Razor Sharp Prices (Aldi)

Member Name: merv

Product:	Aldi
Date:	20/02/03 (2232 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Inexpensive, Genuine bargains, No expensive gimmicks

Disadvantages: Limited supplies, Busy check-outs, Unfamiliar brands

Three or four weeks ago I was singing the praises of my Gillette Mach 3 razor, which I claimed was the ultimate shave, the only drawback being the price.

Well I have some news.

The saturday before last I visited my local Aldi and was nearly trampled to death by a crowd of blokes larger than that which usually watches Wrexham’s home matches.

Recovering my composure I decided to join in the melee, believing that they probably had one of their brilliant computer deals on. You know what I mean laptops, pc’s, printers, digital cameras, Digital TV’s, etc. at unbelievable prices – the only drawback being by the time I get there they’ve all gone!

I pushed myself to the front of the crowd only to find that rather than some high-tec equipment, they were all drooling over a delivery of razors. ‘Best shave I’ve ever had – bar none’ said one enthusiastic punter. ‘I look in every Saturday, just on the off-chance’ said another. I decided I must have one. Just the one, mind you, though everyone else seemed to be buying them by the barrel load.

I got to the checkout and asked the girl on the till about it. She said it was currently one of their most popular items and the word seemed to be spreading.

I’m not surprised either the Carlton Edge3 three blade shaving system looks, feels and shaves like the Gillette Mach 3, but it is an incredible £1.95 for a razor and two blades and £1.45 for a four cartridge refill pack. Unbelievable value, less than half the price of the Gillette!

And that of course is what Aldi is all about. It is a truly international supermarket offering a wide choice of products, usually unfamiliar brands many of which match the quality of leading brands, while being significantly cheaper.

It has over 5000 stores across the world and its size means that it has tremendous buying power; they buy at better rates, and reduce
costs by cutting out the gimmicks. The resultant savings are substantial and are passed on as discounted prices.

All products in the Aldi range, whether baked beans or fresh cut flowers, biscuits or daily delivered fresh fruit and vegetables, are sourced from reputable suppliers. Their selection process enables them to offer their customers own brand products whose quality usually, but not always, matches that of leading brands. And it’s not just groceries. As well as everyday items there is an extensive range of products such as freshly prepared ready meals, continental cheeses, toiletries, gardening equipment, electrical and computer goods.

Every Thursday, they have an exciting new selection of weekly specials. These can include anything from computers and accessories to TVs and DVD players and toys, clothing and kitchenware. Each week there is an exclusive selection and they are very popular because they are so reasonably priced, but with limited quantities, they soon run out.

By selling only their own brands, they keep the quality high and the prices incredibly low. Other cost saving things they do include:

Charging for carrier bags – bear in mind there’s no such thing as a free carrier bag, Tesco and the like add this cost into the prices of their products and so you pay for them indirectly. At least with Aldi you can decide whether you want to pay for one or not. And of course it’s a very environmentally friendly policy.

Basic advertising – a weekly leaflet delivered with the local newspaper, and that’s it. No Jamie Oliver, but no contribution towards his fat salary either.

Trolleys only – easier to use, less likely to go missing and I suspect can save them a lot on labour costs whilst encouraging shoppers to buy more.

Difficult to contact – I tried phoning them a couple of years ago to ask if they had any of their special offer printers left, onl
y to find they aren’t listed in the telephone book. It seems that the managers deal with all queries and complaints, but only on a ‘face to face’ basis. If you want to moan about something you have to do it in person! Having said that, their no quibble 100% cash refund guarantee is just the ticket.

Small number of staff – I remember when Aldi’s first started in this country, they would only accept cash and their checkout staff had to learn the prices of each of the commodities on sale. I was told that they paid a lot more than the other supermarkets but the assistants had to work harder and could be moved to meet staff shortages or absences at another store at very short notice. Nowadays they have price scanners and accept credit, debit cards and cheques. I find the staff friendly and efficient but it is slow getting served sometimes if you go at peak times.

The best advice I can give for potential Aldi customers is to experiment. A few of the products may not be to your liking or up to your usual standards, but others may prove to be better and certainly a lot cheaper than Tesco’s and Sainsbury’s. My own favourites as well as the razors are their beers and wines, their fresh cut flowers, High juice squashes, pre-packed cold meats and toiletries, all of which are a very high standard and much cheaper than you’ll find anywhere else.

Give it a try – especially the razors, if there are any left!

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