I have always heard great things about Aldi’s. What is your experience?
We just got two or three in the Richmond area but I’ve not been. Their prices for essentials (eggs, butter, milk) are supposed to be very low. I despise grocery shopping and tend to shop at a nearby store where I can scurry in and out in under thirty minutes.
One opened in my community a couple of years ago. When they had their “Grand Opening” I decided to take a look.
The produce was disgusting and everything else seemed to be processed/packaged crap that I would never buy. It was weird. I figured they would be showing their ‘best’ for a grand opening, and I was definitely not impressed. I never went back. I don’t have time to visit one store for a couple of items because their price may be a bit lower, when I still have to go elsewhere for everything else.
My Mom really likes it so I go with her when I visit. It’s got the basics and sometimes some off the wall interesting items. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten any produce there except for onions.
We have one 1 town over that I have been to. It depends on what you are looking for. As far as produce I have bought apples,peppers and salads. They were fine. I also have bought meat, and some frozen things along with other staples. It really is a lot cheaper IF they have what you want to buy.
Aldi is related (adversarily) to Trader Joes. Similar size and range of products. Aldi seems to mostly carry their own brand of common packaged items needed by families (cereal ,etc) while Trader Joes has their own brand of fun stuff (cookie butter, wine). This is an over-simplification because they overlap.
Neither one is where to shop for produce,
My young teacher friends say they save lots at Aldi on those basics young families need.
I went to Aldi. Make sure you carry a quarter to unlock the cart and are agile enough to wrangle your groceries through check out fast enough. It reminds me of the '80s warehouse shopping places where you had to mark 49cents on the can of green beans .
I buy all of the basics there when we make breakfast at the homeless shelter every month. Feeding 80 people gets expensive, and every dollar saved helps!
We do the bulk of our shopping at Aldi. I really like the store. It’s small, and has what we need. Milk and eggs…no hormones. Very well priced. Excellent breads too. I get most of my produce there too…never had any issues. They have really good frozen fruits too.
I also love their Fit and Active line…and they have a good assortment of organic things.
And to compliment those…their chips, pretzels, etc…are a bargain…and that’s where we go to for party nibbles. Good crackers too.
From what I’ve heard from German friends, Aldi is commonly regarded as a budget supermarket chain while still maintaining a reasonably good quality store-brand products.
However, it seems in my area of NYC, Trader Joes is regarded as somewhat more upscale chain than Aldi’s based on what I’ve overheard from neighbors and nearby friends and observed in both stores. However, as both are a long hike/public transport ride from my neighborhood and I don’t keep a car, I don’t do much shopping at either. Do want to try Aldi’s line of chocolate bars as I read and heard good reviews…especially considering the reasonable prices.
I think what they meant…Aldi and Trader Joes are owned by the same family…maybe cousins…and I’m not sure they get along all that well.
The stores are very different. TJs is definitely more upscale.
D is very frugal and was thrilled when she discovered Aldi’s. She says it saves her lots of money on the basics, including whatever fruit and veggies are on sale. She keeps a quarter in her backpack specifically for the cart. The closest Aldi’s is too far from me to shop there regularly.
There’s no Aldi’s near us but DS shopped at one when he was living in an apartment at college. He’d never shopped before but was thrilled with the low prices on what he purchased - eggs, chicken and other staples. Not sure he bought much produce!
There are two divisions of Aldi, one of them owns Trader Joe’s. I have only shopped at them in Germany and Austria, and yes, they reminded me of the Costco back in the 1980s. You never knew what you’d find and if you found what you liked, you’d never find it again.
We were traveling when the euro was high with respect to the dollar and we found all of the basics there for a LOT less than the average grocery. The produce and meat were very good as well as snacks, chocolate, tea, etc.
Aldis is not for everyone, but it does offer a unique opportunity for shoppers willing to trade full-service grocery store for lower prices.
Parking–small store, small parking lot, but lots of spaces that are super convenient to the front door.
Carts–you must insert a quarter to unlock a shopping cart. After you load your groceries in your car, you return the cart and get your quarter back.
Grocery bags–pay for each bag you need at checkout, bring your own bags to use, or grab an empty box from the store to use to load up your groceries.
Brand name groceries–if you insist on having the brand name on your box or can, then this is not the place for you. Their model of business (along with Trader Joe’s) is to partner with a plant that makes food for top brand name companies. Aldi’s takes that same food, packages it in generic box, and you get to buy it for less.
Consistency–because Aldi’s will sometimes offer a special deal (think Big Lots) on actual brand name yogurt, protein drink, or even cheerios, you will feel the stock is inconsistent. I have found organic yogurt in off-brand packaging several times, but it is not consistent. But the staples are there all the time. Milk, eggs, bread, meats, wines, chips, canned goods, these are items you can count on getting every time.
Healthy foods–yes, they sell a lot of crappy stuff, but so do the regular grocery stores. In the last few years they have been offering more and more organics. It is up to you to pick the healthy stuff and leave the crap sitting on the shelves.
Random stuff–they have an aisle that showcases random stuff each week. You might find cooking utensils, a dog leash, storage containers, kids’ toys, water hoses, just whatever sale items they have procured that week. That stock changes from week to week, so if you see something you like you better buy it now.
Small Size, small aisles–It takes you a lot less time to walk through an Aldi’s store, even smaller than a Trader Joe’s. The flip side is that you can feel crowded easily if the store is busy.
Benefits for me–running in to get Milk and eggs at a great price vs. high prices at the corner drugstore, or having to endure the Walmart experience just to get a couple of items.
I wouldn’t drive miles to get to an Aldi’s store, but if you have a store close by, you might want to give it a try.
The problem with the nearest Aldi to me is that it is located in a pretty undesirable shopping strip - where I honestly don’t even feel comfortable walking out of my car! I think it depends where you are - in my Mom’s town, Aldi kind of stands alone and would be an easy in, easy out - here, it’s located in a strip with some “sketchy” stores - not a place I want to park, walk,etc.
I popped into the one in our area because I, too, had heard they were a good thing, but I got the feeling it was very down scale and yes, minimal and not attractive produce at our area Aldi store. Packaged goods I didn’t really need or want. Kind of reminded me of the grocery section of a Dollar General. I will not return. Perhaps they are different depending on the state or the market.
Back in the Day I mean like 10 years ago…Aldi’s was FANTASTIC. They carried many more “name brand” products at a discount, But over the years they have moved to their own brand and frankly some of their products are hit or miss. I often try blind taste tests with my family and they can almost always tell when I have used the lower cost Aldi’s brand.
In an attempt to be frugal I have tried using Aldi’s in recent years but after two consecutive trips resulted in 1) Finding moldy cheese in a lunchable 2) produce that didn’t last more than a day 3) meat that was tough. I have given up on Aldi’s. Their spiral sliced whole/half Ham is really good and an excellent buy for the holidays. It stand up well to a “Honeybaked” Ham.
I am not a Trader Joe’s fan either, except for their whole coffee beans. Maybe I am just biased. I do appreciate the small store/ fewer choices/pack your own groceries aspect of Aldi’s.
There is one in my area but it’s on the other side of the river so I have never been. Was talking a few days ago to friend who moved to West Virginia and asked if we have an Aldi’s. She said she loves their mayo and she’s a Hellmans person. I’m not going over the river just for mayo.
The point of Aldi’s is downscale and minimalist. They don’t pay the staff to take cans out of boxes and stack them neatly on the shelf. They just remove the tops/sides of boxes and stack them. You can reach the can or bag that you want, but you haven’t added to the price of that product by paying for the labor to place each can onto a shelf.
Trader Joe’s has more of a “style” to their stores, and they do hire staff to put cans and boxes on the shelves. Trader Joe’s has the more upscale, gourmet foods and has decor that is more inviting.
If I am buying Milk, I just need it to be kept cold until I reach into the cooler and put it in my cart. I don’t need special lighting and fancy displays. I will gladly trade aesthetics for a lower price on my milk.
None on my area–I am in MA and I shop for basics at a place called Market Basket. Prices are great for what I buy and it has the brands I prefer. Market Basket was in the national news a while ago when the workers went in strike in protest of the ousting of one of the owners. Compromise reached and the store reopened. I shopped in Aldi a few times when I lived in MD–didnt care for it. Selection was limited and place seemed grungy.