Today I had a random shower thought and realised that most brands position themselves as premium or cheap/affordable but good enough quality (Aldi comes to mind)….
What are some brands you can think of that know they're cheap and confidently provide crap services or products?
@fantombloo: As I said how would this work? The only way would be for there to be a surcharge on serviced check outs and I don’t think that is appropriate. It would appear you are lost for words because you don’t know his to articulate how this would be practically applied. Also places like ALDI also have self service checkouts so I must be a stooge for them as well. If the bottom line is that the self service is cheaper then they may keep down the prices on some goods without affecting their bottom line. You guys just don’t seem to have thought this all the way through.
@try2bhelpful: I already said how it could work multiple times - a discount for self checkouts. Whatever.
@fantombloo: That, effectively, is a surcharge on the serviced checkouts. Given a number of people who use these checkouts are the elderly or disabled I don’t want to disadvantage them because I’m doing something I would prefer to do. I don’t need a biscuit to allow the companies to save money and not have prices go up elsewhere for everyone else. I don’t need a “participation” award for doing something that I want to.
“Whatever” is not a valid argument point.
Aldi are moving to self service checkouts as well, at least the one nearest me has!
Aldi are moving to self service checkouts as well, at least the one nearest me has!
Oh dear. Poor Franko is screwed. https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/news-life/aldi-e…
Guess there is always IGA Franko.
.nup….theyre keeping registers & operators and the customer service is great too! lol!
Laughs on you Franko. My local Coles has staff operated checks with the self service. Maybe you should get out more.
Our local ALDI has self service checkouts. It has improved things substantially. Their whole opening and closing checkout stuff is just bizarre.
but keep on supporting the shit duopoly you all deserve and enjoy paying 30-50% more
I hope you stock up with plenty of toilet paper as the above line is crap. BTW. The worst Mandarins I've every had came from Aldi.
oh my god! the horror!!!
oh my god! the horror!!!
Coming from you I take that as a compliment.
Thank you.
Do 90% of my grocery shopping at aldi and the quality is perfectly fine. Save a bunch of money. Couple things are inexplicably crap, like their dried pasta.
People think Aldi are low quality?
TIL.
Aldi has god tier products like their chocolate. And their chilli chips are half the price of Kettle and just as good.
I guess it's an example of people being marketed to their entire lives thinking that colesworth is good quality and anything else is bad.
it really comes down to what you buy as to your experience. Some of their biscuit ranges are absolutely atrocious as is some of their "fresh" fruit, also the less is said about some of their "special buys" that appear to have been drop shipped as rejects from Aliexpress the better.
I found their fruit and veg to be pretty crap when they first came on the scene but it's much better now. I've seen great consistent quality at Parramatta, Merrylands and Hornsby Aldis.
some of their "special buys" that appear to have been drop shipped as rejects from Aliexpress the better.
God yes. Some of their special buys are absolute bargains and knockoffs of much more expensive stuff, but most of it is just junk that you can find elsewhere.
Everyone goes MENTAL for their motorcycle gear when it comes out, but they don't think that you can just get the same crap on ALIX? lol
@coffeeinmyveins: Their washing machines and dishwashers are budget items but consistently cheaper than any other shops selling the same stuff. Decent enough quality too and long warranties compared to name brands, and are often just other brands relabelled and sold for less.
The TV's have been known on this site to be the same budget TV's elsewhere int he market, but again are generally cheaper outside of random rare one off sales.
Their tools are from the same factory as Ozito and are way cheaper than Ozito, as evidenced by the fact that Bunnings has to price match them. They also have just as long or longer warranty, only problem is you can't swap over the counter because thy aren't stocked most of the time.
Motorcycle gear is very decent and in the past jackets were tested by MAA and came out on top of lots of name brands. Snow gear is loved too.
Sure there's small junky things that get sold there but they are small junky things that get sold everywhere, Aldi isn't special here. I would say generally their quality control is way better than other major retailers that sell non mainstream items
ive had to return literally mouldy food
But some people might claim it was high-quality mould…
Aldi isn't low quality, their sausages are pretty good ngl.
consistently much better than coles & woolies home brands and on par with major brands across most product categories….
larger sizes and a lot cheaper in most cases ive found….
Nah, you get what you pay for at ALDI, on par with the home brands for the most part. The occasional item is good and cheap, but mostly cheap but average.
@tryagain: That's a pretty good combo tho right, getting what you pay for. Can't realistically expect high quality and cheap prices.
@Willy Beamish: Yeah, it's not bad, You can get loss leaders at some places that bring you good quality for cheap, but that's somewhat isolated incidences.
cheap eBay/amazon/aliexpress crap
Anything on Wish or Temu
Liberal Party.
You mean Dan Andrews ? Labour ?? savings ohhh
Dan Andrews Labour is anything but cheap.
clearly m8.
that's why everything is exploding under him.
I dont have any problem with labour or liberal or any other party, But Dan m8 sure Vic should be wanting to have him gone, but instead somehow he's reelected. Hope the Victorians do not make that same mistake again.
NQR stores were around in my youth. Can’t get more “buy it on price rather than quality” than that.
The layout in ALDI screams old thrift store. Stuff is just stacked in random places in the middle. The checkouts were a nightmare with their random opening and closing. They are much better since they got the self service checkouts. A lot more checkouts so the queues are shorter. This also leaves the non self service ones for the people who really need them.
ALDI really puts me off with their copycat packaging. It isn’t the same product or they could, actually, be sued for breaching copyright. They appear to not trust the quality of their own products so they need to pretend they are just like some named brand product. I can’t believe people fall for that. However, I do recommend the women’s ALDI bamboo underwear.
Me I wander between stores and buy based on what I appeals at the time. I check catalogues to see what is on special. Don’t go in expecting “cheap” just because the store looks cheap. Google whilst you are standing there to make sure it is a good price.
….its often made in same factories as the 'brands' hence the similar packaging.
Same factories doesn’t mean same ingredients and accepting that is why the packaging is the same is ludicrous. I’m sure these factories make a lot of different things with different packaging. In fact the packaging is probably the easiest thing to change because it just depends on what you put into the feeder.
This is just ALDI feeding into the views of the gullible. Trying to pretend people are in the know. If your stuff is good you put it into your own packaging.
It's interesting to me that everyone blames Aldi for this, when it could just as easily be the manufacturer is happy with someone reselling their product because who doesn't want to sell crap tonnes more of their product? They are happy with Aldi doing the bare minimum to mask their brand.
The Eton crackers are dead ringers for Jatz and less than half the price, but try the Coles and woolies knock offs, they are total crap and cost just as much. The fact hat their packaging doesn't resemble Jatz is no consolation
In the UK their Aldi stores are dirty, and most products are just wheeled out on stacked pallets. When the the top layer pallet is empty they take the pallet off and the next layer is ready to go. Whereas Aldi in Australia is immaculately clean and modern, neatly stacked shelves, and the prices aren't actually all that low, though they are regularly lower than Colesworth's brand name products so I guess that's good enough. You can also get cheap booze in UK Aldi and regular supermarkets. Being poor in England is so much easier than being poor in Australia. Two frozen pizzas for a quid at Iceland. All the discount stores can import from all over Europe. Cheap mangos from Egypt, cheap frozen meal from Italy, etc. I guess with the UK having left the EU those things aren't quiet as cheap, but I bet still hell lot more cheap than here.
Hmmm. I think when you take into account the exchange rate of the pound to the Aussie dollar things aren’t that much cheaper. Apparent Brexit has caused all sorts of problems.
When ALDI first came to Australia there stores were pretty chaotic and down market. The one near us, that wasn’t that old, shut down for a few weeks and they completely revamped it. It is a much more inviting space than it used to be.
Cheap was the entire point I thought. I'd rather dirty floors and messy pallets if it saved money.
@AustriaBargain: If they had dirty floors, in a food store, then the food safety mob would be after them. The whole ambience of the place was to make it look downmarket so people would think it is cheap. That look would be very well market tested,; it wasn’t because it is cheaper to display that way and not clean up regularly. That look probably doesn’t fly in Australia where we expect our food stores to have a fairly hygienic look.
Block-quote If they had dirty floors, in a food store, then the food safety mob would be after them.
Have you ever been to Paddy's markets?
I can’t believe people fall for that.
I can't believe people have brand loyalty lollllll
Surely most fast food places? McDonalds, KFC, Dominos. They don't really say 'crap' as such, but isn't it widely understood with nod and a wink?
Hot take
There is a reason you get the “slow food” movement. There is an implication made with fast food. :)
It doesn't even taste any better, but now it takes much longer.
They're fast food. They're literally marketed as cheap and nasty. You go there just to fill your tummy or when you're drunk.
Heymix
+1
Hey that's some high-quality heating for winter.
Laser
I was trying to think of a brand from the start of the thread that I couldn't remember the name of, it was this brand.
no1 piece of garbage products.
United Australia Party
Honestly I struggle to think of what IS good quality these days…
R I V E R S
I feel like those dropshipping video ads that are half of what OzBargain shows you fit the crap part. Guess they aren't cheap because they're always selling for a profit from the original supplier
Really I just wanted an excuse to bring up the ads. Do you guys feel like there've been a lot more lately?
Bunnings, chemist warehouse and JB are the big three. They purposefully go for the ‘cheap’ presentation as it makes customers think they must be cutting every corner to keep prices low. The irony is that they put a lot of resources into making themselves look cheap.
I hate chemist warehouse stores. I find them a mentally depressing environment for some reason… I don't like to be inside them.
Bunnings and JB don't bother me at all.
What are some brands you can think of that know they're cheap and confidently provide crap services or products?
Still smouldering over 2018, jv. 🤣
And there is no relief in sight this year.
Kmart
Msy
Logitechshop
Jeep
Hold the cheap
Jewel and Franklins supermarkets. But they’re not around anymore - at least in NSW. I remember one of them had a brand call “No Frills”. I guess the equivalent would be the IGA “Black and Gold” brand which is generally terrible. I’ve had their lollies before and they’re often chalky and poor quality.
omg franklins!
Hah yeah. Showing our age! You can tell how old I am when I still call event cinemas greater union…
Don't forget Bi-Lo and Food for Less
But but but… I can shop like a billionaire
Tesla
True controversial opinion. Let's see how it plays out.
(I don't disagree)
Mitsubishi
anything from kmart
Kmart have great stuff, what are you talking about?
Their dog toys and clothes are the same qualtiy as that $40-$70 fuzzyard BS and it's about $10.
Kmart is cheap!?
It used to be. Not anymore.
from when I taught project quality management, if I recall from the Father of Modern Japan, the US Statistician who was sent over to Japan to help reconstruct the destroyed industry after WWII to prevent Russia turning it into a communist enclave
W.Edwards Deming - said something like 'good quality is not necessarily best quality - it is a quality suited to the marketplace, at a price customers can afford'
e.g. McDonald's hamburgers - which no-one considers the best - but which can be found most everywhere around the world.
and similarly $6 toasters from China, which tenants throw out when they stop working, have become a norm. And fast fashion sold so attractively cheaply over the internet, that young women tend to throw it out after they wear it once.
And fast fashion sold so attractively cheaply over the internet, that young women tend to throw it out after they wear it once.
lol
Yes, only young women buy fast fashion.
Ironically I find young women actually don't throw out their fast fashion, they are the largest demographic selling it on Facebook.
Is Jetstar that bad?
I flew with them a bunch of times, I don't think it's that bad.
I've rather suck it up for a few hours and use the savings on a great hotel during my actual holiday.
All travel, including business class flights suck for me as it's not an enjoyable exercise. YMMV.
I've been staying at a few 5 star hotels and I gotta say the experience is not really the same just because I'm not really in the hotel that much… Whereas if flying on premium class almost every stage is prioritised for you (or if you have Gold/Platinum status)
So far staying at a 3 star vs a 5 star really hasn't been that different, at least in developed countries.
Fair enough, my kids (as do I) like to stay in nicer hotels. Nicer pools, towels, bathrooms, etc.
I also use the savings on the flight to spend on nicer restaurants.. I can't taste shit nor have an appetite on the flight, even if Neil Perry personally served me.
Jetstar is fine as long as the flight is on time and leaves as scheduled. Ironically their fleet is also much newer than the 'premium' Qantas fleet.
I have flown with many airlines around the world and when it comes down to it the differences are minimal. Particularly short-haul, I mean who really cares, you jump on, sit in a seat for 1-3hrs and jump off. Everything else is just fluff. What matters is the flight leaves on time and the price is decent.
People love to waste money on airline 'status' programs, literally throwing away wads of cash to keep up with the Jones. Save the money and use it for something nice at the destination.
Long-haul is an exception as service starts to matter more the longer your on the plane.
I agree.
I would love to go business class for long haul but I'd hate to think what it would cost to fly a family of four on long haul business class.
WA Salvage: We're not fancy but we're cheap
kmart (cheap and crap) - most items are landfill garbage. Although certain few things can be helpful with home organisation and some around the home clothing (who wants to wear a $200 ralph lauren tshirt when doing an outdoor bbq eh?)
aldi special buys - it's a mix bunch where certain things I've found very useful and long lasting and certain other things are pure garbage.
Kmart the most obvious for me.
Anko is the first that jumps to mind
Anko is a house brand, and yes while some things (like wooden kids toys) cant actually be worse than others and are sold cheap, a lot of their stuff can be junk.
Prior to house brands taking over there was a stereo brand called Pye, and that brand was what some would call the mugs eyeful of stereos, they were the same shape and had the same buttons and knobs as your expensive stereo, but had small, underpowered speakers in big boxes a d sounded like shite. Cheap and not cheerful, but maybe fine for those people who felt like they needed a stereo but didn't actually ever listen to music
Reject Shop or any $2 bargain store.
Ryanair. You tolerate crappy and late service with a coin toss chance of them losing your bags. Just be grateful they don’t add a beating on top of it also
Does this count to that ??
https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/gadget-freak-buckle-free-elasti…
https://www.bliss-gifts-homewares.com.au/products/buckle-fre…
https://gadgetfreak.com.au/products/buckle-free-elastic-wais…
Now $9.99
Was $38,829.00 AUD
You save: 99%, $38,819.01
Master brand locks.
love them especially if bought at bunnings because they break after couple of year but some of them have a lifetime warranty so you just get new locks every year for free
Dodo. The irony of the name astounds me. I remember the song from when I was a kid "internet that flies" despite dodos being flightless. They've had a terrible reputation since their inception and I don't understand how they still exist.
Dodo used to be pretty good for our area for the price(I was a customer for a few years) but underwent corporate takeover/sabotage, same for iiNet.
Haval, MG, Great Wall and LDV.
A deal posted here earlier in the year, some Chi-Fi braned called "KZ".
They send good samples to reviewers, then send us landfill with missing parts.
The Reject Shop
Ikea. "Wooden" furniture made out of superglued sawdust. Cheap and nasty, overhyped rubbish.
@try2bhelpful:
Because woolies don't care whether you like it or not, nor whether it's you or someone else, they just care about their bottom line.
The logical thing would be a discount for doing the work yourself.
If you now also say you want to not get a discount - which I think is a reasonable expectation from a (very wealthy) party at arms length in a transaction where they deliver me less - then I am lost for words and cannot say anything more.