Things you refuse to buy in Lidl and Aldi....

Recessionbust

UglyBolloxFace wrote: »

Recessionbust wrote: »

Polish remover - doesn't work at all :-/

Did you use it on natives of the country Poland or on nail varnish?

Oh "scratchs head" well they need to be more carefull with advertising ;-)

M three

chimmy chonga wrote: »

You will find that they are Hunky Dory rejects - the quality is sh1t. imo

You think the largo foods manufacturing process that makes hunky dorys is so crap it generates enough rejected stuff to sell to aldi as another product altogether? And that aldi even need to buy someone elses rejects? Get real.

Capt'n Midnight

Irishchick wrote: »

Yes they are. All products that can come into contact with skin or potentially be ingested must be tested on animals. It's the law.

Companies get away with saying they don't go it because they pay another company to go it. So before aldi officially call the product there own they our source it for animal testing. This way they can get away with it because it's technically not them doing the testing.

Please quote that law.



In the US there is a category of ingrediants called GRAS "Generally regarded as safe."
Stuff that's been around forever and hasn't caused problems, do you honestly think they stopped selling things like carrots or banned people using Vaseline on their lips or freaked out because sugar is actually a chemical - α-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-fructofuranoside - until they were tested on animals ?

Of course not. Only NEW chemicals and substances are tested. If you make foods and so on from existing ingredients that are safe you don't have to test them

cba looking for the food ones, so here is the medicinal one
http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/internal_market/single_market_for_goods/pharmaceutical_and_cosmetic_products/l21230_en.htm

Notwithstanding the previous paragraph and without prejudice to the law relating to intellectual and commercial property, applicants are not obliged to provide the results of pre-clinical or clinical tests or clinical trials if they can show that:

the medicinal product is a generic of a reference medicinal product which has been authorised for not less than eight years in a Member State or in the Community;
the active substances of the medicinal product have had a well established medicinal use in the Community for at least ten years, with an acceptable level of safety.

So if you would like to show us the "law"

K-9

xzanti wrote: »

I love Aldi ketchup, probably prefer it to Heinz.. Mayo isn't too bad either tbh.

Yep, beats Heinz but not Chef.

Their beans are actually nice for the price, 29c or something. Came second in a taste challenge on the Consumer show ahead of Heinz.

Do a nice Irish wheaten scone as well.

Merch

Shoes, they always look crap

Food wise its fine, some stuff i wouldn't eat, but if it was for sale elsewhere I wouldn't eat it either.

Jammy Donut

Off Topic but,

That stuff I'm Lidl, Mixxed Up.... Some fair cheap stuff that is compared to Red Bull.

Micky Dolenz

One of them do a lovely sweet Christmas type cake, it's lovely.

ibarelycare

jpcarlow wrote: »

Aldi pesto is fantastic

Agreed, it's the best pesto I've ever had that's not fresh. They do a "bargain" one but it's the "luxury" one (think it's called Genovese Pesto) that's gorgeous, and still only just over a euro for a jar IIRC!


I do nearly all my shopping in Aldi, I absolutely love it. The only things I don't buy there are shampoo and conditioner because I have a preferred brand, and also their moisturisers and washing tablets broke me out in terrible rashes The moisturisers are supposed to be brilliant though, I just have really sensitive skin!

Their fresh fruit and veg beats all the other supermarkets for price and quality. They've a great wine selection, I've even braved their vodka (€11.99 for 70c) and lived to tell the tale!


Edit: I nearly forgot, I bought tampons there recently too I was a bit hesitant but they were 89cent for 20, whereas Tampax cost nearly a fiver for exactly the same. The applicator was a bit fiddley but otherwise they did the job

Shenshen

Irishchick wrote: »

Yes they are. All products that can come into contact with skin or potentially be ingested must be tested on animals. It's the law.

Companies get away with saying they don't go it because they pay another company to go it. So before aldi officially call the product there own they our source it for animal testing. This way they can get away with it because it's technically not them doing the testing.

Er... no they're not. In fact, for the most part, testing cosmetics on animals is banned outright. However, testing the ingredients that make up a cosmetic product isn't.
Most companies therefore can claim that their products aren't tested on aminals, but know full well that the ingredients are.
Aldi have signed an agreement not to use any ingredients tested on animals.

ziggy23

Benny_Cake wrote: »

Coffee, tea, ketchup, mayonnaise, cat food (nobody has told cats that we're in a recession). Apart from that I find most stuff is as good if not better than branded items.

My cats love the pouches and foils from Lidl but won't touch the Aldi stuff or Whiskas for that matter

hattoncracker

Aldi is amazeballs.. Ive recently got a car so I'm able to drive to these places now and we are starting to do our monthly shop in lidl and aldi before we hit up dunnes and Tesco to see how much we save..

The bratwurst from Aldi, (thick ones in a yellow pack) are amazing, their fruit and veg is awesome, and they do hoi sin spare ribs that rock the kasbah too!

ibFoxer

Jammy Donut wrote: »

Off Topic but,

That stuff I'm Lidl, Mixxed Up.... Some fair cheap stuff that is compared to Red Bull.

Absolutely 100% +1to that- it is by far the nicest sugar-free energy drink available.

On topic, i don't particularly care for the weetabix clones in either place.

harperlee

The Wheelchair's on offer is what gets me. I brought my friend in yesterday to see it because they thought I was joking, we where in stitches when a little kid was begging his parents to get it.

Cantona's Collars

harperlee wrote: »

The Wheelchair's on offer is what gets me. I brought my friend in yesterday to see it because they thought I was joking, we where in stitches when a little kid was begging his parents to get it.

You should've broken the kids legs,then the parents would have to buy it.




Of course I don't condone this behaviour.

folamh

christmas2012 wrote: »

I always get the veg there from now on,as the veg(the carrots anyway) in tescos goes off so quick and the smell is awful...

Not necessarily a good thing! Fruit/veg with long shelf lives contain more preservatives.

Stiffler2

whirlpool wrote: »

Is there anything (food, booze, household products, shower products, etc...) that you refuse to buy in Lidl or Aldi because you believe they just aren't as good?

I don't buy anything in Lidl or Aldi, I'm not a peasant.....

OldNotWIse

harperlee wrote: »

Condoms and wine, the condoms I wouldn't trust and the wine gives you the worst hangover.

really? I've never had a hangover from their wine (and no I wasn't paid to say that lol)

Recessionbust

folamh wrote: »

Not necessarily a good thing! Fruit/veg with long shelf lives contain more preservatives.

Or it could be the that they have a quicker turnaround time so their products are not sitting on the shelf as long as the others or that the Management have better rotating policys in Lidlo/Aldi?
Not saying this is the case but its very possible

Stiffler2

Domo230 wrote: »

You may not be a peasant but you are being silly by not considering shopping there.

Perhaps, I certainyl wouldn't purchase any food from there but I could probably get some things like fairy liquid, jax roll etc..

difficult to know what you're getting when everything is packaged the same, no colours, no ads, there's just no pop or zing

Sykk

Battered Mars Bar wrote: »

The bread

Outrageous...! The bakery bread in Lidl is amazing.. Better than any bakery in Dublin that I've ever been to.

mike65

The Irish have a real thing for brand names, which is why we see some of the fairly daft comments on this thread and why it took a combination of immigrants and then recession for the discount chains to take off.

ibarelycare

Stiffler2 wrote: »

Perhaps, I certainyl wouldn't purchase any food from there but I could probably get some things like fairy liquid, jax roll etc..

difficult to know what you're getting when everything is packaged the same, no colours, no ads, there's just no pop or zing

No it's not When's the last time you were actually in Aldi or Lidl?

Shenshen

mike65 wrote: »

The Irish have a real thing for brand names, which is why we see some of the fairly daft comments on this thread and why it took a combination of immigrants and then recession for the discount chains to take off.

I have to admit to having had a right laugh at several of my colleagues over that... they tried some of my lunches, asked me where I got the things as they tasted amazing, but when they were told that the food was from Aldi or Lidl they told me that they never would buy anything in there...

Well, good luck with the tasteless overpriced stuff that you buy "just because".

cartell_best

After getting my tesco vouchers in the post today that amounted to the crazy amount of €9.50, I'll do what I have only discovered over the last 2 months and that is Aldi! Seriously though, I've bought more than I normally would from Aldi over the last couple of months and not once have I found any considerable difference. The spuds at .28c last week etc... absolutely grand. Not a single ounce of difference between Aldi and Tesco's/dunce stores.....

clappyhappy

I do all my shopping in lidl, except fresh meats and fish. Find the staff to be lovely and helpful, never had any problem with them. No aldi close to me but have shopped in the one in limk city, found it fine also. Personally hate Tesco, might go in there once or twice a year if really stuck.

ibarelycare

The staff at the checkouts in my nearest Aldi (Santry) are by and large very friendly and they always have a smile for you. I was surprised because before I moved I only ever shopped in Lidl and I didn't find them nice at all.

bogof

harperlee wrote: »

Condoms and wine, the condoms I wouldn't trust and the wine gives you the worst hangover.

Their wines are frequently rated better than leading brands on various wine columns.

bogof

forfuxsake wrote: »

Used to be but I am fast learning that much of the stuff in Alsi is better*







*Except Aldi potatoes, fúckin rank.

Always look at the variety name on the pack. Last week in Aldi they had Golden Wonders which werent great. However it is already the next potato season and you cant expect spuds to keep forever. I find spuds there generally are excellent.

Rubberlegs

Aldi nappies are excellent and great value, there is no way I'd go back to the leading brands after trying them. I have always been a bit suspicious of their's and Lidl's meat, but after hearing good reports on their steak, am definitley going to give it a go:). Got their cheese singles today, and Magnum washing up liquid to give them a try. Only 79c for the washing up liquid so if it's crap at least it's not broken the bank. Also got a net of 4 grapefruit for 1.49, about 60c each in Tesco. Lidl's Cien body moisturiser is one of the best I've ever tried.

mongdesade

Condoms

shamrock55

AnonoBoy wrote: »

The cleaning products generally aren't as good.

Do they sell condoms? NO WAY am I risking cheapo johnnies.

i would imagine these cheapo johnnies would have to pass the same stringent test that any other brand would otherwise they wouldnt (couldnt)be sold

optimistic_

I've nothing particularly against the stuff in there.
Nowadays all I would buy is steak out of Aldi, everything else I get in tescos or Dunnes these days.

Things i wouldn't buy if I happened ot be in there-
Toiletries (all, incl soaps, they're not dear elsewhere for trusted names)
Chicken breast (invariably have bones, cartilage in them)
Cleaning Products, same as toiletries above.
Soups or any packaged or tinned food.

Things i would buy there:
Eggs
Fruit
Veg

-Strictly Aldi by the way, Lidl is like a f*cking dirty warehouse.Kip.

mongdesade

shamrock55 wrote: »

i would imagine these cheapo johnnies would have to pass the same stringent test that any other brand would otherwise they wouldnt (couldnt)be sold

Imagination ain't gonna stop my OH from conceiving if you're wrong me auld flower...I'll err on the side of caution, thank you very much !

newbee22

I would buy fruit, veg, bread and dairy products. I haven't tried anything else there, definitely would not try the toiletries.

scarlett Pimpernel

I will only buy in Dunnes. I might go into lidl for a nose around but after five minutes i usually get annoyed and hate the small area ur given to pack ur bags. Extremely hard to manage if your there with a toddler. They have no decent hair products/ bathroom essentials etc. And no way would i feed my dog the dogfood there! My husband likes to go in and look at the deal section. nothing cud sway me from my lovely big dunnes in ennis!

Chimpokomon

Lidl's grand. I don't understand the aversion to buying meat there, most of it's Irish anyway and often much better quality than Tesco. Theeir baked beans are rank though.

Shenshen

scarlett Pimpernel wrote: »

I will only buy in Dunnes. I might go into lidl for a nose around but after five minutes i usually get annoyed and hate the small area ur given to pack ur bags. Extremely hard to manage if your there with a toddler. They have no decent hair products/ bathroom essentials etc. And no way would i feed my dog the dogfood there! My husband likes to go in and look at the deal section. nothing cud sway me from my lovely big dunnes in ennis!

You mean there actually are Irish shops that have now copped on and give you a decent size bagging area away from the till, like Lidl and Aldi have??? Wow.

That's one of the things that always annoyed me most about Tesco and Dunnes, they force you to pack your bags at the till, holding everyone up and never giving you enough room.

Lockstep

Surprised at the negative rep that their toiletries get.
Aldi hair gel is better than any brand name stuff IMHO and their toothpaste, shaving foam, razors and so on are pretty awesome although their deodarant and aftershave isn't as nice as can be gotten elsewhere.
Their sweets, biscuits, fruit and veg are all excellent and Lidl's thai barbecue sauce gets a special mention.

Best thing about Aldi and Lidl are Things You Never Knew You Needed where they sell random stuff like horseriding saddles or serious DIY equipment.

fishy fishy

what a lot of people fail to realise is that aldi/lidi stock name brand stuff, the same as in Dunnes/Supervalue etc. Also, a lot of their product is the exact same as the name brand, same stuff, made in the same place, etc. - its just the packaging that is different.

Amazing how packaging can fool people.

scarlett Pimpernel

Shenshen wrote: »

You mean there actually are Irish shops that have now copped on and give you a decent size bagging area away from the till, like Lidl and Aldi have??? Wow.

That's one of the things that always annoyed me most about Tesco and Dunnes, they force you to pack your bags at the till, holding everyone up and never giving you enough room.

Dunnes in my area has huge area, its brill u have loadsa times to pack. In lidl you have a tiny cramped area . unsure of ur point?

Shenshen

scarlett Pimpernel wrote: »

Dunnes in my area has huge area, its brill u have loadsa times to pack. In lidl you have a tiny cramped area . unsure of ur point?

My point is that so far, I've only seen the large bagging areas away from the tills in Aldi or Lidl. Dunnes, Tesco and Supervalue generally force people to bag their stuff at the end of the till, creating unnecessary waiting times which annoys the living daylight out of me.
But if your Dunnes has copped on and is providing a good large bagging area away from the till, good for them. It was a long time coming.

scarlett Pimpernel

Shenshen wrote: »

My point is that so far, I've only seen the large bagging areas away from the tills in Aldi or Lidl. Dunnes, Tesco and Supervalue generally force people to bag their stuff at the end of the till, creating unnecessary waiting times which annoys the living daylight out of me.
But if your Dunnes has copped on and is providing a good large bagging area away from the till, good for them. It was a long time coming.

cud actually just be my dunnes here! its really the best one i have been in!

fishy fishy

scarlett Pimpernel wrote: »

Dunnes in my area has huge area, its brill u have loadsa times to pack. In lidl you have a tiny cramped area . unsure of ur point?

you have the whole lenght of the shop to pack in lidl. You are not supposed to pack at the counter - you pack on the long bench beside the counter - you can't miss it.

scarlett Pimpernel

fishy fishy wrote: »

you have the whole lenght of the shop to pack in lidl. You are not supposed to pack at the counter - you pack on the long bench beside the counter - you can't miss it.

nope down here if you have a trolley full your packing on a tiny space and if u have kids its a nightmare. you have to pack as quickly as the checkout operator scans cos there is no room

SerialComplaint

fishy fishy wrote: »

You are not supposed to pack at the counter - you pack on the long bench beside the counter - you can't miss it.

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but how do you move your stuff from the till/counter to the long bench?

Shenshen

SerialComplaint wrote: »

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but how do you move your stuff from the till/counter to the long bench?

In the trolley?

joolsveer

In Aldi and LidlI replace my groceries in the trolley and pack it into bags when I get back to the car. It suits me fine.

fishy fishy

SerialComplaint wrote: »

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but how do you move your stuff from the till/counter to the long bench?

you put you items on the conveyer belt - you move your trolley and affix it to the end of the counter where the till is - when you item is scanned it is placed on the end of the counter (what you think is the packing area). You put your items back into your trolley - you then walk over to the bench and pack at your leisure.

fishy fishy

scarlett Pimpernel wrote: »

nope down here if you have a trolley full your packing on a tiny space and if u have kids its a nightmare. you have to pack as quickly as the checkout operator scans cos there is no room

you don't understand their system.

tiny_penguin

fishy fishy wrote: »

you have the whole lenght of the shop to pack in lidl. You are not supposed to pack at the counter - you pack on the long bench beside the counter - you can't miss it.

That does kind of annoy me - unless you are throwing the stuff into the trolley and damaging fruit and veg and bread etc. you cant keep up with the cashier anyway - it is as quick to put the stuff in bags as it is to get it into the trolley without throwing it.

Dunnes often have people packing the bags for charity at the weekend so there is rarely a delay - and if not, if you are packing as they scan the cashier will usually help you if you are not done by the time they finish scanning - so there is usually minimal delay. A lot of people will pack at the end of the belt in lidl/aldi too. The worse hold up in all places is people putting money back in purses/wallets and purses/wallets back in bags/pockets.

I would buy most things in Lidl/Aldi but I tend to shop in all my local shops to get the best deals and everything i need, some things are actually cheaper in dunnes/tesco. Tesco have started price comparing on the shelves. Monthly shop i go to Aldi first, then lidl, then dunnes. But when i just need a few bits I just go to the closest shop to where I am.