How does Aldi’s prices compare to WalMart?
@TonyK - In my observation, bread, milk, eggs, individual containers of fruit-flavor yogurt, butter, flour, sugar, cooking oil, oatmeal, O.J. (2 qt carton), 10 oz. hummus, packaged cold cuts, and packaged sliced cheese all are consistently cheaper at Aldi than at Target or WalMart. Other items vary. The last time I did a big Aldi run, “Wheat Thins” type crackers were two cents/box more expensive at Aldi than at Target, but Aldi carries a low-fat version and Target doesn’t. Fresh fruits and vegetables usually are less expensive at Aldi, but that varies (as anywhere) by season.
One thing that I especially like about Aldi, is that the small yogurts are displayed in cardboard flats in the refrigerator there. You can mix and match as you please and end up with a dozen in one flat that is easy to carry out to the car and into your house. Everywhere else those blasted little containers have to be picked up individually off the shelf at the store, packed into a shopping bag where they all slither around and bash into each other, and then have to be dug out of the bottom of that shopping bag when you get home. Every time I do a yogurt run here in the Far North Midwest, I really miss Aldi!
I do self checkout because I like to check the price scanned and bag my own groceries compactly. When I go to the cashier I find myself rearranging the bagged groceries so that I have to carry less bags. I also bring my own reusable bags.
I would have been spared confusion and embarrassment if only I had seen @atomom’s excellent summary before my first trip to Aldi!
First, a woman offered her cart to me in the parking lot and as I attempted to take over the cart she held on tight, reached out her hand, and asked for a quarter for the cart. Like Dadof3, I thought she was kidding. Nope - she wasn’t.
When I got to the checkout, the clerk scanned my items and placed them back into an empty cart which can be pushed to a shelf along the wall where I saw people bagging their items into their reusable bags. Of course, I did not bring bags, so I rolled the cart to my car and unloaded the unbagged items into the back of my car.
While checking out, I was confused as to why I was prompted for a PIN after sliding my credit card through the card reader until the clerk informed me that they only take cash or debit.
So my first Aldi experience was an educational one. I’ve only been back twice since then . . . both times for lemons, so no need for a cart or a bag. Although our Aldi is very conveniently located across the street from my go to grocery store, I have yet to make it part of my shopping routine. Might have to try the spiral ham and Euro chocolate if I ever stop in again.
My son’s favorite brownies are from the cheap boxed mix at Aldi’s. I’m not sure if that says more about my cooking abilities or their mix.
I didn’t read this thread, as I had never heard of this store. Then, in local section of newspaper, there was an announcement that an Aldi’s opened on west side of town (I’m east), but I’ll check it out next weekend. Thanks to you’all, I’ll go with a debit card and reusable bags.
@bookworm, don’t forget your quarter for the cart!
And a quarter! ^^
@bookworm - Don’t forget your quarter! I used to keep one in the car so I always had it handy.
I just got back from Aldi and spent a $100 which is a lot. But I bought $9 worth of Halloween candy, at least $30 worth of cheeses, and totally stocked up on crackers, and cereal. Got milk, cottage cheese, sour cream, guacolmole, coffee, a bunch of veggies, two pizzas (their pizzas are really good…I get a pretty plain one for $4.99 and add cheese and toppings…yum). Oh…and a whole chicken (which is simmering into soup), some great chocolate bars, banana, pears, napkins, a bunch of canned goods, brown rice…
A huge list…five big bags full…so not bad.
@Bookworm I’ll be interested to know if your new Aldi is one of the new larger stores…ask them!
As a not…I don’t mind the quarter thing at all for the carts. And I take my bags everywhere I shop…so Aldi isn’t any exception to that.
Last year after Christmas, our Aldi had hams on sale. They were not spiral hams…just regular…but they were something like $5 each…I’m not making that up. I bought one…baked it, and then made pea soup with the ham bone. It was so good, I decided to get another…so I did. My husband asked why I didn’t get a couple and freeze them.
I went back and they were gone…but really…$5 for a half a ham…really good!
Agree, their spiral hams are great. They also carry butterball turkeys at THE lowest prices in the area.
Aldi in the UK is a good budget supermarket. They have lots of store brands, but the quality seems good. Their direct competitor here is Lidl (which I think is also German). I don’t like their prepackaged produce, but for basics like milk, cheese, baking products, etc. Aldi is fine. And the prices are very good.
But what about the Aldi scandals in the UK with horse meat used instead of beef? more than once.
comments from a PA aldi lover here…
our main shopping is at aldi
everything is always stocked in the same place…fantastic time saver
checkers are crazy fast (no self check) and they actually call out another checker when there is a line
cost is at least half that of our local chain
anything German is excellent…choc chips won the blind taste test at our house (over nestle and hersheys).
ham is great, eggs are half the price of walmart
my only complaints are…the meat, sometimes, is not good (but they took it back with no questions)
the frozen pizzas are bad and the dishwasher liquid detergent is not good. that’s it. any and everything else is good
they also have a growing organic section, but primarily in neighborhoods where that is popular (not so much in the older industrial zone)
the nicest thing about aldi is the way that people at ours just pass the carts along…i think some of the carts go from customer to customer through the day without any quarters changing hands…we live in a nice city
My co-workers would spend $9 a day for lunch, buying food from a street vendor. I go down the street to Aldi & get a bag of sweet grapes, a loaf of bread, cheese & a big pack of Deli ham all for less than $10.00. And that is my lunch and snacks) at work for 4 days.
I am traveling for work this week. Around the corner from my hotel is an Aldi’s! I used to shop at Aldi’s all the time, but I moved a year ago. So I’m thinking I need to go grocery shopping! Of course I just have a carry-on bag so I’m trying to figure out if it’s worth paying $25 to check my bag if I purchase a few cans of pumpkin. Unfortunately the airlines consider canned pumpkin a liquid.
When I saw the Aldi’s sign I immediately thought of this thread!
I go there every couple of weeks for certain things, actually not milk and eggs though they are definitely cheap there but which I tend to buy those at my local-family owned market because it’s more convenient. Aldi is about 5 miles away, I can easily walk to our local market. Our local market is expensive but not if you shop sales which is what i usually do - plan meals around whichever meats and veggies are on sale.
I go to Aldi for things like a hunk of fresh mozzarella for $2.50 instead of $5, some veggies (peppers, asparagus, mushrooms), frozen chicken breasts and fish and shrimp, string cheese (again saving like $2-3 over my market or even a Walmart), crackers, goat cheese, the occasional quinoa for $3 a pound instead of $12. Whatever seems appealing in things like olives, spaghetti sauce, beans, etc. Greek yogurt is consistently 75c instead of $1.50 and my D used to take that for lunch every day.
Ours carries wine too but i’m not impressed with the selection thus far.
I’ll have to try the chocolate, I never have.
Aldi now accepts credit cards … Visa, MC
I know the thread is 6 months old, but we’ve just started shopping at Aldi’s, adding it to our Whole Foods-Kroger-Trader Joe’s rotation depending on what we need. It’s next door to our dog kennel and I just went in one day not knowing what to expect. I like some of the German brands that you can pick up at Aldi’s.
In other parts of the country we like Wegmans, Publix, Market Basket, HEB and Jungle Jim’s in Cincinnati. JJ’s is a real experience if you ever have the opportunity to go there!
We just did a road trip over spring break to TN and AR. I was surprised to see many small towns in MO and AR have Aldi’s, usually near the ever present Walmart.
I tried Aldi ham because of this thread and it is definitely great. They’ve built several Aldi’s in my area and have signs posted for jobs at $11.70/hour. My state’s minimum wage is $7.25 so they offer pretty good pay.
But…we’re getting a Wegmans in August! They already sent me an ad for a discount card. Wegmans isn’t cheap but it’s fun.