So, before I go into full ranting flow, a little history of Aldi. Aldi is a German company, based originally in Essen (where my husband is from if you’re interested) The company as we know it, was founded by two brothers Theo and Karl. In the ’60s Aldi separated into Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd. The two brothers basically split Germany (and the globe). The Aldi we see over in the UK is part of Aldi Süd. Interestingly, Trader Joe’s in the US is part of Aldi Nord!
Both parts of the Aldi business are known for producing custom branded products. These brands are often very similar to known large brands, in some cases, they are produced by that brand specifically for the Aldi stores. Herein lies the issue. There has been a lot of upset recently in some of the communities that I am in, around how Aldi behaves and I am kinda conflicted. I thought writing about this may help things settle in my head a little!
Most of the fuss has been around the products which they are producing which are dupes for ‘bigger’ brands. The first time I saw a response about this was when Caroline Hirons took to Twitter in September last year (see the Tweet here). Aldi released a ‘Healthy Glow’ tonic a pink clay mask. Both of them surprisingly similar to two larger brand’s offerings, but at a much lower price point.
Caroline has a close relationship with Pixi, who’s iconic glow tonic was duped. I love Caroline, please do not think that I do not. I literally listen to everything she says about skin, after all, she is an expert. I totally understand why she is so upset about this. It’s a blatant copy of a product she loves. The ingredient list for Healthy Glow may look similar, there is Glycolic Acid and also Aloe in there – but the concentrations of these are wildly different. They are not the same product at all. Just for the record, my face didn’t like Healthy Glow just as much as Caroline didn’t. But that is another tale!
So back to the plot, sorry.
The issue I have with all this is pretty complex. It’s around being a business owner, money, intellectual property, small businesses and washing up liquid!
I have seen a lot of people grumbling about how Aldi is ripping people off. I get that. I know of a small business owner who has had a similar thing happen to her. She was totally and rightly devastated. But, and this but is a big one. How many people are morally outraged but then carry on shopping in Aldi? Washing up liquid anyone? Yep, if you look closely at the packaging of Magnum it’s pretty much the same as a Fairy, but how many people get are in arms about that? Is it different because Procter & Gamble are a massive company? They’re by no means a squeaky clean company themselves, are they? This where I am. I feel like I am holding double standards.
I shop at Aldi (and Lidl) because as some of you know, I am self-employed. My wages have dropped massively in the last two years. I want to spend less on food and household items. I don’t see the point of buying more expensive brands when I cannot justify the costs. But this is where the conflict comes in. This week I bought a Vitamin C cleanser, a mascara and some booty balm. All three were blatant copies of well-known products. I do this because I think that I am saving money. But most of the time there is no direct comparison to the product that it was based on. In terms of skin care, they are just bad copies. So far the booty balm is the only thing that I love, and that is primarily the fragrance!
As a business owner, I would be livid if Aldi copied a product I had worked exceptionally hard to create, market and sell. But then there is also that part of me that loves a bargain. With that love of a bargain, also comes the realisation that sometimes you can spend £6 on a really crappy version of a product you love, which you end up binning. So you’re actually just throwing money away whilst also harming another business. That is why I am back using my Pixi tonic and loving it.
Not Middle Aged 