than for the same money at other supermarkets. Their knock-off toiletries are often also good (you can tell what brand they're copying from the packaging design). I like their whole coffee beans - packets are smaller so not as much cheaper as they look, but still good. And their knock-off fancy muesli is better than the Dorset Cereals 'really nutty' one because it really is mostly nuts and not padded out with dates like the branded one. I'd also go in when they have merino wool thermals in the middle aisle. So basically, not great for a cheaper 'normal' shop, but if you are planning to buy posh stuff it can be cheaper from there.

I do a family shop every week plus tops at sainsburys. I think they are the best value and quality available. I get it delivered and pay something ridiculous like 40 quid a year for it. Such amazing value by the time you factor parking and petrol in. I spend approx £120 or less weekly for a family of four one being baby (nappies and formula) this includes my top up. We eat very healthy meals and don't buy alot of junk.

I get toilet roll, paper towel, fem hygiene products, laundry stuff, bleach, fairy washing up liquid, coffee, maple syrup and jams/spreads and any cans from Costco.

Have noticed cleaning products are getting stupidly expensive.

I occasionally get bits from m&s and waitrose. Find they can both be very good value but certain items are better quality and value. Depends if I'm hosting a dinner or if it's a special occasion.