Lidl is coming, Lidl is coming to America...

[Crumpet]

OMG Lidl is fking amazing! MORE FRUITS AND VEGS compare to morrisons, tesco, snailbury and gaysda. Aldi have so much more fresh fruit and veggies oh and the bakery is always fresh from the oven they always restock when they are out. I like the blue muffins. Where do you live? I am from Bristol lidl is like 10 mins drive from me

I moved from Carmarthenshire to the North of England, so that's where I am now. But even though i've got access to an Asda, 2 Tesco's, a Sainsbury's, a large Mark's n Spencers, a Fenwicks etcetcetc.. I still do an awfully large portion of my shopping at Lidl..

(I highly recommend the chilli bratwurst)

 

[Cappuccino]

I moved from Carmarthenshire to the North of England, so that's where I am now. But even though i've got access to an Asda, 2 Tesco's, a Sainsbury's, a large Mark's n Spencers, a Fenwicks etcetcetc.. I still do an awfully large portion of my shopping at Lidl..

(I highly recommend the chilli bratwurst)

Oh I see. The only downside is that the meat section is limited they only have steak, chicken and pork they don't have turkey or beef or organs and the different cuts etc but that's ok because I go to Morrisons for that. Again I go to Lidl purely for the varieties of veg and fruits
I do see the buckwhurst they are wrapped in a green contrainer and plastic? I don't like sausages anyways

I reccomend the blue seedless grapes they are soooo sweet and juicy. The Apple turn overs are nice too

Oh and who the hell shops at mark n Spencer's? £10 spam lmao Ain't posh enuf

Typed on iPhone

 

[PottedMeat]

Well they suck when I've been to them in mainland Europe as well. Now its possible that they have transformed their business approach crossing the Atlantic but I'm going with they still suck but you dont know any better.

maybe their european suppliers suck. the US aldi has at least the same produce suppliers as any of the other major supermarkets. their boxed foodstuff all seems like just relabeled popular brands at lower prices - same with canned goods. their imported (euro) items are far cheaper than any sold at specialty stores. weird observation - i guess the french brioche is popular here, a few months afterward they started selling them at walmart. or some walmart manager shops at aldi lol.

 

[Elixer]

Thats fine but why bother with Aldi at all in that situation? If you're going to trawl around anyway its not like they are either the best or the cheapest.

For "everyday" stuff, I find shopping at Aldi is usually 20-30%(or more) cheaper than the big supermarket chains. Yeah, they don't have everything, but, that is expected, since they are pretty small.
Like today, they had 1 dozen eggs for 69 cents. The big supermarket had 1 dozen eggs for $1.15.

 

[Crumpet]

Oh I see. The only downside is that the meat section is limited they only have steak, chicken and pork they don't have turkey or beef or organs and the different cuts etc but that's ok because I go to Morrisons for that. Again I go to Lidl purely for the varieties of veg and fruits
I do see the buckwhurst they are wrapped in a green contrainer and plastic? I don't like sausages anyways

I reccomend the blue seedless grapes they are soooo sweet and juicy. The Apple turn overs are nice too

Oh and who the hell shops at mark n Spencer's? £10 spam lmao Ain't posh enuf

Typed on iPhone

Bratwurst and bockwurst don't taste like british sausages, the consistency is more like a hotdog but the flavour is unique.. But I getcha.

My local Aldi has turkey and beef, i'll have to see if the Lidl does too just to keep myself sane now.

 

[lxskllr]

Thats fine but why bother with Aldi at all in that situation? If you're going to trawl around anyway its not like they are either the best or the cheapest.

They're by far the cheapest, and what makes Aldi fun, is stuff comes and goes. Interesting food comes in, and it's gone next week. Keeps it interesting.

edit:
to expand on that... The lack of choice speeds up shopping, and special purchases are more special. When Aldi gets Welsh cheese, it's new, it stands out, and it's soon gone. It clarfies thought, and makes the purchase easier. When I go to Wegmans, and look over their ginormous selection of obscure foreign and artisan made cheeses, it's "fuck if I know", and I go get something else. I'll wait til a single example shows up at Aldi.

 

[dud]

But great for well priced, good quality fresh fruit and vegetables, meat and dairy products. Periodic amazing deals on surprising products and a good selection of beer and frozen food...

But then again, we CAN do our full weeks shopping at Aldi.

Don't get me wrong ... I like Aldi but you must live in a parallel universe to make these statements. Aldi DOES NOT sell "good" quality "fresh" fruit and vegetables ... at least not the (multiple) ones that I have shopped at. The fruit/vegetables sold by Aldi typically last a small fraction of the time Compared to big box stores. Aldi employees (typically) are so over-worked to cover down on their stores that they have little time to QC the quality of the products that they sell. I have interviewed current Aldi employees and confirmed that while they are well paid, they really hustle for the money.

The closest store to my place is 1.5 miles away. EVERY time I visit they have any combination of the following going on: expired goods, moldy bread, rotting fruit and vegetables on display. Aldi gets around this by having a 100% money back (no questions asked) guarantee on everything that they sell. There lies the problem: Aldi actually does little QC on their product. They expect the customer to do it. This is one of the reasons why their prices are low.

There are many undercover videos on YT that explain Aldi's business model. As I stated previously, I like Aldi but I only spend about 25% of my weekly food budget there. If they cleaned up their act, I would spend more. The only other issue that I have is their VERY limited selection. This forces us to go elsewhere ...

 

[Crumpet]

Aldi are committed to a full organic fruit and veg process, no pesticides, no shite. So it just sounds like your local store is a bad one, and you should raise a complaint to their area manager, or potentially higher.

I've never seen rotting or off food in any Aldi store I have ever visited, and the fruit and veg I buy from them lasts longer than any I purchase from Asda, Sainsbury's and Tesco's (though my local greengrocers stock does last longer)

Their staff are worked extremely hard, but that's the norm for retail sectors these days.

 

[dud]

Aldi are committed to a full organic fruit and veg process, no pesticides, no shite. So it just sounds like your local store is a bad one, and you should raise a complaint to their area manager, or potentially higher.

I've never seen rotting or off food in any Aldi store I have ever visited, and the fruit and veg I buy from them lasts longer than any I purchase from Asda, Sainsbury's and Tesco's (though my local greengrocers stock does last longer)

Their staff are worked extremely hard, but that's the norm for retail sectors these days.

Well that explains it ... you're in the UK. Aldi still hasn't gotten it right in the states (IMHO). Also, check YT. There are a number great undercover videos (especially from the UK) that expose how Aldi operates. If you do not mind eating food with no expiration dates and that is manhandled before you buy it ... go for it. I still shop there but limit what I buy (I spend about $25) per week on items that even Aldi would have a hard time getting wrong.

 

[Crumpet]

Lol my brother in law works for them, I know exactly what they do. And it's not a big deal.

 

[dud]

Lol my brother in law works for them, I know exactly what they do. And it's not a big deal.

If not caring what you eat and the quality of it is no big deal then all power to you.

 

[ponyo]

I would rate Aldi fruits and veggies as average or below average. It's not their strong suit. But they've improved over the years. The only veggie I buy at Aldi with any regularity are the green onions. It's $0.79 at Aldi and $1.19 for the same green onions at Trader Joe's. All my regular fruits and veggies are purchased at Costco and Trader Joe's.

 

[Ruptga]

Aldi is the only place I know of where I can get real chocolate without paying 100% markup for fancy wrap and advertising. That alone makes it worth a short trip every few weeks.

 

[ponyo]

Aldi is the only place I know of where I can get real chocolate without paying 100% markup for fancy wrap and advertising. That alone makes it worth a short trip every few weeks.

Aldi and Trader Joe's are great for dark chocolate, cookies, and candy.

 

[Crumpet]

It sounds like Aldi in America is shocking compared to Aldi here..

Lidl is a different company altogether though, despite being incredibly similar, so hopefully they'll be better.

 

[ponyo]

It sounds like Aldi in America is shocking compared to Aldi here..

Lidl is a different company altogether though, despite being incredibly similar, so hopefully they'll be better.

Aldi is deep discount retailer. No retailer is best at everything. Given their number one goal is the lowest price and they don't sell in bulk, it's not surprising their produce is not of the highest quality. Costco has that market cornered in the US. Pretty much all meat, seafood, and produce sold at Costco are of the highest quality for the price. But it's sold in bulk and they charge membership fee.

 

[dud]

Aldi is deep discount retailer. No retailer is best at everything. Given their number one goal is the lowest price and they don't sell in bulk, it's not surprising their produce is not of the highest quality.

"Our unique business model enables us to provide the highest quality products at the lowest possible prices. This value stems from the numerous efficiencies and innovations we’ve instituted at every level of our operation."

Aldi is good at a few things that count like cost ... and MANY Americans are willing to sacrifice A LOT to save a few bucks. The hardest thing for me to swallow is after I shop and get to the checkout I find that I am 10th in line and looking at who knows how long before I can leave.

 

[zinfamous]

Lidl or Aldi are great if you dont mind woefully limited product lines and then having to do another supermarket shop after doing your first supermarket shop.

Yeah, it is not the place to do all of your shopping, but Aldi has incredible prices on certain things. It works if you are in an area that has a few options and aren't going to waste your time and savings driving from place to place.

Never heard of Lidl

 

[dud]

It sounds like Aldi in America is shocking compared to Aldi here..

Lidl is a different company altogether though, despite being incredibly similar, so hopefully they'll be better.

Not necessarily so. While you might expect there to be differences Aldi is probably looking for consistency across all markets. It may just be a cultural bias between countries. Expectations are probably very different between countries. Here in the states things are not as good as they are made out to be. There is a HUGE divide between rich and not-so-rich here and People are willing to put up with a lot of crap to save a few dollars.

 

[zinfamous]

I would rate Aldi fruits and veggies as average or below average. It's not their strong suit. But they've improved over the years. The only veggie I buy at Aldi with any regularity are the green onions. It's $0.79 at Aldi and $1.19 for the same green onions at Trader Joe's. All my regular fruits and veggies are purchased at Costco and Trader Joe's.

that and the bag of red or yellow onions for ~$2 each. Hard to beat. But their produce is a crapshoot.

 

[Murloc]

Lidl or Aldi are great if you dont mind woefully limited product lines and then having to do another supermarket shop after doing your first supermarket shop.

that's what people who look for the best deals and people who like Aldi do.

Here bread and certain sausages and certain kinds of vegetables, when it happens, are better bang for bucks in Aldi.

If you have to regularly buy the same stuff I understand, but if you just buy what's convenient and have a flexible diet it's not an issue.

 

[WelshBloke]

that's what people who look for the best deals and people who like Aldi do.

Here bread and certain sausages and certain kinds of vegetables, when it happens, are better bang for bucks in Aldi.

If you have to regularly buy the same stuff I understand, but if you just buy what's convenient and have a flexible diet it's not an issue.

If I'm going to go to a supermarket I want them to have all the supermarket crap that I want. I can then go to a proper butchers, fishmongers, and maybe greengrocers.

I really, really don't want to go to more than one supermarket. That defeats the purpose of having a supermarket in the first place!

 

[WelshBloke]

It sounds like Aldi in America is shocking compared to Aldi here..

I bet that its pretty much the same.

Its a budget supermarket. I'm not sure why you're bigging it up so much.

 

[WelshBloke]

Bratwurst and bockwurst don't taste like british sausages,

On a much more important note.

British sausage >>>>>>>> any sort of wurst!

 

[Crumpet]

I personally don't think you could be any more wrong..but hey opinions and all.