In a survey that came out earlier this year, Brits voted for Aldi as their favourite supermarket, taking the top spot away from a higher-end supermarket known as Waitrose (think Whole Foods in Canada, and you are getting close, while Aldi is closer to the equivalent of No Frills). In second place was Marks and Spencer (we had those for a while in Canada), with third going to another German discount retailer, Lidl. Waitrose actually fell to fourth place this year after being in first for three years. Discount shopping options are definitely on the rise.
Our friends in town are in full agreement with the love affair with the new Aldi. They see it as much-needed shot at the stores that are too expensive and don't consider the needs of families and seniors who can't afford the high prices and don't want the fancy foods.
Phil and I have been in the new Aldi a few times as it is near the garden centre we like to go to for a walk and coffee. What's interesting about their marketing strategy is that for the most part, all of the products are their own brands. It reminds me a lot of when Loblaws came up with their No Name and President's Choice brands...you know that the products actually come from the big brands -- just the packing is different. However, what can be a bit off putting to us Canadians is that most products don't indicate their country of origin. The exceptions are meat, eggs and milk, all of which are sourced in the UK. It's the kind of store where groceries line the outer edges and down the middle are a mish mash of items some buyer obviously got a deal on. No real rhyme nor reason to what's there. On our last visit we actually saw a fake pile of poo with a face on it for sale as a kid's toy (and no, I'm not kidding).
The check-outs are similar to WalMart...usually quite long. One of the things I always admired about the British is that they have retained exceptional politeness when it comes to supermarket checkout; they don't rush you through, and wait until you have finished bagging before they begin checking out the next customer. At Aldi, you have to put your groceries back in your cart and then bag them yourself away from the till (they have a shelf along the back wall).
The prices are cheaper in many cases (but not all), so I don't begrudge families looking for deals (although when I've been in the store, the amount of pre-made processed food I see in shopping carts doesn't seem to be the answer to saving money).
The problem I have with the concept is that because we've chosen to live in somewhere as special as the Cotswolds, it's really tough for us not do what we can to support local farmers, shops and providers. We are frugal and look for bargains like anyone else, and we find them with the local suppliers. And when a local product is more expensive than that provided by its big-chain counterpart, we buy less (think meat), which isn't a bad thing either.
But no one else in town -- as far as I've noticed -- sells fake poo, so if I'm ever in the market, I'll go back to Aldi ... although I didn't noice their branding on that particular product.
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