When people talk about supermarkets, generally they’re talking about places like Tesco, Asda or Sainsburys (the big three).  But there are lots of others, some of which are known as discount supermarkets.  These discount supermarkets are stores such as Aldi, Netto and Lidl.  The thing is, are they any cheaper, and if they are, does the quality of the products hold up?

It’s a good question really – after all why would they be considered discount if they weren’t cheap?  Well in fact the reason that places like this can get away with charging less for some of their products isn’t just to do with the quality of the products.  In fact, it’s got a lot to do with the layout and look of the store.  Large well known places like Tesco make everything nice and neat and tidy, they take items from the storage rooms and transfer them from crates onto the shelves in nice neat stacks.  Discount supermarkets often don’t make things quite so pretty, they take the crate and stack that on the shelf rather than taking the products from the crate first, or even just put a stack of crates in a gap on the floor and don’t even bother with shelves.  This helps them to keep some of their overheads down and means that they can then pass the saving on to the customer.

Another factor that can contribute to keeping the prices lower, is that although generally they will always have certain key items, they won’t always have the same brands of everything, opting to buy whichever is cheapest at the time, and meaning you may have to opt for a brand you don’t normally buy if you want that product.

So, in conclusion if you don’t mind the store layout being a little shabbier, and you’re not too picky about brand names, then it’s probably worth giving places like this a try and seeing how you like their products.  Many of them are of just as high quality, and the financial saving can make it well worth while.  One thing it is worth noting though is that most of these discount supermarkets also make another big saving by charging for their carrier bags, so if you don’t want to waste money having to buy a few bits of plastic to carry everything in, make sure you pop a few of your own bags in the boot of the car to use instead.

One thing worth keeping your eye open for in this sort of store is oddball items that one wouldn’t normally expect to find here – from tents to computers, power tools to pushchairs.  If a deal is good, the discount supermarket may buy a one off job lot of a product and once it’s gone, it’s gone, but while it is there, it’s often a lot cheaper than it could be bought elsewhere.

Vialdana

Tags: aldi, asda, BView, discount, lidl, money saving, netto, sainsburys, save, shopping, supermarket, tesco, voucher