Good and bad buys from Aldi and Lidl

nic_santorini

I have a super duper american style fridge and it keeps things fresh from aldi for sooooo long, the milk can go 5 days past the sell by date and it is perfectly fine. Perhaps it is your fridges or the temperature of the aldi stores, it has been very hot for the last few weeks, so I am not surprised at all that things don't last as long - unless you have a super duper american style fridge that keeps things fresh for ever!!

maman

maman wrote: »

I will try the Choceur on your recommendation but I certainly don't think the Moser Roth is run of the mill. I tried some Cadbury's Bournville a few months ago and in comparison it was revolting.

I had a look in Aldi today but decided that perhaps Choceur isn't for me although I will try the dark chocolate with hazelnuts at some point.


I buy the Moser Roth 70% chocolate and it comes in 5 little bars (30g each I think). DH and I share one each night. I fear that if I bought a 200g slab of Choceur I'd eat far too much.


But that's all about me not Aldi.

shammyjack

Ken68 wrote: »

The Moscatel Valencia @ £4.99 from Lidl, tastes like paraffin.
Had to force it down.

That is a watered down version . The real stuff is about 15% but far too sweet for my taste .

The Ruby Port on offer is a little sweet but fantastic value and the Tawny 10 year old Port at £3 more is divine !

geerex

Every time I go to Aldi/Lidl, I'm disappointed.
People go on about how they do their "full shop" there, I honestly can't see how. Plus, their branded lines can be found far cheaper elsewhere (for example, Irn Bru £1.19 Aldi vs. 99p Home Bargains).
Even their beer, which I'd expect to be world class (German) leaves a lot to be desired.
I just can't see what drives people there.

mcculloch29

geerex wrote: »

Every time I go to Aldi/Lidl, I'm disappointed.
People go on about how they do their "full shop" there, I honestly can't see how. Plus, their branded lines can be found far cheaper elsewhere (for example, Irn Bru £1.19 Aldi vs. 99p Home Bargains).
Even their beer, which I'd expect to be world class (German) leaves a lot to be desired.
I just can't see what drives people there.

You mention Home Bargains for branded names, but bear in mind they sell short date coded items and bankrupt stock, that changes constantly, so it can be near impossible to find the same items each week and plan meals ahead. They do not sell much in the way of fresh food which I prefer.

We have Heron discount freezer foods which is cheaper than Aldi for some branded items, but the same applies - and the non-branded items are around the same price or sometimes of lower quality. I love Heron but it is pot luck in there most weeks.
Pot luck isn't usually a good strategy for planned eating and economical healthy menus. I find myself impulse buying unless I have a sharp word with myself, the freezer has a few Heron impulse buys in that I still haven't used and should probably sling. It's not a bargain if you don't really need it and don't use it. I love Irn Bru, but it's a treat, not a necessity. Even with my surname.

What drives me to Aldi is being able to save phenomenally when compared with T*sco for the things I buy regularly, good quality fruit and veg, frozen veg, dairy goods, squash, household goods and toiletries, bread, crispbread, cereals, tea, squash, coffee, tinned goods, meat and fish. Waste is minimal.

I use Wilko's or Savers special offers for the few household goods I prefer over the Aldi own brand. (Lenor is one of the few items in this category.)

Nada666

geerex wrote: »

Every time I go to Aldi/Lidl, I'm disappointed.
People go on about how they do their "full shop" there, I honestly can't see how. Plus, their branded lines can be found far cheaper elsewhere (for example, Irn Bru £1.19 Aldi vs. 99p Home Bargains).
Even their beer, which I'd expect to be world class (German) leaves a lot to be desired.
I just can't see what drives people there.

You are saying you do a full shop in Home Bargains? Strange.

I don't understand why the price of 'British' branded items matter - why would I want to buy them if I am shopping there?

To be fair I am not a representative British customer - I am poor and do not pile my trolley with hundreds of pounds of unnecessary extras every month. But for staples they are cheaper or the same price. And the quality is usually there, too.

I struggle to understand what it is you can't buy. If I want something in addition I'll pop into Waitrose. I actually think that is a more likely combination - Waitrose and Lidl than Asda and Lidl.

Eliza_2

It's all very individual though isn't it. A full shop for one family would be a partial shop for another family, we all want or need different items. I love the lack of choice in Aldi, it's just right for me and have no problem doing a full shop there. Their ranges are just enough for me - a full shop includes dog and cat food, wine (yup, priorities!!), dairy, cold meats for lunches, fresh meat which is excellent, veg, coffee, few frozen bits, tinned fish (excellent range), beans, toiletries (brill anti wrinkle cream, £1.99),baking stuff, washing powder and washing up liquid. They even have green packs of soda in at the moment. I just hope they don't start getting more 'branded' stuff in at the expense of their own ranges.

Over an above this, I'm not sure what else I would need as a full shop. But as I said, it's all individual. Shopping for me isn't a hobby so a small supermarket which I can get round in superquick time with my list is ideal.

My local Aldi is revamping its fresh fruit and veg section, it already looks much better and there seems to be quite a bit of backstage building work going on too.

As this is a money saving site, getting best value for my hard earned cash is paramount. Aldi does that. If I had more money I suspect I'd do the same, no point in wasting a penny even after a lottery win!

A._Badger

Eliza wrote: »

It's all very individual though isn't it. A full shop for one family would be a partial shop for another family, we all want or need different items. I love the lack of choice in Aldi, it's just right for me and have no problem doing a full shop there.

A well researched article in today's Telegraph explains:

"The phrase “discount retailer” does not accurately reflect Aldi and Lidl. Indeed, many City analysts are already referring to the businesses as “limited assortment discounters”.
This is because the secret to their business model is based on the fact they sell fewer products than a typical Tesco. While Aldi sells 1,500, a Tesco supermarket can sell 40,000.
This limited range is connecting with shoppers. Ronny Gottschlich, the UK boss of Lidl, has put it succinctly. “If you [and another customer] don’t know each other, would you like to pay for his choice of a different type of water? If you go to another retailer that has got 20 different types of water, someone has got to pay for that space, someone has got to pay for that rent.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/10974773/It-may-already-be-too-late-for-Tesco-and-Sainsburys-the-rise-of-Aldi-and-Lidl-looks-unstoppable.html

How anybody can do a 'full shop' in Aldi or Lidl is beyond me, but chacun à son goût - literally.

Happygreen

Eliza wrote: »

It's all very individual though isn't it. A full shop for one family would be a partial shop for another family, we all want or need different items. I love the lack of choice in Aldi, it's just right for me and have no problem doing a full shop there. Their ranges are just enough for me - a full shop includes dog and cat food, wine (yup, priorities!!), dairy, cold meats for lunches, fresh meat which is excellent, veg, coffee, few frozen bits, tinned fish (excellent range), beans, toiletries (brill anti wrinkle cream, £1.99),baking stuff, washing powder and washing up liquid. They even have green packs of soda in at the moment. I just hope they don't start getting more 'branded' stuff in at the expense of their own ranges.

Over an above this, I'm not sure what else I would need as a full shop. But as I said, it's all individual. Shopping for me isn't a hobby so a small supermarket which I can get round in superquick time with my list is ideal.

My local Aldi is revamping its fresh fruit and veg section, it already looks much better and there seems to be quite a bit of backstage building work going on too.

As this is a money saving site, getting best value for my hard earned cash is paramount. Aldi does that. If I had more money I suspect I'd do the same, no point in wasting a penny even after a lottery win!

I agree - if I go to any of the big 3 (I will not put a foot into Walmart however cheap they may be) it always is for very specific items I can't get in Lidl. I am very happy with shorter walks in store and less confusion on the route to find what I need. Ocassionally branded items are cheaper elsewhere though, it's still worth comparing.

maman

geerex wrote: »

Every time I go to Aldi/Lidl, I'm disappointed.
People go on about how they do their "full shop" there, I honestly can't see how. Plus, their branded lines can be found far cheaper elsewhere (for example, Irn Bru £1.19 Aldi vs. 99p Home Bargains).
Even their beer, which I'd expect to be world class (German) leaves a lot to be desired.
I just can't see what drives people there.

At my local branch it's increasingly a BMW or Audi!:rotfl: