Aldi and Lidl

April O Neill · 14-04-2013 2:33am

JPA wrote: »

Are people still talking about ALDI and LIDL like there's something mysterious and dodgy about them?!

I work with a girl who won't eat food from either place. If she's eating something and enjoying it, and someone informs her it's from either, she stop eating whatever it is straight away.

April O Neill · 14-04-2013 2:35am

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

Your opinion is ****e.

You'd swear Aldi was a back street stall dealer. Aldi,and Lidl, have thousands of stores in Germany, let alone then rest of Europe, and Ireland.

Their 'own brand'....well, almost everything bar fresh meat, is miles ahead of the likes of Tesco or Dunnes.

I don't shop in Aldi/Lidl that much - but to be fair, aside from meat, at the same price point, their produce destroys tesco, dunnes, and whatever other retailers are out there.

Both Aldi and Lidl are huge - and I mean HUGE - companies on par or exceeding Tesco. I love how people, often without having even shopped in either place, dismiss them like they were some discount local pound shop offloading food several months out of date.

I shop in Aldi, Lidl and Tesco and TBH, I don't think their produce is that much better than Tesco. But they're cheaper, which is good. But all supermarkets have good and bad items. It's popular to complain about Tesco though.

April O Neill · 14-04-2013 2:41am

SamHall wrote: »

They need serviced, operated costs associated with them, tended to by staff, and I'm sure not everyone uses them honestly.

I've wondered about this. If someone doesn't scan something and then puts it in the bagging area, would it not be picked up on? Like that there's extra weight there that shouldn't be?

April O Neill · 14-04-2013 2:44am

Shenshen wrote: »

That and the fact that the checkouts are really, really fast, and that they've a sensible, large, unrushed packing area.
I can't begin to describe how much I hate and despise that about Tescos and Dunnes.

Really? I find Lidl and Aldi FAR worse in this regard! Very "Give me the money and get the fúck out".

April O Neill · 14-04-2013 2:50am

Stojkovic wrote: »

I have never in my life and never will set foot inside a Tesco.

Aldi/Lidl all the way and the money I save I treat myself in M&S.

OK, but you do realise M&S is ridiculously overpriced for the quality you get, right?

April O Neill · 14-04-2013 2:51am

H3llR4iser wrote: »

For example, last Saturday I found fennel in Lidl and it was the first time I saw them in Ireland, even the fruit and vegetables stall in the English Market doesn't usually have them.

Are you joking? You can get fennel loads of places, including supermarkets.

harry Bailey esq · 14-04-2013 4:14am

some great stuff to be found in them that you just don't find elsewhere,lots of different hams,polish sausages lots of cheeses both Irish and European,whole lobsters for a fiver etc.great beers too,the spirits are also a great bargain Aldi are selling bourbon for 15quid a bottle and its tasty stuff.bad points would be long queues and no baskets but that's only minor considering how much can be saved

Irish Guitarist · 14-04-2013 7:50am

Harvest Morn maple and pecan cereal from Aldi is lovely. You can get a two kilo bag of carrots for about €1.90 that are far nicer than the bag they have in Tesco for well over €2.00. There's the odd bargain like a kilo of pasta for 94 cent.

Apart from that there's not much variety. It's great for chocolate and crisps but if you give up eating rubbish and want healthy food there's not much there, at least in the one in Carlow. I keep seeing people here making comments about how you can get great fruit and vegetables in Aldi, but apart from the aforementioned cheap carrots I can't see any decent fruit or vegetables there.

Tipsy McSwagger · 14-04-2013 9:06am

Those chocolate chip cookies they have are the nicest I have ever had.

Mr Benevolent · 14-04-2013 9:07am

April O Neill wrote: »

Really? I find Lidl and Aldi FAR worse in this regard! Very "Give me the money and get the fúck out".

What do you want instead? It's a supermarket, not Brown Thomas.

Cantona's Collars · 14-04-2013 9:32am

April O Neill wrote: »

Really? I find Lidl and Aldi FAR worse in this regard! Very "Give me the money and get the fúck out".

I prefer that,who wants to hang around by the tills anyway.You should visit my local Dunnes,you'll actually visibly age while waiting at the tills.

Aldi & Lidl are starting to sell Spring bedding plants etc. this week,time to stock up as they are far cheaper than anywhere else.

The only thing I don't like is the fact that none of the staff ever water any of the plants,they die from thirst & are thrown out.A complete waste.

Daveysil15 · 14-04-2013 9:49am

Shenshen wrote: »

That and the fact that the checkouts are really, really fast, and that they've a sensible, large, unrushed packing area.
I can't begin to describe how much I hate and despise that about Tescos and Dunnes.

Jasus, the ones I've been to certainly haven't been fast. They're usually as slow as a mid-summers evening. They spend so much time waiting for assistance. In fact, its the thing I dislike most about them.

April O Neill wrote: »

I've wondered about this. If someone doesn't scan something and then puts it in the bagging area, would it not be picked up on? Like that there's extra weight there that shouldn't be?

I've actually done that before by accident. I had two bars of fruit n' nut; one on top of the other. I put both through the scanner, not realising it had only scanned the bottom bar. I only noticed it later when I checked my receipt and saw I had only paid for the one bar.

Chronic Button · 14-04-2013 10:01am

Galwayguy35 wrote: »

anytime I've been behind someone who has a trolley full of stuff they always let me jump ahead of them, I would have thought most people would do this.

Every single time I do a big trolley shop, I allow the poor bloke buying 4 beers / 2 steaks go ahead of me. Sometimes I allow 2 or 3 shoppers with very few items to skip.

However, never once, ever, in my whole life, has any fûcker with a full trolley ever let me go ahead of them when the situation is reversed.

This makes me despise humanity.

Chop Chop · 14-04-2013 10:03am

Chronic Button wrote: »

Every single time I do a big trolley shop, I allow the poor bloke buying 4 beers / 2 steaks go ahead of me. Sometimes I allow 2 or 3 shoppers with very few items to skip.

However, never once, ever, in my whole life, has any fûcker with a full trolley ever let me go ahead of them when the situation is reversed.

This makes me despise humanity.

Humans are disgusting creatures. People are generally revolting pigs.

stoneill · 14-04-2013 10:08am

Where else can you go and pick up half dozen carrots, a bit of sirloin steak, a wedge of wensleydale and a 500w electric welder all in one go?

RUSTEDCORE · 14-04-2013 10:18am

LIDL certainly consider themselves a big player opening up in Artane across from a tesco that has practically been a landmark of the area as long as I can remember....will be interesting to see if the germans pay up after all this time and help us oust the british.............FREEDOM!!

14-04-2013 10:23am

RUSTEDCORE wrote: »

LIDL certainly consider themselves a big player opening up in Artane across from a tesco that has practically been a landmark of the area as long as I can remember....will be interesting to see if the germans pay up after all this time and help us oust the british.............FREEDOM!!

and replace them with the Germans......

RUSTEDCORE · 14-04-2013 10:37am

Deleted User wrote: »

and replace them with the Germans......

well we agreed to the lisbon treaty...I for 1 keep my word we get the north and we pawn off places like cavan to the germans....

joe stodge · 14-04-2013 10:42am

RUSTEDCORE wrote: »

LIDL certainly consider themselves a big player opening up in Artane across from a tesco that has practically been a landmark of the area as long as I can remember....will be interesting to see if the germans pay up after all this time and help us oust the british.............FREEDOM!!

about time too, the Tesco up there is dirt.

Pumpkinseeds · 14-04-2013 10:56am

Chop Chop wrote: »

Ha ha, you haven't a clue, it all comes from the same place, the contracts differ that's all..

Enjoy dreaming.

Jesus, you don't take criticism of Lidl very well. I think the fruit and veg they sell is crap, regardless of who supplies them. I'm perfectly entitled to my opinion and if you don't like it then thats just too bad.:D

Chop Chop · 14-04-2013 11:00am

Pumpkinseeds wrote: »

Jesus, you don't take criticism of Lidl very well. I think the fruit and veg they sell is crap, regardless of who supplies them. I'm perfectly entitled to my opinion and if you don't like it then thats just too bad.:D

Not at all, it didn't mean to sound that way, my point was that it all comes from the same supplier. I just don't understand this "it tastes different" crap. It's the same as Dunnes, Super value and Tesco. Unless you don't like theirs either. Well then that's different.

14-04-2013 11:02am

joe stodge wrote: »

about time too, the Tesco up there is dirt.

nothing like a bit of competition to make 'em clean up their act!

0ph0rce0 · 14-04-2013 11:05am

Chop Chop wrote: »

Not at all, it didn't mean to sound that way, my point was that it all comes from the same supplier. I just don't understand this "it tastes different" crap. It's the same as Dunnes, Super value and Tesco. Unless you don't like theirs either. Well then that's different.

And i don't understand the "it all comes for the same supplier crap", that's also a load of ****e because the ingredients they use are not of the same quality.

Chop Chop · 14-04-2013 11:10am

0ph0rce0 wrote: »

And i don't understand the "it all comes for the same supplier crap", that's also a load of ****e because the ingredients they use are not of the same quality.

Absolute tosh.

joe stodge · 14-04-2013 11:14am

Chop Chop wrote: »

Absolute tosh.

It's true Lidl used ollhuasans for their sausages, rashers and other bacon products so did Tesco, dunnes and super value and its the same for nearly every other product in the shop, it's all rebranded.

The majority of fools seem to think the name makes a difference. It's all from the same place.

0ph0rce0 · 14-04-2013 11:17am

I've worked in food manufacturing for a long time and I've seen first hand.

Yes it comes from the same supplier (sometimes its even shipped in from abroad and then supplied as Irish) but what goes into it is not the same as what would go in to their premium brands.

When a company makes branded products, fair enough most stuff that goes into the product is dirt anyway, but when they make own brand products for the cheaper shops, the ingredients are of lesser quality and usually the dregs of the first run of the premium brand.

I don't give a **** about brands myself, if it tastes good i'll eat it.

But if you believe that a company makes (we'll say Sausages) puts in the same ingredients as their premium brand as they do for people like Aldi and Lidl and sell them off for a quarter of the price then your sir are mad.

You get what you pay for and the food from these places although sometimes may taste as nice or sometimes even nicer are of always of lesser quality.

Pumpkinseeds · 14-04-2013 11:21am

Chop Chop wrote: »

Not at all, it didn't mean to sound that way, my point was that it all comes from the same supplier. I just don't understand this "it tastes different" crap. It's the same as Dunnes, Super value and Tesco. Unless you don't like theirs either. Well then that's different.

Although all of the supermarkets may share the same fruit and veg suppliers but there is a grading system for fruit and veg. Just because they buy from the same place doesn't mean that the quality will be the same. As I said earlier I find large bags of potatoes from Dunnes to be awful. I've often had to put cooked potatoes from them out for the birds as its turned to mush within 10 minutes of boiling. I've not had that problem with Tesco. It all comes down to the quality of the produce being sold by the retailer.

Chop Chop · 14-04-2013 11:23am

0ph0rce0 wrote: »

I've worked in food manufacturing for a long time and I've seen first hand.

Yes it comes from the same supplier (sometimes its even shipped in from abroad and then supplied as Irish) but what goes into it is not the same as what would go in to their premium brands.

When a company makes branded products, fair enough most stuff that goes into the product is dirt anyway, but when they make own brand products for the cheaper shops, the ingredients are of lesser quality and usually the dregs of the first run of the premium brand.

I don't give a **** about brands myself, if it tastes good i'll eat it.

But if you believe that a company makes (we'll say Sausages) puts in the same ingredients as their premium brand as they do for people like Aldi and Lidl and sell them off for a quarter of the price then your sir are mad.

You get what you pay for and the food from these places although sometimes may taste as nice or sometimes even nicer are of always of lesser quality.

I could 100% guarantee to you that galtee sausages are of less quality than aldi's own brand... 100% Also the steaks, chickens, Bacon and pork are the very same as what you buy in Dunnes, Tesco and Supervalue. As I said before Jacobs had the contract for their biscuits and crackers. As kellogs do for cereal. There is no change with the ingredients. Aldi pay them a contract to supply and they re-brand it

I am talking about the fresh food not the chopped and shaped rubbish, we all know that's cat.

Chop Chop · 14-04-2013 11:26am

Pumpkinseeds wrote: »

Although all of the supermarkets may share the same fruit and veg suppliers but there is a grading system for fruit and veg. Just because they buy from the same place doesn't mean that the quality will be the same. As I said earlier I find large bags of potatoes from Dunnes to be awful. I've often had to put cooked potatoes from them out for the birds as its turned to mush within 10 minutes of boiling. I've not had that problem with Tesco. It all comes down to the quality of the produce being sold by the retailer.

That's down to pesticides and genetic modification not the quality, I have had that issue for years myself. It seems to be something that has only cropped up in the last few years.

Amanda7148 · 14-04-2013 11:27am

We do our weekly food shopping in Aldi and Iceland every week (80 euro in Aldi and 20 euro in Iceland). We are a family of 4, and apart from small top ups during the week, such as bread and milk, we manage to stick to this budget of 100 quid a week.

I think it is excellent value for money in Aldi, and I love the 'Super 6' they do for fruit and veg. I don't mind that it takes me a little longer to pack my shopping.

The staff at my local Aldi in Bagenalstown are polite and friendly, and although sometimes the queues are very long - they really don't take too long to go down because of their 'rules' on packing your shopping.

0ph0rce0 · 14-04-2013 11:27am

Chop Chop wrote: »

I could 100% guarantee to you that galtee sausages are of less quality than aldi's own brand... 100% Also the steaks, chickens, Bacon and pork are the very same as what you buy in Dunnes, Tesco and Supervalue. As I said before Jacobs had the contract for their biscuits and crackers. As kellogs do for cereal. There is no change with the ingredients. Aldi pay them a contract to supply and they re-brand it

I am talking about the fresh food not the chopped and shaped rubbish, we all know that's cat.

But i'm telling you this is where i work, they are not the same. If you don't want to believe that then fine.

I'm not talking about just the processed stuff, I've seen it with many factories that supplied to own brands in the north, it goes from everything from crisps to sweets, from cereal to bread. Everything you buy at a fraction of the cost, there is a reason, because they use cheaper ingredients.

And like i said it may not taste any different or be in any bad for you, but they skimp out on the product, no matter what factory it comes from.

Chop Chop · 14-04-2013 11:29am

0ph0rce0 wrote: »

But i'm telling you this is where i work, they are not the same. If you don't want to believe that then fine.

I'm not talking about just the processed stuff, I've seen it with many factories that supplied to own brands in the north, it goes from everything from crisps to sweets, from cereal to bread. Everything you buy at a fraction of the cost, there is a reason, because they use cheaper ingredients.

And like i said it may not taste any different or be in any bad for you, but they skimp out on the product, no matter what factory it comes from.

But the point is that fresh meat, is fresh meat.... No other ingredients other than meat. Same stuff.

Pumpkinseeds · 14-04-2013 11:30am

Chop Chop wrote: »

That's down to pesticides and genetic modification not the quality, I have had that issue for years myself. It seems to be something that has only cropped up in the last few years.

Yeah, my husband loves pears but we've to buy them a week in advance from Dunnes as they're as hard as rocks when you first get them. I think fruit and veg is picked far too early.

0ph0rce0 · 14-04-2013 11:31am

Chop Chop wrote: »

But the point is that fresh meat, is fresh meat.... No other ingredients other than meat. Same stuff.

Nothing like a fresh irish chicken breast from thailand pumped with water and sodium and pig skin :pac:

I'm hungry now, off for some breakfast

Chop Chop · 14-04-2013 11:33am

0ph0rce0 wrote: »

Nothing like a fresh chicken breast from thailand pumped with water and sodium :pac:

I'm hungry now, off for some breakfast

Same as dunnes and Tesco so...... High volume chicken production is shíte we all know that.

ANMHI · 14-04-2013 11:36am

Went up early Sunday to get Topiary Balls. None in stock. Never even got a delivery. Sign up in the shop showing price but no stock. Asked staff and they said no delivery and dont know when they will get them. You cant telephone another store because Aldi do not have individual store numbers. Otherwise, drive 10 or 20 kilometres and find the same - no delivery. Not great suppliers then!! Instore magazines, adverts and tv adverts all advising you that specials are coming and when you go to the store - nothing. In a major town like Navan it should be getting deliveries.

Chop Chop · 14-04-2013 11:39am

One thing I will say is that the bread is shíte. Definitely brennans leftover loafs, It's practically stale when you buy it. I never buy bread out of Aldi.

paddy147 · 14-04-2013 11:52am

Chop Chop wrote: »

One thing I will say is that the bread is shíte. Definitely brennans leftover loafs, It's practically stale when you buy it. I never buy bread out of Aldi.

You couldnt be any more wrong there.

Lovely bread,lovely and fresh and nice price.:)

MurdyWurdy · 14-04-2013 12:00pm

I did a shop in Lidl recently to see if it was cheaper. When I got home I took my receipt and did the same shop online with Tesco. I saved €4 going to Lidl and that's actually probably lower because it was hard to compare weights on fruit and veg. Lidl is further away from me and I had to go to Tesco anyway because there was stuff Lidl didn 't have so I'll be sticking with Tesco and finding other ways to save a few bob on my weekly shop. Imo, Lidl wasn't really cheaper for what we buy and the selection wasn't great. No Aldi near us.

Also usually get a good bit of money off with club card vouchers with Tesco which is a plus.

donegal_road · 14-04-2013 12:06pm

Just after Christmas I bought a bottle of wine in Lidl (Cepe Lebrel 2007, one with the black label) and it was absolutely rancid.. there was a very synthetic taste off it.
About a month later I picked up some green pesto from Lidl, used half of it, and put the jar in the fridge and forgot about it. A few weeks later, I opened the jar to find it had gone off, but the smell was exactly the same as the dodgy bottle of wine. They must put the same preservative in some of their stuff.

Chop Chop · 14-04-2013 12:10pm

donegal_road wrote: »

Just after Christmas I bought a bottle of wine in Lidl (Cepe Lebrel 2007, one with the black label) and it was absolutely rancid.. there was a very synthetic taste off it.
About a month later I picked up some green pesto from Lidl, used half of it, and put the jar in the fridge and forgot about it. A few weeks later, I opened the jar to find it had gone off, but the smell was exactly the same as the dodgy bottle of wine. They must put the same preservative in some of their stuff.

You do know the wine, beer and spirits are from the same people that bring you Jacobs Creek, Carlsberg and smirnoff?

paddy147 · 14-04-2013 12:10pm

ANMHI wrote: »

Went up early Sunday to get Topiary Balls. None in stock. Never even got a delivery. Sign up in the shop showing price but no stock. Asked staff and they said no delivery and dont know when they will get them. You cant telephone another store because Aldi do not have individual store numbers. Otherwise, drive 10 or 20 kilometres and find the same - no delivery. Not great suppliers then!! Instore magazines, adverts and tv adverts all advising you that specials are coming and when you go to the store - nothing. In a major town like Navan it should be getting deliveries.

Why not buy the real thing and look after it.:)

Some lovely real ones in Ikea at the moment for 15 euro.:)

http://www.ikea.com/ie/en/catalog/products/00243094/

ANMHI · 14-04-2013 12:41pm

I have tried the real thing!!! Hanging baskets a disaster every year. Rest of garden fine . Just want to brighten up house all year round!!:) Issue was no stock available in Aldi Store Navan. However, friend got them for me in Aldi Store Kells. Why? Kells a much smaller town than Navan.

paddy147 · 14-04-2013 12:44pm

ANMHI wrote: »

I have tried the real thing!!! Hanging baskets a disaster every year. Rest of garden fine . Just want to brighten up house all year round!!:) Issue was no stock available in Aldi Store Navan. However, friend got them for me in Aldi Store Kells. Why? Kells a much smaller town than Navan.

tell me more so.

snubbleste · 14-04-2013 12:48pm

There are no balls in Navan. We get it!

April O Neill · 14-04-2013 3:08pm

Mr Benevolent wrote: »

What do you want instead? It's a supermarket, not Brown Thomas.

To not have my groceries fired at me? Seriously, there's no middle ground between this and BT? Really?

shopaholic01 · 14-04-2013 3:14pm

April O Neill wrote: »

To not have my groceries fired at me? Seriously, there's no middle ground between this and BT? Really?

I leave my shopping bags open in the trolley in Aldi and put shopping directly into them. It takes as much time to put them into bags as it does into the trolley. Stack everything onto the conveyor belt in order - cleaning products, frozen food, non-fragile items etc., they can be put into bags without too much care. I leave fragile items unti last and pack them while my card payment is processed.

Chop Chop · 14-04-2013 3:15pm

April O Neill wrote: »

To not have my groceries fired at me? Seriously, there's no middle ground between this and BT? Really?

Have you not gone in for the food fight on a Thursday? It's quite good.

Irish Guitarist · 14-04-2013 3:44pm

I saw a USB turntable in Aldi recently. I wouldn't trust anything like that not to destroy my precious records.

donegal_road · 15-04-2013 12:21am

Chop Chop wrote: »

You do know the wine, beer and spirits are from the same people that bring you Jacobs Creek, Carlsberg and smirnoff?

I didn't know this, I went off Jacobs Creek years ago. Smirnoff would be once in a blue moon for me also, Ive had a few Carlsberg lately in Denmark only because I was there etc.
The wine tasted so bad I thought it may have frozen somewhere in transit, and thawed on the shelf in Lidl. I have tasted booze that had thawed after been frozen, way back in the day.

Aldi and Lidl

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