Comparing prices for grocery shopping

Indo article

Interesting article in the Irish Independent yesterday - price and quality comparison between basket of basic goods in Aldi Parnell Street and Tesco Jervis Centre - bread, potatoes, cereals, jam etc. Aldi won hands down on price and quality - and Irish products featured strongly. Tesco won on 'shopping experience' - nicer atmosphere, wider choice, wider aisles - but for the price sensitive amongst us, Aldi for your basics comes highly recommended.
 
Groceries Act

Now that it's in black and white that we're a rip-off economy, how can pressure be put on Ms. Harney to repeal this bogus piece of legislation? Wouldn't the resultant drop in prices its repeal would immediately cause help the inflation rate decrease and thus enhance Charlie's performance rating?? Anyone care to defend this risible cartel helping law?
 
Lidl/Aldi

I am tired of been ripped off! Buying Irish? Dunnes SuperQuinn? Lidl and Aldi seem to be the ryanair of supermarkets!
 
Parking around Aldi

Wonder if anyone can offer suggestions.... I did the Aldi trolly dash this lunchtime and could only think of parking the car in the Ilac centre car park. This meant trekking all around the shopping centre to get to the supermarket - or brave the climb through the exit/entrance to the carpark (ie not very safe for lad laden down with groceries) which I chanced on the way back. The climb up the ramps back to the car, with two stuffed bags, nearly killed me and I'm sure my arms are a good inch longer now.

I noticed loads of people with full trollies. How do they get their groceries home?

Thanks in advance.
 
Shopping in Aldi

Alex: Lidl and Aldi may be the Ryanair of Supermarkets but you get what you pay for. I got Their washpowder and dishwasher tabs to try but decided not to get them again. The dishes didn't seem as clean nor did the clothes. I thought it might be all in the mind but my better half made some similar comments. Their wine is okay for every day drinking - the dearer ones being the best and still cheap. Their liqueurs are super value if you like that kind of stuff. I would have no problem flying Ryanair though.
 
Re: Aldi/Lidl

live in Dundalk so competition is 'fierce' Large Dunnes, two Tescos, Superquinn, Marks and Sparks and Sainsburys only 10 miles away.
Aldi are doing a bomb. (border joke!!!)
their flowers are €2.89 a bunch and last 2/3 weeks no problem
Ice creams equiv mars/cornetto etc are 2.49 for 6.
bottled water 1.75 for a six pack 500cl
brie cheese 1.65 ( identical size and quality in Tesco is 2.59)
their strawberry jam is excellent at 1.25 (no preservatives and has to be kept in fridge after opening)
olive oils etc are top class. I also prefer their sardines to the biggest name brand.
their cranberry juice is a bit iffy though. more like a slush puppy taste.
 
Re: Aldi/Lidl

Went to Aldi in Coolock at the weekend based on this topic and I was quite impressed. They sell the same Nachos as supervalu but for 99c instead of €1.99! Got a crunchy strawberry cereal for €2.15 which tastes the same as the Jordans cereal which normally costs about 4 quid.

The most expensive item I bought was a strawberry/blackcurrant shower foam for €2.99. It smells gorgeous and feels lovely on the skin so I'll definitely get it again.

I thought the cranberry juice was sweet too but it's perfect with Vodka!
All in all, the shopping came to €32.99 and I reckon the same in Tesco (my usual shop) would have been well over €50. I'm definitely going again next week.
 
refunds

I also go once a week to Lidl and stock up on bottled water (only 42 C liter for Irish water), some veg (their new irish potatoes are really good), jams, muffins, pizzas etc.

I have tried their colour washing powder but did n't find it very good so I brough it back to see if they would honour their promise of a full refund if you try something and don't like it.
The girl on the checkout was n't so willing to give me my money back....she just said but you've used it so we can't sell that now!! When I pointed to their poster detailing the refund policy she enquired from one of the others on the checkout and she said I needed a receipt (I did n't have it.....not in a habit of keeping 2-3 week old recepits from my grocery shopping).
So she called the manager who came over, a lovely friendly guy who say there was no problem and gave me my money back.
Just though I'd tell people that they do honour their promise of a full refund even if not all staff know about it.

Janeom
 
Marks & Spencer

Speaking of ripoffs my girlfriend bought an apple in M&S on Saturday and it cost €1.11 !!!! Unbelievable. I've told her to query it with the store...

Wasn't even that nice

M3
 
Re: Marks & Spencer

That is simply SAVAGE!!! Are you sure, how could it be????

€1.11, sweet suffering Christ on the Cross, what is the world coming to??

C10
 
Re: Marks & Spencer

Did she actually pay €1.11 for a single apple? If so, why?
 
Re: Marks & Spencer

Clubman,

Yeah she did , it was mixed in with other groceries and she didn't notice it till we got home - I'll let you know what M&S have to say for themselves....

M3
 
Reain in the back

I think "arsch" was the word he was looking for
 
Parking Around Aldi

My advice for parking around Aldi is to park in the Virgin cinema (or what was) carpark across the rd. Sure you have to lug the bags across but easier than trying to get back into the Ilac Centre and struggling back up to carpark.
 
Re: Parking Around Aldi

One downside I found to my cost on Sunday was that the Aldi in Parnell street is closed on a Sunday.
 
bottled water

I also go once a week to Lidl and stock up on bottled water (only 42 C liter for Irish water

Why don't you drink tap water? I never buy water unless I'm in a pub and I'm the driver.

I must say, I did a great job in changing the Irish psyche
 
bottled water

"why don't you drink tap water ?"

Because its disgusting. I live in Galway city and the water here smells and tastes like its loaded with chlorine.
I hate to think of why they need so much chlorine....

I have just moved back to Ireland from Stockholm where I always drank tap water and that was in a city with a population of over 1 million......in a city the size of Galway I can't understand why they can't have clean, nice tasting water.

Janeom
 
Lots of storage required.

In recent times I have noticed that I am tending to buy on "special offer " only. I know that "special offers" can be misleading and not always what they seem. If I like a product and its nice,at some stage they will have a special offer so I stock up buying 7 or 8 of the items.
I have also signed up to various companies newsletters so I get discount vouchers sent to me on a regular basis.
I have time to shop and notice prices, I can fully appreciate how a couple both working with a young family just doesn't have time to shop around".
 
Re: Lots of storage required.

Another way to get good value is to check out the 'clearance' shelves in Tescos. I'm not sure if they all have them, but certainly the two I have visited recently had them.

Basically they contain products which are about to reach their best by date and they are normally marked down quite a lot. This obviously only makes sense if you are buying to eat that evening and if you are flexible in what you will eat.

They clear vegetables, chilled stuff and bread this way.

Z
 
Aldi

Hi Cahir,

I was just wondering where abouts Aldi is in Coolock??

thanks.