NOW CLOSED Talk to Aldi about shopping for Christmas bargains and be in with a chance of winning a £100 voucher

[TheOtherHelenMumsnet]

Aldi are gearing up for Christmas with loads of bargains on their website - they'd love Mumsnetters to check out what's on offer then come back to this thread and give their feedback. Please visit the website here.

Are you an Aldi shopper already? If so, are you planning to do your full Xmas shop there, or will you pick up specific bits and pieces from there? What's the best bargain you've ever picked up from Aldi?

If you've never shopped at Aldi before, why? Is there anything on the website that has convinced you to give it a go?

Also, Aldi would love to hear your top tips on how to bag a Christmas bargain, or any other genius money-saving tips you have, so please do share here.

Everyone who posts their comments on this thread will be entered into a prize draw to win a £100 voucher to spend in store.

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw
MNHQ

I've already started my Christmas shopping at Aldi. Today I picked up a sachet of turkey gravy and I will continue to pick up occasional non-perishables on my weekly shopping trips to try and spread the cost a bit. I'll also get stocking filler sweeties and my frozen roast potatoes. I got DH a flexible camera tripod today as a present and I'll keep an eye out on the special deals to see if there are any other potential presents or anyone.

I am an Aldi shopper, I do about 70% of my weekly shop there and then visit Tesco or Asda to pick up specific things I can't get in Aldi such as branded yogurts, some fruit and veg and other stuff.

Best bargain from Aldi is the cycling clothes, got lots and lots of it and for the price, it is excellent.

Money saving tip is to compare the price of every non-food purchase on line to find the best price, then buy it via Quidco if you can to get some cash back.

i like the look of chocolate reindeers at 99p and will definitely be buying some of those and chocolate coins etc to pad out presents for various children.

i can only shop at aldi when i get a lift there generally. i like aldi for chocolate and sweets and bread products (go through tonnes here as ds is a carb monster). faourite aldi product is what me and a friend have dubbed their 'fauxblerones'. i don't find i can do a whole grocery shop there as i seem to find them lacking in the basics - tend to get to the end and think oh is that it?

on a visit to ireland recently i shopped in aldi quite a bit and they are really cheap there compared to others and had lovely ranges of cheeses and sliced meats etc at good prices. was a bit disappointed when i came back and tried aldi here - not as much range it seemed and more expensive on certain things which is strange as ireland is extortionate price wise.

money saving tips is not to go overboard and not to buy too early. when christmas stuff first comes out it is overpriced and tends to drop quickly - by which i mean you don't have to wait for christmas eve just till christmas is mainstream in the shops everywhere.

but if we're talking clothes, toys, etc for gifts then shopping early is the key nowadays - recession means there are sales on throughout the year.

The chocolate reindeers are lovely --i didn't eat the ones I brought early and put away last year, oh no not me--

see that's another reason for not buying early SOC! i remember one year where i must have rebought selection packs 3 times due to late night losses of control

My best aldi bargain was 6 bottles of sherry vinegar for 29p each. Perfect for stir fries.

I am also impressed with my electric toothbrush, which was reduced price too. It broke and the customer service was excellent and I had a replacement posted out to me in days.

I am not looking forward to Xmas shopping. I will buy my meat at the market, my fruit and veg at the wholesalers and the rest at aldi, or the coop. I hope a relative or 2 will come and help me with the cost and the workload.

I would shop at Aldi but there isn't one locally.

I do get bargains by word of mouth often - if I hear something I use is going cheap somewhere and I know someone who shops there,I'll ask them to get it for me.

I'm an Aldi shopper, we do all our main shops there. I already started picking up bits for Christmas including the mulled wine and irish cream. (Though my best bargain ever from Aldi was 12 bottles of "Austins" - its own brand Pimms - for a hen party for £6 each!).

For Christmas in particular i'll be getting pickles and cold meats; Gluhwein; chocolate etc and frozen meat for Christmas day. Also smoked salmon and smoked mackerel for Christmas Eve. I also do several Christmas Shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child so usually get kids toiletries and sweets.

I like aldi but very rarely go there as it doesn't actually work out cheaper for us. It's not too far (i think maybe 15 miles which isn't much further than the other supermarkets) but as I don't drive for me to buy any more than a bag or two of shopping I would need a taxi which would cost a fortune and I would still need to buy stuff from Asda as well. We get an Asda delivery which is the cheapest option due to location. If aldi did online and had everything we need I would shop there more. I got some lovely chocs last year and gingerbread which was really tasty. I think the last time I was there I got some cracking seafood that was on special. I like the fact that they have more interesting ranges and the whole no frills thing as well. My tip for Christmas prep is that if its just you and your family ie dh and kids then its easier to do a buffet type lunch rather than a sit down roast. I will roast a chicken on Christmas eve and then just things like prawns, dip, crackers, various veg, salad, cheeses, pate, cold meats etc and a pud and we all help ourselves. Takes the stress out of the day for me and its far more relaxed as I don't have to plan around the oven. Means we can spend the day opening and playing with presents and watching Christmas films instead :)

DH is the Aldi shopper in our house, and I find it hard to drag him out - he LOVES it! But he does 95% of our grocery shopping so its fine by me, he can shop where he likes.

He says that the Christmas pudding is fab (I don't eat Christmas pudding), he also likes the continental Christmas stuff like stollen and panacotta (?sp).

i don't shop at aldi because i don't live in an area that it delivers to and there are no stores near me. its quite disappointing as ive heart really good stuff about it and would love to try it. i would however love to win the voucher as i know of a really amazing person who could really do with it that i could send it to (from mn)

i usually go to marks and spencers to get a few nice treats around christmas the week before, and then to tesco for the rest. i try to just do my main shopping and add enough for one more main meal and a few extra snacky treats over christmas so i don't go overboard - when i have spent loads in the past most of it gets thrown out.

i tend to write lists for christmas presents and aim to buy a couple of presents a month in the run up to christmas. i look on amazon a lot and also use up my boots points every christmas.

I live in a village so vacant get to aldi that regularly but when I do go I always buy:
Mayonnaise. Best I have ever tasted.
Tomato sauce. Ditto.
Jams.
Manuka honey for £4!!
Gravy granules. Better than bisto.
Chocolate. Excellent.
Biscuits. Great selection.
Breakfast cereals. Not sugary rubbish.
Bucks fizz is lovely.
Kitchen towels and loo rolls.
Baby wipes and nappies.
Almat non bio gel, softener and pre wash. Best I have ever used and recommended by Good Housekeeping!
The Xmas stuff like lebkucken. Stollen and pannetone is better than any of the other supermarkets.
Must try the 4 bird roast!!

I shop regularly at aldi especially for cupboard and tin stuff. I can't do a full shop there so don't go as often as I can. Not sure I'm ken on the increasing branded goods that are coming in store now too. If I want branded I go to a different supermarket and seems to be moving away from the ethos of aldi.

I love their Christmas pudding and got mine when they came in a couple of weeks ago. Will probably go back for drinks and other Christmas bits that I can put away.

The best money saving tip is make a list, check it twice and buy bits throughout the year.

Christmas tips I swear by:
Budget per child and stick to it
Look beyond the obvious "must have" plastic toys, as my dcs usually get bored of these after 2 days.
Buy bits way before December, most of my gifts are bought in September, and use sales, eBay and Facebook/local papers for budget brand new toys still in boxes.

I used to shop in aldi and loved your moisturiser, but when we moved there isn't one locally

I love Aldi, I have always been a bit of a food snob I love good food. However with money being tight and after hearing rave reviews from a friend I gave it a go. I started of just buying a few bits and each week I have got more and more, so much so we now do our whole shop there. It is however no frills and you certainly don't get customer service, you have to put the shopping back in the trolley and pack yourself at the back of the tills, so the staff aim to get the shopping through as fast as possible so you have to watch that the food doesn't get squashed, I have had my shopping end up on the floor because i'm too slow! and I find the staff in our store abrupt and rude, the other week a lady in a mobility scooter couldn't pack her shopping and I had to help her because the girl on the till was too busy trying to rush her through. However price and quality out weighs the customer service so I still shop there. My dd loves there crisps and you cannot beat their prices or quality on fruit and veg.My Dh loves their version of toblerone so much so when we had the real thing last week both of us thought aldi's was better. We will definately be having an Aldi christmas!.

I do a lot of shopping in Aldi, although I have to top up with things I can't get there. They had bread flour for about a week and then it disappeared (wasn't a special buy, just on the ordinary shelves).

Most of DH's cycling kit is from Aldi and we got a lovely 18 y-o single malt whisky that was a total bargain!

I love their continental Christmas stuff like stollen and lebkuchen and have picked up a few toys and other bits and bobs for presents already.

Are you an Aldi shopper already?
I love Aldi and do my weekly shop there. I get a few extra bits and pieces at Morrisons' but I buy my meat from the local butcher or at a farmers' market.

If so, are you planning to do your full Xmas shop there, or will you pick up specific bits and pieces from there?
I am not celebrating Christmas at my house so I will only pick up bits and pieces at Aldi between now and mid-December. I really like the mince pies, but I have not yet bought any as I feel it is a little bit too early yet. I may get some of the German cakes and stuff too.

What's the best bargain you've ever picked up from Aldi?
I think that just about every Aldi product is extremely good value for money, from fruit and vegetables to cleaning products. The wine selection is great: I love the Freeman's bay Sauvignon Blanc and the Toro Loco.

The Special Buys are really good. One of my most popular presents last year was the weather station (which is also in the shops this year): I gave it as a present to three people.

If you've never shopped at Aldi before, why? N/A

Is there anything on the website that has convinced you to give it a go?
I will definitely buy the mince pies, possibly the black forest stollen and the salmon wrapped in lemon and tarragon.
I may also buy the chocolate bombe. I tried to read the ingredients when I was in a shop last week but the font was too small and I did not have my glasses with me...

Also, Aldi would love to hear your top tips on how to bag a Christmas bargain, or any other genius money-saving tips you have, so please do share here
I think you need to plan early so that you have time to compare and contrast the offers in the stores and on the internet. If you leave things to the last minute, you are more likely to panic-buy what could could have been bought more cheaply elsewhere.

In addition, I do think that sometimes Aldi staff are a little bit too brusk at the tills. I got a bit annoyed last week that the person at the still started to put things in my trolley in parallel with my throwing things into my big bag (that was in the trolley!) I don't think I was any slower than if I had just been putting things in the trolley, but she perturbed me... I think she was just trying to force me to comply with the Aldi packing procedure when it had no relevance as I was not slowing down the process. I could imagine older people being a bit overwhelmed at the tills.

Final point: your Java ground coffee is awful... in my humble opinion.

We always shop there. Love it. Cheap but good quality and the free range chickens are waaay cheaper than asda or tesco. Love the nappies too. Love the continental xmas goodies. Only one negative, when i'm carrying my toddler in my baby carrier, i feel a bit rushed at the till and can't easily keep up with the cashier.

Also i would love to see mire quorn products. We were chuffed to bits when our local aldi got quorn mince in. Fab. Oh and after reading other comments may i say that the staff in the pontefract branch are lovely and one lad who works filling the shelves was unbelievably helpful to me the other day

We shop in aldi about once a month - tend to stock up on big packs of nappies, washing powder, soft drinks etc. For Christmas we are likely to buy wines, beers and spirits from aldi - the prices are great. Also German food for my dfil who used to live in Germany - we always do him a Christmas hamper. We love the German products aldi has at Christmas - more of those please!

Not sure I'm keen on the increasing branded goods that are coming in store

That throws me off, too, babsmam. Last week I went for Florette pads and they only had branded! It feels all wrong - if I want discounted 'Always' I can look in the pound shop

That said, though, I make a special effort to catch the Dettol spray, WD40 and a few branded cleaning products when they come in as special buys. I perceive those items as different from Aldi's own branded products, so am pleased when I can get them at the price Aldi would charge if they did them. It just seems weird to find a mainstream brand sitting next to the own brand, at a different price!

... or maybe it's me that's weird? ...

I shop weekly at Aldi as we're lucky enough to live close to one. I get about half of my shoppin there and the rest from Sainsbury's, as Aldi doesn't have a full range of some items, eg there's some baking stuff but not quick action yeast (for breadmaking) or caster sugar. The stuff Aldi do sell is great value and high quality, I especially love their deli meat and chilled selection. Good to hear your Christmas range is so comprehensive this year. Had a 4 bird roast on boxing day last year and it was lovely. This year we'll be getting a fresh turkey from our local butcher, but a roasting joint for boxing day from Aldi. I'll also be buying your veg, snacks, squash, fizzy drinks and fruit, pate, crackers, cheese. Don't buy goose fat as we save our fat from duck roasts (yum) and freeze it!

Best bargain from Aldi so far has been the yellow metal moving trolley for £20 and food wise I am in awe of your artichoke antipasto, frozen pizzas and parma ham type stuff and salami. Thanks!

I am a huge Aldi fan, particularly of all your German foods. I wish you would extend the range of food though, and slim down the area in the middle of each store that has the non food 'bargain' stuff. In an ideal world you would lose this altogether and have a store concession from Tchibo instead, with rotating stock (like in some German supermarkets).

In terms of Xmas food I am buying it all there this year including a four bird roast instead of a turkey, as we prefer it. I will go early, though, as your fruit and veg always run out during peak times.

Last Xmas Waitrose's IT systems went down and nobody's deliveries came, so it's cheaper and less hassle to switch allegiance to Aldi, I think.

By the way I would appreciate a more modern approach to paying for the stuff than some young graduate literally throwing it at me, like a lot if people on here! I would like to be able to pack at the till, or scan it myself as I am going around.

The staff at my local store hit the balance between Olympic scanning speeds and customer care really well, imo. I've heard one checkout operator being told to show more consideration to the elderly, and it's their policy to allow a fraction more time for people using hand baskets (you can't take the basket through the checkout).

Ooh yes your free range chickens are fab!

I wish we had one near us. I am a recent Lidl convert and would love to try Aldi.