# Is the non-food merchandise at Aldi any good? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 21, 2013, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-non-food-merchandise-at-aldi-any-good/661582 "2013-06-21T20:13:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jebert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ec9cab/32.png) [@jebert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jebert)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-non-food-merchandise-at-aldi-any-good/661582/1 "2013-06-21T20:13:31Z")
I frequently buy food at Aldi and find it a good value for the money. They also have a couple of aisles of totally random non-food merchandise; I’ve seen computers, grills, shoes, and tents. The next week it’s a whole new set of items. All of this stuff is packaged under brands I’ve never seen before. I’d like to know if any of this stuff is any good. I definitely wouldn’t buy one of their computers, but what about the other items? Does anyone have experience with any of it? ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-non-food-merchandise-at-aldi-any-good/661582/2 "2013-06-21T20:20:59Z")
We bought a shade tent from there a couple of years ago. It has held up very well. ---
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-non-food-merchandise-at-aldi-any-good/661582/3 "2013-06-21T20:24:43Z")
Everything like that I’ve bought from there was of identical quality to similar name brand purchases. Which is to say, the quality varied. The only thing I can remember that was really a piece of junk was the steam floor cleaner. The camping equipment is good. The kitchen stuff is good. None of it is top of the line, obviously, but compared to the stuff at Target? It’s the same. ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-non-food-merchandise-at-aldi-any-good/661582/4 "2013-06-22T05:09:32Z")
My Dad bought a tiltable umbrella for his deck and a tent. Happy with both. ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-non-food-merchandise-at-aldi-any-good/661582/5 "2013-06-22T06:51:02Z")
I’ve had several things from Aldi that were almost ok, but marred by poor design or fitting. It seemed like they’d been copied by someone who had never actually used the object in question. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-non-food-merchandise-at-aldi-any-good/661582/6 "2013-06-22T07:24:15Z")
Haven’t bought one of their computers but I did pick up several keyboards there are found them quite adequate for my needs. The gardening equipment has held up just fine, including the garden cart that replaced my wheelbarrow. The salad spinner is one of better all time kitchen gizmos I’ve bought. The non-food items, as noted, can vary in quality but overall I’ve felt I got what I paid for. Not top of the line but not junk either. ---
**Author:** ![Tequila\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a6a055/32.png) [@Tequila\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tequila_Party)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-non-food-merchandise-at-aldi-any-good/661582/7 "2013-06-22T07:25:41Z")
Everything we’ve bought from Aldi, like small kitchen appliances to a quilt to games and grilling paraphernalia, has been good quality. We’ve never been disappointed and the price is always better than anywhere else new. ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-non-food-merchandise-at-aldi-any-good/661582/8 "2013-06-22T09:53:41Z")
Computers are good. They have some really good components for the price. I’m on my second, works fine. Other stuff, capsule coffee makers are grouse and work well., tools are OK, cookware is good. Keep your expectations in line with the price you pay and you won’t often be disappointed. If you expect $1000 quality for a $25 price, then you will. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-non-food-merchandise-at-aldi-any-good/661582/9 "2013-06-22T15:03:00Z")
Aldi paper kitchen napkins are on my ‘never again’ list. They shred into pulp and fibers on contact with the tiniest amount of moisture and you’d certainly better keep them from anything sticky. Think Kleenex or TP. Dollar store napkins are the same way and likely the same supplier. I don’t shop at Aldi often and can’t think of another non-food purchase. I go there for a few particular items, especially nuts. I’m pretty well hooked on the Oven Roasted almonds in the teal bag. ---
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-non-food-merchandise-at-aldi-any-good/661582/10 "2013-06-22T15:57:56Z")
Oh yeah, anything paper from ALDI is garbage in my opinion. Paper towels, toilet paper, tissue, napkins… all junk. It’s super cheap; if I owned a bar, I’d stock it with ALDI tp. But in my home? No way. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-non-food-merchandise-at-aldi-any-good/661582/11 "2013-06-22T19:45:50Z")
Wasn’t particularly happy with the quality of a camp chair I bought there. But it WAS only 8 bucks, and it lasted one summer. ---
**Author:** ![gracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@gracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracer)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2013, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-non-food-merchandise-at-aldi-any-good/661582/12 "2013-06-23T09:43:18Z")
Stuff I bought: - Cushions - Bicycle ceiling hoist - toaster - kettle - gardening stuff, incl. seeds - flooring wax repair kit thingie Everything was great, except the melter-thingie in the floor repair kit thingie broke. It could still be used, we just needed another way of melting the wax. I have been camping with someone who was in an Aldi tent, and at the first sign of rain he shouted over: “Gracer, can I come in with you?!” I opened our zip and he literally somersaulted in with his hat on his head and his sleeping bag stuffed into his sodden t-shirt. It was definitely up there with one of the funniest sights of my life. The hat, and the way he rolled in and the thunderstorm going on around us… However, I imagine it to be rather less funny if you are stuck out somewhere in a really leaky tent with no gracer-super-tent to catapult yourself into. He went to a proper shop and bought himself a real tent a few days later.