Aldi is about as subtle as a flying brick about its claims it is the cheapest supermarket, but now there is some official research to back it up. And the figures are astonishing.
A recent report by international professional services group PwC – one of the ‘big four’ accounting groups in Australia – found that Aldi saved Australian shoppers an estimated $3.1 billion last year.
The biggest savings were in NSW, where PwC estimates consumers saved $1855 million. And even in Aldi’s smallest market in the Northern Territory, consumers saved $6 million.
According to Retail World, Aldi also continues to entice customers away from the other chains with an increase of 4.2 per cent year on year figures attributed to existing customers increasing their spend (up 75 per cent), customers switching some of their spending to Aldi and new customers shopping at Aldi for the first time.
“We offer the best prices for customers by partnering with our suppliers for the long term and negotiating fair prices that deliver mutual value. We’re proud to work with a host of Aussie primary producers to connect our customers with the best value and highest quality products,” Aldi Australia managing director Jordan Lack says.
Tip of the week
We are all shopping around for the best prices, and specials are more important than ever.
It’s worth noting that specials don’t start with the calendar week as you would expect. The last day of specials is Tuesday and the first day of the new specials is Wednesday.
This is because, previously, it meant deliveries had to arrive on Saturday or Sunday to stock the shelves for Monday and the transport logistics became expensive and inconvenient.
Truck drivers naturally don’t want to spend their weekends delivering to supermarkets, which often don’t have the qualified staff to unload the trucks on a weekend anyway.
And weekend supermarket staff are usually casual and/or skeleton crews who would be pushed to get the stock on shelves.
So gradually the specials moved to later in the week so the trucks weren’t pushed to arrive over the weekend and there was enough staff to stock the shelves.
This week’s best deals
Aldi
Sensible: Brannans Butchery Thin Sausages, 24 pack, $9.99. No-one is pretending these snags are in any way gourmet, but if you need to feed a crowd on a budget, Aldi’s got you covered.
Indulgence: Haberdashery sale. Whoever tells you sewing is cheaper than buying clothes is lying to you. However, if you want some entry-level prices for your craft hobby, this sale is for you. I recommend the packs of various scissors because no matter how many you have you never reach critical mass.
See the catalogue here.
IGA
Sensible: Packham pears, $2.99/kg. Pears and apples are not cool store stock at this time of year – hopefully – so snap them up now.
Indulgence: Always Fresh Kalamata Olives, $4.60, save $2. Always handy to have a jar of olives lurking somewhere in the back of the fridge. They can jazz up a salad, plate of snacks or pasta with little to no effort, and isn’t that what we all want?
See the catalogue here:
Coles
Sensible: Red Perino Tomatoes, $3 a pack. Look, this does add up to being $15/kg, but for a snack or superior tomato taste, it’s hard to go past these delicious little gems. They will reboot how you think about supermarket tomatoes.
Indulgence: Lavazza Qualita Oro Coffee Beans or Ground, $26.60, save $11.40. Urgh, we get it, no-one makes coffee like your favourite barista, but sometimes there is great appeal in just rolling out of bed and making your own. This is a good quality at-home coffee for a great price.
See the catalogue here:
Woolworths
Sensible: Australian Raspberries, 125g punnet, $4. Autumn-fruiting raspberries are at their best at the moment so snap them up before the out-of-season prices hit.
Indulgence: Half-price diet and sports nutrition sale. Don’t dismiss these products just because you are probably not an elite athlete, or even an athlete. Sometimes you just need a quick and easy snack to fill you up when you are on the run. These products are a convenient alternative to more unhealthy alternatives such as chocolate and chips, long may they live.
See the catalogue here.
Do you shop at Aldi? Is it for the prices or the variety? Why not share your opinion in the comments section below?
Also read: The risks of underspending in retirement
Thin Sausages, 24 pack, $9.99. No-one is pretending these snags are in any way gourmet, But give me the sausages any day instead of Packham pears, $2.99/kg , Red Perino Tomatoes, $3 a pack or Australian Raspberries, 125g punnet, $4
With a few potatoes and cheaper seasonal vegetables way way much better
L.Norris
That’s why you never see Aldi trolleys lying loose all over the car parks, creeks,footpaths etc .I buy an Aldi trolley token and I have been re-using it for years .Where I am in Melbourne Woolworth’s trolleys need coins so you don’t really see them all over the area either
In my area of South Australia, Aldi is the ONLY supermarket to lock up their trolleys with coin slots. Therefore all customers inside Aldi are using the Coles trolleys. This is how Aldi is saving money. Their trolleys are brand new and are never stolen and never need repairs because they LOCK them up. Coles and Woolworths supply trolleys for the use in Aldi stores.