aldi - what did you get?

[MrGrumpy]

Personally, I don't thinks this is true. Mainly because Asda food tastes awful, as does the Co-Op's to my untrained tongue.

I'd hazard a guess that any difference is mainly a placebo for justification of the however many £'s extra you spent in a more expensive supermarket.

I'll happily spend £20-30 a week less and eat Aldi/Lidl's food. As with any type of food, as long as it's cooked properly, it will taste absolutely fine.

I`m with you hardly ever do my weekly shop in the large supermarkets now and quality IMO is better in some cases at Aldi (don`tshop at LIDL too far away). Have saved fair amount of cash not buying brands end off. Anyways will be heading to ALDI to check out the stuff, it ca be abit hit and miss and i agree with Vickster, there can be better bargains on the end of line brands. Albeit some expensive stuff I have as not lasted at all!

 

[Total Longo]

All over really - often Evans, Sigma Sport, sometimes Wiggle, Probikekit, Cyclesurgery, Amazon. I usually stick with companies offering free returns with clothing. Track through quidco for a few percent cashback too and keep an eye out for discount codes

Yeah i've gone through a few of those myself (Evans, Wiggle, Amazon), got some decent deals from Chain Reaction and Tredz as well.

Thanks for the advice.

Hmmmmm; a lot can happen to fruit and veg between the supplier and the shelf though.
I think my local Morrisons play football with the bananas before putting them on display; they are ALWAYS bruised when they ripen. Tesco on the other hand I have never had the same problem.
I once spoke to a Tayside strawberry/raspberry supplier and asked him why it was that despite him supplying both Tesco and Aldi, Tesco strawberries are tasteless excuses for strawberries while Aldi are more like those sold at the roadside in Tayside - sweet and much more flavour. His explanation was that Tesco freeze them sometime between their arrival and departure from their RDC, while Aldi get them straight out to their shops without having to store them frozen.

Absolutely, Aldi fruit and veg has always tasted better than anything i've bought at Asda or Tesco.

 

[howard2107]

My experience of Aldi and Lidls fruit has been poor, so if it comes from the same place, they are doing something to it once it arrives at the store. It might be cheaper, but that's no good if it ends up in the bin because it is or tastes rotten! Get a bad apple in a bag from another supermarket, you can take it back. I've never seen a customer service desk in Aldi or Lidl. And none of the stores are that close, so it would cost me more in time to take something back so it would just be binned. The worst thing I bought was a bag of prepared salad leaves from lidl, odd taste and not fresh

I can't imagine my average shop would be any less from Aldi than Asda or Tesco, well it might be because I can't buy what I want to buy, and that certainly isn't luxury food

Their Heinz ketchup up is as good as others however, but then it's no cheaper in fact I think brands are often more

 

[howard2107]

In Aldi's defence, my missus works for them, if you buy anything faulty, whether it is bike stuff, food or anything else, and it isn't up to standard, they will give you a no questions asked refund or replacement even without a receipt if its in the original bag, just take the bad ones back, Speak to anyone of the shop floor staff in store. They also honour their 3 year warranties as well, although you have to call a helpline (based in Leeds and staffed by english speaking people). They don't have customer service staff as such, because all staff including managers do all the jobs including customer service. this is one of the reasons Aldi and others are cheaper than the big sheds, no one is employed to sit on their a***s all day. They have just been voted the UK's number one supermarket, so they must be doing something right.

 

[martinclive]

Day late but plenty of stuff left - bought the usual good bits I have had before - base layer, winter and summer gloves the small rucksack (have one already and will keep for when that eventually falls apart) and 2 xGT85 for less that £40. Agree some stuff is good price some not so much for the quality but that applies most places..................

 

[vickster]

Except I'm not going to spend 1-2 hours of my day taking an apple back I haven't often been to Aldi but if Lidl is anything to go by they never seem to have enough staff on tills let alone wandering around available to answer questions. The seem to open and close the tills at will which is also extremely frustrating! If they want to save money, why not just have self service tills like everyone else?

I'm sure many people have good experiences of them, I just don't and a minimal (if any) cost saving isn't worth my time. I only ever go to Lidl for a couple of things (as I say their pain aux raisins seem decent if available), if I've missed the bus from the tube station!

I like supermarket shopping to be hassle free and I want to be able to get what I want from a range, Aldi and Lidl simply don't offer that.
And I certainly don't want to buy pork sausages that have been produced using lamb for the skins...major peeve with one of the two supermarkets a while back, luckily I read the ingredients (I don't lamb/sheep products)

 

[howard2107]

Except I'm not going to spend 1-2 hours of my day taking an apple back I haven't often been to Aldi but if Lidl is anything to go by they never seem to have enough staff on tills let alone wandering around available to answer questions. The seem to open and close the tills at will which is also extremely frustrating! If they want to save money, why not just have self service tills like everyone else?

I'm sure many people have good experiences of them, I just don't and a minimal (if any) cost saving isn't worth my time. I only ever go to Lidl for a couple of things (as I say their pain aux raisins seem decent if available), if I've missed the bus from the tube station!

I like supermarket shopping to be hassle free and I want to be able to get what I want from a range, Aldi and Lidl simply don't offer that.
And I certainly don't want to buy pork sausages that have been produced using lamb for the skins...major peeve with one of the two supermarkets a while back, luckily I read the ingredients (I don't lamb/sheep products)

Fair points made there mate, i agree you can't get everything, and its not for everyone.

 

[Gert Lush]

I'll keep blowing the Decathlon trumpet until I'm blue in the face.

I really hate the way their website is designed. Puts me off buying stuff from there.

I got:

Garmin
Winter Jacket
Leg Warmers (as didn't have tights in my size)
Winter Gloves

Might go back tomorrow and pick up a ladies compression layer as they don't do small in mens. Also might try the gels/tablets.

 

[gavroche]

I haven't been yet. Will there be anything left when I eventually go?

 

[youngoldbloke]

Remember that Aldi and Lidl have forced the other supermarkets to cut their prices to compete. I shop almost exclusively with them, with occasional forays into Sainsburys and Waitrose for items not stocked. I reckon at least a 30% saving, and the quality as good as the bigger supermarkets.

 

[Slioch]

I went to my local Aldi this morning with the intention of looking at the cycling stuff. I came away with 6 bottles of Chilean Merlot, 2 bottles of Pinot Grigio Blush, a couple of sirloin steaks and half a cucumber. I did manage to pick up a merino baselayer and a pair of winter gloves on my way to the booze aisle though.

 

[claudbutler]

I went to aldi looking for german mustard , they have english dijon and wholegrain came away with a front light [8.99] very bright.

 

[cyberknight]

Managed to pop down today , lots of stuff left in Swadlincote , but the garming thankfully was gone as TBH apart from the abilty to add heart rate + cadence neither of which i am bothered about its not a big upgrade from my 205.
Got 2 of the £20 winter cycling tops and the tool kit , which i am mightily impressed with although Mrs CK says she doesn't know what to get me for xmas now so it looks like it will vanish for a few months
Had a look at the shoes and the sole seems a lot stronger than the previous versions so it might not crack across the footplate liek a couple of pairs i have had in the past but i didnt buy them as i have 4 pairs of shoes already !

 

[400bhp]

Various lights - all for backup as and when needed.

Couple of pairs of socks

Lock

Merino base layer

 

[400bhp]

Your customer is talking out of their turnip as far as I am concerned.

She may not be, it's just that the company she works for is just one of the fruit & veg suppliers and take another supplier and the list would be reversed.

Even if there's some element of truth into it, how are the differences in quality measured. Is Waitrose quality 10% better than Sainsbury's and 75% better than Aldi? And is that relative quality reflected accurately in the price? Bollox it is.

And FWIW I have an Aldi and a Waitrose within half a mile of each other and have used both to buy identical products. I can categorically say carrots are feckin carrots