If anyone is interested in how Aldi got to where they are today in the UK then this is, I thought, an interesting read:
www.theguardian.com/business/2019/mar/05/long-read-aldi-discount-supermarket-changed-britain-shopping
Highlights how their approach is different to Tesco et al, and why that approach is so successful.
Not been in one myself as yet.
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You should go
They're chavtastic!
:-)
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Interesting article, thanks. One thing that wasn't explained is why the chain is called Hofer in Austria, where I live. Must admit that we do probably 80-85% of our weekly shop there. When we lived in the UK, we were die-hard Waitrose customers - if Waitrose didn't sell it, we didn't eat it!
The range of wines is not huge, but you can get some stunners for under €5, although that's a mix of careful buying and the Austrian tax regime which means alcohol is relatively cheap here. Amongst the other products, there's virtually nothing which disappoints. Most of the products are own-brand, but they stock increasing amounts of branded goods.
And we get plenty of "Aisle of Wonder" goods!
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' Aisle of wonder '.
Is that anywhere near 'Man Aisle'. That's the aisle where you always find something useful that will 'come in handy' - sometime. :)
Like the tap and die set I bought. Went to the shelf in my cave where such items are kept to find I already had a set from some previous time they were on offer:S
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I'm a "middle of Lidl" man as we don't have an Aldi in Wokingham until next week. :-)
Thanks for the interesting article - not least as I thought I'd heard the two stores were owned separately by two brothers in some sort of prodigal son arrangement.
SWMBO was dead against Lidl when it first opened here. We now do limited shopping there. Some of the cheap stuff is also pretty vile, but some is quite acceptable. So as Tesco is on the way to Lidl we often do both in a single trip
Last edited by: smokie on Sun 7 Jul 19 at 18:41
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For an interesting insight into how discounters work this week's "Bottom Line " is worth a listen.
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0006dv1
Last edited by: CGNorwich on Sun 7 Jul 19 at 19:34
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I do both LIDL and ALDI, there's bargains to be had in both (I think we've got three of each in my town now). I've been disappointed with some of the meat products from ALDI and tend to buy the equivalent at LIDL.
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We do our shopping mainly at lidl, odd trip to sainsburys or morrisons. We've no aldi nearby but there's one opening up about 6 miles away later in the year.
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What was my nearest Aldi - in Walton - closed a couple of years ago, similar time to the Wetherspoons across the road from the Aldi closed. Boo hoo! Still I'm nearly better, the tears on the keyboard are almost dry.
Aldi opened a new branch in Chertsey, quite a bit further away, with more limited parking.
Lidl have now opened a branch in Hersham - with a very nice bakery. I get the feeling that they are trying to bridge the gap between a 'bare bones' place like Aldi and the conventional supermarkets like Tesco and Sainsburys.
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SWMBO was dead against Aldi and Lidl and still won't go into Lidl even though it is a ten minute walk away.
However a few years ago she was volunteering taking a lady suffering from depression shopping and the lady wanted to go Aldi. Well, our house is now full of Aldi products and the quality of the fruit and veg is pretty good. Saved us a decent penny and we only go to Tesco/Sainsbury for emergiency supplies.
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We stopped buying most fruit and veg in Lidl (except real bargains of course, like chillis and spring onions today at 25p each) as it usually seems to last much MUCH longer from Tesco. Their meats (well, low fat mince, chicken and pork chops) are OK as are the cleaning products and cereals. Their Ryvita-alikes are good too, not exact replicas but quite edible.
And they have 25% off 6 bottles or more of wines right now (as do other places e.g. Tesco)
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Our Christmas dinner has come courtesy of Aldi for probably the last ten years, either a three bird roast, a duck or a turkey crown which I always take care of. I've bought some "Useful" bits and pieces from the "When they're gone, their gone" aisle over the years too.
Mrs SJ however, will not do her weekly shop there as she is a creature of habit and insists on going to Morrisons because she "Knows where everything is" and when I once managed to drag her round Aldi to show how much cheaper it would be her response was that she wouldn't go there again because she didn't like the layout!
I'm lucky overall though as she hates shopping in general and only does any when it's essential, so I don't have to worry about hiding the credit card.
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>> Our Christmas dinner has come courtesy of Aldi for probably the last ten years, either
>> a three bird roast, a duck or a turkey crown which I always take care
>> of. I've bought some "Useful" bits and pieces from the "When they're gone, their gone"
>> aisle over the years too.
>>
>> Mrs SJhowever, will not do her weekly shop there as she is a creature
>> of habit and insists on going to Morrisons because she "Knows where everything is" and
>> when I once managed to drag her round Aldi to show how much cheaper it
>> would be her response was that she wouldn't go there again because she didn't like
>> the layout!
Mixing your handles there Tom!!
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>>
>>
>> Mixing your handles there Tom!!
>>
Put it down to age.
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>> We stopped buying most fruit and veg in Lidl as it usually seems to last much MUCH longer from Tesco.
I totally agree
I usually buy fruit and veg in Waitrose but also in Tesco or Sainsburys. It is always fresh and I trust all of them.
As Duncan advised , a new LIDL has opened in Hersham and I have just visited it for their Fruit and Nut chocolate which I think is first class.
I considered buying a cauliflower and a corn on the cob.
The cauliflower was small ( reflected in the price) yellowing leaves and mould on the florets
The sweetcorn was also small with leaves falling off it was also obviously very stale.
On a previous visit, in a hurry, to another branch of LIDL a grabbed a bunch of carrots without checking them. When I got home a put then straight in the compost bin. They were unbelievably
well beyond any shelf life.
So I will still visit for chocolate but a quick scan of the centre isles and then I am off.
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Holy thread revival Batman but...
We tried doing a weekly at Lidl a few times but it was always the fresh veg which let them down.
There are still quite a few items I'd sooner buy at Lidl and as it's only 1/2 mile from our other favourite (Tesco) we shop regularly in Tesco and once every few ships we scoot along to Lidl for the other bits on the way home.
There is a new Aldi in Wokingham. Went there once but there was nothing to encourage me again - nothing wrong with it either but my two choices above are quite enough,
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"I do both LIDL and ALDI, there's bargains to be had in both"
But what if someone you know sees you going in there?
Not worth the risk I reckon
:-)
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I have no idea where my wife sources our groceries. She seems to know all about that sort of thing and I'm certainly not about to interfere.
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>> "I do both LIDL and ALDI, there's bargains to be had in both"
>>
>> But what if someone you know sees you going in there?
>>
>>
Not a problem. We don't know anyone.
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Then Aldi was made for you. You'll make lots of new friends as you stand in the check out queue for 30 minutes.
Last edited by: CGNorwich on Mon 8 Jul 19 at 18:01
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Lidl have started stocking random obscure beers. I've bagged six packs of Greek Mythos beers (lovely) and Saigon Beer as sold in Vietnam. Last visit I bagged a small flamethrower for torching weeds. Perfect for man fun.
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I bought one of the flamethrower thingys a year or two back in Lidl ,played with it a couple of times but it now hangs in the garden shed unused.
Strong weedkiller in a spray can is much more effective and quicker on the patio and drive.
SWMBO shops in Sainsburys but we take a trip to Lidl in Dorking maybe once every couple of months to stock up on wines , cooked meats , ready meals such as Thai curry,toilet rolls and any of the specials that take my fancy. I bought a tucksack for around £13 which would have been double the price elsewhere.
Usually rack up £100 or so bill, more at Christmas when we bought a big Turkey crown and two big rolled ribs of beef for less than the local butcher wanted for one rib of beef.
Currently a new Lidl is going up less than a mile from us so we will see how it performs.
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>> I bought one of the flamethrower thingys a year or two back in Lidl ,played
>> with it a couple of times but it now hangs in the garden shed unused.
>>
>> >>
I got one from fleabay a few months ago. Absolutely useless, the weeds grow back in no time.
I suppose it will be ok for boiling a pan of water when the electric is down (Which also means no gas on modern hobs)
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It does appeal to a very primitive part of me though. I'm sure Humph would agree.
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Since when could you not light a gas hob with a match in the event of a power cut?
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>> Since when could you not light a gas hob with a match in the event
>> of a power cut?
Ours have a safety thermocouple/flame failure device.
Never checked if it needs power though.
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>> >> Since when could you not light a gas hob with a match in the
>> event
>> >> of a power cut?
>>
>> Ours have a safety thermocouple/flame failure device.
>>
>> Never checked if it needs power though.
>>
be easy enough to check if you have a gas hob.
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>> be easy enough to check if you have a gas hob.
Will try it tonight!! It's a modern Bosch jobbie so it'll meet latest H&S. Now I think we could light the old AEG with a lighter and did for a while after the spark ignition went US.
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>> >>
>> Ours have a safety thermocouple/flame failure device.
>>
>> Never checked if it needs power though.
>>
If there is no electricity the gas won't come through, the same as on our boiler (And I would presume all modern boilers). We had a power outage two weeks ago when a tractor brought down a nearby overhead cable and had to go nearly five hours without even a cup of char.
I keep meaning to invest in a camping stove as this is the second time in a year we've had this problem, the first being when some routine maintenance which was supposed to take an hour ran from 10am till 5:30pm.
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>>I keep meaning to invest in a camping stove as this is the second time in a year we've had this problem,
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We have an old cooker so always a means of making a cuppa and also doubles as a room heater.
The side ring on the BBQ is a further back up :-)
(
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>> If there is no electricity the gas won't come through,
The only thing that can't be lit on our 5 yr old gas cooker is the oven itself. All 4 top plates can still be lit with a lighter/match.
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>>>>
>> The only thing that can't be lit on our 5 yr old gas cooker is
>> the oven itself. All 4 top plates can still be lit with a lighter/match.
>>
Our hob is two years old, 'Elf 'n safety had caught up by then.
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When I first got them I assumed that my solar panels would keep me in a modest amount of electricity if the power went off. But no, they need AC for the inverter.
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>> When I first got them I assumed that my solar panels would keep me in
>> a modest amount of electricity if the power went off. But no, they need AC
>> for the inverter.
Given the purpose of the inverter is to produce the AC there must be a way for an inverter to stand alone - not suggesting yours does but I wonder if that is always the case.
The one on our boat produced 230v AC from 12V DC batteries without a shore line or generator.
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Dunno much about it technically but if there's no AC the inverter won't start.
Reading around a bit it seems that it's because they are attached to the grid, so if someone is working on restoring power and I shoot a kW or two up the line it might cause harm.
There may be other reasons.
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>> Reading around a bit it seems that it's because they are attached to the grid,
>> so if someone is working on restoring power and I shoot a kW or two
>> up the line it might cause harm.
That's a good point!
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>> The only thing that can't be lit on our 5 yr old gas cooker is
>> the oven itself. All 4 top plates can still be lit with a lighter/match.
>>
Our cooker is older and the top plates can be lit but the ovens will not work until the electric clock/timer is set.
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Not managed to make any friends in 57 years, so doubt Aldi will be the icebreaker!
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Aw we'll be your friends CC. ( if you're not careful ) ;-)
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I refuse to do Morrisons, because it's on the most congested road in town and got even worse when the council decided in their infinite wisdom to put a bus lane in it and then approved an ALDI opposite Morrisons.
We've also got two Asda distribution centres in town, but no Asda.
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Around 14 years ago I remember applying to work at Lidl whilst I was still at Safeway.
They made it clear they did not want anyone from existing UK supermarkets as they want3d to “program” their staff the Lidl way and not to be worried about things like customer service and queue times.
Can’t argue with them as they continue to grow whilst the others suffer.
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An article I read as a result of this thread said that all staff are truly multi-skilled and are put onto whatever task needs doing at any particular time.
The perpetual queue is about the worst thing about my local Lidl. And when you get in a queue they suddenly announce they are opening another till and everyone runs for it.
Which reminds me of a true occurrence when I was in a LIDL in Portugal with SWMBO earlier this year. it was about 2pm. While we were queuing there was an announcement "Closing till 4". I remarked in all seriousness that I didn't realise they had siestas in Portugal.
Sure enough till 4 closed shortly afterwards... I felt a bit silly!!! :-)
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Aldi are the highest payers in their sector for graduate pay. £44,000 p.a. plus an Audi A4.
targetjobs.co.uk/career-sectors/retail-buying-and-merchandising/advice/324077-retail-graduate-salaries-which-retail-employer-pays-the-most
Last edited by: CGNorwich on Tue 9 Jul 19 at 18:52
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One of my close friends took one of those graduate positions several years ago.
Resigned her job from her hospital bed when she woke from the coma after falling asleep at the wheel.
60-70 hours per week was a regular occurrence.
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Spent a lot of my life working 60+ hours a week often with driving on top. It's not pleasant, but its manageable and still possible to keep yourself safe.
Last edited by: No FM2R on Tue 9 Jul 19 at 21:06
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> The perpetual queue is about the worst thing about my local Lidl. And when you
>> get in a queue they suddenly announce they are opening another till and everyone runs
>> for it.
I don't do a huge amount of shopping but it never seems that much worse than any of the other supermarkets. Pretty much all much of a muchness.
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>> I don't do a huge amount of shopping but it never seems that much worse
>> than any of the other supermarkets. Pretty much all much of a muchness.
We use Aldi rather than Lidl mostly down to familiarity and store location.
Aldi queues are much of a muchness with Tescoburys. Self checkout v queue at Tescoburys is also a draw.
Waitrose self checkout is a quantum leap. Far smaller queue and none of the unexpected item in bagging area or converse nonsense as they're using intelligence and CCTV to monitor activity instead of guessing weight of stuff.
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Waitrose self checkout is a quantum leap. Far smaller queue and none of the unexpected
>> item in bagging area or converse nonsense as they're using intelligence and CCTV to monitor
>> activity instead of guessing weight of stuff.
Can't say I've been in waitrose much but the self scan tills I have used are pretty rubbish. I tried morrisons self scan, would have been better off waiting for a normal till.
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I can't remember the last time I queued in Tesco. I use self scanning, it means goods only get handled once, straight into my bags. We get a security check once in a while and an over-25 check when there's some booze in the trolley but it is a really efficient way to shop. I don't get why more people don't do it.
That's why I notice a queue only three of four deep in Lidl.
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When on the Costa Blanca or Canaries we do 90% of our grocery shop at either Aldi or Lidl. During the winter months on the CB they close Sunday, but May onwards are open 7 days a week...mostly until 22:00.
For beers, our preferred choice being Mahou & Alhambra, we use Carrefour, but Lidl in the Canaries have Dorada. Rarely any queues, friendly staff, dirt cheap prices, and only wish we had one in Settle!
For local cheese and good quality meat we shop elsewhere, but for everything else I wouldn’t deviate
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The story of Aldi - CGNorwich
