Aldi review

Discount supermarket Aldi has become known for its value for money and eclectic range of Specialbuys. But how is it for the availability of stock, overall quality and customer service?

In the annual Which? supermarkets survey, 677 Aldi customers who had shopped in-store and another 63 who had ordered online through click and collect rated the retailer on everything from queuing time to product range and value for money. 

This enabled us to calculate star ratings for different factors, as well as awarding it an overall customer score.

Are Aldi supermarkets any good?

Aldi is Which? Recommened Provider for in-store shopping

Aldi has been voted the joint second-best in-store supermarket for 2023 along with Waitrose - it also came second last year. 

It's the only supermarket to have been named a Which? Recommended Provider this year for its in-store shopping, as it does well in our survey, as well as on our behind-the scenes measures.

It failed to get the full five-star rating for value for money, which Aldi is well known for, and was only rated four stars along with Lidl. However, this is still the highest rating on this measure compared to other supermarkets in our survey and it was the cheapest supermarket of 2022 in our annual analysis of grocery pricing across the year.

Aldi performed well on the quality of its products with four out of five stars, but received just two stars for stock availability and queuing time. It received an average three stars for its range, but this isn't surprising as its business model is to offer fewer product lines than the traditional 'big four' supermarkets in order to boost efficiency.

Aldi's customers don't let its mediocre performance on some fronts deter them from shopping there. One shopper said: 'I love shopping at Aldi. The prices are great for the majority of things I buy there.’ Another added: 'Staff are friendly, products are excellent quality and it offers exceptional value for money.'

• Find out more: see how the big players compare in our guide to the best and worst supermarkets

Is Aldi's click and collect service any good?

Aldi falls short online

Aldi doesn't offer a full grocery delivery service, but does offer click and collect at some stores, meaning you can order groceries on its website to pick up at a pre-booked time slot. 

Despite being one of the best for in-store shopping, Aldi only comes joint sixth out of the nine supermarkets we rated for online shopping, along with Amazon Fresh and Asda.

It gets an average three stars for the quality of its products, the availability of collection slots and its customer service on collection. It also scored three stars for its choice of substitute items. 

However, it gets just two stars out of five for its value for money online, the availability of stock and the ease of using its website.

Feedback from customers was generally good though. One said: 'My experience of shopping at Aldi is always positive. Very rarely have they had to substitute items.'

Aldi in the news

In February 2023, Aldi announced that it would start offering bags of surplus food through the Too Good to Go app at all of its stores to cut food waste following a trial.

In January 2023, Aldi said Christmas 2022 was its best ever, with sales of £1.4bn in December. 

Aldi announced in December 2022 that it was set to became the first supermarket to join the Podback recycling scheme, which allows customers to recycle their used coffee, tea and hot chocolate pods. Aldi customers will be able to use the scheme to recycle its own-label pods from early 2023.

In September 2022, Aldi opened a new eco concept store in Leamington Spa, which is built with sustainable building materials and design changes to reduce carbon emissions. It also aims to make it easier for customers to reduce, reuse and recycle.

Aldi opened its first checkout-free supermarket in January 2022, joining Amazon Fresh, Sainsbury's and Tesco in piloting stores where you can shop without having to scan products. Once you've downloaded the Aldi Shop&Go app, the store in Greenwich, London, will use cameras to identify which products you've picked up. You then just walk out of the store and are automatically charged for your shopping. 

• Find out more: what supermarkets are doing to help with the cost of living

Which? Affordable Food For All campaign

Which? has launched an Affordable Food For All campaign after it found millions of families are skipping meals to survive the cost of living crisis. 

In an innovative new study, undertaken with researchers from the Consumer Data Research Centre at the University of Leeds, we've identified 50 of the most at-risk areas for finding affordable food in the UK.

We're calling on supermarkets to commit to clear pricing, better access to budget ranges that enable healthy choices and more offers for those who need them most.

• Do you want to see supermarkets take action? Sign our petition