My month at Aldi experiment

[Pippioddstocking]

So after reading so many threads on here about Aldi I decided for a month to swap from my usual combination of asda and waitrose to Just Aldi . I brought all my usual things and have just done my final shop for the month .
It's been AMAZING . I've saved nearly 250 pounds and quite frankly I think the food has been nicer and better quality . I'm a total convert .

Anyone else found this ? I just can't get how the other supermarkets get away with charging so much more ?

Mine is too usual. It's next door to DFS too, so that's really handy.

I think my local Aldi has become a victim of its own success though. The last couple of times i have been in to buy specific items (spatchcock chicken and pork shoulder) they have sold out and I have had to go elsewhere. Very annoying.

I last went in ours on Saturday for some flowers. That's all I wanted. They don't seem to want self service checkout or 'ten items or less' tills so I ended up behind two shoppers with overflowing trolleys.
No offer to me to go ahead of them either.

Yes, I do find the queueing etiquette quite different to the other supermarkets I use. All the experiences that could possibly inspire me to start a thread on here have been in there.

At least of there was a self service you could throw your groceries at yourself instead of the cashier doing it. you could even bark 'CASH OR CARD?' at yourself too.

You need to come to Reading then I always let people with just a basket or a couple of items go in front of me. Although I have my packing down to a fine art. Like Durham I have ikea bags that I put in the bottom of the trolley then I can just pack straight into the trolley and then heave into the car boot.

Sparkling

Leave your coat in the car. You need to let the dog see the rabbit if your going to get let in the queue

I always let people in front of me if I've got loads.

As ALWAYS let people in front of me if they only have a few items, it seems to be common practise in our local Aldi.

Using IKEA bags does have it a disadvantages as occasionally they are so heavy that once I get out to the car I can't even lift the bags and have to rely on the kindness of strangers

Once in Aldi I had a basket of stuff and the lady behind was holding one thing. So I let her go in front and she then tipped a carrier bag of groceries onto the conveyor. Obviously baskets weren't good enough for her. She easily had twice as much as me.

Another time I tried and the bloke said 'Why?' all cross like.

I love it and am a complete convert from Waitrose which is saying a great deal as I loved Waitrose.

I'm in and out in 20 mins, one of the great advantages is that the stores are small and are identical in lay out wherever you shop.

Their free range chickens are gorgeous, mince is lovely, cheese, yoghurts, fruit and veg all brilliant. For the first few weeks that I went I studiously priced checked with Ocado and it was always around 1/3 cheaper which is amazing.

I always let people in front of me if they only have a few items and I even get a quick chat with the cashier on less busy days !

Doesn't it drive you mad when you go to Tesco and they are so slow at putting your food through? I stand here like this almost tapping my fingers! I admit when I first went in to Aldi I had heard so much about them flinging the food at you that I was literally shaking as I went through for the first few times, I can fling with the best of them now.

When I go to Tesco I always use scan and shop. No conveyor at all. Bliss. But I have gone right off Tesco lately.

Shhhh. Let Sparkling carry on slagging it off, I tells ya... We want to keep it quiet in there

Oops cross post

As long as all you Aldi people stay at Aldi and don't get in my way at Asda.

But I like sparkling

The daily mail keeps going on about it and I swear it gets busier each time they publish an article.

Aldi dark chili chocolate with sour cherry...just saying!!

Ours is also getting busier.
Agree quality is superior to value ranges in main supermarkets.
But some things e.g. Cereal are really not good.
I tend to go first thing on a Friday after the school run. Any time later than that on any weekend day and it's totally ransacked.
I hate it and the central aisle of tat is a complete waste of time, but I can be in and out in 20 mins. Also, most importantly, the weekly savings accumulated over the past few years have helped our household expenditure stay pretty constant, which is good considering energy costs and other bills have been going up.
I do a monthly online shop at Tesco or Asda for the bits I can't get at Aldi. I reckon I save around £200 a month grocery shopping this way family of 4 - 2 adults, 2 kids.

confused by people saying cereal is no good. The shreddie equivalents are lovely as are the blueberry wheats, and apricot wheats. Not tried any other cereals admittedly though

I know this is a thread about Aldi, but we only have a Lidl near us.

Does anyone know if it as good as Aldi?

Lidl very good too bakeoff. Better in some ways, more brands if you like that sort if thing, amazing DeLuxe range, loose fruit and veg, bigger German Christmas treats range than Aldi.

In our limited experience, cereal is very good. Muesli excellent and Coco Pops nice according to total brand snob DP.

I shop at Aldi and get the bits and pieces I want that they don't sell at Morrisons across the road. The longer I shop at Aldi, the more I notice what they carry regularly - things have definitely expanded on that front over the past few years.

The quality is excellent - it is like paying value prices for a supermarket excellence range, if you get what I mean.

We have a Lidl too and although it's only about half a mile away, it's in the opposite direction so I rarely go there. Lidl have improved their store in the past couple of years and they have an instore bakery section - that seems to be the main difference between Aldi and Lidl.

What you should consider is that for many goods, the same few manufacturers make for many of the supermarkets so there is very little difference between the actual products - it's largely down to packaging design and price. Why pay more?

There is no Aldi in our area at all .....nearest one is a 50 minute drive away.
I would like to go to one...I shop at Wait rose and spend a hell of a lot every month.

The quality is excellent - it is like paying value prices for a supermarket excellence range, if you get what I mean.

^^This. And how could I forget the Lidl instore bakery .

We save about 60 per week shopping at Aldi and yes, I agree the food is better all round.