Emma, that's my name. I'm a shopper, a reader and a dancer. It's fun to be.
Emma, that's my name. I'm a shopper, a reader and a dancer. It's fun to be.
Member since:05.10.2009
Reviews:2
I hate to use the word snobbish, but that's how I am when it comes to shopping. In fact, it took alot of persuading to get me to step foot inside my Aldi branch. I was pleasantly surprised when I finally did.
The first thing you note about my local Aldi is that it is completely empty. At first I assumed it was down to the inferiority of the supermarket, but actually I just think it's the assumption of inferiority that puts people off. Either way, the emptiness is a definate advantage - navigating the aisles, and queuing to pay, everything goes a hundred times quicker which is definately a plus.
Something I had to get used to when I converted to Aldi was the lack of recognizable brand names. There are a few - Mr Kipling's cakes, Haribo sweets - but most are completely unknown. On your first visit you might take some time familiarising yourself, but it's definately something one gets used to, and even though you don't recognise the brands the vast majority are at least acceptable. In fact, I prefer some of the brands in Aldi to the traditional ones - one example would be cereal bars.
Fruit and veg is definately one of Aldi's biggest points. They have regular 49p offers for maybe a bunch of grapes or a bag of carrots, and even those outside of the offers are much cheaper than your average supermarket. In fact, I'd say fruit and veg is where I make my biggest saving weekly, alongside alcohol which is also very cheap.
The meat is also a pleasant surprise. Being a budget store, I'd expect the meat to be maybe less tender and more tough than in more expensive shops. Surprisingly, it isn't. If anything, I'd say it was better. Meat is definately not something that needs to be worried about.
Some things, however, aren't so great. Apples, bread, fresh flowers and my beloved diet coca-cola are simply not quality. I tend to do a separate "brand" shop, where I buy extra things according to need from somewhere like Tescos. Sometimes this takes as long as the full shop in Aldi because it's so busy. It is a pain, but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. I suppose if someone didn't have the time, most of these products would be passable and there is very little that isn't sold - really, it's a personal preference.
Another thing that takes some getting used to is the checkout method. Instead of your traditional scan-pack-and-pay method, the Aldi way is to scan everything as quickly as possible. You don't pack it straight away - instead you put it straight back into the trolley then take it off to one side and pack afterwards. Again, unconventional but it works, and makes queueing significantly faster without too much trouble to the user. Perhaps it could seem like bad customer service, but in a traditional low-budget way this is what you expect. Aldi gives you lower prices, and you get a more abrupt checkout worker. That's okay, because the benefits FAR outweigh the drawbacks.
Oddly, there are also wire cages in the centre of the store, which hold a kind of flavour-of-the-week miscellany - I've seen everything from felt pens to collapsible shovels. I've also bought a t-shirt from there which has served me very well. Although not particularly useful, I have browsed from time to time and found things that might be a good buy, and as always it's cheap!
So...overall? I'm glad I switched to Aldi. Sometimes the savings can be as much as £50 a week for a family of four, and there isn't a significant lack of quality because of that.
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