<p>I think Aldi and TJs have a business relationship. I shop at both.</p>
<p>Yes, Aldi is owned by the same parent company as Trader Joe’s,though it looks like they may have split the company <a href=“http://www.forbes.com/sites/walterloeb/2012/05/17/aldis-trader-joes-is-a-winner/[/url]”>http://www.forbes.com/sites/walterloeb/2012/05/17/aldis-trader-joes-is-a-winner/</a></p>
<p>Aren’t the Ritz properties and Waffle House both owned by Johnson? At least they were, at one point, both owned by the same person/parent company.</p>
<p>This thread is one wild and crazy thread.</p>
<p>No. (ten char)</p>
<p>Thats pretty unhelpful, Mini.</p>
<p>Jym, is that a professional diagnosis?</p>
<p>No need to give a professional opinion, Zoos. Any layperson can see this thread has twisted itself into a knot pages ago!!
Off to watch the oscars.</p>
<p>
[History</a> of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. – FundingUniverse](<a href=“http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/the-ritz-carlton-hotel-company-l-l-c-history/]History”>History of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. – FundingUniverse)</p>
<p>Now Marriott owns 49% or so it seems. Point is, they were affiliated at one point. Was quite amusing.</p>
<p>I guess what is most interesting here is the enormous status so many assign to the store that sells them what they put in their stomachs.</p>
<p>Interesting about TJ’s and Aldo.</p>
<p>Aldo seems kind of useless to me when i’ve gone in due to the extreme limitation in selection.</p>
<p>As I get older TJ’s seems more like kid play. My dog likes the canned sockeye salmon though.</p>
<p>
To survive we need food, water, air, and shelter - the rest is frippery. I don’t consider this a status issue but simply assigning care in line with importance.</p>
<p>what I put in my stomach, AND the PEOPLE who bring me that food ARE both enormously important to me.</p>
<p>frippery:
New SAT word of the day</p>
<p>“Thats pretty unhelpful, Mini.”</p>
<p>Just trying to get back to the original question.</p>
<p>OP here. Just checking back on the thread I started the other day. What happened? 
So disappointed with the ugly turn it’s taken.</p>
<p>^I’m surprised you’re surprised, aqua. It’s a loaded subject for many and even when you first posted the question you got “feedback.”</p>
<p>
Oh. With over 370 posts it was difficult to know to which you were responding. I assumed, apparently incorrectly, that the “no” was in response to the post above it.</p>
<p>I didn’t know Trader Joe’s and Aldi were the same parent company. I really like Trader Joe’s and could get to an Aldi’s easily enough. Are they worth the trip?</p>
<p>Zoosermom, I shop at Aldi regularly. It is NOT like Trader Joes! It has mostly their “store brand” of foods, and a very limited selection. Their prices are really good. We get things like eggs, milk, egg noodles, flour, crackers (their Fit and Active brand is very good), bread (theirs is like Arnolds) and things like pretzels, chips etc. there. </p>
<p>Aldi is a place you have to try yourself. Some of their store brands are great (plastic garbage bags) and some are not (toothpaste).</p>
<p>If you happen to be driving past one, check it out.</p>
<p>I haven’t read the several pages that ended up twisting this thread into…heck, I don’t know what, but I’ll gladly raise my hand and say it was me back in post #148 that brought up Wegmans. You’ll see my point was I comparison shopped Wegmans, Target, and Walmart, and for staples Wegmans store brand was consistently lower, and almost always lower on national brands. What about this makes me an elitist that cares more about where I get my food? For those that have the perception that Wegmans is for foodies and other national chains are for sensible shoppers, that may be the case in your neighborhood, but trust me when I say that Giant, Safeway, Food Lion, and Harris Teeter (the worst $$$), are all more expensive here then Wegmans. Target and Walmart are more expensive as well. </p>
<p>I also think you’ll find buried in this thread before things got twisted that someone mentioned they currently shopped at Target and Walmart. They were getting a Wegmans but she assumed it was going to be higher prices. You’ll find my response to her went along the lines of saying…if Walmart and Target are working for you that’s great, I encourage you to comparison shop when Wegmans opens. </p>
<p>I don’t think you’ll find me making any comments about Walmart, their management, wages, employees, etc. I did mention that the one in the town next to ours wasn’t kept in good order, hoping the new one here is kept nicer. </p>
<p>My son has worked for Wegmans for 4 years, starting in high school. He’s decided not to go to take classes right now. Getting a FT position there is difficult because people just don’t leave. He’s given the maximum hrs a PT employee can get and needed a second PT job. He applied at the new Walmart, Target, and about 30 other places. Neither Walmart or Target were hiring. </p>
<p>Obviously our family values disdain Walmart, can’t you tell? It’s obvious that someone who shops at Wegmans (never mind the prices are lowest in their area) is an elitist.</p>
<p>I am a Wegmans elitist, I readily admit it. As a vegetarian, (gee, maybe my husband and I shouldn’t be married. Maybe it’s not appropriate for a vegetarian to be married to a knuckle–dragging meat eater. He even eats pig, can you imagine?) it is very important to me to have access to a wide range of fresh vegetables.
I like to go to the farmers market in season, but I find Wegmans has far and away the best year-round selection. I am also a lazy woman, so when we shop on Friday night, we eat our dinner in the balcony of the store and then shop when it’s not crowded. Can’t do that at any of the other supermarkets in my area. I like the fact that the parking lot has wide aisles because I’m a truly wretched driver. It’s fine to be elitist about certain things if you aren’t asking someone else to pay for them. In my case, I also turn my nose up at other supermarkets because Wegmans is cheaper for me every week.</p>
<p>Blueiguana, I have a new theory. In the three Wegmans I have visited, one side of the store has the prepared food, bakery section and gourmet cheese shop. I now theorize that if I were to exclude that section of the store, preventing splurges, I could save significantly more money on the staples in the rest of the store. What do you think?</p>
<p>Agreed completely. Also buried in this thread is my post agreeing with your statement that their patisserie is heaven and I save $$ and calories by not turning left when I go in the store. Everything prepared is on the left. It’s nice for a special occasion but my regular shopping is all on the right side of the store.</p>
<p>Also, since I have a willing and able shopper in the store at least 5days/week I’m rarely doing my own shopping. My son checks the app after work and brings home my groceries. Absolutely no impulse shopping.</p>