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

harz99

pumpkin89 said:

Re fruit and veg dates - you just need to understand the codes in order to find the freshest produce.

Several retailers now use Julian dates (https://people.biology.ucsd.edu/patrick/julian_cal.html) - often at the end of a code, so it will look something like 62DC318.  You don't need to remember the actual number for each day, you just need to know that codes ending in, say, 320 are going to be fresher than those ending in 318.

Tesco uses codes in the format K:16 where K is November (11th letter of the alphabet = 11th month) and 16 is the 16th of the month.  Again, once you know the code you just look for the highest number and that's the newest.

I don't have an Aldi nearby but I'm sure they will have done something similar.

Very useful thank you. Are the code dates packing dates, or simply a different way of showing best before/use by please?

pumpkin89

In most cases the code dates are simply the old best before dates obfuscated.  Most supermarkets still do some form of stock rotation and YS reductions process each day, and the staff will use the code as a guide to which produce might need reducing.

There will be fewer bargains because rather than reducing everything with a given date, they now check all the produce with that date but only reduce the stuff that's starting to look a bit off.

Note - some fruit and veg requires a Use By date by law (including anything where the edible bit has been cut, such as ready prepared fruit/veg) and retailers must continue to show that.  It's only Best Before that they have the option to remove.

Brie

I wonder if the same codes are being used on the shelf labels.  I've often looked at those when something was on special.  Sometimes I haven't needed something yet or don't know if we've already got 10 at home so have checked the label to see how long the item will be on half price or whatever.  Normally things go in groups to a specific date so everything until next Thursday or tinned goods for a week Tuesday and bread a week Friday.  It's been more difficult to decipher lately - I guess they realise that people are checking on these things.

robrymond

Our Aldi in Nantwich seems to have reintroduced the 50% off short dated items for those expiring a day ahead. Since Covid it's been 30% off and then 75% off on the final day.

Also noticeable again today at price increases on most products in the store. 5p-10p on most items since last week.

The Aldi fake Percy Pigs seem to have defied all inflation this year and remain at 99p.

Some things like the 200g chocolate bars are now £1.79. They were 99p about two years ago. It's cheaper to buy the posh chocolate which although is smaller, tastes nicer at £1.35 for five bars.

Rosa_Damascena

The bag of carrots I bought from Lidl on Sunday started to rot today. Not happy

thriftytracey

Another Lidl shopper not happy.  Did shopping in a bit of a rush this morning.  Bought a bag of satsumas, and when I got home I found two of which were rotten and had to be thrown away, and some celery, which when opened, was soaking wet and covered with brown speckles.

It's a 12 mile round trip so not worth the cost in fuel to return the items.  I also noticed lately that the brown onions have bad bits in them, once peeled and started to chop.  I did look at those today and every net had at least one onion with brown discolouration on the skin.

Doc_N

thriftytracey said:

Another Lidl shopper not happy.  Did shopping in a bit of a rush this morning.  Bought a bag of satsumas, and when I got home I found two of which were rotten and had to be thrown away, and some celery, which when opened, was soaking wet and covered with brown speckles.

It's a 12 mile round trip so not worth the cost in fuel to return the items.  I also noticed lately that the brown onions have bad bits in them, once peeled and started to chop.  I did look at those today and every net had at least one onion with brown discolouration on the skin.

Not that it’s of much consolation, but Tesco are every bit as bad - but at higher prices.

tujeste

Aldi have got two very acceptable California wines at a low price at the moment - both from Canyon Springs.

A very smokey Shiraz (not to all tastes I know) at £2.99 and a fruity Zinfandel at £3.99

Brie

tujeste said:

Aldi have got two very acceptable California wines at a low price at the moment - both from Canyon Springs.

A very smokey Shiraz (not to all tastes I know) at £2.99 and a fruity Zinfandel at £3.99

I'm not a particular fan of California wines (too foxy for my palate generally).  But those certainly are good prices to look at.

My major concern would be with the Shiraz and I would suggest that anyone buying a red at that price check the alcohol level.  It's my experience that any red with a low alcohol % is a result of chemical processing rather than more natural wine making.  Net result can be an incredibly nasty headache even after drinking a small amount.  It can be even worse for some people who suffer from migraines.  And chemical production is cheaper than the slower natural one and so is more common in the cheaper wines.  

This is one of the reasons why I follow a basic rule for reds.  Pick a price point and then pick a wine that has the highest alcohol %.  This way you are more likely to get a robust, full bodied wine rather than something that is thin, insipid and full of whatever.  

Unfortunately I haven't found a similar trick for whites as some, particularly German style ones, can quite naturally have a significantly lower alcohol %.  9% isn't uncommon for a light bright white.  French whites tend to be a bit chunkier and with a higher %.  This continues until you get into the sweet stuff, ice wines etc that can very high %.

maman

I'd go along with your ' pick a price point' rule @Brie and then add ' wait for a 25% off promotion'. 🤣

If anyone wants a really good bottle of fizz for 🎄 then I can thoroughly recommend the Aldi Cremant du Jura. It's made on champagne principles but not in the region. Good value at IIRC £8.99.