Aldi

[securespark]

See the programme on C4 last night?

Watch those dates on the fruit and veg.

By law only prepared fruit and veg need a date on them, eg stripped and trimmed corn cob.

But every other mainstream supermarket puts dates on, apart from Aldi.

Instead Aldi puts a 4 digit date code on the pack or bag. The first two numbers are the week number in the year (see below), the second two the day number in the week (commencing Monday).

Lidl does the same, but unlike Aldi, they do date prepared F&V.

Week number according to the ISO-8601 standard, weeks starting on Monday. The first week of the year is the week that contains that year's first Thursday (='First 4-day week'). The highest week number in a year is either 52 or 53. 2015 has 53 weeks.

 

[Brigadier]

e.g. Best before this coming Sunday would be

4607

(day 07, of week 46)


However, the fact that the staff are rushing around so much means that stock rotation is more luck, than judgment.
Which means that the stuff that you grab from the front of the shelf is as likely to be "freshest", as the stuff at the back.


Alternatively, you could always just check what you're buying first

 

[securespark]

Well, that was the programme's point.

If you are unaware that 4 digits hidden away on a panel which do not look like a date is actually the BBE date or whatever, how are you supposed to know?

 

[Brigadier]

Well, that was the programme's point.

If you are unaware that 4 digits hidden away on a panel which do not look like a date is actually the BBE date or whatever, how are you supposed to know?

Doesn't that in itself say something?
Would you buy a rank and squishy bit of fruit or veg, just because "the label said it was fine"?
In dumbed-down Britain, I expect that the answer is a resounding "Yes!" for many.

 

[securespark]

It looks OKish, but to be fair to the consumer, if it was past its date, it ought to be reduced.

 

[mattylad]

It was useful info, but its not shocker to see how the staff are treated, how hard they have to work.
The 15 ins before shift is pathetic, apparently they do not get the full wage if they do not meet their targets too.

Now how do I, when stood in Aldi - tell what weekl no we are on?
- OK strike that, the Splanner on my phone has a setting to tell me

 

[JBR]

Admittedly, it doesn't affect me as I don't shop at Aldi, but I do think it's a bit disingenuous to use some sort of code instead of printing the 'best before' or 'sell by' dates, presumably in order to induce customers to buy items that are nearing these dates rather than look further back on the shelf for something with a 'longer life'.

Still, I have the answer: don't shop at Aldi; there are plenty of other outlets.

 

[Storms]

Oh no! I shop at aldi. It's great if you're on minimum wage.

 

[JBR]

Oh no! I shop at aldi. It's great if you're on minimum wage.

Are you telling me that no other supermarket competes on price: Lidl, for example?

 

[Storms]

Yes, they are deffo the cheapest

 

[Storms]

Except for milk, I go to farmfoods for milk

 

[WalksWithTurkeys]

I like Aldi, the staff are friendly, the other customers are often rather pleasant, and many items such as frozen raspberries are excellent. Not sure I'd buy fresh bread from them. Frozen fish is very good.