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Aldi and Lidl - Not as cheap as people make out
The Wizard
Posts: 11,071 Forum Member
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Both mine and my wife's parents keep banging on about how we should try these places to save money and how their cheap brands are just as good etc. They absolutely rave on about the place so thought we'd give it a try.
On the face of it these places can seem a lot cheaper. That is until you compare them with supermarket value brands and find out that they are just the same if not more expensive.
My mum thought she'd got a great deal buying a 6 pack of 300ml bottles of Freeway lemonade for £1.70 until I explained that in total she'd paid for 1.8 liters and you can pick up a 2l bottle of 7up for same price (or £1 when on offer) at Asda.
Also some of the cheaper brands you find are sometimes only a few pence cheaper than buying the top name brand so it's not really worth it. Aldi cheapo cat food is 45p a tin. Tesco sell a dozen pack of Whiskers for £6 which is only 60p a dozen more expensive and I'm not feeding them crap. I've also found that their prepacked mince on the face of it looks cheaper until you realise it's either not as good quality or it's a smaller portion. Some things are also blatantly more expensive but people don't bother to compare prices.
People automatically assume that Aldi and Lidl are cheaper than anywhere else and so think they're getting a great deal when they're not. Also you can't do a full shop so you have to go out of your way to make a special trip and they're not open as late so less convenient.
On the face of it these places can seem a lot cheaper. That is until you compare them with supermarket value brands and find out that they are just the same if not more expensive.
My mum thought she'd got a great deal buying a 6 pack of 300ml bottles of Freeway lemonade for £1.70 until I explained that in total she'd paid for 1.8 liters and you can pick up a 2l bottle of 7up for same price (or £1 when on offer) at Asda.
Also some of the cheaper brands you find are sometimes only a few pence cheaper than buying the top name brand so it's not really worth it. Aldi cheapo cat food is 45p a tin. Tesco sell a dozen pack of Whiskers for £6 which is only 60p a dozen more expensive and I'm not feeding them crap. I've also found that their prepacked mince on the face of it looks cheaper until you realise it's either not as good quality or it's a smaller portion. Some things are also blatantly more expensive but people don't bother to compare prices.
People automatically assume that Aldi and Lidl are cheaper than anywhere else and so think they're getting a great deal when they're not. Also you can't do a full shop so you have to go out of your way to make a special trip and they're not open as late so less convenient.
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The first bit is a rubbish example as its not a like for like comparison, the second actually disproves your argument as you've agreed it is cheaper, just that you wouldn't want to feed it to your cats. So basically your little rant seems a tad pointless?
I really like their cheeses and cold meats too. I prefer it to a lot of deli meat at more expensive supermarkets.
That is the real problem with them, I can never get everything I want from them.
No it's not. It proves that you can buy top brands a lot cheaper than cheapo unknown brands and if I was to compare it with Asda own brand like for like then Asda would still work out cheaper. No point saying no or isn't because I've already compared it and Sainsbury's own lemonade is only 45p for 2l compared to Aldi rubbish which is 42p for something that tastes like it's nearly all soda water. Plus the extra cost in fuel of having to travel out of my way. for the sake of saving 3p for an inferior product.
Much easier to keep to Asda where I can get everything under one roof and if it does cost me a few measley pence more than going out of my way to Lidl I've probably saved that on petrol.
Also a 400g pack of mince last week was £4 compared to about £3.50 for good steak mince off Tesco butcher's counter.
^^^ This.
BTW, not to be outdone, I see Aldi have started a few 'value' range items. 500ml Ketchup was 17p
Also even compared to branded items they often score well,
http://www.aldi.co.uk/uk/html/product_range/product_range_22815.htm
But I will say they are not the cheapest for everything but overall they are.
they also become out of stock very easily on essential things like onion or tomatoes , meaning you end up wasting more time going somewhere else.
sticking to sainsburys.
It worries me that anyone can produce ketchup for 17p and it be of half decent quality. Something's got to give. Cheap ingredients or cheap slave labour and the people who produce it don't get a fair deal. Last time I tried a 27p ketchup from the Morrisons savers range it was pretty much like vinegar.
I have to say that Aldi ketchup is on a par with Tesco own but what I find is the main problem with these places is that you can't do a full shop there which means making a special trip which can outweigh the costs and convenience by the time you've gone from one place to another.
I've also found that they don't keep certain stuff in stock all the time. You can go one week and get something but the next week they're not selling it. I think it just depends on what they can do a deal on that week so it's hit and miss and like above poster has said by the time you've messed about going here and there you may as well gone to your usual supermarket.
Plus they don't deliver so people who do internet shopping don't want to get the car out for the odd one or two cheap deals because it's inconvenient and not cost effective. For me it's the kind of place that you might call in if you're passing for the odd thing but it's not worth making a special trip for.
How much is a 2L bottle of lemon-lime soda?
How much is a pre-prepared pack of mince?
An example of a comparison would be
ALDI 2L Ginger beer = 47p
Tesco 2L Own Brand = 65p
Tesco 1.5L D&G Brand = £1.15
I've bought 400g mince in Lidl for £2, don't think i've ever seen it for £4.
All the cold meats are brilliant. It's a great place to go for Eurovision party supplies
Thing is with these places value is all about price to them but value is also about getting the best quality possible for the lowest price possible.
Sainsburys own lemonade is 45p a bottle and is no different than decent top brand Schweppes lemonade yet that Aldi stuff you can really tell it's cheap soda. That's what I'm saying. For an extra 3p I'd rather have the Sainaburys one that is good stuff than try to scrimp a few pence for cheap rubbish.
It's like Iceland. They're famous for advertising meals for £1 yet have you ever tried them? Not only are they disgusting but you need 2 lots to make up one decent sized adult portion so it's false economy. You'd be better off buying the Asda ones for a pound where you get a decent sized portion and they are really nice.
This was Aldi mince. I can't compare exactly like for like as Aldi and Lidl don't sell fresh meat on prepacked but the point is lb for lb the Tesco mince was cheaper so why go somewhere else?
I bought some Oakland garlic Kievs from Aldi which seemed about a pound cheaper than Tesco ones so I bought them but when I opened the packet they were so small I had to use double the amount because one on it's own was so small so in the end it worked out more expensive. Instead of paying something like £3.50 for 4 frozen ones from Tesco that would do 4 meals, I paid £2.50 in Aldi but had to use two instead of one so it actually worked out as £2.50 for 2 meals. Not cheaper when you see it like that. Plus the chicken was like that reconstructed stuff and was like eating mush. Horrible.
I do prefer D&G Old Jamaica but it's over twice the price.
I'm also happy with ALDI Galahad lager. Better than Carling. Not too dissimiar to Fosters
4x500ml for £2.24
The bread items are same quality as supermarket and branded items (paninis, tortillas, pitta breads etc.). The oven bottom muffins and Stotties are better than Morrisons.
Could go one with more comparisons.
The OH likes their facial wipes, and at well under a quid are a good deal. Ditto they do some quite acceptable Bulgarian wine at £2.99 a bottle. Their noodles, pasta and pizzas, and some frozen stuff is also pretty good.
Sundries like cooking oil, loo paper and their rip off McCoy crisps (I love them, a bit greasy but that's how I like my crisps:p) are good value
But their, what I call 'Cupboard Food'; tins of stuff or sauces is now no cheaper than Morissons savers range (our main place for shopping)
I am of the view that a tinned chopped tomato is a tinned chopped tomato, I've never tasted the difference between tins
And Aldi's 'Sweet n Sour' sauce is well manky.
The random stuff they stock, which doesn't have comparison is nice, I like their Frikadellen (sp)
For us, it's a place to go to stock up on certain things, and buy some random stuff we fancy the look of, and save a few quid in the process.
I'll take her word for it as I haven't had the guts to try it
this^^^ and time wasted at the check out when they only have two out of eight open, which is every time there:mad:
I've heard this levelled at Aldi many times together with being rushed but it certainly isn't true at my local branch. All the staff are lovely and constantly open and close tills according to demand. And I've never seen anyone being rushed. In fact, more often than not, if someone is a little slow emptying their trolly the checkout person gets out of their seat and helps them. M&S however is a nightmare!