Busy mum to four girls and an angel boy.Married to Bill for 11 years(That long)
Currently driving b...
Busy mum to four girls and an angel boy.Married to Bill for 11 years(That long)
Currently driving buses and thoroughly enjoying it.
Member since:07.02.2001
Reviews:57
Members who trust:12
Aldi
The store to beat all other discount supermarkets.
Aldi is a budget range discount supermarkets that are popping up all over the place. Proud of their no frills appearance, Aldi is a good choice for the economic conscientious shopper.
Our families grocery shopping is now done at Aldi’s in Plymouth. After 10 years of marriage to my husband we had become pretty set in our ways, we knew what brand of foods we liked and we were reluctant to try others. However, over the last 6 months or so, our financial status has drastically changed, and trips to Sainsbury s were just not a cost effective exercise. A friend recommended Aldi, and initially we pooh poohed her, as I am afraid we were food snobs. As the situation worsened we were getting less and less for our grocery allowance, and I bit my tongue, swallowed my pride and headed for Aldi.
My first impressions of the store, were that not only did you have to put a pound coin in the trolleys before you started,
everything was stacked high and not really on shelves and mostly everything was all over the place, it seemed to be some kind of organised chaos. No effort had been put into presentation and there were certainly no frills.
As I examined the produce offered for sale, I thought OK so what is the matter with it to make it so cheap, it must be substandard in some way. Although the selection was not amazing the range of produce available was surprising, from the cheapest beans (9p) to the most expensive video player (£59.99) and from toilet rolls (under£2 for 9) to Adults suspension mountain bikes (£99.99) there really was something for everyone. The fruit and vegetable range seemed fairly basic, as did the freezer selection, but the alcohol aisle was bursting with choice.
I filled my trolley hoping that I would not overspend, as had been the case several times before, and praying that my fussy family would not notice the difference. The checkouts are normally very crowded, and you need to vie for position (watch out for that Granny who swears that she was in front of you). There are no price stickers on anything so pay attention to the price on the shelves (I mean above the boxes). I could not believe that the checkout assistants had to go through 6 weeks of intensive off the job training that involved learning the price of everything that was sold in the store As the groceries sped through the checkout, I could see exactly where their training was needed, it resembled a cattle market, and everything and everyone was rushed through the checkouts at a rapid rate. Almost before you have finished loading the conveyor belt the assistant has finished and is telling you the total, there is not a second to spare. They do charge for carrier bags, but there is usually an abundance of empty boxes available should you require them. As a wave of panic rushed through my body, I felt that there was no way that I could have enough money for all of that shopping. There was enough to feed my family of 4 kids and 2 adults. To my utter amazement I not only had enough, I had some spare. The real test was whether the family would eat it though.
Over the duration of the next week or so, my children started eating what they wanted, not what we could afford, and they were enjoying it. Not only could they choose a cereal, they had a choice of six, whereas I could only buy a choice of three brand named cereals for the same cost. Taste, they like them.
To date I have yet to be disappointed with any produce that I have bought from Aldis, my husband eats whatever I serve these days, and the children love the place. Not only is our basic diet much improved, but we are now able to buy the little extra treats that were so few and far between in the past Every month there are spectacular bargains advertised in the local press and on colour brochures printed by them called the ALDI news. You need to be quick to snap up the bargains, as they sell very quickly at their too good to be true prices.
In all an excellent store that is perfect in every way for discerning shoppers from all walks of life.
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A long while back when my ma and pa were poor, we had no alternative but to shop at Aldi's and i'm suprised you said the food was nice because all of our family, well there were only 4, thought the food was next to disgusting. They must have improved the recipes of their products in the last 7 years or so. No i am grown up and moved away (i'm 19!) i am as you were - a typical sainsburys shopper, their quality is amazing! Great review!!:0)
P.s It's Marsh Mills in Plymouth isn't it?
moose 07.03.2001 18:40
I used to work for Aldi (store & headoffice). When in a store one of the most surprising things that I noticed was that the majority of cars in Aldi carparks were newish! Gone are the days when discounters only attracted the poorer amongst us - maybe its one way that the richer bods can afford nice cars (by shopping at Aldi?). Just a point worth mentioning...great opinion by the way :-)
wulise 07.03.2001 18:36
Great opinion, thanks. I was in my local Lidl (simular to Aldi) the other week and they were actually giving away bread and rolls! Louise
Mar 7th, 2001
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