Generally Speaking, ALDI Sucks. I Don't See The Big Deal

Richmond Tigers on 09/02/2023 - 14:15
Last edited 09/02/2023 - 15:04 by 1 other user

What's so great about ALDI?

Their food is limited in variety, not great quality and no cheaper than other supermarkets specials.

The special buys are usually for no name poorly made garbage……… no the ALDI version of Le Creuset pot is not better idiot.

Yet so many comments in posts on here attract people spruiking cheap Aldi versions of premium items. "Hey guy, I know your Snap On tool set is great and all, BuT wAiT tIlL yOu TrY tHe AlDi VeRsIoN!!!!"

I added generally speaking to my title as I do go in to buy the cheeseburger sauce when it comes on the food special. Otherwise its yuck and full of peasants.

Food & Grocery

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ALDI
ALDI

Comments

  • xtremehell on 12/02/2023 - 12:27

    At least Coles and Woolworths in shopping centres have actual pedestrian access.

    I've seen new Aldi's in urban locations (e.g. Magil Rd Norwood) that only have car access … unless you want to take your chances walking on driveways from main roads.

    • Associatedaidenh37 @ IGA on 12/02/2023 - 14:37
      +1

      Even here in Brunswick they have far less bike parking than Coles and Woolies, although pedestrian access is good, because it faces the main road.

  • fozzie on 12/02/2023 - 15:01

    I love Aldi and buy some special stuff from there which I can’t find in Woolies/coles or much cheaper
    Roasted jarred capsicum/zucchini
    Grated grana
    Mayonnaise (the one in the bottle).
    Eggplant dip
    Otherwise I shop in all the shops, mostly Woolies and Aldi.

  • beach bum on 12/02/2023 - 15:08

    +A1 for the honey roasted cashew's

    And their laundry powder rated top in the Choice 'Magazine' list.

    Their bathroom cleaner is also tops on My list as world's lazyist house cleaner ..
    + dishwashing liquid
    also
    As a peasant who lives by the water , their mozzy repellent also works alright for all the bite'es .

    • Debt Free on 12/02/2023 - 17:21

      maybe those products rated well ONCE. Now that their prices have gone up by more than 25% they are very, Very, Very unattractive products- GREED will be Aldi’s downfall. There use to be only 2 staff in every store, now there are 6 - and no better supply or service.

    • xtremehell on 12/02/2023 - 18:49

      I tried their laundry powder based on the Choice recommendation like 5 years ago.

      Wish they factored in the smell. Hated it and threw it out.

  • hopper on 12/02/2023 - 16:03

    ALDI Sucks

    not their weekly specials

  • Tradey on 12/02/2023 - 18:43
    +1

    Margin gouging far higher than Woolies or Coles. They use 'inflation' as the excuse for price hikes way way above 7-8% inflation.

    They have been slowing raising prices bit by bit so you won't notice. We have tracked several products with +25-30% within a year !!!

    • Protractor on 14/02/2023 - 16:06

      Can you name those products, and list the prices of when they were at the lowest point of your 'tracking study'?

  • mrhugo on 12/02/2023 - 19:02

    Maybe Aldi's not your cup of tea, they are expanding and growing their market share, so they are doing something right.

    I remember when they opened one of their first stores near me in 2001. The store was empty, a few managers in suits walking round inspecting everything, all speaking German, they were fussy, commenting on placement, lighting, improvements. Being German they only talked about what was wrong, well from what I could understand while I passed them. It was like they flew in a store, even the shelving was German made…it wasn't like anything we had in Aus at that time and it was obvious very little regarding the fit-out was produced locally.

    They had a lot of European lines, which I did miss from my time in Germany and Europe. It was nice to see that I had a choice without paying through the nose at European deli’s. I was hoping they would survive, just for the variety. 20 years on, with awesome brand positioning they were able to do something no-one else in Australia had been able to do…take market share from the big two. Aldi have changed a lot as well during this time. True, they have a lot of weekly special crap, and you could probably do better spending a little more getting something better built. I don’t really like this race to the bottom.

    I personally feel the production sub-standard items that end up in landfill need to be addressed. Even if it does die during the warranty period and you return it, what do you think happens….right in the f##k-it bucket! K-Mart and Kogan, especially Kogan, purveyors of crap. I walked into K-Mart the other day, my child wanted to look at toys, OMG, so many house brands, all cheaper than chips. Seriously do their purchasing officers have conscious, who give’s a f##k if a shop can move a dozen 40ft containers worth of $10 binoculars. Anyway, ranting now, back on topic.

    It's like anything, some items represent good value, others less so. It's your job as a consumer to let your dollars do the talking. Seems you have.

    I would say a small % of our weekly spend goes there (Aldi). Nappies, Toilet Paper (the extra-long roll stuff), breakfast shakes, dishwasher tablets and a few random things (like German cream cheeses) now and then, and the German beers that come out mid-year….people know them, they know what they are worth and they go, within a few hours, people buying cartons incl me. There are some real gems if you're into that kind of thing. We don't touch the meat, very rarely fruit and veg. The big two get a large chunk (mostly the 40-50% off stuff) and independents get our fresh stuff (fruit/veg/fish/meat) not because it cheaper, but for the quality.

    • xtremehell on 12/02/2023 - 19:53

      Yeah, sadly Coles has followed suit with the weekly middle isle stuff of random items you don't need and that will end up in landfill too soon.

      That's on top of media outlets hyping up this and that random item from Kmart that you probably don't need.

  • Lionchu on 12/02/2023 - 20:12

    Who sells cheaper rump steaks than Aldi?

    • curtturtle on 13/02/2023 - 10:49

      This is where I wish we could post gifs. This was asking for the Simpsons Stone Cutter meme. We do!

    • Richmond Tigers on 12/02/2023 - 20:39
      -6

      Awwww you hurt my feelings. Sorry I don’t share your passionate love for Aldi.

  • jatbinks on 12/02/2023 - 23:25

    I think there was a comparison and on a normal shop you will save around $1-5 by going to aldi vs woolies. Coles comes out to be the most expensive but not by alot.

    Now is that difference enough for you to burn more fuel and time by driving further to get to an aldi or waste time waiting at those ridiculous checkout queues and have lower quality produce. Probably not.

    Also never understood why they have random garbage in the middle isles.

    • istoleyourid2 on 13/02/2023 - 07:55

      Depends where you live, many shopping centres have Aldis now too so no more fuel / time.

  • Wasabi Ninja on 12/02/2023 - 23:43
    +1

    Wow I don’t think I’ve seen anyone get as many negs hahaha.

  • istoleyourid2 on 13/02/2023 - 07:53
    +5

    If you combine Aldi shopping with your Colesworth and even costco if you live near one, you get the best products at best prices from them all. A true ozbargainer knows their prices and has no troubles visiting them all, nor shame in buying a bargain.

    Also, Aldi special buys are 50% trash, agree, but occasionally there is a goody. Their xmas lights icicle lights are fantastic for $15, they sell walkers biscuits for $5 that go for $12 in DJs (wife thought the ginger DJs ones were "special" till they appeared in aldi next week) have picked up havianas for under $10, stock up at Octoberfest with pickled cabbage and cheese, lots to lookout for. But dont buy a lawnmower or powertools.

  • initiateit on 13/02/2023 - 09:41

    I don't want to sound like a toff but Aldi feels like Bunnings, no masters. I don't trust the meat and it just feels wrong to change my habits after a lifetime of shopping at Coles New World.

    The service thing is, I guess the way everyone is heading. Coles now only had 3 real people registers and the rest self serve quick and self serve haul your ass checkouts.

    • Munki on 13/02/2023 - 11:56

      You don't trust the meat? You can kind of tell by looking at them if they're off.

    • Associatedaidenh37 @ IGA on 25/06/2024 - 12:12

      The thing that gets me about Coles as of late, is that it's inconsistent as to whether any staffed checkouts are open, and the way they've blocked the gap in the fence is by using boxes of chocolate? Some stores will have a seperate express staffed checkout lane still, others will have theirs directly in the self service area now, it's confusing for the customer and to top it all off you have these gates that often don't work as intended, giving the staff another thing to worry about, rendering them pointless while accusing the customer of theft.

      Meanwhile, my local Woolworths has been great lately, with proper staffing and just generally being… normal?

  • curtturtle on 13/02/2023 - 10:47
    +1

    Oh it sounds like someone special buys buttplug broke.

    You lump all special buys in as crap yet half of it is branded products that are imported for special occasions like Dutch or English food days. And the other stuff is cheap alternatives to the expensive brands.

    If I am going to use something once in a blue moon, why not get the cheaper aldi version? Most of it is made by the larger brands and just has the aldi brand slapped on it. For instance the clotheslines products are made by Hills and then just branded as Gardenline, the Aldi generic brand.

    They also continually win choice and brand awards, so they must be doing something right.

    Personally I go there when there is a special buy item that I want. Other than that, I tend to buy from my local IGA. But I would say they are far from crap.

  • Munki on 13/02/2023 - 11:55
    +1

    The big deals are usually in the middle. If you can't see them, you be blind, sir.

  • Blackadda on 13/02/2023 - 13:31
    +1

    Aldi is overrated. agreed
    I can see why people go regularly, there are genuine cost savings on a lot of staples.
    but other than that I don't get why we get all excited about an overseas owned player jolting our duooply whilst understating profits, not paying tax, and not contributing to the community in the way that others do, whilst selling cheap knock offs of a lot of things.

    • smartazz104 on 13/02/2023 - 14:24
      +3

      not paying tax

      Aldi pays more tax than the "Big 2": https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/aldi-paid-mo…

      • tomfool on 14/02/2023 - 11:42
        +1

        Rubbish, read the article. What it is saying is that as a % of revenue they pay higher tax rate.

        What that means is their margins are higher then the other 2 who have higher costs given the number of people they each employ and the costs of running a full service store as opposed to a limited range this is expected.
        WW have 197000 staff
        Coles have 112000 staff
        Aldi has 13500 staff

        What this actually shows is that Aldi is extracting better margins from its customers then the big 2.

        Woolworths $41.84 billion in revenue profit $2.6 Billion paying $636 million in tax.
        Coles $29.25 billion revenue and declared profit of $1.048 billion net profit which paid $445 million in tax.
        Aldi $10.7 billion in revenue and declared $900 million in taxable income paid $270 million Tax

        Add to that that Aldi is a private company and does not have to have its financial records scrutinized by anyone no one know how they might be dodging tax via inter company loans etc.

        • smartazz104 on 14/02/2023 - 13:56
          +1

          That's great, the guy I replied to said they don't pay tax.

          • tomfool on 14/02/2023 - 15:16
            -1

            @smartazz104: And your response

            Aldi pays more tax than the "Big 2

            was plain wrong.

  • smartazz104 on 13/02/2023 - 14:22
    +3

    Otherwise its yuck and full of peasants

    So you fit right in.

  • casho on 13/02/2023 - 16:27
    +1

    I go for the dark chocolate and coffee pods

  • foolsgold on 14/02/2023 - 11:42

    I'm just there for the cheese, they have well priced imported Italian cheese compared to other supermarkets.

  • Protractor on 14/02/2023 - 11:42
    +1

    Aldi is OK, for some stuff, just like the big 2 are. We have a set list of staples that are bang for buck,consistent and not processed crap.
    We shop there for other specific items food ,groceries others.Have really backed off on the gadget craze. Some of their products are better quality or price than Colesworth, but you find out by experience or research.
    I liked that Aldi attract (attracted) customers who can deal with the whole checkout paradigm, but it's a pity they buckled to the fawning social media trolls who demanded a change in that respect, (which has inevitably flowed on to 'price creep' to compensate. )
    What is noticeable across the grocery choice triangle is the reduction in choice and force to buy home-brands and also the tweaking of pkg sizes to dupe unsuspecting customers. Shop by the 'price per qty' info and you can avoid a few losses.

    The 'Aldi sucks' statement is just base objective personal experience and overstated IMO. More like graffiti, than fact.
    And the cast iron cookware may NOT be better than that French brand, but so far so good, and we are impressed with it. Use them a lot.(We also have an Ikea one approaching 20 years old. Similar quality and still going strong.)

    It would be nice to know how much fresh food is wasted via Aldis stores, and whether the contracts with fresh food producers is better than the others.

    *No sure about peasants, but I do see a lot of ex pat Afrikaner shoppers every time I visit an Aldi store. (Not just when the specific food types special is on)

  • kaleidoscope on 14/02/2023 - 15:01

    ALDI Sucks. I Don't See The Big Deal

    as I do go in to buy the cheeseburger sauce when it comes on the food special

    Such hypocrisy.

  • monky on 14/02/2023 - 15:04

    First, nobody asked. 💤
    Second, you complain that Aldi is "yuck and full of peasants" — But you willingly consume cheeseburger sauce.

    Look inwards bro.

  • cunningdrew on 14/02/2023 - 16:10
    +1

    Only started shopping Aldi last few years but love it.
    - The middle store specials could be anything when you arrive which I love, good variety there of random things.
    - Cheaper than Coles/Woolies on just about everything and reliably priced so little shock.
    - No stress of "I will get x if it's on sale", as it is with Woolies yellow tag shopping, then you get there and it's full price.
    - Instead of 10 items the same, there are maybe 2-3. I am ok with that. I don't need a dozen options for peanut butter.

  • TK Deadwalker on 14/02/2023 - 17:37

    Hello everyone, in light of this post I wrote a little Seinfeld bit on Aldi and I hope you will enjoy it.

    (Seinfeld theme plays.)

    What's… the deal… with Aldi?

    If there's a store where you can walk in looking for some bread and walk back out with a telescope, well… that's Aldi.

    Aldi just feels like a shop that's having an identity crisis. It never really figured out what it wanted to become in life. So it figured, why not try everything. Coles, Woolies, Bunnings, Kmart and JB HiFi all rolled into one. What could possibly go wrong?
    Well, I just listed 5 reasons why you don't have to go to an Aldi.

    I don't know about you but I am relieved that I can buy some shredded cheese, a garden gnome and a tent in one purchase. Now I can throw a garden tea party.

    And what's with the cashier always asking if I want a catalogue when I'm already done shopping?
    "I'm already here… I don't want to buy more things. Just let me go home, I have a family."

    End of bit :)

    All jokes aside, I love Aldi. It feels like the shop you go to when you don't know what you want or if you want one specific item. The Aldi Blackstone chips are amazing and sometimes the special buys live up to their name.

  • Southoz on 14/02/2023 - 18:11

    Full of peasants?

    I have seen peasants in coles and woolworths and Foodland in fact i see them everywhere

  • Kustard King on 14/02/2023 - 20:48

    Is there anyway to downvote this post multiple times? ❤️ Aldi

  • mousie on 15/02/2023 - 06:18

    OPs opinion and ego goes further than shopping dollars split across multiple retailers.
    Peasants?

    Aldi aren't beneficial for us weekly but OK to check periodically once per month. Select SKUs are exceptional value, regularly stocked and consistent quality. It is a lucky dip with many others with questionable value if timing the others with promos.

  • Southoz on 15/02/2023 - 08:44

    There is no way we could do our weekly shop all in there

    I buy a few things there that are cheaper than Coles & Woolworths

    We buy our 2kg Bags of drumstick and chicken wings from there and I like the 2 minute noodles they sell and the wife like's their chicken nuggets

    Oh and i buy the blocks of dark chocolate from there to use in my chocolate mud cake I make

  • pogichinoy on 22/02/2023 - 13:35

    Their protein bars are delicious and fairly priced.

  • Euphemistic on 11/04/2024 - 15:40

    Ovwrall the pri es aeem to be lower than the othera, but IMO the best thing about Aldi is the reduced range. Sure, i cant get everything I want there but its much quicker when the product is there, in one size. Plus there is no endless discounting to cloud the overall pricing amd make you double check which brand is better value this time.

    Siince we get bread from the other two its no big deal to not get a product at aldi.

    As for the middle aisle specials, havs a quick look but mostly avoid. Its cheap for a reason.

  • afah0447 on 12/04/2024 - 07:44

    Here we have a great example of someone who has been sucked in by and believes the slick marketing campaigns of Colesworth. Keep emptying your wallet to them mate.

    • Associatedaidenh37 @ IGA on 25/06/2024 - 12:06

      Every time I go to Aldi, half my shopping list is OOS and not on the shelf, oh and the shop closes relatively early. Useless.

      Every time I go to Woolworths, Coles or better yet one of the quite good IGAs in my area, it's open later, well-stocked, and fairly priced. I don't buy branded items at full price ever. Most of the time, I can buy the very same generic items at one of these stores as well for the same price as Aldi. And yes, Aldi has a better generic range and is usually better quality, but as someone living alone I also don't want to buy in bulk typically - for example, chicken from the deli is cheaper than Aldi's packaged chicken, and I can ask for exactly how much I need.

      Some supermarkets are better than others, even within the same chain, due to managerial differences - for example, one Coles near me is far superior to the other an equal distance away, but the Woolworths has been quite good lately and doesn't accuse customers of theft, so I've been going there instead, along with IGA. Vote with your wallet for what matters to you.

  • foxmulder on 20/06/2024 - 19:15

    Australia’s cheapest supermarket revealed | 9 News Australia - Guess which supermarket? Aldi is genuinely selling their items relatively inexpensive across the board, no need for special every second or third week.

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