Discount grocery stores

I am on a very tight budget but at the same time I'm concerned about animal welfare, the environment and sustainable food production. This makes shopping anywhere a bit of a challenge.

I think that Lidl's used to be quite a lot cheaper in our town than the nearest other 2 supermarkets.
But they realised that they were losing out, so the price difference is now not so large.

But yes, Lidl does mean trying out unfamiliar brands.

The staff at 'our' Aldi are really pleasant, too! When I called in at Morrison's for the cat food the other day, the only conversation I got was a bored, "Got a mix and match card?" from rather grim-looking checkout girl !

greyduster you've reminded me - I bought a fab cordless iron from Lidl ages ago, for all of 14.99, and it's still going strong.

I do most of my shopping in our local Aldi and yes it is cheaper. I have been particularly pleased with Polo shirts for DH which stupidly cheap and very good quality. Their cook in the bag chickens are great and DH prefers their yoghurts to the branded ones. I go to Lidl to stock up when they are having an Italian week as they do a much better selection of Italian food and wine and it's a fraction of the price of going to a Deli. Their Amaretto is very nearly as good as Di Sarronno.

Sainsbury's teeshirts are brilliant, they don't lose their shape and are really good value I buy all mine there and DH loves the men's ones.

In fact I think their clothing range for children is very good value too, much better than M&s and cheaper too

Sainsbury's knickers are good (for me anyway) and I bought a really pretty scarf there for a fiver. I haven't seen it on anyone else. I have a couple of big linen shirts from there too which are good for covering up in the sun.

We tend to mix n match between Aldi and Morrisons and I do find I can save by doing that. Our Aldi store has lovely, very courteous staff. Morrisons staff are scary! We pop into Lidl on the way to gransdon's school, but only to see what their offers are. I bought an electric toothbrush there a few weeks ago which DS has tried and says it's every bit as good as the one he bought from Boots - his cost sixty pounds; mine cost thirteen, and it has a three year guarantee. What's not to like? I do love Sainsburys but I don't go in there very often. They have lots of lovely stuff other supermarkets tend not to stock and therein lies my downfall!

Depends what you're looking for, though you may find something you never knew you wanted. For example, last year Lidl had three teeshirts for £5. Not haute couture, but perfect for popping on over a swimsuit to protect my Celtic skin from the UV rays. Great value were the fabric pens I bought for my GD who happily decorated a couple of white teeshirts I got from Ebay. A serendipitous find was a very good step ladder which enables me to change light bulbs without risking my neck on a chair. In Aldi last winter I got a very cheap pair of warm leather gloves, hardly top quality but good enough for driving. And yes, I do buy dairy products, fish and eggs in Lidl and Aldi much more cheaply than in the big supermarkets. And their chocolate is terrific value though I do try to walk quickly past it.

Sheena I'll have to ! I think what puts me off Sainsbury's too, is their "own brand" packaging. It's awful! Whilst when I buy a Waitrose Essential product, it doesn't seem "down market". (I caaan't believe I just wrote that!) .

I realise that I don't think of L and Aldi as 'discount supermarkets' but just an an alternative place to shop.

The funny thing is, on our high street, everyone knows that Co-op has the best croissants in the bakery, so we all cross the street after shopping in Waitrose and avoid eye contact in the queue at Co-op, clutching our bags of croissants.

I do think the produce varies from store to store in all supermarkets. We have 3 major ones along an A road near us. The ' cheaper' one has fantastic fresh fruit and veg. Reflecting the multicultural aspect of the area.
The 'middle' priced one has good choices in each type of product. The more 'expensive' store has really interesting food, which is of a very high quality.

But all these store in other parts of the country would not necessarily be in the same categories or have the same products.

x

I did my first and last proper Aldi shop recently and wasn't impressed either. The fresh food wasn't any cheaper or fresher and as Teetime says, it was very muddled, with a jumble sale area in the middle full of hardware and clothes that weren't even good value. I see myself as a canny shopper and save a lot by being flexible, buying what's on offer, bogoffs and 3 for 2s and freezing the extra where appropriate. With the discount stores you can't do this. Also, talk about service without a smile - no please or thank you and I was barked at at check-out to put the trolley the right way round, obviously the opposite way round to the one I'd used . I saved nothing and left in a bad mood.

But I do love Aldi chocolate, and go there especially for all my Easter eggs and bunnies. Great quality and I don't know how they do it for the price.

I use Aldi all the time. The only thing I can't get there is the cat's food as she only likes Whiskas and Purina biscuits! Certainly don't like the thought of unwrapped bread on a low-level shelf anywhere, though!
I got quite a large trolley-load of shopping the other day from Aldi and this cost just under £50. Amongst the purchases was a large amount of fruit, veg and fresh meat. Happy with that.

I like to mix and match my grocery shopping and use all the supermarkets with no real loyalty any more.
Aldi has excellent cheaper brands of biscuits and we love their steak. I am always surprised at the low price at the checkout.

I've never done a weekly shop in our Aldi (nearest Lidl is 20 miles) but there are a few things we make a point of going there for.
DH loves the 'home n ware' bargains especially the tools. It doesn't bother me that these are not in a separate area. Our store isn't large enough for that anyway despite being extended last year.
I'm always pleased with how small my bill is.

I'm definitely a Sainsbury's girl .. we have a small new Aldi opening just up the road next week..I will pop in just for a look-see...but I don't really see the attraction of either A or L......are things definitely much cheaper ? to my mind you gets what you pays for ! I do appreciate that for people who have to work to a budget then maybe they are a good thing.....but for me I couldn't be bothered to drive miles...using petrol and wear and tear etc on the car just to save a few quid ! (But 30% saving isn't to be sniffed at is it Merlotgran

We lived in Devon quite a few years back, and there was a supermarket called "Brian Mills" was run on just the same lines as the A and L stores...didn't like it one bit with all the boxes of stuff piled up .

I do like Waitrose, but it is quite expensive and wouldn't want to do a whole weeks' shop there.

Grannyknot it's a shame that your local S'burys is grotty....you must come down to our Epsom one.....Fab !!

30% saving on my weekly shop is enough to make a fuss about chez merlot

Don't they just vary from district to district though? I used to like the friendly till ladies at Morrisons in Leeds when the DDs lived there, but ours while laid out in the same way is just not as nice. Asda at the end of DD1's road has great stuff, but our is so huge I get agoraphobia just looking at it so of course I never go there.
I think Lidl and Aldi can be like that, there are some great bargains if you can find them and if they are what you wanted anyway,(industrial quantities of Prosecco when we had an anniversary party) but otherwise I agree, I can't see what all the fuss is about either.

teetime I like trying out brands I don't know. If they don't find favour, I use them up in one way or another. But often it means we discover a new favourite.

The Sainsbury's nearest to me is quite ... grotty, whereas the Lidl is great. A large new Aldi opened near us, and there's much to like, but unfortunately after only a few weeks it looks like a cheap car boot sale especially on weekends.

I tend to buy mostly from Waitrose (because there's one across the road from where I live) but will go to Lidl for: a change, the Turkish yoghurt (£1.59 for a litre), loose pistachio nuts (superfresh), fruit and veg.