ALDI - like Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons

Lynsey

I think anyone doing all their shopping in either Aldi or Lidl would be losing out financially. Not everything is cheaper in those stores.
What I find though is the the offers in Aldi and Lidl are generally better than the BIG4 offers, but not always.
I'm lucky in that I have the BIG4, Aldi, Lidl, Home Bargains, B&M and local markets etc. right near me. I can pick and choose.
The negative with Aldi and Lidl is they don't take manufacturers coupons. Massive bargains can be had here combining using coupons with offers (some stuff cheap, some free stuff and even getting paid to take stuff away!).

Use them all to your best advantage, but certainly don't dismiss Aldi and Lidl completely. Use the BIG4 for their "genuine" offers and try and stay away from the full price items.

Lynsey

cooking-mama

I like Aldi for their special offers and weekly veg offers,but not much else,I hate the way my stuff gets chucked from till to trolley as tho im in a race or something..also hate that they dont supply baskets(only trolleys)...why is that?
Fell for the advertising hype yesterday when i went to buy the cheap lemons and brussels sprouts..bought the £5.99 "baileys"..poor imitation,drinkable,but only bears a slight resemblance in taste to Baileys,not smooth at all,:(
Forgot to add,i would love to try Lidl,but our local one is dark and it actualy smells..think it might be the fruit n veg(past experience was that it went off very quickly)

VfM4meplse

cooking-mama wrote: »

Forgot to add,i would love to try Lidl,but our local one is dark and it actualy smells..think it might be the fruit n veg(past experience was that it went off very quickly)

I find my local Lidl fruit and veg is miles better that that sold in the big 4 stores. You'll never know unless you give it a chance!

RHemmings

Like others on here, I buy some products from Aldi, but won't touch others. The fresh pastry is good, nothing wrong with it. The fruit and veg. is quite good, but their cherry tomatoes aren't as good as some other stores. Never tried the Corale beans. Their hummous has improved over a year or two ago, but still isn't as good as typical supermarket hummous. IMHO.

Barneysmom

ScarletRaven wrote: »

I work for Morrisons and have worked on the checkouts quite a few times in my years there, so I will stick up for the 'slow staff' on this one - we are actually told to go at a steady pace, chat to each customer etc to provide a nice shopping experience for each indvidual. It's all part of this 'HOT Service' protocol they've brought in. Must admit though, it's not a hit with a lot of the customers, who like myself would rather just get in, do the shopping and get out, not make friends with the till girl and spend 10 mins there everytime I want to pay for something!

I like that though, I enjoy a chat at the till, especially if I haven't spoken to anyone all day. Plus it gives me chance to pack my bags

gailey_2

I cant speak for aldis as out our way so dont shop there.

But queue control at my local lidls really freindly.

always 1-2members of staff on shop floor to ask questions
if more than 2-3 in queue another till very swiftly opened never there for long unlike sainsburys.
nice wide ailses and checkouts a dream with my side by side double buggy.
mine lidls has baskets
even has magazines and newspapers.

Buy a large proportion of fruit and veg there now.

but nostia tinned tomatoes and passata-nicer than value
herbs -reasonable
kids dont mind their beans or tinned spagetti.
4pints milk £1
flour normally quite competative sos baking powder.
oz white charddonay ok as is aldis was amazing £3.49 a bottle.
their washing up liquid ok, adis rubbish
their look roll ok
nappies and wipes verygood
orange juice good cheaper than value
Their chocolate really nice too.

cheese unless speciality expensive
hams not super cheap but good quality.
cereals unless weekend offer own brand not competative.

couldent do entire shop there though,
but if you play their deals like everyone else they good.

rinabean

I love Aldi. The quality is as high as most "luxury" brands in the other supermarkets, and the prices are often lower than the basics ranges. I don't understand people who find it low quality, but I suppose everyone has different tastes. I just wish they would stock more organic products, like they do in Germany, but perhaps there just isn't the market for it here. Their special deals (in the middle of the shop) are often really good, too. If I can buy it in Aldi, I normally do

choclover

Gigervamp wrote: »

When I worked on checkouts at Tesco, I altered the speed that I put things through depending on the customer. There were the customers who packed very quickly, usually chucking stuff into the bags willy nilly, so I sped up with those customers. There were the customers who kept like with like, all the chilled and frozen in bags together, the breakables in another bag, tins and heavy stuff, etc. They took a bit more time to pack.

I think it's more how you load the conveyor from your trolley - if you put all the fresh things on together you can pack them in the same bag and it doesn't take you any longer.

Whenever we go to Aldi/Lidl we always pack at the till - didn't know you couldn't and no-one has ever mentioned it to us. It just seems easier to me especially if you have a lot of stuff to pack it straight into bags rather than transferring back into the trolley and then into bags.

Maybe it's just me.:)

gailey_2

I must admit when fisrt starting trying the discounters few years ago think was during credit crunch wasent happy at first.

we took 20min drive to nearest aldis. its was a really nice store in new build estate so looked lovley to shop in.

We got in and few bargains compared to big 4so stocked up our trolly full.
thourght we try a few brands and see if we like it.hated aldo washing up liquid but do feel its trial and error. cant recall seeing any brands there.

We went there a few times but after the whole sainsburys helping pack bag the way we were shunted aside and staff were miserable was rude so decided to try lidls.

Our local lidls in retail park is fab. They have some well know brands, never too busy,
staff have helped me pack in past or said no ruish and slowed down.
asked few questions on shop floor so staff been great taking me to the product.
cashiers always been happy and chatty even the blokes.

Some customers get annoyed they dont take credit card or do cashback.

I take bags with me but think their quite good value for bags so have brought some.

I now with grocery items bung in trolley and go to one side but try to get chilled bagged up if I can.

yesterday had kids with me not the easist but buggy easily fitted round store.

normally kids wait in car with hubby and I pop in like fact i know where everything is.
I have a list but also i reseach weekend offers before going in.

so im in and out within 30mins or less as whizz round,
have trolley token in purse for trolly.
sometimes I pack at car as usally park in mum and baby spot outside few doors down so not too far back to take trolly.

My freind says lidls near her not as nice maybe store specific?

last xmas they were doing nasal trim stuff thourght about as pressie for hubby..
Rang customer service they were so helpful and looked to see who was holding stock even rang a store for me as local store out of stock.You cant ring stores direct.

I also think last few years customer service in biger stores gonedown hill.

My big sainburys opposite lidls has changed.
theres more self serve
worse availaibility
They cant seem to control queues annoys me as they have 2supevisors at a little desk at checkouts observing the chaos.
The staff dont seem as freindly and helpful as once were on tills.

we tried adsa a few times snd service was dire and shopping there stressful!

Give me aldis/lidls anyday.

I try do lidls first before sainsburys stops me spending as much

so now each month we do

lidls for veg and grocery
farmfoods -frozen
butchers for meat
sainsburys, tesco, morrsions for anything cant get other 2 and offers
occasionally poundshop
waitrose/ocado-online
co-op/spar-as best reductions even cornershop has some bargains.

curliesue2

Me and my husband used to do our shopping at Asda online. We thought it best this way as would'nt spend as much as going instore and the fact that there are 5 of us altogther. over the months we were spending around the same amount but there were getting less and less bags even though we were ording same stuff so we decided to try other places.
I now shop in Farm Foods and Aldi . I do one big shop for the month and it costs us £250 for the 5 of us.we've cut our shopping bill down by £100/£150 switching to these shops and the food is just as good and i've even just got my friend doing the same :T