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

YoungBlueEyes

My Lidl is usually pretty good stock and staff wise but I do prefer Aldi for my main shop. It feels like a nicer store in general, although I don't like how many offers they pack round near the doors, a single trolley can cause a logjam. Aldi put self-service tills in the other week there and there's always plenty of staff on em cos they didn't work out all the pricing/computer bugs first. Cest la vie.  

thriftytracey

Our (large) Lidl is generally quiet - we do shop on Thursday mornings so not sure what it would be like at the weekends.  Never need to queue, or only a short time.  There have been a couple of occasions where there was no fresh bread or cakes and that was due to staff absence.  Luckily, there is a small Lidl nearby, we can visit where we were able to get fresh bread.  It will be closing though when the lease is up, replaced by the larger Lidl.  Last Thursday there were hardly any green vegetables, no broccoli, French beans, cauliflower etc.  The staff there are friendly but they are never able to say what is causing the shortages, they said there were no pallets to unload out back.  

I thought I would have another try of mid price white wines hoping they had improved but no I still feel yuk the next morning!  A modest two glasses max.  I don't know what it is but there is some ingredient that disagrees with me.  So still buying wine at Tesco and, as long as I don't buy cheap ones (less than £6 a bottle) I don't get the same after affects.  Have been enjoying the Conchay Toro Casillero del Diablo Chilean Chardonnay for the past few weeks.  £7 a bottle, when on clubcard offer .... wait for it .... £6.50 a bottle!

Brie

thriftytracey said:

I thought I would have another try of mid price white wines hoping they had improved but no I still feel yuk the next morning!  A modest two glasses max.  I don't know what it is but there is some ingredient that disagrees with me.  So still buying wine at Tesco and, as long as I don't buy cheap ones (less than £6 a bottle) I don't get the same after affects.  Have been enjoying the Conchay Toro Casillero del Diablo Chilean Chardonnay for the past few weeks.  £7 a bottle, when on clubcard offer .... wait for it .... £6.50 a bottle!

It's likely the sulfites.  (sulfides? anyhoo....) One way around that is to go for organic ones.  Also dry seem to be better than the sweeter.  I also find South America, South Africa or European (but careful with the Germans and those from further east...) more pleasant in everyway.  I avoid "new world" (why does that mean Aussie/NZ only?) and Californian.  Should they be available I'd be willing to get something from the Eastern US (Finger Lakes area) or even better from the better side of the border, the Niagara region in Ontario.  Aldi has had Pelham ones which are very nice and I would only get a headache with those if I drank much too much.

greyteam1959

You could always brew your wines.

PLRFD

greyteam1959 said:

You could always brew your wines.

It’s a lot of faff and setting up the equipment to start is quite expensive.

Rosa_Damascena

PLRFD said:

greyteam1959 said:

You could always brew your wines.

It’s a lot of faff and setting up the equipment to start is quite expensive.

Then there is the matter of time, consistency and quality control. You can put in a lot of effort for an unimbibable product.

Rosa_Damascena

I visited my local Lidl this evening for the first time in ages. Some of the Easter goodies were reduced by a bit, no great shakes. What grabbed my attention were the big (900g but clearly whipped to within an inch of its life) tubs of "Dutch" flavoured ice cream in Advocaat, and caramel.

sammyjammy

Rosa_Damascena said:

I visited my local Lidl this evening for the first time in ages. Some of the Easter goodies were reduced by a bit, no great shakes. What grabbed my attention were the big (900g but clearly whipped to within an inch of its life) tubs of "Dutch" flavoured ice cream in Advocaat, and caramel.

Did you cave?  Is that Advocaat and caramel together?

harz99

Rosa_Damascena said:

I visited my local Lidl this evening for the first time in ages. Some of the Easter goodies were reduced by a bit, no great shakes. What grabbed my attention were the big (900g but clearly whipped to within an inch of its life) tubs of "Dutch" flavoured ice cream in Advocaat, and caramel.

Air doesn't weigh anything, so still 900g whether whipped or solid lump..

Doc_N

harz99 said:

Rosa_Damascena said:

I visited my local Lidl this evening for the first time in ages. Some of the Easter goodies were reduced by a bit, no great shakes. What grabbed my attention were the big (900g but clearly whipped to within an inch of its life) tubs of "Dutch" flavoured ice cream in Advocaat, and caramel.

Air doesn't weigh anything, so still 900g whether whipped or solid lump..

But was it perhaps 900ml, the way ice cream’s usually sold? Absolute con, given that it enables the free air to be included in the volume marking.

Ice cream packaging should be required to include the weight in addition to the volume, so that high volumes of air are easier to spot.