Aldi grazing box sparks heated debate: 'No way is that worth $100'

A woman has divided opinion on social media after sharing a photo of a grazing box she made using products from popular budget-friendly supermarket, Aldi. She proudly posted the image in a Facebook group dedicated to sharing Aldi finds, along with a comment about how important sourcing Aldi products is for her business.

"I make grazing boxes for a living and I seriously couldn't do it without some great Aldi produce," she wrote alongside a snap of one of her completed boxes, filled to the brim with delicious items including fruits, dips, bread, deli meats, cheeses, and preserves.

The response to her post was a mixed bag, with some showering praise on her for the creativity and appetising appearance of the grazing box.

"This looks amazing," exclaimed one person, while another chimed in, "Very impressive." One group member even confessed that the sight of it made them "drool", declaring, "I would eat everything there."

'Charging a premium for budget food'

However, not everyone was convinced that shelling out a premium price for Aldi products was justified, with several people suggesting that paying a premium warranted superior quality ingredients that, in their opinion, Aldi did not consistently provide. "No way is that worth $100," argued one sceptic.

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Another person expressed concern, stating, "Hopefully you're not charging a premium for budget food," with a third critic weighing in, "If I was paying $100+ for a box and found out they shopped at Aldi, I'd be pissed! Their food ain't that great."

Paying for the service

On the other hand, there were supporters who understood the effort and time it takes to create such an appealing grazing box. They pointed out the price includes not only the ingredients but also the service, time spent shopping, skilful arrangement of the box, and its timely delivery.

"The reality is you're paying for the service because you don't want to do it. You aren't paying premium prices just for food, it's the time, shop, design, setup etc," wrote one person, defending the woman's approach.

The woman herself also stood firm on her choice of Aldi products, stating that she has never received any complaints about the quality.

"If for any reason I am unhappy with the quality of any of the produce I use in my boxes from Aldi I head somewhere else - Coles, Woolies, farmers market or deli," she went on to say.

Others chimed in defending the quality of Aldi products, and pointed out the irony of individuals within a group specifically dedicated to Aldi fans expressing doubts about the products.

"Aldi's deli products are fabulous and when I serve them people assume they are bought from an up market deli," one group member wrote. "Their cheeses and meats are not budget. The cheeses are European styles that are not available anywhere else."

Moreover, the financial realities of running a food business were brought into sharp focus. One comment succinctly captured the challenges, stating, "Hard to make a profit if the products are four times the price from a massive company."

"It's a bloody tough time running a food business when it comes to money," another person agreed.

Common practice for catering companies

Supporters also mentioned that many catering companies and hospitality businesses actually source their goods from Aldi, often without customers even realising it.

"A lot of you whinging about people buying products from Aldi for grazing boxes/platters, you'll be very surprised that a lot of catering companies as well as hospitality businesses shop at Aldi for their products."

Amidst the spirited discussion, one voice rebuked the naysayers, exclaiming, "Never in my life have I seen so many Karens. Aldi is just the same as Coles or Woolies, ladies."

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