# In Praise of ALDI



## ErnstStavroBlofeld (Jan 8, 2013)

So graduating college and starting to work I've been looking for ways to save money in general. In terms of groceries one store that i've discovered that is fairly good at accomplishing this task is ALDI. 

Yes at times I find their selection somewhat limited and the layout of their stores can be cramped. But their generic products which make up like 90%+ of their stock are often made by the same places that produce the main brands. And in many cases I find some of their products to be of higher quality than the mainline stores such as Kroger, Harris Teeter, or Walmart. 

Likewise, they sell a wide range of things that you can't find in other grocery stores as easily. Ex. since ALDI is a German company, most of their chocolates/confectionary are Made in Germany. Same thing with their soda's, coffee/tea, alcohol, sauces, and some other products as well.

I feel like with ALDI I've def hit the sweet spot of quality and price in some respects that I haven't been able to find with more higher end stores tbh.

Anyone else here have any experiences with ALDI? Trader Joes btw is a sister entity of ALDI as well btw.


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## justonemore (Jul 2, 2009)

Although I well remember Aldi from my childhood days in Chicago, we only just got them here in Switzerland a couple years ago. While I enjoyed the crowded clutter back then, I can't say that I'm overly impressed with it now. I'm not a "budget" shopper & the lack of service, unkempt shelves, & general ragged looks rather turn me off from shopping there. While I assume the stock carried varies from location to location, I can't say that I have ever thought it to be high quality or overly tasty.

There might be a bit of a cultural shopping difference as well. In the states I remember going to different stores for different items i.e. milk & butter at Aldi, they might have a sale at store x on meat, while store y had a special on something else (ice cream, fruits, etc). Here I'm much more likely to hit a single store & pay a bit more versus searching out a few francs savings here & there.


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## Langham (Nov 7, 2012)

I had to prevail upon my wife to forgo her shopping expeditions to Aldi. It was saving money, but judging from the very odd cut of their steaks, their butchery department seemed to be staffed by madmen. I like my rump and sirloin steaks to look like steaks, not random polyhedrons.


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## Chouan (Nov 11, 2009)

Wines are excellent value, general groceries are excellent value as are fruit and veg. I wouldn't touch their meat with the proverbial!


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## SG_67 (Mar 22, 2014)

If you like Aldi, then you should also try Trader Joe's. A company now owned by Aldi.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

As is true when shopping almost all stores, shopping at Aldi's can be a bit of a hit or miss proposition. As member Langham mentioned, their meats frequently are not up to par and I would add that their cheeses, while presenting a good appearance, are absolutely off, when it comes to taste. Indeed, the swiss is virtually tasteless...similar to chewing on a rubber eraser! Otherwise Aldi's product offerings are palatable, comparable to the offerings of competing vendors here in Hoosierville and the prices are very good.


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## Chouan (Nov 11, 2009)

I'd agree about most of their conventional cheeses. However, I suppose because the closeness of the countries involved, French/Spanish/Italian cheeses in Aldi are excellent value, as are things like prosciutto, jamon iberico, French pates, that kind of delicatessen sort of thing.


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## Kingstonian (Dec 23, 2007)

I did not know Aldi was in the US. Themselves and Lidl are expanding rapidly in the UK based on costs v the other supermarket chains.

Lots of Polish nosh available in Lidl. I suppose there is a market all those Polski skleps that you see around nowadays.


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## cchen (Feb 15, 2006)

I prefer Costco to Aldi. The quality is much better though you have to buy bulk


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## Chouan (Nov 11, 2009)

Langham said:


> I had to prevail upon my wife to forgo her shopping expeditions to Aldi. It was saving money, but judging from the very odd cut of their steaks, their butchery department seemed to be staffed by madmen. I like my rump and sirloin steaks to look like steaks, not random polyhedrons.


Revisiting this thread, I love your comment about the butchery!


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## Earl of Ormonde (Sep 5, 2008)

In Sweden, we have the German chain Lidl. Fantastic vlaue, great meats & dairy produce. Ironically, the two big Swedish chains ICA and KOOP, nowadays only sell bacon from Swedish pigs but which is prepared and packed in Poland, whereas Lidl buys from a small Swedish meat company & butchers, prepares and packs its bacon in Sweden!!!


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## Odradek (Sep 1, 2011)

Earl of Ormonde said:


> In Sweden, we have the German chain Lidl. Fantastic vlaue, great meats & dairy produce. Ironically, the two big Swedish chains ICA and KOOP, nowadays only sell bacon from Swedish pigs but which is prepared and packed in Poland, whereas Lidl buys from a small Swedish meat company & butchers, prepares and packs its bacon in Sweden!!!


And Lidl also sell suits. Or at least they did.

Suits you Sir. Get the Lidl look for €27.99.


> _A discount supermarket has entered the world of fashion, offering a men's suit for just €27.99.
> On sale for the first time today, retail experts say it's the cheapest two-piece ever sold in Irish shops._


I remember telling this jokingly to an acquaintance who wears nothing but old suits.
"Yes, I bought one last week", was his reply.

I suppose Tesco and Asda sell suits, so why not.


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## Langham (Nov 7, 2012)

Chouan said:


> Revisiting this thread, I love your comment about the butchery!


What I want to know is, why is it so hard to buy good meat nowadays? Where have all the butcher's shops gone? I have to drive to Oxford just to buy meat and game. No branch of Tesco will ever profit from my patronage after their horse meat scandal.


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## Chouan (Nov 11, 2009)

Langham said:


> What I want to know is, why is it so hard to buy good meat nowadays? Where have all the butcher's shops gone? I have to drive to Oxford just to buy meat and game. No branch of Tesco will ever profit from my patronage after their horse meat scandal.


Perhaps I'm lucky in where I live and work, but there is a good butcher in my village and very good butcher in Fordham, the next village, and two good butchers in Newmarket, both of whom make their own versions of the famous (I was going to say world famous, but I'm not sure about that) Newmarket sausage. There is also at least one excellent butcher in Felixstowe; there are others, but I've not yet bought from them. They're all independent businesses. I'm also well off for decent fish as well, with very good fishmongers in Newmarket and Felixstowe. In fact I had a beautiful fresh Sea Bream with scallops as a starter on Saturday, all bought locally.


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## Chouan (Nov 11, 2009)

A couple of gins as an aperitif, a bottle of Cremant de Limoux, and a glass of Torres 10 with my coffee. I was feeling very relaxed and mellow when I retired....


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## Odradek (Sep 1, 2011)

Langham said:


> What I want to know is, why is it so hard to buy good meat nowadays? Where have all the butcher's shops gone? I have to drive to Oxford just to buy meat and game. No branch of Tesco will ever profit from my patronage after their horse meat scandal.


We have one, very good, independent butcher shop here in town, which will soon be full of game birds. While they are generally a bit more expensive than the supermarkets, the pheasants always strike me as being very reasonable. Alas, my wife won't even eat venison.


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## Chouan (Nov 11, 2009)

Odradek said:


> We have one, very good, independent butcher shop here in town, which will soon be full of game birds. While they are generally a bit more expensive than the supermarkets, the pheasants always strike me as being very reasonable. Alas, my wife won't even eat venison.


Pheasant is usually very reasonable when bought locally. I don't care for venison though. I've tried it a couple of times, but no, it's not for me. 
The Lidl shop in Felixstowe had an excellent offer on last Christmas, for those that like venison, Reindeer! How apt!


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## Langham (Nov 7, 2012)

Chouan said:


> Perhaps I'm lucky in where I live and work, but there is a good butcher in my village and very good butcher in Fordham, the next village, and two good butchers in Newmarket, both of whom make their own versions of the famous (I was going to say world famous, but I'm not sure about that) Newmarket sausage. There is also at least one excellent butcher in Felixstowe; there are others, but I've not yet bought from them. They're all independent businesses. I'm also well off for decent fish as well, with very good fishmongers in Newmarket and Felixstowe. In fact I had a beautiful fresh Sea Bream with scallops as a starter on Saturday, all bought locally.


You are very lucky.



Chouan said:


> A couple of gins as an aperitif, a bottle of Cremant de Limoux, and a glass of Torres 10 with my coffee. I was feeling very relaxed and mellow when I retired....


Doubly lucky in fact. My own pension funds have been quite criminally mismanaged and retirement remains a distant prospect.



Odradek said:


> We have one, very good, independent butcher shop here in town, which will soon be full of game birds. While they are generally a bit more expensive than the supermarkets, the pheasants always strike me as being very reasonable. Alas, my wife won't even eat venison.


Pheasant is superb and unbelievably cheap at £7 or £8 a brace. The idea that it is 'wild' is slightly inaccurate but they are certainly free range birds.

In my experience venison varies wildly in quality, from very tough to sublime. Loin of venison, lightly pan-fried in butter, is hard to beat.


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## Odradek (Sep 1, 2011)

Langham said:


> You are very lucky.
> 
> Doubly lucky in fact. My own pension funds have been quite criminally mismanaged and retirement remains a distant prospect.
> 
> ...


I love venison, whenever I get a chance to eat it.
The hills around here are chock full of pheasant, and from next month will be full of the sound of shotguns.


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## Shaver (May 2, 2012)

Langham said:


> What I want to know is, why is it so hard to buy good meat nowadays? Where have all the butcher's shops gone? I have to drive to Oxford just to buy meat and game. No branch of Tesco will ever profit from my patronage after their horse meat scandal.


One of the benefits of living, as I do, on the cusp of Manchester's Hipster zone is the surfeit of artisanal produce. Those Hipsters may be an abomination in God's eyes but when gathered in sufficient numbers the critical mass allows for a phase transition and attracts suppliers of the highest quality. It is worth occasionally suffering the vandalism of the mind that, as example, enduring the vision of Harris tweed jackets worn over hoodies will inflict just to take advantage of the wares on offer.


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## Langham (Nov 7, 2012)

^ I think I will have to move. Access to a good butcher's will be a primary consideration.


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## Shaver (May 2, 2012)

^The award winning Frost's butchers, supplier to Michelin star restaurants, established 1910:










https://www.chorltonlife.com/profile/1400/w-h-frost-butchers-ltd.html


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## Langham (Nov 7, 2012)

This is the place I like, it's in Oxford covered market. They make no concessions to passing vegans or bunny lovers:


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## Shaver (May 2, 2012)

^ Top notch. :thumbs-up: 

I rarely consume meat but when I do I insist that it must be of the highest quality and butchered from creatures who have a least had a moment or two gambolling in pasture.


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## Odradek (Sep 1, 2011)

.


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## eagle2250 (Mar 24, 2006)

^^Gentlemen: 

LOL. With all due respect, you are looking at this the wrong way. Out here in NW Hoosierville our market for wild game is just out our back door, across the yard and woodlot, followed by a diagonal cut through 40 acres of corn and into the real woods. The bill of sale includes venison (deer are all over the place, rabbit, squirrel (for hillbillies such as myself, prone to eat such) and urban squab (AKA: pigeons). Alas, I've never seen partridge or Guinea Fowl, but I will look a bit harder next time. It's all out there for the taking! Good hunting.


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## Chouan (Nov 11, 2009)

Langham said:


> My own pension funds have been quite criminally mismanaged and retirement remains a distant prospect.


To bed, to sleep, I meant.....


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## Langham (Nov 7, 2012)

eagle2250 said:


> ^^Gentlemen:
> 
> LOL. With all due respect, you are looking at this the wrong way. Out here in NW Hoosierville our market for wild game is just out our back door, across the yard and woodlot, followed by a diagonal cut through 40 acres of corn and into the real woods. The bill of sale includes venison (deer are all over the place, rabbit, squirrel (for hillbillies such as myself, prone to eat such) and urban squab (AKA: pigeons). Alas, I've never seen partridge or Guinea Fowl, but I will look a bit harder next time. It's all out there for the taking! Good hunting.


Sadly England is too crowded an island for many to be able to enjoy such sport. There is a lot of wild game, but only a privileged few get to shoot it. However, they manage to kill so much - mostly pheasant, mallard, partridge and grouse, plus guinea fowl, that they don't know what to do with it all, so a lot of it finds its way onto the market very cheaply, which is a good thing. Sometimes, however, the shot game is just buried, which is a shocking waste. I have pigeon and squirrels in my garden which I would quite like to shoot, but for the fact of living in a town.


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## Langham (Nov 7, 2012)

Chouan said:


> To bed, to sleep, I meant.....


My mistake - I had assumed it was an early retirement package and you were celebrating.


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## Chouan (Nov 11, 2009)

Langham said:


> This is the place I like, it's in Oxford covered market. They make no concessions to passing vegans or bunny lovers:


Nor should they!


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## Chouan (Nov 11, 2009)

Langham said:


> Doubly lucky in fact. My own pension funds have been quite criminally mismanaged and retirement remains a distant prospect.


That is very unfortunate and I'm very sorry to hear it. The prospect of retirement is one of the things that keeps one going!


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## Langham (Nov 7, 2012)

Please don't worry on my account. I have seen the effect of early retirement on others, which, so far as I am qualified to judge, seems to be to hasten decrepitude and death, so my plan is to have a delayed retirement, and see whether the opposite phenomenon exists.


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