Aldi cheaper... right?

Lneezy on 16/12/2020 - 06:20
Last edited 16/12/2020 - 06:32

Is Aldi actually cheaper though?

Considering the credit card surcharge for Aldi. The 3% - 6% (usually 5%) gift cards used at Coles and Woolies and buying mainly on special items, some of which are half price. Plus the added reward points schemes (I've gotten the $5 off $15 for fresh meat deal a few times) I dunno if Aldi is actually cheaper in the end.

What everday/everyweek items are you guys buying Aldi that is saving you?

P.S. yes I understand not everyone uses credit cards at Aldi or has access to Woolies/Coles gift cards. I'm still curious as to what items people get that save them.

EDIT: tbh, just wanting prices on what you get for your fridge/pantry. Or if someone has a link to their stock prices I could check myself 😅

Food & Grocery

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ALDI
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Comments

  • WreckTangle on 16/12/2020 - 06:27
    +7

    The Aldi surcharge is 0.5%
    If you spent $6k on groceries a year it would only cost you $30. Surely you’ll save more than that with Aldi’s lower prices.

    • neezy on 16/12/2020 - 06:28
      +1

      Yeah that's what i am asking. What lower prices are you getting?

    • RM on 16/12/2020 - 08:01

      Coles/Woolies give you another $30 off on $6K in reward points…

      • knobbs on 16/12/2020 - 11:35

        And you save $180 if buying 3% off GCs, so total $240 difference at Colesworth

  • MrHyde on 16/12/2020 - 06:55
    +3

    I've been keeping track of prices across Aldi/Woolies/Coles for the last 6 months and when you have deals at Woolies like 2000 points bonus for spending $50; etc - Woolies/Coles is cheaper when comparing Woolies homebrand with Aldi homebrand.

    Things that are still cheaper in Aldi are:

    • Fruit/Veggies - sometimes. Price changes week by week; some weeks Aldi is cheaper, some week Woolies/Coles.
    • Laundry and washing detergents/tablets are cheaper in Aldi even when other places have specials. They are also highly rated by Choice
    • Some school snack items like Sakata are cheaper in Aldi no matter what the discount level.

    At the 5% discount level; Aldi is mostly cheaper. At the 12-25% discount level; Woolies/Coles are cheaper.

  • ms_caz on 16/12/2020 - 07:09

    Generally speaking meat is cheaper but there are more reduced for quick sale items at my local Woolies, (and although meat is more expensive at the local butcher, it is of far better quality so i buy less of it but have a better meat experience).

    Most pantry staples are cheaper eg tomato sauce, spaghetti sauce, canned tuna etc are cheaper. They have great chocolate which may or may not be cheaper but certainly makes a great treat. Dairy case items including margarine, block and sliced cheese and sour cream are cheaper for me.

    • MrHyde on 16/12/2020 - 07:57
      +5

      Dairy is not that much cheaper for me. Examples from our local Aldi/Woolies

      1) Milk - 3L is same price
      2) Greek Yoghurt 1Kg - $3.49 at Aldi; $3.90 at Woolies/Coles.
      3) Cheese Block 1 Kg- $7.79 at Aldi; $8.00 at Woolies/Coles
      4) Sour Cream (unit price) - $7.00 at Aldi; $7.00 at Woolies; $6.80 at Coles

      Other items
      1) Tomato Sauce (unit price) - $0.19 at Aldi; $0.15 at Woolies; $0.20 at Coles
      2) Tinned Tomato (unit price) - $1.50 at Aldi and Woolies; $1.88 at Coles
      3) Tinned Pineapple (unit price) - $2.29 at Aldi. $2.59 at Woolies/Coles
      4) Weetbix (unit price) - $0.28 at Aldi; $0.29 at Woolies/Coles - this item can be got at special at Woolies/Coles

      These prices are pre-discounts / cc surcharge. So, if you get 5% discount at Woolies; the cheese block drops from $8 to $7.60 - cheaper than Aldi now.

      and so on. So, really need to check which is cheaper where. Over time I have managed to build a full price list of all items we purchase and Aldi very rarely changes prices for their non-fresh items.

      Personally, I shop at both Woolies and Aldi and get what is cheaper where. Both are next to each other and Aldi does not have all the items that I need; so I have to go to Woolies anyway.

      • neezy on 17/12/2020 - 06:00
        +1

        YES!!! This is what I was after. Cheers you legend, mad props!

        Yeah my Woolies and Aldi are in the same building too, so I might join you and give this a go for my new 2021 routine 😁

        • MrHyde on 17/12/2020 - 06:37
          +2

          The way that works for me.

          Make a list of all items you need on the Woolies app. It tells you the prices and is 100% accurate. Then go to Aldi first and buy all the items that are cheaper by comparing against the price in the Woolies app. The remaining items, go to Woolies.

          When you need to take discounts into account, either do the calc on the fly or build a spreadsheet beforehand with your list and post discount unit prices.

          Always use unit pricing to compare as the quantities will be different in each store for many of the items

          • neezy on 18/12/2020 - 06:40

            @MrHyde: 100% agree with above system. Sometimes the reception in shopping centres is shitty so I'd add to open everything before u head in. Sometimes (if i forget) I can connect to the Wi-Fi but not always.

  • neezy on 16/12/2020 - 07:11
    +1

    Ah ok. Yeah i didn't really consider fruit and veg as the wife gets them from markets usually, lol. I tend to buy the frozen veg which last time i checked, wasn't any cheaper 😅

  • neezy on 16/12/2020 - 07:16

    I'll suss out the pantry staples and laundry stuff too. Cheers 😊 I think I'll just need to do my standard shop at each place, buying equivalent items to finally know which is actually cheaper. From experience though, it wasn't, but thn again things might have changed.

  • neezy on 16/12/2020 - 07:26

    Yeah we only buy meat when it's heavily discounted, either from Coles/Woolies or better price Queen Vic Market. Not really a staple in the weekly shop. But i will compare chicken, mince, bacon products for reference. Cheers 😁

    • Quantumcat on 16/12/2020 - 08:44
      +12

      Try to use the Reply button

      • neezy on 17/12/2020 - 05:44

        Like this 😅

      • neezy on 17/12/2020 - 05:45
        +1

        Nah I thought I was, because I did originally… then when I realised I didn't, I couldn't find the delete button and didn't wanna double post… but then decided to lean into my (profanity) up and double down instead with two more comments 🤣 cuz I'm messed up like dat 🥴

      • neezy on 17/12/2020 - 05:46

        but yeah, was planning to fix it up later, didn't think many ppl would see this 🤭

    • Yola on 16/12/2020 - 10:38

      I do not buy chicken at Aldi. Several times I have found it not fresh even thorough ages before expiry date. Someone else also commented the same. I do buy chicken from Colesworth. I buy meat, salmon and deli items from Aldi without issue.

      • neezy on 17/12/2020 - 05:48

        Is it wierd that I think that buying from the deli section is any fresher/cleaner? 🤔 being sealed in a packet vs out in the open/exposed

  • brendanq on 16/12/2020 - 08:15
    +1

    I second fruit and veg generally being cheaper. Frozen seafood also often buy a few bucks. Honestly I think it's a bit of a gamble!

  • [Deactivated] on 16/12/2020 - 08:46
    +3

    I columnist from the SMH jessica irvine did an article on this.

    https://www.smh.com.au/money/planning-and-budgeting/is-aldi-…

    seemed like aldi was about 11% cheaper.

    also, take into consideration she was comparing all the supermarkets home/company brands verses each other. If you started buying Aldi baked beans VS Heinz for example I bet the cost savings would be dramatically higher. and as others have said aldi rarely have "big" sales like woolies/coles. So not 50% off, 33% off, buy 3 for the price of 1, etc

    fwiw, aldi house brands which most of them are, are excellent. Whirlpool has a number of threads dedicated to aldi

    https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/thread/91w610q9
    https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/thread/94120403

    • neezy on 17/12/2020 - 06:17

      Awsome read! That was the exact breakdown I was looking for 😁 Surprised Tuna was cheaper at Coles 🤔

      I think I'll have to do the same with my local, and do a shop with my main items to stack em up (or maybe just take photos and do a spreadsheet with added formulas for discounts and surcharges 🤭).

      I feel like the ColesWorth giftcards are going to be less of a thing in the future. Or maybe that was just COVID related and they'll come back/increase rate again later.

  • JeremRrss on 16/12/2020 - 08:52

    The nappies has the cheapest I've found comparing to Coles/Wooly and even to some offer on Amazon. What matter is at least a good quality and it is. I mean, our little never complains and his stuff never spread away like it could happen with the huggies.
    0.19 for size 4

    Then the Brioche is the best for buck I've found. But only few would be interested to know.

    • Muzeeb on 16/12/2020 - 08:56
      +2

      Brioche buns - the best for homemade burgers. Very lightly toasted. Yummmmm. I'm getting some for dinner tonight now.

    • neezy on 17/12/2020 - 05:50

      I was experimenting with Burgs during lockdown. Tried all the versions at ColesWorth. I'll give the Aldi one a go next. Cheers!

    • [Deactivated] on 17/12/2020 - 06:22

      The aldi nappies, along with aldi wet wipes all rank very highly versus the competition. Also much cheaper

      • neezy on 18/12/2020 - 06:41

        Cheers 😁 not needing nappies (yet, lol) but I'll sus out the wipes 😉

  • nubzy on 16/12/2020 - 08:52
    -6

    Aldi is overhyped. Only people who think its cheap are pensioners and people who don't know any better. Woolworths works out a lot cheaper when you buy half price specials or home brand items and stack with rewards points offers. Much better clearances in Coles and Woolies too, I pick up some outstanding bargains. For fruit/veg I find it cheaper to shop at greengrocers.

    • [Deactivated] on 16/12/2020 - 09:28
      +3

      I negged you for calling me a pensioner.

    • JimmyF on 16/12/2020 - 11:03

      So its only cheaper at coles/woolies if you EAT those half price special items

      And if you don't?

  • Godric on 16/12/2020 - 08:54
    +1

    Woolies is #1

  • Muzeeb on 16/12/2020 - 08:54
    +1

    Try to use the Reply button

    But how?

    • neezy on 17/12/2020 - 05:51

      I still don't know how to reply to a quote though 😶 it happened once, but not sure how 🤔

  • Tomato on 16/12/2020 - 10:21
    +4

    soy milk at aldi is always cheaper…so is Italian sparkling water, the 2 main items i buy at aldi…

    • neezy on 17/12/2020 - 05:52

      Cheers. That's what I was looking for. Specific products 😊

    • [Deactivated] on 17/12/2020 - 06:24

      Buy a sodasteam with a 6kg CO2 bottle attachment.

      All of a sudden you sparkling water is a mere cents per liter instead of $1

      https://www.kegland.com.au/freedomone-sodastream-adapter-hos…

      • neezy on 18/12/2020 - 06:45

        Constantly debating this with the family 😅 everytime we do the math it doesn't really work out. Happy to be proven wrong though 😊

        Yes it's more convenient to have the soda stream instead of lugging 1litre bottles around, but bench space is limited atm.

        Also we get our bottle for 72c a litre.

        • [Deactivated] on 18/12/2020 - 06:49

          Well its hard to prove exact pricing because we always fizz ours way over the top … but

          normally we would buy 20 odd bottles every fortnight, with the 6kg bottle ($40 at a hospitality gas place to refill) we refil that every 3 to 4 months. So for us its definitely a saving - and a large one at that, plus no excessive waste of plastic bottles

          • neezy on 18/12/2020 - 07:00

            @[Deactivated]: Yeah I think that's the bit we struggling with as we don't really know how many litres you get with 1 can. I've read somewhere that's it's 60L.

            Btw I already did the math wrong 😅 when buying bottles we get it at 57c a litre. So it does work out to be similar if the refills cost $35… it's just the initial cost (and bench space) that stops us.

            • [Deactivated] on 18/12/2020 - 07:18

              @neezy: 60L from a 6kg gas bottle.. no no no,

              Kegland advertise 900L, but obvious - fizzyness will impact this number. 60L is from a normal sodastream can IIRC, not the aftermarket over the top super bargain 6kg gas bottle.

  • Yola on 16/12/2020 - 10:52
    +1

    My favourite items from Aldi include the laundry prewash di san - it works and is cheaper, Grandessa Signature Premium Jams and Berg Smallgoods Shaved Ham Triple Smoked. The ham costs from $10 to $15 kg. The Dairy Dream Greek Style Passionfruit 4 x 115g and the honey one are also great at $3.19.

    • neezy on 17/12/2020 - 05:53
      +1

      Cheers. That's what I was looking for. Specific products 😊

    • [Deactivated] on 17/12/2020 - 06:26
      +1

      The triple smoked aldi ham won australias best supermarket ham this year. again also the cheapest

      The aldi washing liquid and powder both rate top 10 on choice. again also one of the cheapest brands

      • neezy on 18/12/2020 - 06:46

        Cheers 😊 I'm gonna sus out the washing products next visit

  • Headless on 16/12/2020 - 10:53
    +1

    I enjoy both the mad rush to go through checkouts in aldi
    and
    the dithering about of other people at the self service machines at coles/woolworths (not to mention blasie staff when the machine doesn't work)

    I forget about my perceived savings at the end of the Aldi experience, and am impressed how I manage to consistently "save" ~$500 on a $100 shop with coles/woolworths according to the receipt

    • trinkasharma on 16/12/2020 - 11:08
      +2

      Aldi is smaller so the time taken from entrance to exit is quite small.

  • knobbs on 16/12/2020 - 11:41

    From a very vague memory people have said it is a cheaper CC fee if you insert your card rather than tap & pay. Is that correct?

    • Headless on 16/12/2020 - 11:46

      Tap, slap or stick it in - it's all the same (source, friend who works for Aldi)

      • knobbs on 16/12/2020 - 11:47
        +1

        The Mrs would argue differently, but I take your point thank you.

      • neezy on 17/12/2020 - 05:56

        That's what I thought too. But I had a resturant tell me different once. Saying that inserting the card doesn't incur the surcharge, even though it's the same card. I don't understand it. Something could have been lost in translation at the time though 🤭

      • neezy on 17/12/2020 - 06:06

        Actually the SMH article posted above posted by RedWood12 confirms what jm7 posted below regarding Inserting and Savings.

    • jm7 on 16/12/2020 - 12:02
      +5

      If you insert your debit card and choose savings rather than tapping, you will not incur the 0.5% surcharge.

      • Yola on 16/12/2020 - 22:54

        Yes, this is my experience also.

      • neezy on 17/12/2020 - 05:57

        Oh, maybe this is what she meant in regards the my resturant comment. Lol, I can't remember if the surcharge was added or not now 😅 #FoodComa

  • neezy on 17/12/2020 - 06:02

    Cheers my OzBargain fam!

    I guess it really depends on what your staples are. Location/convenience also comes into play, esp since I feel like some stores have different prices like Maccaz. The only way I'll definitively know is to get the same/equivalent items… or maybe just top 5, lol.

    Thanks again ❤

    • MrHyde on 18/12/2020 - 07:09

      Don't do top 5. That is what the stores are relying on to get you into the door. They will have cheap prices on the most common items - bread, milk, etc and where they get you is the rest of the shopping bill.

  • MrHyde on 18/12/2020 - 07:11
    +5

    Here is my most recent comparison of prices based on South Melbourne Woolies/Aldi/Coles.

    Ignore the veggie prices as they change every week. Also, the Coles prices vary in-store and online (for some veggies - most other items are accurate). All prices are unit prices for each comparison. All prices are before discounts and cc surcharges.

    Woolworths  Coles   Aldi

    Almonds $17.33 $15.00 $13.32
    Apple $6.90 $7.50 $5.99
    Apple Cider Vinegar $0.70 $0.28 $0.68
    Avocado $3.50 $3.00 $2.99
    Bananas $3.30 $3.50 $2.79
    Beans Round $5.90 $9.80 $6.98
    Blueberry $28.26 $26.47 $26.32
    Bread Crumbs $0.80 $1.13 $0.31
    Bread Roll $0.33 $0.42 $0.32
    Broccoli $3.50 $3.50 $2.99
    Brown Rice - Medium $0.32 $0.32 $0.24
    Buckwheat $0.70 $0.70
    Buckwheat Raw $0.70 $0.70
    Butter $1.00 $1.12 $1.00
    Cabbage $1.77 $2.00 $1.79
    Capsicum Green $7.90 $8.90 $6.49
    Capsicum Red $12.90 $12.90 $9.99
    Carrot $1.00 $1.33 $0.99
    Cashew $17.78 $17.50 $15.83
    Cauliflower $2.90 $2.50 $3.49
    Cheese Block $8.00 $8.00 $7.79
    Cheese Triangles $0.18
    Chocolate Melt $0.67 $1.33
    Coconut Cream $0.25 $0.25
    Coconut Milk $0.24 $0.20
    Coriander $2.50 $2.50 $2.99
    Corn Flakes $0.36 $0.36 $0.36
    Cucumber $4.90 $3.90 $3.69
    Dates $3.50 $3.50 $3.18
    Dishwashing Liquid $0.20 $0.20 $0.10
    Dishwashing Tablets $0.39 $0.29 $0.14
    Eggplant $7.90 $6.90 $3.99
    Fennel $2.00 $2.50
    Flowers $15.00 $12.00
    Frozen Berries $7.50 $8.00 $7.38
    Fruit Cake $0.86 $0.50
    Garbage Bag $0.05 $0.06 $0.08
    Garlic Bread $0.42 $0.42
    Ginger $55.00 $- $47.99
    Grapes $7.90 $7.50
    Honey $1.18 $1.30 $0.86
    Jell-it-in $6.25
    Kombucha $6.00 $6.00 $6.65
    Lasagna Sheet Gluten Free $2.10 $1.75
    Lemon $1.73 $1.78 $1.40
    Majans Original Mix $1.43 $1.39
    Mandarin $5.50 $- $3.79
    Mango $2.50 $1.63 $2.49
    Matches $0.48 $0.48
    Milk $3.59 $3.59 $3.59
    Muffin Mould $0.03 $0.04
    Nachos $1.43
    Nature's Cuppa $4.00 $4.40
    Noodles $0.46 $0.60
    Olive Oil $0.60 $0.50 $0.60
    Orange Juice $1.53 $1.68 $1.46
    Oreo $0.95 $0.68
    Pads Overnight $0.32 $0.40
    Pads Regular $0.15 $0.13
    Papaya $3.90 $3.69
    Parsley $3.00 $2.99
    Passata $0.20 $0.22 $0.21
    Pasta Buckwheat $0.87 $1.60
    Penne $0.33 $0.16 $0.16
    Plain Flour $1.00 $0.90 $0.99
    Polenta $4.40 $5.60
    Potato $1.88 $2.33 $1.66
    Prima $2.08 $1.67 $1.26
    Prunes $8.00 $8.00 $9.38
    Puff Pastry $0.23 $0.40 $0.23
    Pumpkin Cut $3.50 $1.50 $2.99
    Pumpkin Seeds $13.33 $12.00
    Quinoa $1.00 $1.00
    Raw Sugar $0.10 $0.11 $0.11
    Rice Noodles $0.50 $0.59
    Rolled Oats $0.19 $0.18 $0.18
    Rollup $4.26 $3.19 $3.50
    Rooibos $0.13 $0.13
    Sakata $1.00 $2.00 $0.89
    Salt $1.09 $2.00 $2.00
    Scourer $0.30 $0.30
    Self Raising Flour $1.00 $0.90
    Silverbeet $4.50 $4.50
    Soft Drink $0.60 $0.60 $0.55
    Sour Cream $7.00 $6.80 $7.00
    Spinach $2.90 $4.00 $4.49
    Steel Water Bottle $9.00 $12.00
    Storage Bag $0.12 $0.12 $0.08
    Strawberry $10.80 $10.80 $9.96
    Sunflower Oil $0.24 $0.23 $0.22
    Sunflower Seeds $7.00 $7.00 $7.56
    Sweet Potato Noodles $1.70 $2.00
    Taco Shells $1.43 $1.43 $1.36
    Takeaway Container $0.40 $0.40
    Thickened Cream $0.83 $0.63 $0.63
    Tinned Chickpea $0.19 $0.20 $0.19
    Tinned Pineapple $2.59 $2.59 $2.29
    Tinned Tomato $1.50 $1.88 $1.50
    Tofu Hard $7.38
    Toilet Paper $0.12 $0.12 $0.12
    Tomato $2.90 $2.00 $2.99
    Tomato Sauce $0.15 $0.20 $0.19
    Twisties $1.00
    Vanilla Essence $0.58 $0.58 $0.55
    Walnuts $20.00 $20.00 $17.98
    Weetbix $0.29 $0.29 $0.28
    Yoghurt $3.90 $3.90 $3.49
    Zucchini $4.90 $4.90 $3.99
    Lime $0.90 $0.79
    Peach $4.90 $3.90
    Evaporated Milk $7.20 $4.94
    Rice $2.80 $2.80
    Baking Paper $0.18 $0.18
    Aluminium Foil $0.09 $0.09
    Nectarine $3.50 $4.00
    Plum $7.90 $6.90
    Apricot $5.90 $5.90
    Frozen Corn $2.70 $2.70

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