Average prices of Coles, Woolworths and Aldi: Choice

tomwood on 04/06/2015 - 17:11
Last edited 07/06/2015 - 15:19

https://www.choice.com.au/supermarketsurvey

It seems that Coles' "down down" and Woolworths' "cheap cheap" everyday low pricing strategies are no match for Aldi's lower cost bases for labour, rent and other general and administrative costs, as Aldi retains its crown as cheapest supermarket.

Our basket of leading brand products cost $87.29 more at Coles ($174.97 excluding specials) and $89.09 more at Woolworths ($176.77) than a basket of equivalent products from Aldi ($87.68). So by foregoing leading brands you can save about 50% off your grocery bill by shopping at Aldi.

The difference between Coles and Woolworths was less distinct – just $1.80 between them excluding specials for the leading brand basket – reflecting the intensive process of price monitoring that exists between the duopoly.

Independent chain IGA returned the most expensive basket – 8% more expensive than the same basket of leading brand products at Coles (excluding specials).

Food & Grocery

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Comments

  • RockyRaccoon on 04/06/2015 - 17:28
    +32

    Ozbargainers need choice to tell them something they already know?

    I bet they didn't include the "special offer tax" that Aldi imposes!!

    You know that product that you didn't intend to buy, Bicycle, SD card, Bluetooth power board, Tent, pedal car, Battery Drill, LED globes, Ski gear etc

    • [Deactivated] on 04/06/2015 - 18:11
      +4

      You know that product that you didn't intend to buy, Bicycle, SD card, Bluetooth power board, Tent, pedal car, Battery Drill, LED globes, Ski gear etc

      You mean all that stuff you didn't know you needed? :-)

      Just like Bunnings!

    • captobvious on 07/06/2015 - 13:59
      +5

      The other thing to factor as well is whenever I walk into aldi I never leave with everything I needed on my shopping list. Which means a visit to the big 2 anyway. Just for convenience now I just go to the big 2 so i can get the job done in 1 hit and not have to line up twice. the big 2 works out most cost effective if you factor in your time and also having to translate some products in a foreign language.

      If i need a cheap Bicycle, SD card, Bluetooth power board, Tent, pedal car, Battery Drill, LED globes, Ski gear etc I'll go to Aldi. LOL

      • RockyRaccoon on 07/06/2015 - 15:00
        +2

        If you really want convenience over price why not just get Woolies or Coles home delivery. Far cheaper than having to drive to the store.

        However for some, like me I like the fun of shopping at Aldi, and for others like you, the competition has it's benefits in keeping them on their toes. Win Win, at least for us

        • captobvious on 07/06/2015 - 15:10
          +4

          Home delivery fruit and veg is hit and miss (more miss than hit) hence lining up.

      • Jackson on 07/06/2015 - 21:09
        +1

        A factor for me is I can get around an Aldi and do my shopping in 30 minutes, at Coles/Woolies it's always an hour to do a decent shop, too much walking around and back and forth because I don't know the best order to buy things in because the shop is so big. It's like it's designed to make people have to walk around the whole acreage.

        • arcticmonkey on 07/06/2015 - 21:36
          +1

          Shopping at Woolworths or Coles takes me ages as they barely ever have enough registers open. At least IGA and Aldi have better service. I always feel like it is 24/7 skeleton service at WW and Coles.

      • nikey2k27 on 08/06/2015 - 09:35
        +2

        i am like this. i do get a few aldi product so buy them every few months. i personally hate aldi style find it painful way to shop. coles and woolworth all have leading brand on sale every 8 weeks like clock work.

  • gooddealmate on 04/06/2015 - 17:34
    +9

    Get sick of hearing about these 'Supermarket Investigations', seems like every other month ACA comes out with the same 'supermarket showdown', and it's always Aldi that wins.

    • berger on 04/06/2015 - 18:04
      +22

      ACA is a paid advertising program. It should be on Spree, tvsn or another shopping network.

    • Bmann999 on 04/06/2015 - 18:10
      +10

      The worst thing about ACA and T is that a lot of these investigations are actually paid advertisements: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/should-toda…

      IMO they always give terrible advice to real problems:

      • If you have a problem with your phone bill, they say you should switch companies or buy a more expensive plan when you really should go to the TIO.
      • If you get a speeding ticket, they say that you should fight it in court when you can actually write a letter to the police admitting guilt, but asking for a warning.
  • bonezAU on 04/06/2015 - 17:37
    +17

    Can't wait until Aldi opens it's doors in Perth. At the moment we've got the choice of the duopoly or even often higher priced IGA's.

    We do have Spud Shed popping up around the place now as well as good old fashioned farmers/Asian grocery type markets but Aldi is sure going to have an effect on Colesworths when they finally arrive soon.

    • [Deactivated] on 04/06/2015 - 18:14
      +4

      Can't wait until Aldi opens it's doors in Perth. At the moment we've got the choice of the duopoly or even often higher priced IGA's.

      Same here; we moved from NSW to country SA a couple of years back. Really miss ALDI here. I'm told their first stores open here early 2016. Unlike the NBN, it's likely to happen.

    • ThirdRonnie on 05/06/2015 - 10:22
      -5

      Unfortunately, ALDI has little effect on the "rip-offoly", as people have been brain-washed into believing in "brand power". The believe that the only quality products are the big brands.

      I'm really hoping ALDI will come to Tasmania too, but so I can shop there, not because they will cause any kind of re-think on the part of Coles or Woolworths.

      • cheapy on 06/06/2015 - 23:51
        +3

        little effect

        Prices at the duopolies in suburbs with Aldi's are cheaper.

    • ilikeradiohead on 07/06/2015 - 00:18
      +6

      I can't wait either, but Fremantle council just rejected their proposal to open a store in Hilton because it didn't fit with the aesthetic of the dog ugly strip mall that is already there. I didn't realise the hippies on the council were in the pocket of Colesworths!

      • ceebee on 07/06/2015 - 01:49
        +2

        I want to be surprised but I'm really not. This is why we can't have nice things.

        • nikey2k27 on 08/06/2015 - 09:38
          +1

          It my local council with master's shop we only big city that dose not have one. near one 500km away.

  • blitz on 04/06/2015 - 18:12
    +7

    Well in my opinion, Aldi food tastes like cardboard. I tried it for a while, and I wanted to like it, but I couldn't stand it in the end. I'm glad there is competition in the supermarket industry, but taste are more important to me than bottom line cost.

    • Mad Max on 04/06/2015 - 18:49
      +1

      I agree. A lot of the Aldi homebrand stuff is not as good as the Coles homebrand. Even meat is not as nice as in Coles.

      • SlickMick on 05/06/2015 - 09:56
        +9

        We go to Aldi particularly for the meat - prefer it to coles & woolies.

        Would still rather find a good butcher though.

        • Noblejoker on 05/06/2015 - 10:33
          +8

          I have also found generally tht Aldi meat is the equivalent or better than Coles & Woollies
          And generally cheaper, especially on special

      • effgee on 07/06/2015 - 11:20
        +4

        I disagree. I reckon Aldi roasts are the best.

        I don't see how you can generalise 'also tastes like cardboard or metal'. It varies from food to food. At the end of the day they're largely using the same suppliers and manufacturers.

      • hts on 07/06/2015 - 12:26
        +3

        Luckily where I am (Wagga) the meat sold at Aldi comes from the local abattoir, so it's good quality and a lot better than the Coles/Woolies meat. Local butchers are alright, but for the price alone, Aldi wins for similar meat.

      • lac0449 on 09/06/2015 - 18:10

        The only thing i dont like at Aldi is the vegi's. Could be our local one, but the quality sucks. Otherwise, everything else is fine.

        • [Deactivated] on 10/06/2015 - 11:59

          I thought the same - until I turned up very early for some specials.

          Fruit & Vegs get picked over ;-)

    • modsec802 on 04/06/2015 - 19:09
      -4

      I think Aldi food tastes like metal: can't stand it.

    • dylanando on 04/06/2015 - 20:12

      Agree, Ive tried many times to go and try something but i end up leaving with nothing (Except coffee pods) Love their coffee. Nothing about (My local) is nice. All the food is basically sitting on the ground, All the older people at the checkout are fighting or arguing with other customers, The 'checkout chick' just literally catapults your food across the store and onto the floor and starts serving the next customer while you're still trying to pay.

      Defiantly would rather pay a few extra dollars for premium products and service. Each to their own I guess.

      • retiredfeline on 05/06/2015 - 10:06
        +13

        Defiantly would rather pay

        Yes, of course don't do it tamely. Must be a common swypo :)

    • cnrmlj on 06/06/2015 - 18:37
      +1

      Absolutely. A few of our friends by stuff at Aldi and it tastes terrible. Happy to pay the extra few $$ at woolworths for food that is enjoyable. Either the 7.5% discount, fuel savings, frequent flyer points and specials at woolworths, it actually doesn't cost much more but is 100 times nicer.

    • PVA on 06/06/2015 - 22:37
      +9

      depends on the item.
      the butter (called butterfully??) is great and around $2 cheaper than woolies/coles.
      Indian sauces (the ones with the dried spices in the lid) are great.
      the frozen pizza with wood fire base (and rocket) is good.
      a lot of their cheeses are really good quality.
      flat bread wraps are aother thats great and cheap.
      melting moments are delicious.
      the olive oil we buy is good quality, as good as any in woolies.

      and normal things like sour cream etc are exactly the same as any other brand but a lot cheaper.
      havent bought canned things and we dont buy many anywhere.

      We are lucky we have an Aldi and Woolies next door to each other so can go to either depending on what we need.

      • Daabido on 08/06/2015 - 10:40
        +2

        I totally agree. Cherry picking their best products like the butter, melting moments and some of the cheeses makes sense and cents.

        For everything else I go to the big two. Nothing goes in my trolley except if it is on a good special, so I don't find a big difference. Pay full price and there is a huge difference.

    • RefusdClassification on 09/06/2015 - 01:17

      "Tastes like cardboard"? Just a placebo effect. Because Aldi product's are cheaper, you believe they will taste inferior, and belief creates our reality. Aldi brands are repackaged "big brand" products, far superior to the Home brand generic products in 'Colesworth'.

      Most Aldi haters are rich middle-class snobs whose idea of heaven would be 'Whole Foods' opening up stores in Australia.

      The only legit complaint about Aldi is their limited range of ~1500 products, and lack of self checkouts.

  • [Deactivated] on 04/06/2015 - 18:15
    +10

    Aldi food tastes like cardboard.

    Makes me wonder what your preferred food groups are??

  • Munnday on 04/06/2015 - 20:38
    +25

    How do the prices compare if they to the comparison on the coles/woolworths home brands vs aldi? Comparing "leading brands" vs home brands isn't really a true reflection of the price differences

  • inherentchoice on 04/06/2015 - 21:34
    +3

    Our basket of leading brand products

    Is the leading brand the most expensive brand? This is an unfair comparison they need to compare it with the cheapest available at Colsworths…

    • mskeggs on 04/06/2015 - 21:50
      +1

      Read the link, they did both. The Coles/Woolies store brand basket came in around $116.

      • mskeggs on 04/06/2015 - 22:03
        +6

        Looking at the photo, as there is no list of basket items, it appears they chose Woolies 'Select' brand for most items (e.g. corn flakes) when there is a substantially cheaper home brand offering. But since there looks to be some home brand stuff in the basket, they must have used some discretion on deciding the most comparable brands.

        FWIW, the basic items that make up the bulk of my packaged grocery spending are staples like flour, butter, eggs, milk, peanut butter, honey that are all similar prices to ALDI if I choose the cheapest woolies 'homebrand'. So I think the price difference is more evident where the store labelled 'select' is chosen, an item that is positioned as higher quality than 'homebrand'.

        I hardly ever visit Coles anymore, but do they not also have two tiers of store brand? A "Coles" brand and 'savings' or something?

        • PVA on 06/06/2015 - 22:41

          not at our woolies, the Home Brand is disappearing fast and only the Select is left (and is not much cheaper that the Name brands.)

        • ceebee on 07/06/2015 - 01:58

          Yes, I tend to shop at Coles more now after Woolies had that whole debit card refusal for a time, and Coles actually has three tiers. 'Coles Smart Buy' is their answer to 'Home Brand' which is the cheapest stuff. 'Coles' branded is their mid range stuff, low-to-mid in price. 'Coles Finest' is their version of 'Select' which is significantly more up market in packaging and price etc.

          Not all the range overlap, but a good example is coffee, where there's a version for every tier (Coles Finest being pods, though).

      • Munnday on 04/06/2015 - 22:05
        +4

        Unless a full price list is released - it doesn't mean much.

        Looking at the images released I can see a number of differences, eg. Coles branded toilet paper 12 pack vs Aldi branded toilet paper 8 pack.

      • inherentchoice on 04/06/2015 - 22:06
        +4

        Ah okay I see. But based on the pictures they still bought the Woolworths Select brand rather than the Home Brand. Plus the cheese does NOT look like the $6 Home Brand cheddar.

        The quantities don't quite seem to add up either, as the Woolworths Juice seems to be 2.4L but the others are 2L.

        The Coles Corn Flakes I believe are 500g for $2 but they chose the Woolworths Select 725g for $3.25, when Woollies also has home brand 500g bags for $2. Not sure what the Aldi price is?

        This is just based on my cursory glance of the photos, so I could be wrong of course. But I don't think I'm going to subscribe to Choice any time soon.

        • PVA on 06/06/2015 - 22:43

          as I mentioned above, our Woolies doesnt have much Home Brand anymore, having Select only. They are slowly removing the cheap choice.

        • ceebee on 07/06/2015 - 02:18
          +4

          I agree, likewise I know that Coles has many lower-tier choices, like 'Smart Buy' which is their home brand.

          On preview, there's NO 'smart buy' products in the Coles example basket. None at all. Not one that I can see.

          They used Coles Tuna ($3.20) instead of Smart Buy Tuna ($2.20)
          Coles Jam ($2.50) instead of Smart Buy Jam ($1.80)

          Same with cheese, cling wrap, frozen fish, tissues… I'm sure there's more. That's not much but that's already a huge saving.

          I suppose you could say the Aldi quality is equivalent to the mid-tier Coles stuff (maybe?) not the lower end stuff, but from what I hear, it isn't really. Plus some of the 'home brand' and 'smart buy' products are really good. Home Brand Cocoa comes to mind.

          It's also a red flag that they don't list the items and their prices in this 'study'. For it to be a transparent, fair review, they should do this. They should also alter it to reflect the different tiers the two shops have. For it to claim it's the 'cheapest you can buy at Colesworths' is really misleading.

          I mean, it doesn't tell us anything we don't already know. Generally the key is smart buying and shopping around. This has been valid forever. If people do 100% of their shop at one place, they're going to get markups on a few of the items, of course. That's how grocery stores make their money.

          This article is pure clickbait and really disappointing.

  • loulou1 on 05/06/2015 - 09:03
    +8

    I usually shop from the catalogues, so I am rarely paying full price for my supermarket purchases. Do Aldi products go on special in the same manner as Coles/Woolworths/IGA? A lot of what I buy is half price

    • RockyRaccoon on 05/06/2015 - 09:07

      Sure Bikes, Prams, Radios. SD cards go on sale for 50% off at Aldi.. and I also buy a lot of those then LOL

      • loulou1 on 05/06/2015 - 09:19

        I don't shop there so don't know, do they usually do the groceries on special too? Or just the special buys?

        • RockyRaccoon on 05/06/2015 - 09:20
          +2

          Just the special buys (althought there maybe an exception or two, like bread getting close to use by date)

        • inherentchoice on 08/06/2015 - 07:48

          The fresh fruit and vegetables can go on special. But it seems that meat, dairy and non-perishables never go on special.

    • tomclancy on 05/06/2015 - 10:57
      +2

      Agree 100%. And don't forget the additional discounts available for Coles/Woolworths online shoppers (catalogue specials of course):

      $116.00 = Normal basket price
      ($8.70) = Less: 7.5% WISH gift card purchase discount
      ($2.44) = Less: 2.1% AMEX points/interest saved earning rate
      ($10.00) = $10 off $100+ spend - normal PricePal code, but usually more available and stackable too
      ($40.00) = PricePal cashback with buddy bonus
      FREE = Free delivery
      FREE = Extra meat/veggie weight
      $54.86 = price paid for said basket at Woolworths Online.

      edit: before anyone comments that the cashback and free delivery are not available to them because they aren't first time customers then you are doing it wrong ;)

      • noskich on 07/06/2015 - 18:19
        +1

        How do you get that PricePal cashback with buddy bonus? And 7.5% off is on whenever you use a Wish gift card? Thanks.

        • tomclancy on 07/06/2015 - 20:26
          +1

          Pricepal double buddy bonus is for referrals (easy to get) and using the chrome app they double any cash back you receive. Double cash back on everything you get through pricepal. Take a look on their website

          7.5% off wish gift cards is a frequent promotion run by a few places. Most notably by entertainment book (search 7.5% big w cards) and Groupon. When it comes up we stock up on wish gift cards and use it for woolies shopping, fuel etc.

      • Sopzo on 05/09/2019 - 18:22

        Where do you buy WISH gift card at that discount?

  • RockyRaccoon on 05/06/2015 - 09:05
    +3

    I think you will find they normalise things to some extent. eg 500g corn flakes price will be normaiised to 400g if thats the size of the competitor (or vice versa). Of course how do you normalise Toilet rolls - Sheet area vs sheet area or rolls, or sheets per roll. But at least Rolls per pack.

    Then again we know Choice reviewers have their own bias, this shows up in interpretation of results, and really a $1.80 variation in prices (W vs C) is probably almost the same.

    And the sample size was rather small

    For 28 of these we priced the leading brands as well as their private label equivalents at each supermarket, where available. The remaining three products were fresh, unbranded items.

    And local vs national pricing. Aldi has national pricing the others vary.

    All this does is to confirm what we already know.

    My local survey shows the same

    600ml Thickened cream. Aldi $1.99 Coles $2.19 and Woolies $2.30

    While of course Aldi Cream tastes "cardboard/metallic" just dont tell my kids LOL.

    • ironsword on 08/06/2015 - 13:25
      +1

      I'm not sure ALDI has national pricing anymore. They used to have a website called smarter shopping which listed prices but now they don't. For now, prices might be the same in the eastern states but once they expand into SA & Perth, their prices will most likely vary (unless they make a point of it again in a TV ad etc…)

    • c64 on 11/06/2015 - 19:41

      i love eating cream and tasting pauls pure cream side by side with aldi thickened cream, the pauls cream tastes better. not that the aldi cream tastes bad either. the aldi cream is half the price though …

    • StingyBritches on 05/06/2015 - 10:40
      +9

      Ouch! My ears are hurting! Stop yelling…

    • ilikeradiohead on 07/06/2015 - 00:22
      +4

      Thanks for the info, proprietor of said IGA.

    • galaxiers on 08/06/2015 - 07:39
      +1

      Really,
      Did u forgot to mention the disclaimer that u r associated with IGA

  • Bill48 on 05/06/2015 - 10:55
    +5

    +1 for many comments.
    Once a Choice subscriber (and they play a role), I cancelled because (a) it itself is no Bargain and (b) I found their tests impenetrable and bearing passing relevance to real-world usage. And (c), I can read it at my local library.
    I support the comment about Aldi's checkout, having your purchases basically chucked at you faster than YOU can pack it. If Aldi may be about squeezing the opposition on price it is not about customer service.
    And I do support my local SuperIGA. They employ lots of local students, teach them about presentation, grooming and customer courtesy, and they get them to work in every department of the store gaining experience and keeping the work interesting. These kids come into the store even when not working, they love and appreciate their work and form part of a happy team.
    I fear for my local SuperIGA. Coles is already in our town and Woolies have just bought a big site here.
    I spread my patronage but enter Aldi reluctantly, usually to check their special offers.

  • isthisreally_me on 06/06/2015 - 15:33
    +6

    Personally i always shop at Aldi first then go to other supermarkets etc for the items Aldi doesnt stock.
    The food at Aldi seems of as good or better quality than Coles/Woolworths and cheaper so i win on 2 counts i feel.
    Plus lots of other good items they offer in their catalog from time to time, like the ski clothing i just purchased.

    • xlimit on 06/06/2015 - 16:05
      +5

      Also love aldi, especially with their 60 day return policy (no questions asked) and the odd 50% off weekly discount.

      I find their food and products are quite fresh and taste quite good despite not being a leading brand. Their 40% choc chip cookies, chilli deli chips, apple&cinnamon bars, wholemeal wraps are a weekly thing for me.

      The other day I just bought 6 avocados for $1.50!!! Not yet ripe too! Woolies and Coles - 1 for $2.

      Even so, always go to woolies/coles for their 1/2 price specials.

  • Scrooge McDuck on 06/06/2015 - 16:02
    -2

    Our basket of leading brand products cost $87.29 more at Coles ($174.97 excluding specials) and $89.09 more at Woolworths ($176.77) than a basket of equivalent products from Aldi ($87.68).

    ¬_¬

    So by foregoing leading brands you can save about 50% off your grocery bill by shopping at Aldi.

    *Aldi, Woolworths, Coles or any other supermarket which sells home-brands.

    Crap article, didn't read.

  • Diji1 on 06/06/2015 - 17:07
    +3

    "… Coles' "down down" and Woolworths' "cheap cheap" everyday low pricing strategies …"

    Um … that's 2 slogans used in marketing materials not a pricing strategy. Perhaps that's the message they want you to recieve: that they have a strategy that works in your interest, who knows.

    But in any case great post.

    And once again I note that the "nation-wide pricing" er … public relations exercise that Coles and Woolies run is clearly BS LEL.

    • tomclancy on 06/06/2015 - 18:56
      +1

      Coles and woolies have never claimed nation-wide pricing. Do have a link to the PR that says this?

  • TRENT86 on 06/06/2015 - 18:18

    If you actually want choice of products then Aldi isn't the place to go.

    • centrelink on 08/06/2015 - 15:21

      I find that local butchers and local supermarkets are the cheapest to go. Only the ones that are busy that is. Like with Springvale Shopping center in Melbourne, I can pay half the price for things I would buy in Coles/Woolworths and I get double the amount as well.

      Best to go where it is always busy to ensure you get the freshest produce though, and that pork roll next to that fruit market is the BEST!! $3.50 .. Vietnamese Subway FTW

  • love2buy on 06/06/2015 - 18:39
    -1

    The checkout queues are too bloody long every time!

    • PVA on 06/06/2015 - 22:25

      Woolies is really bad for this. Coles not much better.
      Trying to force you to self checkout.
      Early in the morning , say up to around 930am Coles doesnt even have a checkout open, you have to self checkout.

      • hts on 07/06/2015 - 12:32

        At my local Coles, the Self checkout doesn't open until around 9 - 9:30…. They have one checkout open that sells smokes so if you need to do a morning breaky run of milk and bread it takes about 20 mins!

  • pacific on 06/06/2015 - 18:51
    +2

    The service at all Aldi's stores is non-existent. Having to pack your own groceries on a busy day is hidious and the extra charge for using a credit card is highway robbery.

    • snajper on 06/06/2015 - 19:19
      +11

      We all have choices in life…. I personally prefer paying $87 + $0.87 cc fees and pack stuff myself instead of $174 else where. God gave us hands and feet to use them…

      • tomclancy on 06/06/2015 - 23:15
        -5

        I personally prefer paying $55 and having someone deliver to my kitchen benchtop. God gave us brains to use them…

    • red-hot on 07/06/2015 - 22:30
      +1

      To avoid the credit card fee, don't paypass. Swipe or insert your card.

    • LongJohn92 on 08/06/2015 - 23:36
      +1

      All stores add fees on to accommodate for the charges the banks charge you. Aldi simply has it there, in plain text to show you how much it costs the company. Woolies, Coles add it into their stock prices to adjust for the bank charges.

  • rapoot6 on 06/06/2015 - 19:16
    +2

    They should also take into account the specials in a 'typical basket' maybe over 3 weeks to get a more accurate number than simply call out colesworths for being ridiculously overpriced.

  • TRENT86 on 06/06/2015 - 22:14
    +4

    I'd be more interested to see how much product is imported and not Australian, I've noticed coles home brand are huge Aussie supporters now, not too sure about woolies or Aldi though

    • PVA on 06/06/2015 - 22:22
      +2

      Problem though is how much of the ingredients are imported and then the final product made here and sold as Australian.

      Most Orage juice is OS ingredient, most ham from their Deli is made from pork from the USA, mixed with other ingredients and baked/smoked here and called Made in Australia.

      Frozen vegies from OS ingredients etc etc.
      You really need to read the ingredients to know whats truly Australian.

      I see Aldis tomato sauce is from Australian tomatoes, Heinz, Masterfood and others are not (Dick Smith is Aussie tomatoes too). Masterfoods did have Aussie Tomatoes but they charged about .50-$1 more than their normal sauce for it.

      • SupeNintendoChalmers on 09/06/2015 - 13:59
        +2

        IIRC Aldi has two types of Tomato sauce, one Aussie made and one made in China. Even with the premium on the Aussie one it's still cheaper than Colesworth.

    • Bargain4U on 07/06/2015 - 00:18
      +4

      Woolies started putting Australian Made next to the Australian flag prominently on their products. I only shop Australian Made which means sometimes you need to shop at all three if you're buying home brand.

      • PVA on 07/06/2015 - 13:20
        +5

        Australian made from imported ingredients?

    • AssociatedChickenTalon @ CHOICE on 07/06/2015 - 08:48
      +1

      An issue Choice has been working on for a long time. Recently gaining more momentum after Nanna gave you extra hepA with the frozen berries

      https://www.choice.com.au/consumer-advocacy/campaigns/countr…

      A rundown of the current very week rules here;
      https://www.choice.com.au/food-and-drink/nutrition/food-labe…

  • [Deactivated] on 07/06/2015 - 01:04
    -4

    I'd say its a joke!
    well you cant buy any of those leading brands at Aldi!
    Aldi only stocks funny brands which if you buy equal products from Coles or Woolies, then Aldi would end up 100% more expensive!
    and taking specials into account which you always find some brands of that product on special there, Aldi has no place to stand!
    Do not waste your money in Aldi, I am not saying Coles or Woolworth are good at all but the way these agencies are misleading people is ridiculous!

    • PVA on 07/06/2015 - 13:22
      +1

      They also did Coles/Woolies own brands and they were still much more expensive than Aldi.

  • antzz on 07/06/2015 - 01:25
    +9

    They grow like crazy in the past decade for a good reason. Aldi brand consistently winning in many blind test against branded product. They are very strict in quality control and assurance. They are the first removing artificial color and other chemicals and you usually have choice of cheaper and more expensive premium product

    Example

    Aldi moserroth is far ahead than any branded chocolate like lindt cadbury etc

    Aldi oliveoil are much better than almost all italian branded one out there and it is australian

    Compare to colesworth aldi pays its supplier better and therefore get better product

    Aldi dairy products wins lots of award and deservingly so.

    Aldi baby diapers is better than huggies in my experience and also many other testimony out there while many of their home care product performs similarly to branded stuff. I tried woolworth select dishwasher liquid and coles but they are like a diluted version of the branded stuff. You need almost twice the volume

    I dont understand which aldi product that you guys tried and taste like metal or cardboard. I am willing to try that. But for what its worth to me aldi is the best thing australia got in the past decade apart from mining boom

    There are some misses in their product for example dog and cat food.

    They grow for a reason. We have had many cheap home brand stuff but none has performed like aldi brand and that is why they are succesful. Good quality at homebrand price

    • tailgatinholden on 08/06/2015 - 08:32
      +2

      After reading most of the sentiments in this forum and indeed in the past, many Ozbargainers know that Aldi has good products in certain categories, cheapest products in certain categories, and the big 2 (and IGA) are the most expensive. But when you take into account weekly specials, the contest becomes much more even (if you also note that you will generally get better environment and service in the big supermarkets). Notice though, that once Aldi proliferates, it can easily up the stakes in service too.

      The Aldi guys are experts in being able to test each aspect of shopping, even right down to a specific product category and to find the happy medium using some equation of 3 variables: 1) quality/rating, 2) Australian vs. foreign, and 3) price. Gee, that German efficiency! Unfortunately, this in recent years has led C/W to make their own premium product sourced largely from overseas… shortsighted corporate greed I guess. To me, products cannot simply be sold as the cheapest, but must have a cost-benefit analysis using that equation above.

      The biggest issue I have with Aldi is the fact that they aren't Australian owned, but also I struggle seeing how C/W show disdain for their customers (e.g. Coles bread scandal, etc). Therefore I shop with a mixture of all 4. I put !GA specials first, then C/W and any other things Aldi. I’m lucky to have the time to just pop by after work, or get other family members to visit the others at least once.

      I think Aldi would have a similar financial structure to other US/EU countries in the offshore taxation probe. But note they have from the beginning have pledged that all “profits” stay within Australia.. That would largely be true I would assume.. that’s why there’s such growth in store numbers. But really, we end up destroying our big well known (sometimes Aussie) brands and replace them with Aldi house brands that whenever they can get away with it (or cost effective), are made from Germany and the smaller EU countries, and for their cheap gadgets and specials catalogue tools, China (like every other business). I guess if you were Germany propping up the whole EU, you just have to try and convince the whole world now (US has aldi owned Trader Joes) to buy their products rather than your own country's. To me, they have done it very cleverly over the years, but yeah if you can buy things with the Made In Australia sticker. Kudos to you.

      I just wish we had more options. I was shocked to see in the US (where I wrongly assumed it would all be Walmarts) how many more grocers they had, each having their own pro's and con's. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_supermarket_chains_in_t…

      • AssociatedChickenTalon @ CHOICE on 08/06/2015 - 09:47
        +3

        The opportunity for Aldi has been created by the cosy W/C duopoly. If they were competative then other new entrants wouldn't bother trying.

        Re:testing
        Coles and woollies spend a heap testing the different aspects of each product/layout etc and are experts in extracting profit from their customers. Woolies in particular with their investment in Quantium.

        All three of them W/C/Aldi are experts in extracting profits from their customers.

      • antzz on 11/06/2015 - 20:52
        +1

        I think if you have a good analytic look the proportion of aussie made vs overseas made in aldi is not higher than colesworth. Certain special promotion product are from overseas mainly like cookware ski gear and speciality food that comes during oktober fest or Christmas. But daily items most of those are aussie made and they give better margin to the producer compare to colesworth. Aldi also big enough some producer actually expanding their production line to make exclusive aldi product.

        Likeall the brand. Everything start from unkown brand. But now many people talk about mamia pants for the equivalent of huggies. They certainly make special product name but not using some thing generic like coles select or hone brand. Sooner or later this brand can be its own name brand.

        To be honest I dont understand why people have big care factor to the known brand like kelloggs etc. Almost all these brand are usa brand and only small proportion aussie brand.

        I go to germany from time to time and even some of the brand are similar to aldi in aussie most are completely different brand name like chips and oil and many other. So you can say the brand in aldi aussie store are aussie brand more so than cadbury or kelloggs or coke…

        Anyway. I also shop colesworth if they have more than 50pc discount special going. Other items I buy from aldi. I buy iga only if there are no other shops nearby.

  • DEvok on 07/06/2015 - 04:25
    +1

    You get for what you pay, Coles and woollies have higher quality control, and that reflects on the taste. I also find that Aldi"s stuff taste very bland like Coles/woolies homebrand, not aldis homebrand, all their brand stuff, dont know if I make sense, But Aldi"s brands like Cadbury or arnotts taste a lot better than aldi big branded food, that's just my 2cents.

    If you want really cheap just go to Costco they sell pretty much everything that Coles/willies have but slot cheaper.

  • Cheap Steve on 07/06/2015 - 06:30
    +5

    Like others have said shop the specials is the way to go and have no store loyalty. This is my view on each;

    Aldi Positives - Easily the cheapest "everyday". I mainly shop Fruit/Veg and the Dairy aisle which are everyday cheaper than Colesworth specials.

    Aldi Negatives - Short store hours (8am to 8pm), longest queues, have to pack yourself, least choice of products, clogged up with unattractive people and retirees, no on-line shopping.

    Coles Positives - Closest to my house, lots of attractive people shop there due to proximity to beach, catalogue specials, on-line shopping and home delivery, early open time of 6am, bags packed by operator.

    Coles Negatives - Expensive "everyday".

    Woolies Positives - Lots of attractive people shop there due to Fitness First next door, catalogue specials, on-line shopping and home delivery, late close time of 10 pm, bags packed by operator.

    Woolies Negatives - Expensive "everyday".

    • jv hi fi on 07/06/2015 - 16:11
      +11

      lol to attractive/unattractive people

      • noskich on 07/06/2015 - 18:24
        +4

        Seems like Steve is picking up girls during his shopping time. Why not, kill two flies with one shot! Save time.

    • Jackson on 07/06/2015 - 21:18

      You must be at Bondi Junction? The thing I miss most about shopping there is the FF being next door.

      Edit: Hang on the Coles isn't nearest the beach it's an IGA

  • catbrain on 07/06/2015 - 12:38

    How does Aldi get away with packaging their products in a very similar manner to a leading brand? I would have thought that the packaging is part of the branding of the product and therefore can be protected. Or does protection of the packaging design require a trademark, so the manufacturers just don't bother?

    • berger on 07/06/2015 - 14:32

      But the major brands supply the "cheap alternative" to Aldi…. Easy to use the same bottles or cans…

      I used to work at an IGA years ago. Berri juice was the main juice, but it also produced another 5 brands on the shelf… Black & Gold, IGA, just juice, and a couple others I forget. Nearly the same bottles for all "brands"

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