Any ALDI shoppers out there

[fat4D]

Originally Posted by terra australis

yes we shop at Aldi (lanyon). I do the woollies shop first for our cereal, pepsi max, tea bags and coffee. Then I walk across to Aldi with the woolies trolley and do an Aldi shop. We get all our meat, milk, pantry items at Aldi. I also get alot of the lunchbox fillers at Aldi as well.

My boys love the ice-blocks (20 pack) and the chocolate chip cookies. All the people that work at this store are lovely. If you only have a few items usually people will let you in.

The worst thing we have ever had from Aldi was the pasta sauce and the Bex light cereal (was like eating cardboard). Oh and my treat each week is the 79cent Turkish Delight YUMMY!!!!!!

yeah its a good store, i spent a month there when i was just starting training. your ganna hate this these turkish delights are being discontinued i dont know why those and titan bars are awesome

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by fat4D

Main point of this thread I'm interested in peoples opionions of ALDI most customers who have got used to the way things work think it's great save money and get good quality stuff. So the question is do u shop there why? Why not?

Cheers

ALDI have an outstanding business model. They stock a very small range of products and make it easy to shop for basics.

I shop there for most things actually. Having said that, I also keep an eye on what Coles and Woolies has 'on special' and will buy stuff from them that ALDI doesn't stock.

Things I like:

* Cheap prices, yet their 'home brand' products don't have labels that look like they were printed prior to the invention of colour.

* Decent quality. As already mentioned, their general pantry foodstuffs are often made by household name brands are are just as good as the more expensive stuff sold at the competition.

* Low set / low maintenance shelving. Easy to see across the store.

* Staff seem to be looked after (seating for register operators) and when I looked at working for them they had a higher base pay p/h but seemed to have less overtime and special loadings. (Prob not so good for people working nights I guess).

* The coin system for the trolleys. Amazing how that $2 MAKES a person return the trolley to the correct spot!

Dislikes:

* You often need to line up for a while to get served. Minimal service staff on the shop floor as well.

* The credit card surcharge.

* The pricing tickets are not always in the correct spots (or missing).

* Lack of space / time post checkout payment to carefully re-pack the stuff you have just bought.

* Limited fruit and veg.

* You go there wanting to buy groceries and leave with a bar fridge / DVD player / boxing set or a water pump as well.....

Not a lot of people know that the original owners of ALDI (2 brothers) were very secretive in their business practices after one of them was kidnapped and released after a large ransom was paid.

They both did VERY well. The richest person in Germany is one of the brothers, and the 2nd richest was the other till his death a few months ago.

[terra australis]

Originally Posted by fat4D

yeah its a good store, i spent a month there when i was just starting training. your ganna hate this these turkish delights are being discontinued i dont know why those and titan bars are awesome

That is crazy....Those turkish delight bars are delish...wot r they thinking!!!

Oh and another product we like are the 75 cent vanilla cake mix. I often serve this cake up to family and friends and I always get a really positive comment on how delish this cake is. They are shocked when I tell them its a 75 cent cake from Aldi

[Bluefreak]

After being asked to cart an AKE of frozen fish from Sydney to Melbourne in a dry box in the middle of summer and being told 'not the first time, won't be the last', I choose not to shop there...

[dannyhilton]

I remember going there for the first time not realising I was:

a) Supposed to pay for the trolly (money returned fair enough)
b) Supposed to bring my own bags (or pay for ALDI ones)
c) Supposed to pack my own bags

Made a real fool of myself in the last matter. I don't know, but I find something really cold about ALDI. When I go to Woolworths, Coles or IGA, I always get a nice 'hello' and they ask how my day is going, plus if you shop by the specials I find it's actually cheaper than ALDI.

Still, one mans loss is another gain, many people I know shop there and love it.

[Gambit]

anyone had any experience with the BBQ's from ALDI?

[Mr Hardware]

Originally Posted by Gambit

anyone had any experience with the BBQ's from ALDI?

Yeah apparently they're ok but the jumbuck bbq's from bunnings (much the same price per spec) are much better by many accounts.

[Mr Brooksy]

We only shop at Woolies or Coles if absolutely necessary! We save between $50 and $100 per month on shopping for two including fuel for the 20km round trip.

Now that there is one 2 mins from home, the other big stores hardly ever see us.

Sucks to be them!

[fat4D]

Originally Posted by Mr Brooksy

We only shop at Woolies or Coles if absolutely necessary! We save between $50 and $100 per month on shopping for two including fuel for the 20km round trip.

Now that there is one 2 mins from home, the other big stores hardly ever see us.

Sucks to be them!

it's suprising the amount of people that would go that distance to go to aldi and STIL save money compaired to coles an woolies. It's also jus became alot cheaper to shop at aldi some of you may have noticed alot of things recently reduced, aust wide ther was a price drop on 120 items. Think it's anther attempt to claw more people from the competition

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by Mr Brooksy

We only shop at Woolies or Coles if absolutely necessary! We save between $50 and $100 per month on shopping for two including fuel for the 20km round trip.

Now that there is one 2 mins from home, the other big stores hardly ever see us.

Sucks to be them!

Not really, id love to see a customer base Coles/Woolies vs Aldi im sure i know the answer

[Gambit]

Originally Posted by Mr Hardware

Yeah apparently they're ok but the jumbuck bbq's from bunnings (much the same price per spec) are much better by many accounts.

cheers mate. might have to check the bunnings one out as well

[LXL15]

I got a massive shock the first time I walked into an australian Aldi, because they look exactly the same as the German ones (which are the only other ones I'd been in)! I mainly go there to look at the cheap electronics (got myself a tablet/drawing pad for $99 that's still going strong and is surprisingly accurate).

As for the beers, I reckon they're not great, and I usually pay a little bit more to get a better lot from Dan Murphy's or wherever, seeing as imported German beer seems to be cheaper than Australian stuff anyway, which I never understand...

[Unit Ute]

I personally dont shop their as i still work for the competition, but my mum used to manage one of the stores, their is good and bad stuff their. We bought a t.v, its been great lasted ages and still works perfect. Food is pretty good most of the time, best thing is its cheap!

Problem i see with the stores is they are understaffed and the staff overworked! If they had a express checkout it might help. But it has been a while since ive been in one, shopping by the specials at woolies or coles and reading the tickets saves me the $$ and i still get to buy brands. Just because items are on special does not mean they are the cheapest!

Goodluck fat4d hope it works out for you and they treat you well!

[Mr Brooksy]

Originally Posted by DJM83

Not really, id love to see a customer base Coles/Woolies vs Aldi im sure i know the answer

Overall your 100% correct, but I know that as soon as an Aldi goes in near a Coles (mate who's a Coles manager) there is a noticeable drop in income. Overall its a blip on the scale. But at the end of the day theres more in my pocket... or car... for me.

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by Mr Brooksy

Overall your 100% correct, but I know that as soon as an Aldi goes in near a Coles (mate who's a Coles manager) there is a noticeable drop in income. Overall its a blip on the scale. But at the end of the day theres more in my pocket... or car... for me.

I work at Woolies in a centre with an ALDI and Coles and down the road IGA, you know the one that took the biggest chunk? IGA and their 'new' store is no where near as good as ours

[JohnnyGT]

hey can some one get me a quote on new Go Cruise GPS unit they sell and PM me ? please. got new IGO Primo1.1 on it which i want. can arrange payment and postage to NZ please.

http://aldi.com.au/au/html/offers/2827_15034.htm

[seedywagon]

I work for Aldi, it's alright.
There are a few misconceptions/misunderstandings about Aldi that people should know about though:
- The use of chairs at the checkout doesn't mean it's a cruisey job, you literally have to work your butt off before opening, when you're not on registers and after close, so think twice about applying if you're not physically able
- The main principle behind how Aldi works is low prices through company cost reduction ie, the less money they spend running the business, the less they can charge for their products
- As a result of this penny-pinching philosophy, you'll notice that there are usually only 4 workers working at any one time (sometimes 3!)
- The fast checkout system is there to reduce prices for the consumer, because less attendants are needed to push through customers (decreasing wage costs)

I don't think the system is better than the mainstream one employed by coles/woolworths, it's just different! The only thing the customer has to do is pack their own bags, but hey, you save some money!

As for the products, they're always getting better, as a worker we are urged to constantly evaluate quality, especially in the produce department. It's kinda funny actually, I walked into a Coles the other day (I don't shop at Aldi) and all their produce was in the exact same packaging... check it out for yourself.
Oh, and the 60 day return policy is handy too!

[fat4D]

Originally Posted by JohnnyGT

hey can some one get me a quote on new Go Cruise GPS unit they sell and PM me ? please. got new IGO Primo1.1 on it which i want. can arrange payment and postage to NZ please.

http://aldi.com.au/au/html/offers/2827_15034.htm

Your after the also gps yeah? I think my store has a couple I'll check the price for you

[smciner1]

Aldi Chocolate is awesome. The Titan Bars are the best (just like a Mars Bar, Romeo Bar is like a Bounty. All of the 29 Cent ones are fantastic value!

[BlackLS]

I buy as much as I can from Aldi, and whatever I can't get there or I don't like the taste of, I get from Woolworths.

Also electronics aren't always the best price at Aldi, a quick look online will find the same item but cheaper. For example they had a digital caliper for $20 last year, I can buy it here for $13 USD: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.11965

[GT0132]

Sometimes I will flick through an ALDI catalogue and if I see some good pricing I'll go there for those specific items. For example , I once saw they had 3 punnets of strawberries for $4 , so I dropped in there after doing my usual shopping at Coles to grab my cheap strawberries. Apart from that I don't bother with them. They don't seem to stock a broad range of items like the majors do and I'm somewhat reluctant to buy a product with a brand/labelling that's unfamiliar to me. For example. you can't buy Kraft peanut butter at ALDI, but you can buy some other brand which may be inferior, so I won't risk it. I am surprised they are doing well here and I thought by now they would have packed up and gone home, but no they're still around and obviously making a profit.

I have a Coles supermarket around the corner from me that have everything I need, including a Liquorland right next door to them, so have no reason to use Aldi

[RedHotGT]

Big Fan of Aldi...
Can do about 75 - 80% of a shop there...
I can FILL my trolley until it is basically overflowing for about $100.00
(meats, deserts, not just the cheap stuff)...
Then head off down to woolies/coles and spend $50.00 - and walk out with 2-3 shopping bags...

Most of Aldi products are just re-badged Australian mainstream products anyway...
So you're buying the same goods - but cheaper...

The one thing I do love though - is watching a 1st time shopper with a trolley load... not understanding that they need to stack the products back into their trolley and load their bags elsewhere... They're always so confused...

You don't go to Aldi for the service... and the bottom line is - do you need the service??

I'm pretty capable of packing bags... and finding stuff...

Works for me and my family

[nstg8a]

Originally Posted by loftie

The one thing I do love though - is watching a 1st time shopper with a trolley load... not understanding that they need to stack the products back into their trolley and load their bags elsewhere... They're always so confused...

You don't go to Aldi for the service... and the bottom line is - do you need the service??

I'm pretty capable of packing bags... and finding stuff...

Works for me and my family

back home one of the supermarket chains (pak'n'save) does it the same, you pack your own stuff, but the difference is the checkout operator puts your stuff straight in your trolley... makes bugger all difference to them i reckon, but a massive difference to the customer, and the queues.

[fat4D]

Originally Posted by nstg8a

back home one of the supermarket chains (pak'n'save) does it the same, you pack your own stuff, but the difference is the checkout operator puts your stuff straight in your trolley... makes bugger all difference to them i reckon, but a massive difference to the customer, and the queues.

I can see that working, although we hav really high scan rates, would be interested to see what the scan rate at woolies or coles is. At aldi we are expected around 1000 items an hour add that few seconds for putting stuff in a trolleywould make it hard

[JohnnyGT]

fat4D any news on the GPS unit ? as NavNgo is launching Primo v1.2 soon to replace it but still would like one

[terra australis]

[QUOTE=DJM83]Not really, id love to see a customer base Coles/Woolies vs Aldi im sure i know the answer[/QUOT

So what do you think the customer base would be for Aldi?

[blueoval]

Sorry for the 6YO thread mine.

South Australia have only just had their doors open to the first ALDI shops 2 days ago. Yes we are lagging behind the east coast I know.

All I can say is I am impressed with ALDI's business ethic. Cheaper prices, reasonable quality stock, fast check out. It's music to my ears.

That said, I went to the local woolworths (safeway to you easterners) straight after ALDI and noticed they have had to price match ALDI in their fresh produce among other things already. Prices are already dropped massively compared to before ALDI opened. Woolworths was nearly empty and only 2 checkouts open out of 12. ALDI had all 6/6 checkouts open with continuous streams of people coming thru steadily.

While it may not sound like you news to you guys. It's a breath of fresh air for local consumers as we havent had decent competition like this before to take on the big boys.

I dont mind having to pack my own bags, I love the long conveyor belts. There was a guy at the front giving us free trolley tokens. There was a lot of free tastings for coffee and cheese as well as chocolate. Most of the meat was all labeled south australian as well as had the proper australian labels on the product which I liked.

I mean I know it's not perfect and there will be some junk that will seep in but especially in the south of adelaide, this is going to make local shops rethink their strategy in getting repeat consumers to come back. I saw 2 Foodland reps walk in checking out the stock and walk out with concerned looks on their faces and raised eyebrows as they wrote down their findings in their notebooks.

Ive been back to ALDI twice in 24hrs already and I never venture into shops unnecessarily. I just enjoyed comparing the prices with the big 2 + Foodland and can tell it's starting to hurt them. I can see our family doing our shopping here at least once a week.

[The Yeti]

Originally Posted by blueoval

Sorry for the 6YO thread mine.

Thats some serious thread mining

Originally Posted by blueoval

Ive been back to ALDI twice in 24hrs already and I never venture into shops unnecessarily.

It's started

Its become our quick duck in store, for us they have big carparks close to the door of the shop, if you just want milk n bread its easier than coles or woolies,

Once you work your way around their brands you'll go there before topping up at coles and woolies for "those brands we all need"

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by The Yeti

Thats some serious thread mining




It's started

Its become our quick duck in store, for us they have big carparks close to the door of the shop, if you just want milk n bread its easier than coles or woolies,

Once you work your way around their brands you'll go there before topping up at coles and woolies for "those brands we all need"

Haha yes I thought I'd add to this thread than to start a new one with the same content.

I can see what you mean for the necessities. Easy to get and far less fuss. Whenever I had to get stuff from Coles or Woolies I felt like I had to run the gauntlet thru additional marketing hype to get bread and milk. At least that was what it felt like where I live.

[The Monty]

We started off doing about 50/50 shopping at ALDI and Coles/Wiolies. Now we shop about 95% at Aldi, onlt reason not 100% is because Coles is literally 200m away and sometimes we stop for stuff after work.