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

briskbeats

With supermarkets stop selling own label stuff, it must be not a supermarket decision but the brand or manufacturers. Esp if the brand make/made supermarkets own labels as it’s more profitable as less different packaging to use - individual and outer cases etc.

Cornucopia

briskbeats said:

With supermarkets stop selling own label stuff, it must be not a supermarket decision but the brand or manufacturers. Esp if the brand make/made supermarkets own labels as it’s more profitable as less different packaging to use - individual and outer cases etc.

I got the impression that sometimes (for Aldi & Lidl, at least) they have contracted to take a particular product at a specified price for a set period of time, or maybe a set quantity.

Once that contract expires, products sometimes disappear, perhaps for a couple of weeks, or sometimes forever.   When they reappear, sometimes the price changes, or the packaging, or even the product itself.   It's one of those compromises that are involved in shopping at Lidl & Aldi.  

PLRFD

Kernow666 said:

over the last couple of months i have swapped from branded biscuits to Lidl's own 

Ginger nuts
Rich Tea
Oaties
Digestives
Malted Milk 
Chocolate chip cookies

i wouldn't ever go back to McVities even if they were on offer 

Lidl chocolate digestives are really nice I’ve only tried the plain chocolate ones but scrummy with a cuppa or glass of milk.

harz99

Cornucopia said:

briskbeats said:

With supermarkets stop selling own label stuff, it must be not a supermarket decision but the brand or manufacturers. Esp if the brand make/made supermarkets own labels as it’s more profitable as less different packaging to use - individual and outer cases etc.

I got the impression that sometimes (for Aldi & Lidl, at least) they have contracted to take a particular product at a specified price for a set period of time, or maybe a set quantity.

Once that contract expires, products sometimes disappear, perhaps for a couple of weeks, or sometimes forever.   When they reappear, sometimes the price changes, or the packaging, or even the product itself.   It's one of those compromises that are involved in shopping at Lidl & Aldi.  

Yes, I'd agree with that. 

Doc_N

Kernow666 said:

over the last couple of months i have swapped from branded biscuits to Lidl's own 

Ginger nuts
Rich Tea
Oaties
Digestives
Malted Milk 
Chocolate chip cookies

i wouldn't ever go back to McVities even if they were on offer 

I struggle to understand why anyone buys at least 90% of branded groceries.  With a few exceptions, almost all of them can be replaced at a much lower price, with just a little open mindedness.

Rosa_Damascena

Doc_N said:

Kernow666 said:

over the last couple of months i have swapped from branded biscuits to Lidl's own 

Ginger nuts
Rich Tea
Oaties
Digestives
Malted Milk 
Chocolate chip cookies

i wouldn't ever go back to McVities even if they were on offer 

I struggle to understand why anyone buys at least 90% of branded groceries.  With a few exceptions, almost all of them can be replaced at a much lower price, with just a little open mindedness.

More money than sense?

briskbeats

Doc_N said:

Kernow666 said:

over the last couple of months i have swapped from branded biscuits to Lidl's own 

Ginger nuts
Rich Tea
Oaties
Digestives
Malted Milk 
Chocolate chip cookies

i wouldn't ever go back to McVities even if they were on offer 

I struggle to understand why anyone buys at least 90% of branded groceries.  With a few exceptions, almost all of them can be replaced at a much lower price, with just a little open mindedness.

In Aldi, Holly Lane cakes are made by Mr Kipling as gut the same font for BB date and batch number. Best example is the Battenberg cake. In the past used the same blood red trays. Sometimes I have seen HL and MK cakes together and customers are buying the MK one which is about 50% more.

Never understand why people buy Napolina  (sp?) tinned tomatoes. Seen some supermarkets charge a £1 a can! If I make two spaghetti bolognese sauces. One has branded chopped tomatoes and the other with a can of Lidl’s Simply chopped tomatoes costing 28p - all other ingredients and quantities are the same, you can’t tell which one has the branded tomatoes!


Some people are in the belief from the 70s and 80s that supermarkets own labels are still inferior. Then some branded stuff is worse than own label. Heinz is a classic example as their tomato ketchup, soup and baked beans are horrible.

Some of the  branded items I buy are Coke/Pepsi- as don’t like own brands cola drinks, certain spirits and Comfort Intense as others are too weak. I check prices first

briskbeats

Kernow666 said:

over the last couple of months i have swapped from branded biscuits to Lidl's own 

Ginger nuts
Rich Tea
Oaties
Digestives
Malted Milk 
Chocolate chip cookies

i wouldn't ever go back to McVities even if they were on offer 

Have you tried Lidl’s Chocolate chunk cookies and their Hazelnut heart cookies? Amazing. Sometimes the latter is on super weekend offer

Pollycat

Doc_N said:

Kernow666 said:

over the last couple of months i have swapped from branded biscuits to Lidl's own 

Ginger nuts
Rich Tea
Oaties
Digestives
Malted Milk 
Chocolate chip cookies

i wouldn't ever go back to McVities even if they were on offer 

I struggle to understand why anyone buys at least 90% of branded groceries.  With a few exceptions, almost all of them can be replaced at a much lower price, with just a little open mindedness.

Rosa_Damascena said:

I struggle to understand why anyone buys at least 90% of branded groceries.  With a few exceptions, almost all of them can be replaced at a much lower price, with just a little open mindedness.

More money than sense?

Not necessarily.
We've done Martin's brand challenge on most of our food and there are some things that we really don't like the taste of.
So we buy branded when it suits us.

'open mindedness' doesn't come into it.
I'll make a decision whether a better taste is worth paying extra for.

harz99

Pollycat said:

Doc_N said:

Kernow666 said:

over the last couple of months i have swapped from branded biscuits to Lidl's own 

Ginger nuts
Rich Tea
Oaties
Digestives
Malted Milk 
Chocolate chip cookies

i wouldn't ever go back to McVities even if they were on offer 

I struggle to understand why anyone buys at least 90% of branded groceries.  With a few exceptions, almost all of them can be replaced at a much lower price, with just a little open mindedness.

Rosa_Damascena said:

I struggle to understand why anyone buys at least 90% of branded groceries.  With a few exceptions, almost all of them can be replaced at a much lower price, with just a little open mindedness.

More money than sense?

Not necessarily.
We've done Martin's brand challenge on most of our food and there are some things that we really don't like the taste of.
So we buy branded when it suits us.

'open mindedness' doesn't come into it.
I'll make a decision whether a better taste is worth paying extra for.

Likewise, although some branded goods can also be found cheaply at the likes of Home Bargains, B and M etc. Not always necessary to pay the big supermarket prices.