Aldi-v-The Big Four.

[vegster]

Aldi & Lidl, the best thing to have happened in retail in this country for years. The likes of Tesco and Sainsburys are crumbling and will soon have no choice but to severly reduce their prices and about time too they have ripped off the public for far to long.

I think it is simply because they are smarter operators and have a lower profit margin. Plus I think they are still privately owned companies thus no pesky dividend payments to shareholders to worry about.

 

[Bladders]

I've obviously missed their policy of throwing out foreign owned businesses

!

BMW and Merc will be next, we'll all be made to drive re-engineered British Leyland tat.

 

[Spider]

Coupled to a massive quality drop though. The cheap chicken breasts in my local Tesco are Thai, the still cheaper ones in Lidl are from Tyrone.

Tesco are trying to retain their existing profit margin on their value products resulting in them being extremely low quality. Oddly enough some of their secondary brands - ones that are similar priced to Tesco Value but don't have the word Tesco anywhere except for the "made for Tesco Stores Limited" line on the back are actually better quality than the value ones.

I'm not talking about the value range - you can get four standard chicken breasts for £4. You might be referring to these, in which case apologies, but I've never noticed a change in the provenance from the rest of their standard chicken range. Stuff like milk, eggs, bread, tomatoes, peppers etc. are all much much cheaper in tesco nowadays though, and the product certainly hasn't changed. Just proves how much they were ripping us off for ages!

 

[pastafarian]

aldi offers some great savings on many lines where its impossible to tell the difference especially if you are capable of cooking.

A hand rolled - easy carve - hand crafted crackling - roast leg of pork in Waitrose or M and S or anywhere else superior range is simply a leg of pork with added bullshit

 

[Spider]

aldi offers some great savings on many lines where its impossible to tell the difference especially if you are capable of cooking.

A hand rolled - easy carve - hand crafted crackling - roast leg of pork in Waitrose or M and S or anywhere else superior range is simply a leg of pork with added bullshit

Really? I've always found that the expensive joints in Tesco/Sainos are at that price because they're better kept and treated animals. Whether you can taste the difference is not as important as knowing where the animal has come from?

 

[Westdene Seagull]

aldi offers some great savings on many lines where its impossible to tell the difference especially if you are capable of cooking.

A hand rolled - easy carve - hand crafted crackling - roast leg of pork in Waitrose or M and S or anywhere else superior range is simply a leg of pork with added bullshit

And like any supermarket meat pumped full of water and other crap. Hence why I buy meat from my local butcher ( and it's even cheaper than Aldi ).

 

[pastafarian]

And like any supermarket meat pumped full of water and other crap. Hence why I buy meat from my local butcher ( and it's even cheaper than Aldi ).

i wish everyone would do this,sometimes however the supermarkets put on a meat offer that the local chap can not match and you cant blame people for buying where they do or mostly not knowing what the local guy is offering in the first place anyway

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Aldi & Lidl are okay but it's all a bit meh.

They are bloody tiny in terms of store size and stock.

Half of the products that are cheap because they taste cheap. Let's face facts, as soon as the economy is booming again the customers will disappear as quick as you can say Bratwurst BBQ.

It serves a purpose to a percentage of the nation, but the Giants will remain Giants through sheer clout

Aldi & Lidl are German. The Germans do not sell cheap rubbish. I'm fortunate in that Sainsbury's and Lidl's are close together so I can still get my weekly shop done in one hit. The secret is knowing which supermarket has the best on offer that week.

 

[Creaky]

Last I looked the USA, Australia and Switzerland were not EU members yet somehow Aldi have managed to make their business model work in those countries. This "we leave the EU and the world collapses" is scaremongering sh*te with no evidence or fact.

Perfectly true - in the US and Australia the majority of what they sell is sourced, produced or manufactured in those countries. Switzerland is somewhat different having adopted much of the EU legislation and regulations, (including Schengen and the free movement of people).

I'm not of the "world will collapse" if the UK leaves the EU but I am also not in the group that believes we will be as or more successful going it alone. Both views are equally ludicrous.

 

[pastafarian]

Really? I've always found that the expensive joints in Tesco/Sainos are at that price because they're better kept and treated animals.

i would suggest you read the labels thoroughly,just because the label says A hand rolled - easy carve - hand crafted crackling - roast leg of pork does not mean the animal has been treated better.Its just been packaged and labelled better.

go down the hand reared organic option by all means,better menu description does not mean better lifestyle.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

i wish everyone would do this,sometimes however the supermarkets put on a meat offer that the local chap can not match and you cant blame people for buying where they do or mostly not knowing what the local guy is offering in the first place anyway

Oh absolutely agree. I'm a fairly recent convert. Always used to do the food shopping online with loads of waste and extra costs because I was brainwashed that the supermarkets would always be cheaper. It fundamentally isn't true. I've halved our fruit and veg costs by using the open market and probably reduced our meat costs by the same amount and best of all, it all tastes better ( and doesn't come with layers of packaging ). A good example - an Avocado in Sainsburys will set you back 75p, at Aldi they are £1.30 for two - the Open Market I can get 6 ( yes SIX ) for a pound.

*** Notes how sad that all sounds - shopping geek ***

 

[pastafarian]

Oh absolutely agree. I'm a fairly recent convert. Always used to do the food shopping online with loads of waste and extra costs because I was brainwashed that the supermarkets would always be cheaper. It fundamentally isn't true. I've halved our fruit and veg costs by using the open market and probably reduced our meat costs by the same amount and best of all, it all tastes better ( and doesn't come with layers of packaging ). A good example - an Avocado in Sainsburys will set you back 75p, at Aldi they are £1.30 for two - the Open Market I can get 6 ( yes SIX ) for a pound.
*** Notes how sad that all sounds - shopping geek ***

problem is access to a local shopping market,my Worthing one is once a week and i cant always get to it......meat and fresh veg/fruit prices are normally far better than the supermarkets,these local traders need a 7 day free pitch in the town centre....a constant market

 

[narly101]

You won't find me in Aldi or Lidl. Waitrose all the way for me. Staff speak English and always welcome me with a smile. The cost matters not for me, it's the shopping experience.

You can stick your pikey German jumble sales where the sun doesn't shine, thank you very much.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

You won't find me in Aldi or Lidl. Waitrose all the way for me. Staff speak English and always welcome me with a smile. The cost matters not for me, it's the shopping experience.

You can stick your pikey German jumble sales where the sun doesn't shine, thank you very much.

Snob.

 

[narly101]

Snob.

Oh absolutely.

 

[Hyperion]

Aldi & Lidl are German. The Germans do not sell cheap rubbish. I'm fortunate in that Sainsbury's and Lidl's are close together so I can still get my weekly shop done in one hit. The secret is knowing which supermarket has the best on offer that week.

I have purchased some stuff that tastes vile tbh. Some nice surprises as well though. I don't have time or location to do what you do.

I can't see how people can do a weekly shop in those stores. It's very limited in my opinion.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

I have purchased some stuff that tastes vile tbh. Some nice surprises as well though. I don't have time or location to do what you do.

I can't see how people can do a weekly shop in those stores. It's very limited in my opinion.

Which is why I use both. As I said, I am fortunate in that they are situated within 300 yards of each other. I've never had anything from Lidl's that tasted vile.

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

Id be out of a job if Aldi/Lidl keep it up, put it that way. I do get a staff discount on everything though so it does heavily sway my opinion.

Lidl do sell some decent stuff though, cant say for Aldi as they havent got one in Eastbourne, despite buying a site a few years ago - then sold it to Tesco.

 

[Nibble]

I can grow nearly all the fruit and veg I need for most of the year, the little meat I eat I get from butchers and rest of year shop at markets. Honestly, living in Brighton you should be able to get all of your essential food shopping at markets, grocers, butchers and fishmongers and I guarantee you'd at least halve your shopping bill.

The bring n buy euroshops are good for cleaning products but local traders who offer quality, seasonal food for far less are going out of business because we all need to feel we are getting a bargain so rather than buying a tray of local pork sausages at a constant cheap rate we'll go to Aldi and buy a hundred weight of pale grey, wet to the touch Smakklesmaki Bratwurst because it's two for one this week. Madness I tells ya.

If you grow your own look up produce swap events in you area. They are great and you needn't spend penny one all day. Some local traders will also swap produce but check first rather than rocking up with your barrow and a hopeful look on your fizog.

 

[Westdene Seagull]

Id be out of a job if Aldi/Lidl keep it up, put it that way. I do get a staff discount on everything though so it does heavily sway my opinion.

Lidl do sell some decent stuff though, cant say for Aldi as they havent got one in Eastbourne, despite buying a site a few years ago - then sold it to Tesco.

I don't think you will. I see Tesco and Sainsburys have started to reduce their prices on the staples such as fruit and veg. The discount stores can be a pain in the arse to get to so many people don't bother. Aldi and Lidl have actually brought some competition back to the market but I don't think it will send anyone bust.