Reporter Amy Blom visited a new Aldi store in Adelaide to find out what all the fuss is about and what shoppers can expect when their doors fling open here.
Budget savvy shoppers will have more options when Aldi opens its first WA stores next month, with seven stores in Perth’s southeast soon to follow including Armadale, Camillo and Maddington.
The first major difference is the trolleys, which can only be operated by coin or with an Aldi token, which costs 99 cents.
The store has a low-cost appearance in line with Aldi’s ‘no fuss and frills’ theme.
But despite this the Adelaide stores are more welcoming than those on the east coast with wider aisles and less garish flooring than the east’s yellow tiles.
All stores in Perth will look like the newer model stores in Adelaide, with almost identical layouts and a similar size of about 1500 square metres.
Prices will be the same across all stores, except where produce such as meat and vegetables have been locally sourced.
Aldi stocks less variety with about two brands per product, compared with Woolworths and Coles, which offer multiple options for many products.
Aldi’s own brands make up a significant proportion of options with many bearing a striking resemblance to existing products.
The company denies it mimics popular brands but at first glance it’s hard to tell the difference between a packet of Red Rock Deli chips and Aldi’s Black Stone Deli Style, for example.
Branding aside, Aldi’s products are a reasonable alternative, generally costing less and scoring higher in a blind taste by journalists.
Golden Gaytimes are almost twice the cost of Aldi’s Summer Delight version yet they taste the same with the only difference being the crunchiness of the outer coating.
Popular brands such as Tim Tams and Vegemite are still available for those with a more discerning taste.
Aldi doesn’t offer discount sales with prices only cut when the lower price can be sustained.
Instead it has special buys available twice a week and identical across the country.
Last weekend shoppers around the country were able to pick up a bed and mattress, a $100 sewing machine and even some ski gear.
A final cost cutting measure is at the checkouts where free plastic bags are not on offer although you can buy an assortment of bags starting at 15 cents per plastic bag.
A bench at the end of the store allows customers to re-pack their items in canvas bags, boxes or back into their trolleys – an ode to German efficiency that means lines move faster.
Its dedication to efficient, low cost and sustainable shopping makes Aldi an affordable alternative to the major supermarket chains but with limited items on offer shoppers need to be organised and can’t afford to be picky.
Aldi stores are expected to open in Armadale, Camillo, Cannington, Harrisdale, Haynes, Maddington and Southern River later this year.
