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I love them both. I am glad we got a new Aldi in Livingston, NJ but still wish it were closer. Unfortunately, the closest Lidl is about 20-25 minutes away on Route 22 in Union. I know they are rapidly expanding so I am holding out hopes that either of them will make their way closer to me in Southern Morris County. I even submitted a location request on Lidl's website.
I think the Lidls in America have a bit too much "random crap" in the center of the store. Aldi is a bit more toned down, but is also a smaller store. The Lidl in Union had what seemed like an endless array of small home items which I don't think were super necessary. The European Lidls I have been to did not have as much of this.
You haven't noticed the "ALDI finds" section in their stores?
They also have a changing selection of housewares and domestics, just about all under their own brand, Crofton.
Lidl is opening up 5 minutes from me, they took over several Best Markets in my area. How does it compare to Aldi? I like Aldi for certain things but I mostly go to bigger chains like stop and shop for my daily Groceries. I think Alid's beef is horrible.
Paper goods, milk eggs ,flour sugar and butter are a good deal there. Not impressed with Alid's produce section. The Lidl by me won't be opening probably until January. Does Lidl have a deli counter or Seafood Counter?
Lidl is opening up 5 minutes from me, they took over several Best Markets in my area. How does it compare to Aldi? I like Aldi for certain things but I mostly go to bigger chains like stop and shop for my daily Groceries. I think Alid's beef is horrible.
Paper goods, milk eggs ,flour sugar and butter are a good deal there. Not impressed with Alid's produce section. The Lidl by me won't be opening probably until January. Does Lidl have a deli counter or Seafood Counter?
The only "service counter" Lidl offers is an in-store bakery, and I don't think it does things like custom orders. Service counters run counter to the no-frills, deep-discount, limited-selection business model, but Lidl apparently can make a go of it with these.
You haven't noticed the "ALDI finds" section in their stores?
They also have a changing selection of housewares and domestics, just about all under their own brand, Crofton.
Of course I have, which is why I said: "I think the Lidls in America have a bit too much "random crap" in the center of the store. Aldi is a bit more toned down, but is also a smaller store."
Of course I have, which is why I said: "I think the Lidls in America have a bit too much "random crap" in the center of the store. Aldi is a bit more toned down, but is also a smaller store."
Gotcha.
I guess it's my impression that Lidl has more space devoted to produce, meats and seafood than Aldi does, and that makes up for the "random crap" in the middle.
Not to mention, as I said above, that a good chunk of the meat is grass-fed. Aldi has some of that, but far less than Lidl does. If having more "random crap" means they carry more of that stuff, then bring on the random crap.
When I listen to British radio stations on the internet, they pronounce it like little ("little prices...") although the USA commercials say "rhymes with needle."
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Originally Posted by MarketStEl
Aldi, however, has much better chocolate, a greater range of deli cheeses...
Lidl has a six-pack of generically named "Milk Chocolate Bar" for a bit over $2, while Aldi has a similar 5-pack of slightly smaller bars for the same price. Aldi has more variety, though, outside those plain (but good) bars.
I could swear that Lidl's "Vintage English Cheddar" is the same as Trader Joe' much loved "Unexpected Cheddar" and have had a bit better luck with cheeses at Lidl than Aldi.
I tend to like Lidl a bit better overall, but both are pretty good for the money. A side-by-side comparison of many Aldi & Lidl products suggests they are from the same manufacturers. The bakery and slightly bigger store size swings it a bit more in Lidl's favor for me, but sometimes I just check their online circulars and see what they're offering in the non-food aisle that week to decide which one I'll go to. I don't carry much actual pocket money in these pandemic days, so gotta remember to bring a quarter to feed the shopping carts at Aldi.
Love Trader Joe's too, but that's more for specialty foods and treats, while Aldi/Lidle are more for inexpensive staples. And I still go to a full American supermarket for the familiar brand name things.
When I listen to British radio stations on the internet, they pronounce it like little ("little prices...") although the USA commercials say "rhymes with needle."
Yet Lidl's US circulars engage in the same wordplay their British advertisements do ("your Lidl price"). Maybe Lidl US management thinks we can handle both pronunciations. Kinda like that Uber Eats ad where two older men are about to face off over eating something with to-MAY-toes vs. eating something with no to-MAH-toes.
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I could swear that Lidl's "Vintage English Cheddar" is the same as Trader Joe' much loved "Unexpected Cheddar" and have had a bit better luck with cheeses at Lidl than Aldi.
With one exception — cream cheese — I think I agree with you on the quality tip. Lidl's cream cheese had a slight metallic taste I found off-putting compared to Aldi's.
And you can buy genuine Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese at Lidl for just $13 per pound, far less than I've seen it offered for sale anywhere else in this region.
It wouldn't surprise me that Lidl's "Vintage English Cheddar" has a match at TJ's either.
But it's on the variety metric that Aldi beats Lidl when it comes to cheeses. The deli-sliced cheeses I've seen at Lidl consist of mild and sharp Cheddar, Provolone (plain and smoked), Havarti, Gouda, Monterrey Jack, Muenster and Pepper Jack (jalapeño). At Aldi, I've also seen in addition to these smoked white Cheddar, smoked Gouda, chipotle Cheddar and habanero Jack; Aldi also carries aged New York State Cheddar in addition to English and sometimes Irish Cheddar, and it has a fairly wide range of specialty cheeses (goat chevre, Cheddar soaked in Irish whiskey, and so on) that change with the seasons.
And back to the cream cheese: Aldi now has spreadable Greek cream cheese. This slightly tangier cream cheese has (in Aldi's version) 3x the protein and half the fat of regular cream cheese. (I've seen it in only one other supermarket here, from a brand made by Franklin Foods; that one has 4x the protein and half the fat for about one-third more than the price of Aldi's. Since Franklin Foods' website says it's patented the process for making Greek cream cheese, I suspect it makes Aldi's as well.)
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I tend to like Lidl a bit better overall, but both are pretty good for the money. A side-by-side comparison of many Aldi & Lidl products suggests they are from the same manufacturers. The bakery and slightly bigger store size swings it a bit more in Lidl's favor for me, but sometimes I just check their online circulars and see what they're offering in the non-food aisle that week to decide which one I'll go to. I don't carry much actual pocket money in these pandemic days, so gotta remember to bring a quarter to feed the shopping carts at Aldi.
Love Trader Joe's too, but that's more for specialty foods and treats, while Aldi/Lidle are more for inexpensive staples. And I still go to a full American supermarket for the familiar brand name things.
As to whether it's worth it to pay the premium for a nationally advertised brand vs. a private-label product, well, everyone to their own taste, but depending on the product, I find that in many cases, the private-label brand is just as good and costs less. (Which is why you find private-label products almost exclusively at the two Aldi chains (Aldi and Trader Joe's) and Lidl.)
our lidl is rather small . 4 aisles and a boat load of frivalous household buys....
Pros to it: its small and you are in and out pretty quickly.
it has a wider selection of fish/seafood/meats
its organized
fair pricing
cons: They have a lidl "card" that I have yet to see a offer that appeals to my family. There is no incentive to use it if all they want to gather is what I buy and how often.
-Produce is meager
- There so called "organic" section is a car payment.
I rarely go to ALDI. Most of its "brand" products are high in salt or fillers, and poorly packaged.
Lidl is new to my area, but most likely I will never shop there. I have been to a few Aldi's over the years between the MidWest and East Coast, but the store itself is never on my radar. Aldi caters to the demographics of each store location. They are not the only grocer/store to do this but I think they are the most noticeable. The more affluent the neighborhood, the better quality product the respective Aldi will stock. At least Trader Joe's is consistent across the U.S.
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Originally Posted by recycled
Even if a shopper chooses not to shop at Aldi or Lidl in the US, they will benefit everyone in the area. Their low prices on high volume grocery store items keep the prices lower at the traditional grocery stores in the area. When I lived in southern California, that was the impact that the arrival of Aldi had on prices at Ralphs (Kroger), Vons and Albertsons (both owned by Albertsons), and even Walmart grocery stores.
Some Americans will always shop the deals and go where the deals take them as evidenced by this forum. The majority of Americans, however, are brand loyal. Besides, Aldi barely carriers even half of the types of products offered by a traditional grocery store.
If prices did go down at competing grocers, I suspect something else at play. Given the population of SoCal, Aldi couldn't open enough stores to make a dent in the competition and for the most part Aldi's competitor is Wal-Mart and [now] Lidl.
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Originally Posted by MarketStEl
Aside:
What's shocked me about Whole Paycheck is that you can now afford to eat their produce, which has always been one of that chain's strongest selling points.
I recently learned that produce buyers for supermarkets ask wholesalers for produce that's "plastic," by which they mean the fruits and veggies are uniform (and uniformly free of any blemishes or irregularities) in appearance. No other chain I've been to has produce as plastic as WFM.But it's also handled well and stored well, and it lasts longer in my crisper. The quality of WFM produce IMO stands head and shoulders above any other supermarket chain's, and now that I can buy it for what I'd pay for produce at the Reading Terminal Market here, I've been buying more of it there.
Eh, 'Whole Paycheck'. If you shop the Natural aisle and organic produce from your local grocer, WF is on par and WFs own 365 store brand is like all other store brands: cheaper than everything else they carry. Well, 365 is the same product just branded different. Take Boca as an example. WF goes to Boca and says you are going to sell us this same product under our 365 label and sell it to us at $2 less per unit or we are not going to carry your product at all.
Chances are you have an organic market/co-op that is even more expensive than WF and where I live grocery stores are expensive as it is and WF is only a hair more expensive than, say, Giant. My main draw to WF is they tell you were their products are coming from.
I eat sensible portions and do not stock up on chips, snacks, cereal, etc. A 16oz. steak for me is four servings. Because of my own eating habits I don't spend any more at WF than someone else would spend at a conventional grocer and yes it is because I am simply purchasing less stuff/food.
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Originally Posted by MarketStEl
Several behavioral economists have documented what has been called "the choice paradox": the more varieties of a product you're offered, the less likely you are to buy that product.
This has been known for decades but it is the more choices available, the more likely you are not going to make a choice (that is say, the more likely you are going to stick with 'your' brand). That's how you can have 4 different gas stations/brands at an intersection and even the station with the highest price gas isn't hurting for business.
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Originally Posted by MarketStEl
"Aldi-meets-Whole Foods."
As noted above, Aldi Nord owns Trader Joe's while Aldi Süd owns Aldi US. Aldi Nord sells Trader Joe's-branded products in its European stores.
But I don't understand why anyone paints a huge gulf between the two Aldi chains. Yes, TJ's specializes in the same sorts of higher-end, organic, specialty stuff WFM does, but IME Aldi's quality compares favorably with regular supermarkets, and they follow the exact same business model.
Trader Joe's has had a cult following since the '80s and although being owned by Aldi Nord, TJs and Aldi are independent of each other.
TJs has always had the exotic flair to it. Their products are simple. Their stores are small, easy to navigate, and yet they still carry a wide variety.
Lidl is new to my area, but most likely I will never shop there. I have been to a few Aldi's over the years between the MidWest and East Coast, but the store itself is never on my radar. Aldi caters to the demographics of each store location. They are not the only grocer/store to do this but I think they are the most noticeable. The more affluent the neighborhood, the better quality product the respective Aldi will stock. At least Trader Joe's is consistent across the U.S.
You also won't find TJ's stores in less-affluent neighborhoods, while you will find Aldi stores there. That probably more than anything else explains the difference you see.
Yet even the Aldi nearest me, which serves a mostly lower- to middle-middle-income territory, carries some specialty products that I wouldn't expect to see in a store catering to this demographic, like smoked salmon and serrano ham.
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Some Americans will always shop the deals and go where the deals take them as evidenced by this forum. The majority of Americans, however, are brand loyal. Besides, Aldi barely carriers even half of the types of products offered by a traditional grocery store.
If prices did go down at competing grocers, I suspect something else at play. Given the population of SoCal, Aldi couldn't open enough stores to make a dent in the competition and for the most part Aldi's competitor is Wal-Mart and [now] Lidl.
Yes and no on the boldfaced part. According to this chart from Statista, most Americans do buy more national brands than buy store brands in order to save money, but a majority of Millennials do the opposite, and Gen-Z comes close; a sizable minority of the other generations do too. In fact, stats have shown for years that 99 percent of American shoppers (actually, nearly 100 percent, according to that Statista chart) buy private label products at least some of the time. They may not make up a majority of their food purchases, but they are present in their shopping carts much of the time.
It's the limited selection and the reliance on private-label products that keep Aldi prices low and TJ's prices low for their category. Neither chain carries as many SKUs as a typical American supermarket.
And given that back in 2017, Aldi announced that it planned to become the nation's third-largest grocery retailer, behind Walmart and Kroger, and the #2 supermarket chain behind Kroger (stories on this from Seeking Alpha and Lancaster Online), with a goal of 2,500 stores in the US by two years hence, it may well open up enough stores in California to have an effect on grocery prices there.
As the Seeking Alpha story notes, Aldi now also has "legions of rabid fans" around the country. (It gets TJ's parentage wrong, however.)
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Eh, 'Whole Paycheck'. If you shop the Natural aisle and organic produce from your local grocer, WF is on par and WFs own 365 store brand is like all other store brands: cheaper than everything else they carry. Well, 365 is the same product just branded different. Take Boca as an example. WF goes to Boca and says you are going to sell us this same product under our 365 label and sell it to us at $2 less per unit or we are not going to carry your product at all.
Chances are you have an organic market/co-op that is even more expensive than WF and where I live grocery stores are expensive as it is and WF is only a hair more expensive than, say, Giant. My main draw to WF is they tell you were their products are coming from.
I eat sensible portions and do not stock up on chips, snacks, cereal, etc. A 16oz. steak for me is four servings. Because of my own eating habits I don't spend any more at WF than someone else would spend at a conventional grocer and yes it is because I am simply purchasing less stuff/food.
365 products are indeed price-competitive with other stores' private-label lines, and that was the case before Amazon bought Whole Foods too. But its produce prices were noticeably higher on conventionally grown produce, and even now, I still often find better conventional produce prices at the Reading Terminal Market. But that's no longer always the case like it used to be. (And to your point on organic produce: I recently noted that organic spring mix sells for the same price at both WFM and Aldi.) Its meats and fresh seafood, however, are still more expensive, but much of both is higher in quality than what the supermarkets sell.
Produce at both MOM's Organic Market and the Weavers Way Co-op here is no less expensive than at WFM, and it may even be pricier, but I can't say for sure because I don't buy produce from either store. MOM's has the lowest prices on organic whole bean coffee of any local grocer, however, and it's all roasted in-house at company headquarters outside Baltimore. (And the price is actually competitive with conventionally grown, non-Fair Trade whole bean coffee at most supermarkets.)
Actually, I don't think the private-label contracts are shakedowns of the kind you state above. A number of manufacturers of national brands don't make store brands (e.g., the makers of Listerine mouthwash do not produce private-label competitors). And some of the national-brand manufacturers who do make private-label products don't make nationally-advertised branded items in the categories where they make private-label products (e.g., most of the private-label soups you see in the supermarket are made by Kraft Heinz). But there are some companies, like Del Monte, that make both in the same categories.
TJ's, from what I hear, buys excess production or overstock from major manufacturers.
The shakedown comes in "slottage fees": "You want us to stock your brand on our shelves? You'll have to pay us $x for the privilege."
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This has been known for decades but it is the more choices available, the more likely you are not going to make a choice (that is say, the more likely you are going to stick with 'your' brand). That's how you can have 4 different gas stations/brands at an intersection and even the station with the highest price gas isn't hurting for business.
Trader Joe's has had a cult following since the '80s and although being owned by Aldi Nord, TJs and Aldi are independent of each other.
TJs has always had the exotic flair to it. Their products are simple. Their stores are small, easy to navigate, and yet they still carry a wide variety.
I said as much in the post of mine you replied to, and I also gave the history that led to the Albrecht brothers splitting the company in two. The US is the only country in which both Aldi companies operate stores in the same territory, and its home country of Germany is the only other country where both Aldi chains have stores (reflected in the respective Aldi companies' names; some provision of German law allows them to be legally separate yet connected in some way). Aldi Nord sells TJ's-branded products in Aldi stores it operates in other countries.
As for what you say about the "choice paradox," most of the research I've read finds that if shoppers are given too many choices in a product line, they will simply not by any of that product at all. That's probably not the case in the cereal aisle, where most shoppers do buy some type of cereal or other, but it does seem to apply elsewhere, especially in the case of products the shopper isn't used to buying.
And again, I think you will find that Aldi carries as many different items as TJ's does. It's just that more of what Aldi and Lidl carry consists of non-food items like housewares, outdoor furniture in season and domestics (sheets and towels).
Last edited by MarketStEl; 10-06-2020 at 11:37 AM..
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