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

Doc_N

maman said:

I tend to think that some posters are a bit out of date and /or going on hearsay when they make statements about Aldi. I've been an Aldi shopper for many years. In the early days,they definitely just sold basic foodstuffs. I probably did 50% of my shopping there. Roll forward to the past couple of years and I'm probably up to 90%+ of my shopping and the things I buy elsewhere aren't regular items. It's generally herbs and spices although Aldi do sell the most common ones.

I think there is a psychological element too in that many posters believe the adage that you get what you pay for. What you're paying for in Waitrose is the 'shopping experience' of feeling good in a smart, upmarket shop. Personally I feel good being in control of my finances and not being ripped off just because they can. 

I’d agree with every word of that.  Over a period of years Aldi has transformed itself from a low cost place for basics into a low cost place that sells pretty much, but not quite all, you need.  Same quality, but lower prices reflecting a highly efficient business model.

Originally 100% Waitrose shoppers, we tried Aldi many years ago.  Didn’t buy much, but as they improved we ended up buying more and more. Finally ended up with 90% coming from there, and no different from Waitrose in quality.

Cornucopia

One of the characteristics of L & A is that they have expanded their ranges a lot over the past few years.  

Aldi now often has 4 or more different genres across its ranges (typically standard, premium, functional and sometimes basics).   A good example would be Coleslaw salad - there are two standard versions (normal and lower fat), a premium version, and a vegan version (which is very nice).   All of them are sold in oversize containers for about the price of a small pack elsewhere.   

Chocolate is another example - plenty of standard and premium options, as well as low sugar and basics options.  

I'm just waiting for them to ditch their "no brand" brands, and begin consistent branding across the store based on these categories.


BTW, Lidl has a fantastic selection of beer.  

Doc_N

Cornucopia said:

I'm just waiting for them to ditch their "no brand" brands, and begin consistent branding across the store based on these categories.

With you entirely on that one.  Particularly for Aldi which must surely have a stronger brand these days than all those daft invented names. 

pumpkin89

maman said:

I tend to think that some posters are a bit out of date and /or going on hearsay when they make statements about Aldi. 

I'll admit, personally, that a lot of my comments are based on Lidl as we don't have an Aldi within sensible driving distance.  Many people on this forum talk about them as if they're similar, so I've made that assumption, but I may be wrong.  We are supposed to be getting an Aldi locally next year so I'm looking forward to finding out!  Hopefully it is better - there are only a handful of Lidl products I find acceptable quality, so it isn't worth making a special trip there.

Sea_Shell

Lacura is an established Aldi "brand" now IMO.   Almost all our toiletries come from there now.

Just need survey sites to start recognising them as such.

Cornucopia

pumpkin89 said:
... Many people on this forum talk about them as if they're similar, so I've made that assumption, but I may be wrong... 

They have traditionally been very similar (more similar than any of the big supermarkets are to each other - maybe more like Boots and Superdrug).   They also still have many lines that are a similar quality level at the same price.

But over the past couple of years, they have begun to diverge.   Aldi now has a lot of vegan/functional lines, for example, where Lidl has very few.    Aldi was always a bit keener on British foods, where Lidl was always keener on continental ones, and this has continued.   Aldi, I think sees itself as a smaller, cheaper version of a big supermarket, where Lidl is heading more towards a kind of cheap, specialist deli.   

If either of those strategies breaks through into the big league, I think it will be Aldi, and they are very slightly cheaper, too.

maman

Our local Lidl is on the side of a hideously busy roundabout. You can spend longer trying to get out than shopping in the store. 🤣 I like a few of their items so go there infrequently and stock up. Examples are cornichons, luxury muesli, dishwasher and laundry stuff, lazy garlic. They're all store cupboard items so I don't need to go often. 😁

Doc_N

pumpkin89 said:

maman said:

I tend to think that some posters are a bit out of date and /or going on hearsay when they make statements about Aldi. 

I'll admit, personally, that a lot of my comments are based on Lidl as we don't have an Aldi within sensible driving distance.  Many people on this forum talk about them as if they're similar, so I've made that assumption, but I may be wrong.  We are supposed to be getting an Aldi locally next year so I'm looking forward to finding out!  Hopefully it is better - there are only a handful of Lidl products I find acceptable quality, so it isn't worth making a special trip there.

Conversely, I’d happily buy pretty much any Lidl product, with maybe a very small number of exceptions, knowing that they’re coming from the same suppliers that all supermarkets use, to almost identical specifications.

Surprising the psychological effect of a label and a brand.

203846930

I do the majority of my shopping at Lidl and use Aldi as a top-up stop.
I don't care about brand names, I shop only on price and if I don't like a product, I never buy it again, thankfully there has been very few of these over the years.

pumpkin89

Doc_N said:

Conversely, I’d happily buy pretty much any Lidl product, with maybe a very small number of exceptions, knowing that they’re coming from the same suppliers that all supermarkets use, to almost identical specifications.

Surprising the psychological effect of a label and a brand.

I'm curious as to whether you've worked in the food industry?  Most supermarkets do use the same suppliers, but it's unusual for the specifications to be almost identical.  Waitrose and M&S almost always have higher specifications than other supermarkets, including Aldi and Lidl.

It's not psychology so much as differing priorities.  If I had to assess impartially, I'd say on the whole Lidl food might be 80% as good as Waitrose for 50% of the price.  I accept that makes it better value, but it's not equal quality, and to some people that's worth paying extra for.