To swap Waitrose for Aldi?

[Shopper2]

I’m someone who has shopped more or less exclusively at Waitrose over recent years. However, I’ve just returned from a break by the coast where the only supermarket by us was an Aldi.

Having been a bit sceptical at first, I found it to be excellent quality and brilliant value. So much infact, I’m considering making a trial switch now I am home. A friend seemed to turn her nose up when I told her this on the phone earlier.

Would you do similar? Has anyone switched themselves?

Nope. The quality is atrocious. I stay away from it like the plague

How do you know the quality is atrocious if you stay away from it like the plague?

If you like it then swap, why need to ask permission? I mostly now shop at Aldi since Aldi opened near us, much prefer it to Tesco where my usual weekly shop was. My husband still prefers Tesco. I don't know where my friends shop and I don't care

i tried to do it too but as a pp said, the quality of the food is atrocious, plus the whole point of waitrose is that they treat their food suppliers ethically and the meat is more humanely produced.

I went back to Waitrose after 2 weeks worth of Aldi shopping.

Waitrose is too overpriced for me. I’m not a fan of aldis food though. I prefer Lidl some people say they’re basically the same but I really do beg to differ

tbh it depends entirely on the Aldi.

The one near DDs school (an hour away) I’ll happily shop it. The one nearest our village I won’t as their fruit and veg is atrocious quality and doesn’t last.

Aldi is very good for basics including fruit n veg. It can have stuff missing though - by which I mean obvious stuff that most supermarkets will always have.

You can do both though. I have been into Aldi with a Waitrose carrier bag. 😮

This might blow your mind OP, but I don't have a regular supermarket. I buy some things from some shops and some from others.

Most of our food comes from Aldi, but quite a bit of it comes from M&S, because it's closer, has good reductions and some things are quite decently priced, even compared to Aldi.

Then I go to Waitrose every few weeks because they're the only place that sells tonic water with no artificial sweeteners in that's more reasonably price than Fever Tree. I also like their microwave sachets of pilau rice and might also pick up a few other bits while I'm there.

So YANBU to shop at Aldi, but YABU to take any notice of your snobby friend, or anyone on here who will tell you that all the fruit and veg will be rotten before you get it home.

I don’t think all Aldi stores are equally as good. I only visit them to stock up on Christmas/Easter goodies and booze or on holiday (at which point I’ll buy the week’s groceries). Their cleaning/laundry products are great, but you have to pay attention to fruit and veg.

Equally I used to work with a guy who complained about his local Waitrose and their poor shelf lives for a lot of things he wanted to buy (to the extent that he preferred to sit in a traffic jam to visit the one 5 miles away).

Caveat: I tend to buy “Essentials” range from Waitrose and rarely buy a ready meal/pre-made sauce etc (and get the bulk of my stuff from Ocado)

I shop mostly at Aldi but get meat, fish and some other bits at Ocado or Waitrose. I find the veg does have a shorter shelf life so I get just enough for a few days then stock up again. Aldi is totally fine for staples like milk, cheese, toiletries, and household stuff (loo rolls, bleach etc). The difference in price for olive oil and dishwasher and clothes wash are large so I always get those items at Aldi.

It depends on the products and some Aldi products are poor, others OK, some good. I find that prices for some items really aren't much cheaper, confectionery is a good buy, cheese, ingredients, dishwasher tablets... I think it is now not worth thinking any one supermarket is a one-stop shop, it pays to shop around

Why the indecision? Please yourself, give Aldi a go. Or don't 🤷

I use both and it works very well. I have things in Aldi I love, like their bio washing powder, cotton wool pads, biscuits, seeds and nuts, but meat fruit, juice and other things that I much prefer Waitrose for. Do what works for you OP.

I did this. The quality is not the same. The 'dupes' are not like for like. It was back to good old Waitrose for me after 3 weeks of fruit /veg going off and items looking but not tasting the part.

Waitrose is British and Aldi is German. I prefer to support British business and keep that money in our economy. As others have also pointed out, Waitrose is by far the most ethical supermarket out there in terms of animal welfare. Both these things are important to me, so I shop at Waitrose and local farm shops.

Aldi beer is good, they do organic milk as well, I've had some decent wine from there but there are an awful lot of additives in a lot of their food. I don't think it's as simple as just looking at the prices.

I’d say alternate. If you are used to the luxury of Waitrose then Aldi isn’t there. But definitely go to Aldi for non branded basics - pasta, tins etc

Have never been a Waitrose shopper, the only store here is out of our way. We alternate between Lidl and Aldi depending on which one we're passing, for basics and non-perishables.

I make my own bread and the Lidl/Aldi flour is perfectly good. We avoid UPFs and don't eat meat. Fruit and veg has to be chosen carefully, and we often top up from a nearby greengrocer and zero waste shop. Washing up liquid etc from there too.

So no one place for the entire shop, but we're retired so not pressed for time, and of course wouldn't dream of setting foot in a supermarket on a weekend, risking glares or worse from the non-retired.

There’s only a lot of additives if you buy pre papered stuff. No additives in their fruit, veg and meat.

I agree. There’s just no comparison. Fruit and veg last 5 minutes. Can’t get half the stuff I need.
You get what you pay for in my opinion.

Lidl have a nice bread section.Aldi don't have that

People who say nonsense like this just make themselves look a bit thick with all the ridiculous hyperbole.

Aldi is like any other supermarket. Some of their stuff is very good. Some of it is no better and no worse than other supermarkets. Some of it I'm not keen on. Just like Tesco, Asda, Waitrose, Lidl, Co-OP, Morrisons....

Give it a try. If you do buy cheese or washing powder or whatever and decide you don't like it, then don't buy it again. Obviously.

Assuming that Aldi quality is similar to Lidl go for it. That's the while point of a trial.

I think that Lidl quality is great. Not the same variety as bigger supermarkets but that doesn't bother me. Means I'm in and out in 20 minutes.

I shop at Tesco, Aldi, Lidl, Iceland, M&S and pop into farm foods. I'm lucky to be local or passing all of them. I'd shop at a Waitrose if we had a local one. I used to shop there when I went to Southport. Their products often come out top in taste tests. I think too many people are unnecessarily hoarding money. We have threads about having money but not wanting to spend it on food, nights out or holidays. You're a long time dead.

Also agree that the idea you have to be loyal to one supermarket is downright weird.

The Co-op and Waitrose consistently rank highest among the major UK supermarkets due to their co-operative ownership, Fairtrade commitments, and strong animal welfare policies.