What to buy from Lidl and what to avoid!

Don’t you love it as a consumer when two major supermarkets go head to head in a price war? Prices drop drastically on individual items of which there are a lot. Stuff you can’t do without usually stays the same price, or increases to make up for other discounts. Well, that’s my theory.

Aldi and Lidl

Two giant supermarkets, Aldi, and Lidl sometimes have a tug of war to capture customers so you need to be on the lookout for specials either advertised or in-store. Aldi is the German based company and they have almost 10,000 stores in many countries. Their buying power must be awesome so selling at cost for them is possible. Lidl is also German which I find strange that both companies found room to get started in the one country. It’s all good news for us – the customer.

Overall Savings

Families chatting on the internet and in social media have mostly good things to say about the value for money you get and the tremendous savings on your weekly grocery bill. That is for both Lidl and Aldi. These superstores are basically choking the life out of corner markets, suburban shops and competitors operating supermarkets as well. German efficiency I guess!

Possibly Avoid…Lidl

Some say the freshness of the fruit and vegetables at Lidl are not always the best. Also, branded products are more expensive. The money saved is on the Lidl branded goods. Some people have given negative views on the meat. Meat in supermarkets does have stuff added to it to make it look better and last longer on the shelf. You need to be aware of that as a general practice, not just Lidl

Maybe Don’t Buy…Aldi

When you decide not to buy something anymore from your local supermarket, it’s usually because you have had a bad experience with a particular product. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the item you are avoiding is always a dud. So, rumor has it that some dairy products from Aldi should be avoided because of additives. Check the label…always! Garlic cloves, they are too small. Frozen stir fry, you need to verify the country of origin. China has a bad reputation at home for its food manufacturing habits so I would be wary of buying foods made there. Check the prices elsewhere for non-food items. There’s a good chance they will be cheaper than Aldi.

In General

Supermarkets these days provide fresh produce and excellent products at very competitive prices. Sometimes I walk into a store and the fruit and vegetables look super good, other times they seem a little-tired looking. A lot depends on the day of delivery to the shop I suppose. One thing I have no problems with is the customer service in both Aldi and Lidl. The staff has obviously been trained well and there is rarely a need to have an argument about prices, quality or incorrect checkouts. They are quick to fix the problem.