Australian Road Rider

READERS RITE

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WHO YOU GUNNA TRUST?

I made my usual trek to Aldi a few weeks ago for its “giant” motorcycle gear sale and, not surprisingly, had exactly the same experience I have every year: everything that might have fitted me was already gone. All that was left was only suitable for dwarfs or giants. Seriously, who wears size 14 boots?

The quality of Aldi gear is OK but what sells it is the price and it got me thinking about why my local bike shop seems so expensive by comparison.

I’m mates with the head salesman and he told me the obvious, which was Aldi gets low prices because it buys in such tremendous bulk. He reckons it would actually be cheaper for him to buy the stuff from Aldi, put 15 per cent on it and resell it, although everyone would recognise the Aldi brand.

He does 30 pairs of boots a year — each Aldi store does 30 pairs of boots in

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