Great What/What Not to Buy at Lidl, Aldi and Netto Hunt

dc

Apologies if posted before, but Lidl cereal, Bixies are the same as Wheatabix?

The large containers they come in are the same in size and build, apart from printing, date codes are in same place.
The added vitamins tables seem to have the same ingredients and weights/%.

The interior packaging is very similar, and they are only £1.92 for a pack of 72, that is 2.67p per biscuit, or 5.33p per serving.

Bargain.

dc

Wry_Humour

My ALDI best buys are:
Continental Butter ( low salt)
Strong cheeses , cheddar, parmesan ( in block)
Fruit and vegetables (particularly bananas and plums, salad potatoes ,mushrooms and brocolli) Tomatoes tend to be a bit soft.
Sea salt ,Peppercorns and occasional bulk packs of dried herbs.
Bulk packs of detergents ( good variety and excellent efficiency)
Superb Apricot Conserve (50% fruit) as an alternative to marmalde.

Electronic goods,Home Cinema , DVD players etc are reputed to be good but the very low prices make me hesitant to purchase.
Bread is cheap but not to my taste, but their Coriander Nan 2x) packs are excellent with my local takeaway curry.
Any customer feedback has to via verbal comments to store manager and there is no feedback in return. Aldi need to improve in this area I think.

EmehEm2005

Netto (as of 20th Feb) not yet on chip and pin!

Netto's Colliers Wheat Biscuits (weetabix) excellent value for money - 59p for 24.

Milk (4 pints) normally £1.07 buy 2 save 29p (92.5p each)

My neighbour says fruit and veg cheaper than Morrisons. In fact lots of things cheaper than Morrisons.

PS with reference to other threads I always get cashback from Netto. They don't charge for the privilege.

Annando

I'm not sure wether all Aldis will have this chocolate, but it is one of the best!!!
I am a chocoaholic, can't function without it, and lived for a long time in Belgium.
I went to Aldi the other day, never go there usually, and was VERY SUPRISED to find some brand of chocolates there that you would only find in specialist bakeries in Belgium.
I know some of the chocolates are not Belgian but German, but they are delicious.

They have the JACALI brand (4 different varieties, with a praliné centre - DELICIOUS!!!)
And the MERCI chocolates come in a nice box, handy if you need to give a gift and they are yummiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee too

Well, I think I have found my mission in life, source the best chocolates at Aldi, Lidl etc... It's a terrible job but someones got to do it!!!!

ahne

I am surprised that the Netto score for alcohol is so low. I shop at all 3 cheapmarkets at different times as well as asda, sainsbury,morrisons,tesco.
The difference between Netto and Lidl/Aldi is that Netto have many more 'Names' for sale eg Maxwell House, Nescafe, Newcastle Brown, Stowells wine, Teachers whisky etc

alan

Leni_2

I've just read Martin's article and I think it will be useful but I have a few things to add. I go to Lidl for some things, one of those is the Hot chocolate which is not mentioned in the list. It's 59p for a big jar, you can make it with water, which is easier than milk, and I prefer it to the cadbury's stuff.
Also my Lidl has started to take credit cards do it's worth asking, especially if you've got a caskback credit card.
I'm sure someone's mentioned this but I love the chocolate, continental stuff is always nicer and it's 29p for a 100g bar, bargain!!

jerrylatham

Great buys:

Check out the Monday/Thursday specials - some good bargains here.

Digestive biscuits
Maribel jams
Dishwasher tablets
Washing machine tablets
Cheese
Yoghurt
Chocolate
Vegetables and fruit
Meat
Most of their frozen foods
Breakfast cereals
Juices
Bottled water
Bread, buns and cakes etc.

Not much I don't like about them - our local branch is newish, clean and tidy and has friendly helpful staff. Quality of most items as good as or better than the rest of the supermarkets.

But I wish that they would stock tinned fruit in juice rather than syrup!

**purpleprincess**

:hello: Hello!

I am going to make my first trip to Lidl on Saturday!! Is there anything I should know? Is it true they charge for carrier bags? And do they only take cash?

Is the soup any good?

any tips would be greatly appreciated!!

Dennis99

**purpleprincess** wrote:

:hello: Hello!

I am going to make my first trip to Lidl on Saturday!! Is there anything I should know? Is it true they charge for carrier bags? And do they only take cash?

Is the soup any good?

any tips would be greatly appreciated!!

Is it true they charge for carrier bags? Yes take your own, they don't care if you use Tescos.
And do they only take cash? Not any more, they also take debit cards.
Is the soup any good? I like chicken, oxtail & cream of tomato.

ps The Manor House Tomato & Basil Cook Chill is lovely.

Take a pound coin (refundable!) for the trolley. Have fun! :j

superhoop

Purpleprincess:

Here are my tips for shopping at Lidl:

1) Buy some "bags for life" from your local Tesco, Sainsbury's etc. They cost 10p, are better quality than the ones Lidl sell, and when they wear out you can get 'em replaced for free where you bought 'em.

You might say "why not just use ordinary carriers" - Good quality strong bags are better if you're buying tins / jars. You don't usually get a lot of time at the checkout to pack your shopping and its often handier to put things straight into sturdy bags.

2) Sign up for the Lidl "specials" email newsletter at lidl.co.uk. It tells you the latest non food special deals which are rotated twice a week so that you can see what's coming up. If there's something particular if you want, and if it's electrical, you're always best to go in Monday or Thursday am to make sure you get hold of it - that's when the deals are refreshed.

3) I realise not everyone has the choice of when they shop but if you can it makes a big difference to choose off-peak times. Each store will be different - at my Lidl of choice in Stanmore, evenings and Saturday pms are fairly quiet. Queueing in a busy, understaffed Lidl is NOT a pleasant experience. You only need to be stuck behind 2-3 big trolley loads to be there for 10-15 minutes.

4) You'll have a much easier experience at Lidl if you manage your expectations over the service you receive. Clearly this will vary between stores, but in general Lidl staff are paid relatively well, but their conditions are not great. They have to work long hours and are expected to do everything from checkouts, shelf-filling, sweeping the floor and cleaning the toilets. They have a culture of getting things done - Lidl does not have a long history of stunning customer service.

This doesn't mean that you WILL receive bad customer service, but if you can't find someone for assistance, or if the cashier orders you to move your trolley round to a certain position behind the checkout (a common occurrence), or you feel he/she is virtually throwing your purchases over the scanner in a most peremptory manner - please realise that this is par for the territory.

Hope this helps!

Steve