Aldi shopper's Woolworths comparison sparks price debate
It’s the common question asked amongst shoppers, almost every week. Which supermarket offers the best value for money Aldi, Woolworths or Coles?
One shopper recently sparked a heated debate online when she compared her Aldi weekly shop receipt with prices from retail rival Woolworths.
“Did my shop tonight and then compared it to Woolworths shopping,” she wrote next to a picture of her receipt.
“The pen is obviously Woolworths for the same items.”
Her comparison revealed that shopping at Aldi saved her $48.38 compared to purchasing Home Brand products fruit and vegetables, dairy items and meat items at Woolworths.
Her Aldi shop of 56 items totalled $163.40 while the Woolworths comparison set her back $211.78 for the week.
Although her budget shop seemingly confirmed Aldi’s low prices, other savvy shoppers disputed the cost, value and quality of her shop.
“We’ve switched back to Coles [from Aldi] and added delivery as well. Over 4+ weeks the overall Coles grocery bill has been at least $40 cheaper,” one shopper commented.
“Coles fruit and veg doesn’t go rank after one day. The meat is expensive. But I’ll just get that from my local butcher when we are out of quarantine.
"Pity, because we were avid Aldi customers for a long time. But quality has gone downhill and price up in the past year.”
“I recently switched from Aldi to Woolies and my weekly grocery bill is still exactly the same,” another shopper added.
An avid Aldi shopper said she carried out the same receipt comparison with Home Brand items from Coles with a very similar saving, however, she said the Aldi shop didn’t actually save her money.
“I did this with my last Aldi shop but compared it to Coles. Whilst Aldi came in $50 below Coles (comparing to Home Brand) I actually spent more money at Aldi than I would with my Coles click and collect order.
"At least with Click and Collect, I can take things out of my cart that I don't really need if its over my $250 budget.
"I can't really keep track of the dollar amount of things going in my cart,” she said.
But there were those who insisted Aldi was better value for money.
“I’ve always found prices consistently cheaper at Aldi. In addition, the products are exceptional quality,” one Aldi shopper said.
“I always say I can easily save $40 to $60 shopping at Aldi,” said another.
Making the price comparison
Surprisingly, an overwhelming amount of shoppers also commented disputing Aldi’s low prices, saying they had noticed a price increase.
“Don't care what anyone says Aldi had gone up since the pandemic. I usually spend $120 this week $200 on the same stuff,” one shopper said.
“I spent over $300 a few weeks back and didn’t even have a full trolley. That was only fruit and veg, a small amount of meat, frozen veg, a slab of LF milk, and a few other frozen items. I was shocked,” commented another.
So which retail giant really offers the biggest bang for your buck on a weekly shop?
When you compare the home brand products from Coles and Woolworths with Aldi, the prices are the same.
A three-litre milk from Coles, Woolworths, and Aldi is $3.59. Home brand bread from Coles is $1.30, Woolworths white bread will set you back $1.30 as well and it’s the same at Aldi, $1.30 for their Baker’s Life white bread.
When it comes to dairy items, there’s a slight difference in pricing. Aldi's 500g block of tasty cheese is the cheapest at $4.99, while Coles and Woolworths sell their 500g store brand cheese for $5.30.
The 700g free-range eggs are also cheaper at Aldi and retail for $3.99. At Coles and Woolworths they retail for $4.50.
The secret to bagging the cheapest groceries
Despite the slight difference in pricing, there are other ways to stick to a weekly budget.
One shopper who commented on the post said the real way to save money wasn’t to shop at just one store, but to purchase items from both Coles or Woolworths and Aldi to get the best savings.
“We do most of our shopping at Aldi but we also do shopping at Coles or Foodland ect. It depends who has got the most specials,” the shopper said.
“I seem to need to combine all three to get the best stuff as well as save money.
"I buy all the essentials in advance when they are on sale.”
One shopper pointed out that shopping the catalogues from each store every week made a huge difference in sticking to her weekly budget.
“If I want oil, I see what’s on special where and shop accordingly.
“I admit I buy most staples at Aldi (flour, salt, pasta, rice), but I prefer brands for many other things that Aldi just doesn’t sell.
"I realise I probably have more time than busy parents and workers (I’m retired) but I honestly find there isn’t much difference between the major chains.”
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