To think I might be missing something to have totally had my head turned to Aldi?!

[Ipll]

I used to shop mainly in Waitrose, sometimes Tesco or Morrisons.

A couple of weeks ago I nipped into Waitrose to get three pretty mundane items and it came to 17 pounds. I decided enough was enough and it was time to see what else was out there, having previously been adamant I wouldn’t be interested in somewhere like Aldi (yes a bit of a snob when it comes to shopping!).

Anyway, after a few trips to Aldi I am shocked. Incredible and tasty fruit and veg. Great meat options. Biscuits ok. Great middle aisle of books for my daughter. The cost reflects something more manageable and I don’t feel I’m spending huge chunks of money like in Waitrose and Tesco.

I am obsessed 😅

Am I missing something?! Why doesn’t everyone shop there?!

I always find these threads hilarious with people tripping over themselves to say how awful Aldi is!

Our local branch opened about 15 years ago & I've stopped there consistently every since!

I'm in ireland & lots & lots of the produce is irish - jam, soda bread, butter, milk, yoghurt, cheeses, meat & poultry, eggs, sparkling water, cakes - to name just few Irish producers we buy weekly.

Plus delicious wines & small batch irish gin

Ive literally NEVER had an issue with fruit or veg going off faster than any other shop.

I adore the specially selected range

Glad you've discovered it op. When I first converted I was doing the bulk of my shopping in m&s!

Now I'm also loving Dunnes which has MASSIVELY upped its game in the last few years.

Jesus the middle class thing really multiplies every day on here.

Its fine. It’s a shop. You’ll be ok.

sorry @SayLaveee no idea why that quoted you!

Love Aldi and it’s our weekly go to place to shop. I’ve been shopping there for a few years and never had a problem with products turning bad quickly (Asda on the other hand! 🙄)
I do enjoy Waitrose, m&s etc for occasional bits now and then but can’t justify doing my main shop anywhere other than Aldi (and Lidl’s at a push but don’t like it quite as much!)

I think ALDI used to be a WC thing when it launched here but then became a MC thing, almost like a class marker

Used to live near one. It was more expensive than Sainsbury's if you weren't normally a big brand buyer in the first place and most of the fruit went off by the time you got home - add in the minimal likelihood of getting anything gluten free and it was a complete waste of time and often money to then have to go to Sainsbury's to actually cover the rest of the week.

I've gone hybrid for shopping (because I have no life and plenty of time). I go to a proper butcher, fishmonger and greengrocer, and then get other bits in Lidl. It feels a bit like shopping in Toytown, but the quality is excellent, and I spend less than if I went to Sainsbury's for everything. Plus, i couldnt buy fish like thst in a supermarket, because supermarket fish is mediocre at best. I do go to Aldi for their Nandos-knock off garlic peri-peri sauce, which is amazing.

My brocolli was covered in bugs 🤮 like full of little flies when I opened it! I absolutely not a snob about food shop and buy most stuff in asda but the bugs put me off the fruit and veg for life!! Autistic OH likes their toothbrushes though so I do still pop in for them and buy some other non fresh items

We always end up back at Aldi, occasionally we've switched to Asda or Tesco but ime Aldi has the best fruit and veg, meat and meals selection than the others. I can spend half what I would in Asda on a full shop in Aldi although I do go to one of the bigger supermarkets once a month to get branded items, washing stuff and things that Aldi don't stock. It's a no brainer for me, it means we have spare cash elsewhere to do things as a family every month.

Some of their fruits and veg are great, others crap. Those Stamford eggs are like chalk, so no thanks.

Lidl's pastries - yum. I try to get there early though before the handsy people get in.

That being said, Aldi hasn't stuck for me because not everything is great and I hate being stoned with my groceries at checkout.

We've gone back to shopping at Sainsbury's & Morrisons, because the fruit, veg and milk from Aldi & Lidl just doesn't keep.

Range is poor if you want to do a full shop. Not a great place to shop if you are a foodie and really want to buy variety.

Couldn’t disagree more. The quality and taste of Waitrose fruit, veg and meat is so much better. It is more expensive because the meat, even in the value range, is higher welfare, and they are one of the very few supermarkets that pay farmers fairly.

I totally understand why, when money is tight, people can’t shop there. But Aldi simply isn’t better. (And yes, I have shopped there, and all the other supermarkets!)

I can't do.lidls for any more than a few bits because it feels like a cash and carry, cluttered and annoying.

I can do a whole job in Aldi, I don't tend to though. I don't find the fruit lasts very long, steaks are good though. Alcohol nice. I do make a point of going in for the little sourdough crackers, mini pepperoni and protein yogurts.

Tend to do weekly shop at Tesco or Waitrose, cause I shop online and I their apps work well for me.

Like M&S too.

Yes!

I actually went to <stage whisper> Aldi (tinkly
little laugh).

To be fair to Aldi’s marketing team - well played 👏 They’ve made the middle classes want to spend money in their shop. Higher spend per customer? Absolutely.

Disclaimer - I'm a Waitrose or M&S shopper. I don't trust meat & other fresh items from anyone other than those two. The horsemeat scandal of long ago taught me to pay extra for quality. The customer service from Waitrose and Ocado is excellent. However, my children love Aldi & Lidl. We've got both nearby and I've never set foot in them.

When I used to work in supply chain for various supermarkets and wholesale suppliers I found Aldi had the strictest quality control of the lot.

Lidl will blow your mind great deli stuff and nice bakery.

I like Lid slightly better than Aldi, because Aldi ((or at least my nearest two Aldis) don't have a fresh bakery section. But I do like Aldi too. There's no Waitrose near me but on the few occasions I have been to one I've found it to be ridiculously expensive (worse than M&S).

One of the reasons shops like Aldi are cheaper is because they don’t much care about animal welfare. On the whole, the more expensive the supermarket, the higher their standards in that regard.

https://www.four-paws.org.uk/our-stories/blog-news/truth-in-your-trolley

https://www.ciwf.org.uk/media/5161418/shoppingguide.pdf

https://www.thecattlesite.com/news/20713/supermarkets-awarded-for-animal-welfare-2

I like food shopping and there are plenty of options near me
We tend to do an Aldi shop first then go to Tesco to get what we couldn’t get in Aldi
Following week we do Lidl and then Sainsburys

I don't know why people say fruit and veg don't last. IME it lasts too long. Some stuff from Aldi just doesn't seem to go off like it should. Lasts and lasts. Suspicious.

I like limited choice and I'm not bothered about brands. I mainly buy whole foods so the ready meals are not for me anyway.

I rate the meat over sainsbury's but I prefer sainsbury's veg by a long way. I think sainsbury's meat is really poor quality for the price.

M&s veg and meat is lovely but really goes off quickly. Probably not packed with preservatives.

I have saved £1000s shopping at Aldi, at least £50 to £100 a week for 20 years ( family of 6) instead of Tesco's. We currently have 3 athletic teens and 3 adults. So over that time possibly £100,000. That is quite amazing. Also because it is small I can shop in about 30 mins. I do go twice a week to make sure nothing goes off.
I also do get occasional Tesco/M&s shops to get discounted stuff or some gf stuff Aldi doesn't have. It always makes me realise how much I save when I do though.

The better question is: why haven't you tried it before? They've been around long enough.

As with most things they are good for some stuff and not for others. The fresh produce is often either lousy quality or near the end of its shelf life. Which is fine if you are going to use it the same day, but not if you aren't. There are also oftentimes fewer options if you wish to buy produce that is grown in the UK - which is incredibly important these days as our farmers need our support.
Aldi also doesn't have any kind of loyalty program/vouchers etc etc - which can add up to enough money to make the savings a wash.

The main benefit to other supermarkets these days is the hand-held scanners: they make life a heck of a lot easier and reduce queuing and shopping time by an amount that, for me, makes up for any savings I might get at Aldi - time is one of, if not the most precious thing we all have - and I prefer not to waste it waiting in line at check outs, especially at Aldi where their self-service check outs often aren't all that great and aren't calibrated terribly well. They often don't have enough staff on hand to sort out the "unexpected item in bagging area" situations, which is frustrating when you have to ask 5 times just to be able to buy stuff.

I prefer Lidl , our local Aldi is quite small and they have so much variety in the fresh meat section / dips etc that it really is a sensory overload and I will go in to get something as a main for dinner and just end up without. Lidl has fantastic dairy produce and their fruit and veg last longer too