Aldi or Lidl? Which is better?

tazdevil1211 · 29 July 2006 at 10:11PM

I too used to live in Germany so i never really had the stigma problem with Aldi, Lidl etc. The thing i like about Aldi is there cat food. I have 2 unbelievable fussy cats who wouldnt eat anything but Eukanuba (£5 a bag approx :mad: :eek: ) but luckily they now eat the cat food from Aldi (£1.50 a bag):beer:
As for Lidl the OH works next door to it & there fresh veg is always cheap.
The other place to try, stigma aside is Farmfoods

Ooooh dont forget to try the part baked rolls Aldi or Lidl (8 in a bag approx) they are great with a stew etc :rotfl:

C_Ronaldo · 29 July 2006 at 10:47PM

the wines are pretty good from aldi apparently, and the fruit and veg from either shop is good too,

Sweet_Pea_2 · 30 July 2006 at 12:18AM

I have cut £15 per week off my shopping bill by shopping at Aldi. OH always did the shopping at Sainsburys. Now he still goes to Sainsburys for the few branded things we still buy (mainly for him) and the bread we like, so his list is less than a third of what it used to be.
I do the Aldi shop because OH is a complete snob and wont go there. My Aldi branch is superb, but I think that not all Aldis are like this, it does depend on where you are. The quality of their stuff is great, there are only a very few things I'm not keen on. I'm quite happy to take my own bags, and I much prefer their system of packing your bags away from the till. I've never had to wait in a queue either, another cashier comes on if there are more than a couple waiting and you go through the tills faster.
The only thing I get a bit pee'd off about is that sometimes things are not in stock and I HATE having to put these items on OH's Sainsburys list 'cos I dont want to pay their prices. I would not go back to buying all our groceries from Sainsburys, or anywhere else for that matter (except M+S if we won the lottery maybe) I'm also quite happy to own up to where I do our shopping too.
I have been to Lidl, but the nearest store to me is quite tatty and not as well organized as Aldi. The queues were longer too. I would go there again though but it is further away and not as convenient as Aldi.
I'm not at all impressed by Iceland or Farmfoods, they just seem to sell a lot of ready meals, which I am trying not to buy because I think they bump up your shopping bills.

nbbradshaw · 30 July 2006 at 7:14AM

like Newleaf, I too was embarrassed going into Lidl or Aldi but no more!!!. Generally the quality of the goods are as good as if not better than anyother supermarket (and I've tried them all!!).

There are a number of threads about Lidl\Aldi throughout the forums giving plenty of goog advice such as do not buy Lidl baked beans (wise advice).

I recommend that you give both a go, you've got nothing to lose. Except you'll probably not lose as much money from your bank account!

N9eav · 30 July 2006 at 7:21AM

I can never get everything I need in LIDL or ALDI so use Asda, but currently LIDL have all their fresh fruit and veg at half price. This is a great deal and worth going in for. Mornings are essential as it all disapears pretty quickly.
Some of the non food items are cheap too and you have to keep a look out for the forthcoming offers.

Being continental, LIDL do a great dried german salami.

My biggest hang up with both of them is that there are no shopping baskets. The staff are few and far between, they charge for bags, there is no time to pack you shopping because they have whizzed it through.

bigdec · 30 July 2006 at 9:12AM

On the high street were we shopping there is a aldi, iceland, morrisons and a tesco so its a bit of pick and mix of any bargins that are in the shops lots of bogof deals

wigginsmum · 30 July 2006 at 9:16AM

I'm a definite Lidl convert, away from Sainsburys and occasional M&S. We love the Lidl food - the only thing I haven't liked so far are the frozen peas.

Emmzi · 30 July 2006 at 9:17AM

I use Lidl for everyday, and Aldi for treats (better range of 'luxury' goods, antipasti, cheeses, etc.)

rog2 · 30 July 2006 at 10:00AM

Aldi and Lidl are quite big in Italy too, where food is really respected. There is a good choice of (pre-packed admitedly) continental style cooked meats in our local Aldi store. I have worked with several of their UK suppliers and can assure you that the quality requirements are no less stringent than Tesco, ASDA etc. We buy a lot in Aldi/Lidl but still do main shop in Tesco, although we are gradually moving towards ASDA - Tesco have such a stranglehold on the retail market.

hattie_pea · 30 July 2006 at 5:40PM

I really like Lidl too. I went yesterday and bought some great bargains inlcuding mozzarella cheese at 26p a bag (perfect for summer salads) jars or pesto at 49p each and the tastiest pizzas I think I've ever had out of a box (called Pizza Mozzarella, found in the frozen section) priced £1.78 for two!