Martin Lewis

What's hot and what's not at Aldi/Lidl/Netto
 

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Published 14 February 2006

Supercheap supermarkets Lidl, Aldi and Netto smack the bottoms of their big name competitors when it comes to prices. The problem is their products can be hit and miss. To beat this I asked MoneySavers to rate the good from the bad – to help you find what to buy.

Lidl, Aldi and Netto: The Lowdown

The Great ‘Top Stuff at Aldi/Lidl/Netto' Hunt result
Related articles, ask questions or discuss

Lidl, Aldi and Netto: The Lowdown

They may not be as widespread as the well known supermarkets but if you've one in your area Lidl, Aldi and Netto are well worth checking out. Use the store finders on their sites to see if there's one near you.

How come they're so cheap?

Shop overheads are kept to a minimum to keep prices low. To do this they locate stores where land prices are lower, keep store furnishings to a bare minimum and charge for carrier bags. Lidl and Aldi don't provide baskets and tend to use coin-operated trolleys instead. Also, all three don't accept credit cards (apart from some Scottish and Welsh stores) so remember to take cash or a debit card with you.

Weekly specials

All three have special offers which change every Thursday; you can often pick up some cracking deals on electronics as well as everyday groceries. Lidl and Netto also have additional offers on Mondays. Keep your eyes peeled for deals on their websites or, even better, Lidl and Aldi both send weekly offers by email – sign up and you'll be the first to know.



The Great ‘Top Stuff at Aldi/Lidl/Netto' Hunt Results

Each week in my weekly Money Tips e-mail there's a Great Hunt which taps MoneySavers collective research power for the greater good. The following are the result of the that hunt (see the orginal). Our exacting judges have assessed everything from cider to shower gel – hopefully it'll help you decide which products are worth switching to.

How to use the chart

Find the item you're interested in to see if it scored well or just didn't deliver. To make the verdicts easier to decipher I gave each product a weighting. Where someone liked it, it got a plus point, where they didn't like it, it was given a minus point. So for example, just one person mentioned having bought whisky from Aldi and didn't like it so its weighting is -1.

Product/Store

Aldi

Lidl

Netto

ALCOHOL




Alcohol ale/bitter/stout

4

3

2

Alcohol cider

1

4

N/A

Alcohol cream liqueur

1

6

-1

Alcohol general incl alcopops

4

2

N/A

Alcohol lager

16

12

3

Alcohol liqueurs

3

10

1

Alcohol Spirits eg gin vodka brandy

3

10

1

Alcohol whisk(e)y

-1

4

N/A

Alcohol wine incl mulled sangria champagne prosecco claret

27

34

7

BATHROOM




Bathroom bubble bath shower gel shampoo conditioner

6

5

N/A

Bathroom Dental Mouthwash blue

N/A

-1

N/A

Bathroom Dental Mouthwash green

N/A

1

N/A

Bathroom DENTAL toothpaste / toothbrush

1

5

N/A

Bathroom FIRST AID/medical/condoms

3

5

1

Bathroom Perfume/aftershave/body spray/deodorant

1

7

N/A

Bathroom razors/shave cream

4

3

N/A

Bathroom skinprods incl facewash & Q10

2

11

N/A

BABY




Baby nappies /wipes / bath products

4

11

N/A

BISCUITS/CAKES




Biscuit shortbread/flapjack incl choc

N/A

5

N/A

Biscuits Chocolate incl digestives

6

6

N/A

Biscuits cookies luxury

2

-1

N/A

Biscuits German Gingerbread

1

12

N/A

Biscuits Gingernut and stem ginger

5

3

N/A

Biscuits incl jammies oaties

12

7

3

Cakes Stollen /backwells/pies/pastries/muffin/maltloaf

11

25

5

BREAD




Bread choc au pain/tearshare/brioche

2

4

N/A

Bread crumpet/Croissant/pancake/naan/potatocake/waffle

0

3

2

Bread garlic bread

-3

-2

N/A

Bread gluten free low GI

4

N/A

N/A

Bread Granary & wholemeal bread

5

5

2

Bread incl rolls

8

6

2

Bread part baked incl ciabatta

11

12

1

Bread Tortilla wraps

2

1

1

CEREALS




Cereal Crunchy granola type

0

0

N/A

Cereal incl muesli and porridge

6

13

N/A

DAIRY




Butter

6

9

2

Cheese brie

1

2

N/A

Cheese cheddar

-1

6

1

Cheese cottage cheese

N/A

3

1

Cheese Feta cheese incl in oil

7

1

1

Cheese most cheeses

4

31

4

Cheese mozzarella

3

9

N/A

Cheese Parmesan cheese

7

15

N/A

Cheese ready grated

N/A

1

N/A

Cheese sliced cheese

N/A

2

N/A

Cheese sliced edam cheese

N/A

2

N/A

Cheese sliced gouda cheese

N/A

4

N/A

Cheese stilton cheese

N/A

1

N/A

Eggs incl free range

1

5

1

CHILLED PRODUCTS




Chilled spring rolls

N/A

1

N/A

Chiller chicken and leek pie

4

N/A

N/A

Chiller coleslaw

3

8

N/A

Chiller fishcakes

1

N/A

N/A

Chiller lasagne/pasta fresh

4

3

N/A

Chiller pasta salad

N/A

-1

N/A

Chiller pork pie

N/A

1

N/A

Chiller potato salad

N/A

4

N/A

Chiller sandwich fillers

N/A

1

N/A

Chiller sausage rolls

N/A

1

N/A

Chiller scotch eggs

1

2

N/A

Chiller soup

3

N/A

N/A

Chiller spreads

3

-1

1

Chiller steak and mushroom pie

3

N/A

N/A

DRINKS




Choc milkshake

N/A

2

N/A

Coffee

3

7

2

Coffee 100%

4