Good and bad buys from Aldi and Lidl

Stompa

holidaysforme wrote: »

My Aldi has baskets now:D

They appeared in mine today. It seems to me they haven't thought it through though. I used to use a box which I'd unpack onto the conveyor, then quickly repack at the till, finally packing into bags in the packing area. However, I'm told we're not allowed to take the baskets through the till, so have to pack bags at the till (which will undoubtedly slow things down).

I think I'm sticking to using a box!

rogcal

I can't speak of Lidl as I do not use them but Aldi is a place I do shop and do find their fruit and veg to be good value however, I make sure I inspect the items well before buying them as increasingly I have found stock on display that is either damaged or in poor condition.

I put this down to poor stock control and poor in store handling.

When I raise the problem with a member of staff I get fobbed off with all sorts of excuses but usually short of staff is the main one.

I suppose it would help if a use by date were put on all the fresh packaged fruit and veg but sadly some are not marked and like the packs of vine ripened tomatoes, oranges and clementines which are not marked, it's not unusual to find mould developing on the fruits even on the day of purchase.

I'll still continue shopping at Aldi but take even more care when selecting fresh goods!

DCFC79

They pretty much sell the same stuff, there will be items that are only available in 1 and not the other.

recovering_spendaholic

I have both aldi and lidl within easy reach of my house, however the aldi is well laid out, bright and clean whilst the lidl is not well laid out and always seems to be grubby and has a weird smell. I think it does depend, as others have said, on how well the store is managed.

I buy lidl bread flour and bread mixes, but little else as I prefer the quality and price of aldi.

arunadasi

Aldi and Lidl are both German and I live in Germany; we have both stores next door near to my home.
In Germany, Aldi has by far the more solid reputation, and more people shop there than at Lild. In fact, I don't know a single person here who shops at Lidl. Aldi's products consistently com out as "very good" on Germany's consumer magazine tests (similar to UK's Watch). I remember some years ago that Aldi's Medion computer came up as every bit as good as the top brands, for a much lower price.
In price they may be similar; I can't tell as I never went to Lidl in Germany. I did in the UK, though, as there was no Aldi in my home town.

In Germany there's not really the snobbishnes as per supermarkets that you get in the UK. Everyone, rich and poor, shops at Aldi. But I do think Lidl (and another discounter, Penny) does seem to have rather a second-rate feeling to it. I don't know how true it is, since, as I mention, I've never actually tried them.

Mrs_Arcanum

We now have an Aldi in the next town so I alternate between Aldi & Lidl.

IMHO Aldi is best for Bread (proper batch loaves & can find middle loaves).
Breakfast cereal, range of eggs, soda water, soups, curry mixes, frozen fish & some desserts.

Like for like Lidl Hawaiian pizza is far better than Aldi (far more topping & thicker crust for the same price), Rye bread whilst cheaper in Aldi doesn't keep as long as Lidl's. Also the vanilla ice cream at Lidl is wonderful, though there is a wider choice at Aldi.

Lidl is better for cold meats (bigger range & better prices), fresh coffee, lemonade, chocolate spread and veg (yes Aldi super 6 is OK but not being able to get loose veg causes problems with choosing the best).

Lidl do a good version of Iron Brew & Aldi does Dandelion & Burdock.

May come up with more as I find them. All just my opinion though.

Septictoe

Sweetdaisy's comments rings true with me. I was spending about £80 a week at Tesco and ended up going right off them. I felt the costs were going up week on week and did not represent the great value that they claimed. I also got really bored with the range that Tesco offered. Unfortunately I don't live that close to Lidl but I am now in a routine of once a week driving to lidl on my way home from work and picking up the things that we use the most. We tend to go for fruit and veg, tinned tomatoes (passata, puree etc), cleaning/laundry, household, rice and pasta. The chocolate is also fantastic! Once I have these I then do an online shop at sainsburys and literally only buy the things that are left on the list. We have found that we are saving in the region of £30-£50 a month. We will save more when we try other lidl items. I want to start trying their cereals as the prices look great. Perhaps someone has some experience that they would share?

Best wishes and happy moneysaving!

VfM4meplse

arunadasi wrote: »

Aldi and Lidl are both German and I live in Germany; we have both stores next door near to my home.
In Germany, Aldi has by far the more solid reputation, and more people shop there than at Lild.

Aldi inGermany is just amazing. I really wish we could get the long-life soya milk they sell, it is absolutely delcious!

camelot1001

Only tried the muesli (sp) which I bought yesterday and it's really good.
I have been shopping at Aldi on and off for a while but have discovered Lidl and I like it. Their fruit is lovely and will try more things as I get used to it.

meritaten

VfM4meplse wrote: »

Aldi inGermany is just amazing. I really wish we could get the long-life soya milk they sell, it is absolutely delcious!

I noticed that amongst the 'new' products in my local store last thursday! ask your store manager or deputy manager about it! the more people who request a product the more likely they are to stock it!