Hey, have you tried shopping at Aldi? (and other unhelpful advice given to people on welfare)

Thanks, Choice and Labor, for letting us know that it’s mostly cheaper to shop at Aldi. They’re promising to report back quarterly on that basket of goods, which is about as harsh a whip the current government is going to take to Colesworth and their duopoly. Telling us what we already know.

Aldi is certainly not a secret any more. Some people are still pleasantly surprised when they finally go there, but noone on a low income hasn’t considered it, if it’s anywhere nearby.

But defining nearby and accessible when it comes to a grocery store is difficult. Personally,  I drive, have good mobility, my brain works well enough most days and I have a lot of time. So that brings more options into play.

But many of my friends don’t drive. They can’t, or they can’t afford to have or keep a car. They might be reliant on public transport or taxis to do their groceries. They may even struggle with that, with Cole or Woolies delivery being the only true option for their grocery shop for a variety of reasons.

I know many people who can’t deal with the Aldi environment, whether the layout, the shelves, not knowing what’s not going to be in stock and whether you’ll have to do a secondary shop at the other place anyway.

I prefer to shop Aldi alone, a little distraction throws me off and I tend to just go for my targeted items, avoiding the middle aisle unless I have money and energy to burn on a browse. If something’s not in stock, like ham or bacon, I may just not get it that week rather than going to the nearby Woolies, because I just want to go home after one trip around the store.

Then there’s click and collect – an amazing brain saver, you can shop in the comfort of your home, they bring it to your boot, and you don’t have to go into the store? Sweet deal.

Aldi is not good at all for special dietary needs – need dairy or gluten free? Better off going to the other majors and pay their high prices, at least there will be something there for you. Coeliac disease isn’t a special buy unfortunately.

Nor are other dietary restrictions and sensory overwhelm, all supermarkets are hell in their own ways, but if you know you can get food you’ll eat in a layout you know, your autistic brain will not leave you staring at a wall for the rest of the day because you attempted to do half your shop at Aldi to save $10.

Though that $10? Is a large amount in the budget of a welfare recipient in their country, where $50/day is meant to cover everything and won’t even cover housing in some markets.

Stay safe my frens.

(Oh and the $2 Aldi “aero” peppermint is awesome. Get it if you can and you’re a mint chocolate fan. They have orange and original too, but only for a limited time)

https://t.co/GzPLx9MiGU pic.twitter.com/q5IDDh7xC1

— 💜 phonakins 🇵🇸🍉 (@phonakins) June 2, 2024

(alas I neglected to list some other “helpful tips” people decide to give poor people, feel free to comment with your favourites below!)