How Cheap is Aldi?

On a weekly shop at Aldi, the total bill came to $157.77. I’d bought quite a lot, but it still sounded high. I couldn’t help but wonder whether or not Aldi still represented good value compared to Woolworths. If my shop had been at Woolworths instead that day, how much would I have spent?

This is an attempt to reconcile the cost of the items I purchased between the two. The prices are compared against the prices on Woolworth’s website. I was then going to reduce the woolworths online price by 10%, since I’ve found in the past that they were higher than the in-store prices. Woolworths however guarantee prices are the same so I am leaving the totals unchanged See here

Each item purchased from Woolworths is the Home brand or Woolworths Select if we buy a luxury item available at Aldi.

Some items are difference sizes. For example a tin of beans being 420g in one store and 400g in another. Where a difference like this occurs, I convert the woolworths price to a per 100g price and calculate what the price would be at the Aldi size, though where Woolworths only sell 500g versions of a 1kg item I bought at Aldi, I selected two at Woolworths.

Item Aldi Woolworths
Yoghurt 18pk 5.99 (2x12 pk costed below)
Yoghurt 6pk 3.29 9.98
Milk 1L 1.19 1.25
Milk 1L 1.19 1.25
Milk 1L 1.19 1.25
Raw sugar 1kg 1.09 1.09
Pumpkin 1.7kg 2.51 5.10
Sour cream 300g 1.09 1.19
Middle bacon 1kg 7.69 7.69
Fresh salmon 500g 12.99 12.50
Fresh salmon 500g 12.99 12.50
Porterhouse steak 914g 19.18 25.58
Marinated chicken 9.31 12.56
Speck 258g 3.35 7.18
Chicken breast 9.64 8.87
Disposable gloves 25pk 2.79 3.0
Liquid soap 1L 3.29 2.76
Laundry Liquid 1L 3.99 3.79
Tomato Tin 410g 0.95 0.61
Tomato Tin 410g 0.95 0.61
Pasta Penne 1kg 1.25 1.3
Whole Mushrooms 500g 3.49 4.50
Blueberries 125g 5.59 4.9
Strawberries 250g 3.99 4.9
Herbs 50g 2.49 2.98
W/meal bread 650g 1.49 1.50
Broccolini bunch 1.99 2.98
Broccolini bunch 1.99 2.98
Broccolini bunch 1.99 2.98
Broccolini bunch 1.99 2.98
Broccolini bunch 1.99 2.98
Broccolini bunch 1.99 2.98
Zucchini 500g 1.49 1.75
Cannellini Beans 400g 0.73 0.76
Banana 1.5kg 1.79 2.25
Napkins 100pk 0.95 0.95
Toilet Paper 8pk 3.59 4.98
Tin Mixed Beans 420g 0.73 0.80
Tin Mixed Beans 420g 0.73 0.80
Pasta spaghetti 1kg 1.25 1.30
Oats Instant 750g 1.08 1.19
Tetley Tea 120pk 3.99 3.99
1.3kg Truss tomato 6.54 7.67
Total

We saved $ on this bill, or put another way, you’d pay % more for the ‘same’ stuff at Woolworths. A similar study at choice found the difference to be closer to 30%. However, they compared against Woolworth’s Select brand in most cases, while I compared against the cheaper home brand in most cases and in only a few cases - like toilet paper opted for the Woolworth Select.

Certainly, the results have surprised me. I had the impression that I would be saving a lot more on a basket of over $150. Though I suspect it won’t change my purchasing habits much.