What's the best supermarket for vaule if you don't want to shop at Aldi or Lidl

[maggiethemagpie]

I can never find everything I need at Aldi/Lidl and I don't want to faff about going to two shops. I also want somewhere that delivers.

Which is the best of the big supermarkets - Asda? I am thinking Asda or Morrisons, definitely not Tesco or Sainsburys.

Or are they all the same and I really need to rethink Aldi/Lidl?

I have a specialised diet due to medical reasons so need somewhere with a big range of products particularly meat, dairy and vegetables, I'll happily eat own brands over branded food though, it's all the same to me.

[inappropriateraspberry]

Lidl definitely do own brand Shreddies (malt wheaties), my toddler loves them! I find I can get pretty much everything in Lidl for a standard weekly shop. I even got capers there the other week! Yes, there are probably a few odd things you need to get elsewhere but I'd say it's things you wouldn't buy all the time, more specialist stuff. Also I get my vegetarian bits from Tesco or Asda as they usually have offers on them, unlike Lidl.
I think using a smaller shop saves me money as I'm not distracted by the 'extras' like clothes etc.

[henbane]

Sounbelievablydull, you need to get a Waitrose card & register it online.

Generally, prices vary enormously between areas & even between big & little stores within an area - the trick is to go to the biggest stores you can get to, I'd never use the little metro/local stores except for the odd item in an emergency as they tend not to stock the cheaper ranges, & what they do sell costs more.

[Sounbelievablydull]

I almost always go to Waitrose as I like it and it's nearby.
But I never ever get the vouchers, my mum who barely ever shops there gets fantastic money off coupons why don't I?

[redandwhite1]

I do both as I can't get it all in Aldi / Lidl but don't want to pay Sainsburys / Tesco price for it all

If I was going to do it all I'd say Tesco

[steppemum]

I can't stand shopping at Aldi or Lidle, because they don't sell everything I need.
So, I was in there before Christmas, and along with whatever I wanted I thought I'd get the oven cleaner I needed.
No oven cleaner. They don't sell any brand or make of oven cleaner at all.

ds eats Shreddies, and I buy own brand versions, but neither Aldi or Lidl do one. (or maybe they do but ds doesn't like it, can't remember now)

On the other hand, if I am passing, I love Lidl's german bread

[steppemum]

I am surprised that Morrisons keeps cropping up, as I think they are quite price, I would put them on the same level as Sainsburies.
Cost wise from cheapest to most expensive:

Asda
tesco
Sainsbury/Morrison
Waitrose

Dh and I did cost comparison one week on everything, and that was what we found.
BUT Asda is about 10% cheaper than Tesco, but Tesco give you clubcard vouchers. If you use these cleverly (doubling points etc) then you probably get more form Tescos over a year.

As to value (which isn't the same as pure cost) I find that you have to get to know your supermarket and shop around a bit. So Smart Price orange juice is foul, so I don't buy it, but smart price tinned chopped tomatoes are fine. That way I can save more, but still eat nice food.

We do our weekly shop in Asda, just for price. I spend £100 ish a week, so at 10% cheaper than Tesco over a year that is £520.

Mind you, our local Asda is absolutely vast and they stock everything, I have yet to find something they don't have.
(actually, not true, they don't have angelica, but then none of the supermarkets sell it any more, not even waitrose )

I also find that the staff in our Asda are drilled on customer service, so if you ask for anything, they are super helpful

[vj32]

You don't have to stick to one supermarket! I used to go to whichever had the best offers when I was buying high cost things like washing powder/nappies. Now if you change which online shop you go to you can do a shop a month and always have either free delivery or a discount voucher saving 10-20%. If you stick with the same supermarket, any supermarket, you will pay more.

Im vegetarian and so I don't buy food at Asda, as their own brand veggie stuff is rubbish. But Sainsburys is fine or Tesco. As I buy own brand or stuff thats on offer rather than fixed products every week I find them all about the same cost wise really.

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

Round here the quality of the fruit & veg is 10 times better than Aldi's so it might be worth trying there, if there is one close enough.

As for washing powder, I have always been very limited in what I can use due to my sensitive skin. I've tried Lidl no bio and I'm fine with it.

[RubyWinterstorm]

I do a big shop at lidl (fruit, veg, salad, choc, oil, tins, milk, bread, meat and fish, sandwich stuff, ice cream, flour, cleaning stuff)

and a small shop at waitrose (free range pork, bacon, Italian pasta, basmati rice, alcohol free beer)

[Frouby]

I am planning on doing an ocado shop once a monthish for stuff like washing powder, branded stuff. Then a weekly shop at aldi.

I used to use tesco but have found it is getting more expensive as the quality decreases.

The only thing that puts me off aldi is the freshness of the veg and fruit. But don't think tesco is any better these days.

I can probably get 80% of what we use from aldi. The rest from ocado with a price match to tesco.

I did a shop for my mum last week in aldi and am shocked how cheap it is.

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

Just seen your other post I have had the blinding realisation that if I can't find what I want there, then maybe I should just change what I want to fit in with what they have? exactly.

I started doing this a couple of years ago and I easily shave £200 off our monthly shopping bill.

[SherlockPotter]

Tesco. Their own brand items are pretty decent!

[JiltedJohnsJulie]

I have a specialist diet due to a food allergy and shop at Lidl. What do you need that you can't get from there?

[delilahbucket]

A lot of people complain sainsburys is more expensive, and it is if you buy branded stuff. We buy there own brand stuff (basics and normal) and for what you pay the quality is far superior to other supermarkets. As a result, we spend far less because we trade down on most of our shopping.

[HelenF350]

Just read the last of the thread. So glad you've seen the Aldi light. My partner wouldn't let me shop in there till he got made redundant last year. He's been back in a job a year and I'm now actively encouraged to shop at Aldi. I do the odd top up for things like red wine vinegar, harrissa etc that I can't get in Aldi and I get my meat mostly from muscle food but 90% of shopping is Aldi

[HelenF350]

Asda is ever so slightly cheaper but Morrisons is way better in my opinion.

[MuddlingThroughMotherhood]

I find sainsburys the best value, not necessarily the cheapest but the best value.

We buy loads of their own brand stuff, not much of their 'basics' range or their 'taste the difference' range but loads of their standard own brand stuff. I find their own brand stuff to be just as good, sometimes better than the branded stuff but not as expensive. We don't buy branded things due to cost.

We recently went past a Morrisons on our way home from visiting family and thought we'd do our weekly shop there as we were only 40 mins from home. I walked around it and thought it was brilliant, it was so cheap and the stuff looked good. We again bought hardly and branded products and bought mostly Morrisons own. We'll never do that again as the food was awful compared to Sainsburys, really bad quality. If we'd have bought branded stuff then we wouldn't have saved as its more expensive than shop own brand.

I don't like Tesco but if I had to do a shop there I would, their own brand stuff is ok.

Asda isn't for us, we've tried to shop there a few times but find them to be expensive or equal to others for things like fruit and veg and then unless we want to fill our basket with fizzy pop and sweets (we don't but that seams to be where all the offers are in Asda) then we find it works out more expensive.

I love Waitrose but really can't afford to shop there every week, they do send some good vouchers through the post which we find brings the total to only a few pound more expensive for a full shop elsewhere. Vouchers like £8 off a £40 shop are great

[Fluffycloudland77]

op, I did the same as you.

TBH a lot of basics they don't sell like cheap thin bleach or huge bags of rice or pasta are readily available in the supermarket next door.

[ivykaty44]

I think it depends very much on where you live, supermarkets charge different prices for different postcodes. You can't browse online with first entering your postcode, as the supermarket needs to know where you live to know what to charge you.

I have shopped in an assault 10 miles away ( I was there anyway not special trip) there was a difference in price on everyday goods compared to my own local store.

I live now in a town with 4 supermarkets on two road islands within 500 meters - the competition is great as the prices are kept lower

[Lottie4]

I find Tesco cheaper than Sainsburys. Also, we use our clubcard points for family meals out. Don't forget to factor in petrol and time. My nearest supermarket is Tescos a mile drive away and takes a minute or twos drive, Sainsburys 4 miles away but takes 15 mins, Asda and Morrisons even further.

Agree with others, do a large shop in Aldi/Lidl for non perishables and shop once a week at your chosen supermarket for other items.

[laurzj82]

Another tesco fan here. Hate sainsbury website. Morrisons don't deliver here. Asda always seem to deliver products with very little shelf life left whereas tesco seem to be better with use by dates and substitutions. Can't afford waitrose or ocado unfortunately!

[ginghamstarfish]

Tesco is very good for online shopping, excellent website/app for this, and Customer Service is excellent too. I have Sainsburys a mile away but prefer to shop online with Tesco which is 20 miles away, as it's cheaper and better, and use Lidl inbetween for fruit, veg etc. Love Lidl but you can't always get everything you want there.

[maggiethemagpie]

OP here. Well, you may be surprised to hear that I have now become an Aldi convert. I thought I'd give it another go and was pleasantly surprised. I think being on a money diet at the moment has helped me to see the light. I have had the blinding realisation that if I can't find what I want there, then maybe I should just change what I want to fit in with what they have?

I will still do the odd tesco top up (as its nearby) and there are still some Aldi products which aren't as nice as the branded stuff but BY GOD IT'S SO CHEAP IN THERE!!

[middlings]

*on quality not ok quality!

[Madbengalmum]

I find sainsburys most expensive.
I hate asda and morrisons, so shop between waitrose and tesco. Buy stuff when it comes on offer, rather than when it is needed and it works well.