Are All ALDIs Hopeless, or Is It Just My Local One?

arescarti42 on 12/07/2022 - 19:20

I'm kind of at my wits' end and trying to figure out if changing stores will help, or if I should just suck it up and start shopping at Woolworths exclusively.

Everyone knows that ALDI has low prices, but availability of products at my local store (in Canberra) is just atrocious. Every time I go in there, without fail, I have to go to Woolworths afterwards because 20-60% of the stuff I'm after they don't have in stock.

The last time I was there, they were out of:

  • salad greens
  • sweet peas
  • cherry tomatoes
  • decaf coffee
  • eggs (of any kind - how the hell does a supermarket just run out of all eggs?!)
  • all frozen fruit (berries, mango, etc).
  • all frozen white fish (basa, hoki, cod, etc.).
  • greek yoghurt
  • All frozen vegetables except green beans
  • Ziploc bags

They are regularly out of wide varieties of basic fruits and vegetables, frozen goods, dairy, canned goods, bread, and cleaning products. Some items (e.g. the frozen stuff) has been completely sold out for literally months, and either hasn't been restocked, or is immediately gone when it is.

I have tried shopping on different days, and at different times of the day. I've asked staff when they are restocked to try and time my shop immediately after, but they just say they receive deliveries throughout the day. I would chalk it up to COVID delays, except it has been consistently like this for a couple of years now. The nearby Woolworths is rarely out of what I'm after, and if they are, there is almost always a different brand or similar product available. Why can't ALDI get it right?

What is your experience with ALDI product availability (esp. Canberra)? Is it just my local that is terrible?

Given how much valuable time I waste going to Woolworths after every shop, I'm just about ready to ditch ALDI and do my whole shop there.

Food & Grocery

Related Stores

ALDI
ALDI

Comments

  • SF3 on 12/07/2022 - 19:23
    +69

    Nice try Woolworths marketing team.

  • c64 on 12/07/2022 - 19:28
    +6

    coles was not much better last time i visited

  • whatwasherproblem on 12/07/2022 - 19:30
    -2

    I've never actually shopped at Aldi myself, but every now and then I'll drive past on the way to Coles and daydream about what it'd be like if I ever did step foot into an Aldi store.

    I can't remember if it was here or somewhere else online that I shitpost regularly but there was a price comparison somewhere I remember reading, and Aldi seemed to consistently have the lower prices, so I've been wondering what the catch was with that (apparently, stock issues). Cheers for sharing OP.

    • foxmulder on 12/07/2022 - 19:39
      +19

      You are missing out.

      • whatwasherproblem on 12/07/2022 - 19:42
        +2

        Quite possibly. I really should just go there for my next grocery shop.

        • RockyRaccoon on 12/07/2022 - 19:45
          +7

          Hand in your Ozbargain licence 😂

        • brendanm on 12/07/2022 - 19:46
          +4

          Enjoy the checkout experience.

          • bloom on 12/07/2022 - 20:07
            +3

            @brendanm: I always shop Aldi so when I occasionally end up at colesworth the check out makes me nuts, hurry the f$&k up and throw it down here!!!

            • brendanm on 12/07/2022 - 21:28

              @bloom: I can't stand it personally. Always think it'll be ok, it never is. Would much rather the nice people do it, who do it every day, and do a much better job than I can.

              • ultravanilla on 21/07/2022 - 11:31

                @brendanm: Pack your own bags seems to be expanding. Went to a woolworths last week where that was the set up even with staffed checkout.

                The upside was that woolies were a bit slower on the scanning so I did actually have time to pack bags rather than the panic I get with the speedy ALDI staff who seem to take joy in being faster to scan than you can pack and watching idiots like me get flustered.

            • Quantumcat on 12/07/2022 - 21:43
              +6

              @bloom: Or you could just go through the self checkouts. Much faster than Aldi who always seem to only have one checkout line open, then if you get a big family in front of you, goodbye at least 5 minutes.

              • [Deactivated] on 12/07/2022 - 23:06
                +1

                @Quantumcat: That's why they're cheaper.

                • Quantumcat on 13/07/2022 - 07:24

                  @[Deactivated]: That doesn't make sense. Staff cost money.

                  • DoctorCalculon on 14/07/2022 - 23:21
                    +1

                    @Quantumcat: ALDI probably has lower rates of theft at the checkout vs the self-checkouts at Colesworth.

                    A guy just literally walked out of my local Woolies store with a basket full of groceries without paying for anything a couple of weeks ago.

                    • Yola on 15/07/2022 - 03:10
                      +2

                      @DoctorCalculon: I saw this also at my local Coles but the store manager and security guy were waiting at the front for him to exist and tackled him. He must have been a regular offender.

    • USER DC on 12/07/2022 - 23:53
      +2

      Yes dont forget about the 0.5% CC surcharge for Credit option, and pack your own bags and pay Gold coin to get a trolley at ALDI

      • servodude on 13/07/2022 - 08:03
        +8

        You're meant to collect the gold coin when you return the trolley :)

      • Ryk on 13/07/2022 - 08:15

        pay with eftpos (select chq or sav, or tap an eftpos card (not visa or mastercard), or select eftpos in apple pay).

        • ItsBatman on 15/07/2022 - 16:57

          Hey Ryk, how to pay with eftpos in apple pay. i am unable to find any options under the card in wallet

      • Dslrfirst on 13/07/2022 - 10:43
        +2

        Most colesworths in Canb have the gold coin deposits.

      • brendanm on 13/07/2022 - 17:24
        +1

        Life hack- go to nearby colesworths and nab one of their trolleys.

        • USER DC on 13/07/2022 - 17:25

          Exactly what i do when shopping big, (and cant have had been bothered to bring bags aka forget to bring them)

      • Dslrfirst on 16/07/2022 - 12:06

        A gold coin is required at most if not all Colesworth stores near Aldi in our neck of the woods.

    • A-mak on 17/07/2022 - 01:06

      Only stuff cheaper at my local Aldis are the sundries which are of poorer quality than home brand coles.

      Everything else is either the same or more expensive.

      It's the same how some items are cheaper at Woolworths, some are cheaper at coles.

      In terms of fresh fruit & veg, local market (mannies market) trumps all 3 for prices. $4 per kilo for bananas at coles, walk across the road and get em for 60cents a kilo; etc. It is a shame the butchers around here are not cheaper. Hopefully I can find a community co-op where the group chucks in for a calf and 2 years later reap the benefits.

  • JimmyF on 12/07/2022 - 19:34
    +13

    The last time I was there, they were out of

    You do know that has been the standard affair for most supermarkets for months now.

    Wait till you see the lettuce prices!

    • arescarti42 on 12/07/2022 - 19:39
      +3

      I'd believe it if it weren't for the fact that it isn't the case for the Woolworths I inevitably have to go to after my Aldi shop.

      Sure, they might be out of one or two items on occasion, but ALDI seems to be reliably out of 10-30% of its entire product line.

      • JimmyF on 12/07/2022 - 19:45
        +2

        There is always something out of stock at Coles/Woolies/ALDI when I go shopping. Nothing like you claim in my local ALDI though.

        As there seems to be at least 4 ALDIs stores in Canberra, might be time to try another one to compare?

        • RockyRaccoon on 12/07/2022 - 19:47
          +4

          Could be that the locals have discovered Aldi, shop at Aldi rather than Woolworths, so Aldi runs out while Woolworths has plenty of stock left over.

  • afoveht on 12/07/2022 - 19:58
    -5

    -salad greens
    -sweet peas
    -cherry tomatoes
    -decaf coffee
    -eggs (of any kind - how the hell does a supermarket just run out of all eggs?!)
    -all frozen fruit (berries, mango, etc).
    -all frozen white fish (basa, hoki, cod, etc.).
    -greek yoghurt
    -All frozen vegetables except green beans
    -Ziploc bags

    Commiserations.

    -salad greens
    -sweet peas
    -cherry tomatoes
    -decaf coffee
    -eggs (of any kind - how the hell does a supermarket just run out of all eggs?!)
    -all frozen fruit (berries, mango, etc).
    -all frozen white fish (basa, hoki, cod, etc.).
    -greek yoghurt
    -All frozen vegetables except green beans
    -Ziploc bags

    Scha​den​freu​des

  • WreckTangle on 12/07/2022 - 20:12
    +11

    I shop at Aldi wherever possible. Better than being financially violated by Colesworth

  • morse on 12/07/2022 - 20:50

    It varies who is out of stock at any given time. There’s been times where my Woolies and coles have had very little stock and Aldi most things and vice versa.

    Honestly at the moment it’s so random we probably all need to be a bit flexible and not count on a certain product being there. I did notice recently but that Aldi had no frozen berries but Woolworths had some. In the past Woolworths was out of everything frozen but Aldi had a lot.

    I also saw the fruit shop trying to sell mushy bruised old berries for $4 a punnet. whilst I appreciate they have to profit, I don’t particularly want to eat fruit that is almost at compost level.

  • Cluster on 12/07/2022 - 21:00

    I like ALDI, but in Adelaide I have noticed quite a few product lines are consistently out of stock. Certain frozen fish products, frozen ready meals, instant noodles, toilet paper, etc. There are signs up around the shops stating due to COVID and supply restrictions some lines may be out of stock.

  • foxmulder on 12/07/2022 - 21:06
    +2

    Costco Lidcombe/Auburn and Marsden Park ran out of eggs last week, so it's not just your local Aldi.

  • [Deactivated] on 12/07/2022 - 21:11
    -2

    So much unnecessary detail in this post.

    ffs - try the other ALDI stores in Canberra or shop at the other supermarkets. It's not like you're going to starve.

  • ozbs25 on 12/07/2022 - 21:16

    No eggs at Costco Ipswich either.

  • RotundPolarBear on 12/07/2022 - 21:27
    +4

    -eggs (of any kind - how the hell does a supermarket just run out of all eggs?!)

    My local Coles was completely out of eggs on the weekend. This is in a large shopping centre. So it's not just Aldi. Apparently there is an egg shortage.

  • Quantumcat on 12/07/2022 - 21:36

    What suburb?

    I don't shop at Aldi because they usually only have 1-2 brands of each item, and often they all suck. Eg their own brand of raspberry jam tastes horrible. I can imagine why they would often be out of stock of a whole category of item, since they don't have much variety. So if the single brand they have of something got sold out or there's a delay with the supplier, well that's it. At Colesworth you'd be more likely to find ten brands of a category of item than 2. Their staff also have zero clue. You ask one of them a question (if you can catch one before they hurry away after spotting that you are about to approach them), and they stare at you like stunned mullets and have no idea. It's like it is every single staff member's first day on the job! The best you might get out of them, after asking where to find a particular item, is "if it isn't on the shelf we don't have it", to which you might reasonably reply, "but which shelf is that?" and they're already gone before you can finish the sentence. The difference of customer service between Colesworth and Aldi is like the difference of customer service between McDonald's and KFC. I can't understand why anyone would shop there unless maybe they got sucked into the Aldi coffee system. Nothing is cheaper there and you get much less choice about what you can buy. The only reason to shop there really is that it is fun to look at the "special buys" but that loses its novelty after the second or third visit.

    • [Deactivated] on 12/07/2022 - 23:03
      +1

      The difference of customer service between Colesworth and Aldi is like the difference of customer service between McDonald's and KFC

      Non entirely sure what are you trying to say here, that there's no difference whatsoever or what?

      What exactly customer service you expect from supermarket? If it's on a shelf take it and put it in a basket, if it's not - come back other day or go elsewhere. Same about products - if you don't like it, just don't buy it, there's plenty of choice around, it's not like your next closest supermarket is 3 hours drive away.

      • crentist on 13/07/2022 - 00:27
        +2

        Non entirely sure what are you trying to say here, that there's no difference whatsoever or what?

        Given the context of the rest of the post, I think they were using either McDonalds or KFC as their example of top notch good quality dining experience.

        Hell of a choice of example, but I guess we all just work with what we know.

      • Quantumcat on 13/07/2022 - 07:27
        +1

        Every KFC I've ever been to has staff that don't give a damn, and put together your food so slowly, plus are likely to just be chatting to each other with no one serving while the line grows and grows. They also get my order wrong like half the time at least. While McDonald's staff are like hyperactive ants trying to go as fast as possible.

        • kyle on 13/07/2022 - 07:43
          +1

          There's a reason why it's called McDonald's System

    • 2esc on 13/07/2022 - 09:58

      Difference between McDonald's and KFC?

  • pegaxs on 12/07/2022 - 22:01
    +4

    Nope, mine is hopeless as well, but last time I said they were hopeless, I got downvoted to oblivion… contrary to what people think, negging me to oblivion didn’t make the local Aldi shop any better. They still suck. The store is great, products are great, but the staff are (fropanity) (fropanity) (fropanity). And not in a nice way.

  • Richardc on 12/07/2022 - 23:14

    Know their restock hours and go around those time.

    • arescarti42 on 13/07/2022 - 10:19

      I asked the staff and they basically said they didn't have regular restock times

  • spackbace on 13/07/2022 - 00:47
    +1

    Is the $$ difference really that great to bother going other-branded items?

    I've never really been drawn to Aldi. I'll pop in there if it's close to the end of the shopping centre I'm at, and I only need a couple of things, but I wouldn't buy the weeks shopping there

    • pegaxs on 13/07/2022 - 08:27

      I just like going in there for the special buys and looking at all the fake brands and thinking how do they not get sued to oblivion for some of the copycat branding.

      • Yola on 13/07/2022 - 11:05

        They have been and they won. Bet they did not get their lawyers at ALDI.

    • netjock on 13/07/2022 - 09:40
      +2

      I buy what I like then head off to Woolworths / Coles as they are all in the same centre.

      Aldi was never meant to be an all in one shop.

      OP must have just got sick of supply chain issues. Shelves haven't been fully stocked for ages. They need to make decisions on what to bring in at these high shipping rates (and what sells / keeps customers coming in).

    • arescarti42 on 13/07/2022 - 10:24
      +2

      Being cheaper is part of the appeal, but I also like not having to choose between endless varieties of products, worry about specials etc.

      It's nice being able to grab the one variety they sell and know that it is a decent product at a good price. Makes for quick and easy shopping (or it would if they had items in stock).

  • leiiv on 13/07/2022 - 01:11
    +4

    In general, buying only half price specials and most homebrand products with WW 10% off plus the 4% off gift card is still better than Aldi. In addition, it is quite often you got bonus point offers from everyday rewards making it all even cheaper.
    For example, Aldi's free range egg is only 10% cheaper than WW ones. Of course there are exceptions, like Aldi's brioche buns are still much cheaper than the premium brand at WW.

  • thestig on 13/07/2022 - 07:38
    +2

    Hasn't this always been the issue with Aldi? I don't think I've ever been able to do my whole shop there unless I'm happy to just make meals with whatever they happen to have. You can save a few dollars if you can be bothered doing the run around between shops, but generally I find my time is more valuable than the savings.

  • Ryanek on 13/07/2022 - 08:16

    I think it speaks to its popularity.

  • iamherenow on 13/07/2022 - 08:20

    Mine is truly bad at the moment. So much missing stuff that is normally available. It seems worse at end of day.

  • Ryk on 13/07/2022 - 08:26
    +1

    yes, in the past 6 months particularly Aldi have been out of various items regularly, and many specials arrive late. I figure this is a result of their lean supply processes and JIT ordering/delivery, that usually delivers the lowers prices we love, also cant catch up in these supply/labour constrained times, see car prices and ordering/delivery times.

    They seem regularly short on;
    OJ
    baby peas
    cauliflower bake & broccoli bake
    dishwasher powder/tablets
    red salmon (small tins)
    TP is still rather random, so much they had electric bikes in the Tp department for months at the four stores I visit, and I did need to visit colesworth for bog roll 2-3 months ago.
    I have the seen the bread shelves completely empty in the past 3 months.
    The choc croissants/pan au chocolat are gone, it seems.

    Just about the whole world is borked at present.

    You can pay over the going rate for stuff at coles/woollies, but wheres the fun in that.

  • idboys on 13/07/2022 - 08:32
    +1

    Not sure which Canberra Aldi you go to but Majura Park and Queanbeyan have often have low stock. Particularly mornings when I’ve been or late afternoon. If you can try Jerrabomberra which is a quieter store and may have more stock

    • arescarti42 on 13/07/2022 - 10:26

      Thanks for the tip.

  • saltypete on 13/07/2022 - 09:06

    Have gone to ALDI every now and then, but it doesn’t impress.
    Our shopping system doesn’t work with it either and we generally get better results from Colesworth.
    As an aside, have walked out of Woolies a couple of times in the last month because there was nothing that we wanted at a good enough price to buy…..

  • netjock on 13/07/2022 - 09:41
    +2

    Chill out. Supply chain issues. They'd like to sell you everything but it just isn't possible.

  • jrvb42 on 13/07/2022 - 09:51

    Y'all know there's an egg shortage, yes?

  • 2esc on 13/07/2022 - 10:03
    +1

    Every time I go into Aldi they are out of toilet paper and the range at Woolworths is limited. What's going on? Is this happening elsewhere?

  • cuteseal on 13/07/2022 - 10:18
    +2

    My local ones (I've got 2 close to me) have been consistently out of tissues and toilet paper. Paper towels (kitchen) are randomly in and out of stock.
    Veggies have been mostly there but every week there is usually something missing, like broccoli or green beans. I just substitute or grab whatever they have there.

    I usually visit Coles after my Aldi shop to get the things I can't get from Aldi (dairy free cheese and stuff like that), and just get whatever is missing from there.

  • OZBargainer in SA on 13/07/2022 - 10:43
    +2

    You'll get what you pay for at Aldi; fewer and less dedicated staff and (own-brand) products where the suppliers have had to cut costs to sell to Aldi. And if you were a supplier who is short of stock and had to decide to supply to Aldi or Coles/Woolworths/IGA/Foodland, it's an easy decision.

  • Darayus on 13/07/2022 - 11:05
    +3

    Can you imagine the hassle to return their own brand stuff because you don't have a receipt that you have bought it?

    I had museli once and it was rancid, smell very funny, unfortunately, I open after my current stock got over, I took it back to store and you know what they say, sorry we need a receipt to refund, I said it smell rancid, then they have to call their supervisor, they prepare details report, which shop I bought when n I bought etc and finally they refunded me $ 3.50.

    Coles, the same thing happened and it was a coles store product and they happily refunded with apologies.

  • 82norm on 13/07/2022 - 13:31

    Good, different.

  • Mechz on 13/07/2022 - 14:18

    What time of day do you go in? I find that matters a lot in my area, if you leave it to mid-afternoon or later almost everything 'in demand' is gone.

    Probably why pensioners shop at 8am.

  • USER DC on 16/07/2022 - 20:47

    How was your local store today with the Washing machines ??

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