Good and Bad Buying at Lidl and Aldi (***Please don't expire***)

maman

That's interesting. Covid is on of the reasons for staff shortage/queues at checkouts that I've been told about in my Aldi.  I found it hard to believe a it happened instantly immediately after Christmas but I suppose it could be that the new variants hit them then when they'd coped fine from March to December. 🤔

It seems tough that employers have stuck rigidly  to the leave year when people haven't been able to enjoy leave as they normally would for most of the year. I suppose it's understandable though as they couldn't manage everyone going off when lockdown eventually ends. 

od244051

I work at a an essential retailer. We had 3 colleagues off shielding the first lockdown. Had colleagues, including myself who developed symptoms about this time last year and all of March 2020 with Covid type symptoms. Unsure if ever had it as no test centres for 40 miles. Now there’s 3 centres plus a lateral flow one ten mins or less drive.

Had five colleagues tested positive themselves. One is particularly poorly as not hospitalised not been at work since early Jan.

Probably had 6 colleagues who have been self isolating as household or support bubble had a positive case.

Another thing is that if on long term sick or self isolating and originally booked that time off work, the time booked off will go back into your annual leave pot. As can’t be paid sick pay and annual leave at the same time! One of my colleagues who was self isolating said work had to use the time off as sick pay. Unsure why. Then normally, if you are ill during time off, it’s tough.

od244051

Back to the subject of Aldi and Lidl.

The Lidl Plus coupons do work against the orange stickers. As one of the coupons this week is on Rowen Hill products - bakery. Had some cobs, bread etc with orange stickers and took off 15% off the OS price.

It does not work on the generic green stickers.

Cornucopia

I picked up some chilled 1/4 pound beef burgers from Lidl earlier.   £1.99 for 4.

They were delicious.

redfox

While it’s easy to wander off-topic that could stop newbies finding the information they want quickly and easily (please see the forum rule) so please keep this thread on topic. To ask a different MoneySaving subject please start your own thread (if you're not a member join the forum to do it). If you have any questions about this policy please email forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com.

Please keep this thread just for the products at Aldi & Lidl and not other off-topic discussions. Further off topic posts will be removed. Thank you.

harz99

Aldi multi pack bottled still water has changed from a good, easy to open and close one handed, blue sports cap, to an opaque sprung top which is much harder to both open and close, presumably cheaper for them but bad for us users.  

mac.d

To be fair, I think its more the recent chat about things like the amount of staff off with Covid/customer service and baskets & trolley's the mod is asking people not to post in this thread. It's for good and bad buys at Aldi/Lidl, not anything else. Threads do often wander off at a tangent, that's the nature of forums, but the ones that moderate this forum don't want this particular thread to do that. 

So to keep it on topic, the 99p (didn't they used to be 79p a while ago?) Dominion Jelly Beans I bought this morning in Aldi are in danger of being demolished in a snaccident.

mikb

First "bad" buy at ALDI (and this is 50% my own fault for not reading the instructions, hands up!)

Dessert Menu Microwaveable Sponge Puddings (2x110g) -- I bought these as an alternative to the Morrisons-own or Matthew Walker/Mr Kipling equivalent products.

Except: Those say "Store in a cool dry place" and have a Best-Before advisory date. The ALDI ones are "Keep refrigerated at 5'C" and have a Use-By date. And they mean it. Still sealed, within the Use-By, but stored in a cool-dry cupboard, going mouldy!

Just as a warning -- sometimes the equivalent product isn't quite the same. I can only guess they don't use the same preservatives as the other brands, so are more fragile.

I will buy these again, but from now on, they get chucked in the freezer until day of use!

Cornucopia

mikb said:

First "bad" buy at ALDI (and this is 50% my own fault for not reading the instructions, hands up!)...

To be fair to L & A, in all the time I've been shopping there, the only product that was ever confusing with respect to its storage was when Lidl used to sell Soya Milk alongside the Cow's milk in the chiller, even though it is/was fundamentally a long-life/ambient product.

od244051 said:

Back to the reason for this thread. Did you know that Lidl’s Hatherwood beers are brewed by Wychwood - Hobgoblin etc? Love the Purple Panther porter 

The Purple Panther is excellent, and good VFM.   Also the "Sotma" Swedish Cider - at least the Mixed Berries variety.

Rosa_Damascena

I prefer Aldi's digestive biscuits to the much-praise Tesco / Miss Mollies. I can't even say I'm a fan of the humble digestive but if I had to pick it would be Aldi for me.