Same in Canada. American exceptionalism strikes again!
Note Aldi has about 1200 SKUs (stock keeping units). In contrast supermarkets are usually 30,000 to 50,000 SKUs. So most people have to go elsewhere for some of their purchases.
I don’t go often, but I am fond of the random stuff aisle. That alone makes it worth the trip.
I have to confess that I love Aldi. I do a majority of my grocery shopping there now, and use other nearby stores to fill in the gaps on stuff that Aldi doesn’t have. I’ll chime in and agree on the chocolate. The quality is outstanding, and happily splurge on a bar of dark chocolate from time to time. I also enjoy their cheese selection, which features many gourmet varieties, at prices much lower than any other store I’ve shopped at. Likewise, the deli meats are outstanding.
Sure, the stores are smaller than traditional grocery stores, and the selection is limited…but how many choices do I really need when trying to decide what kind of pie I’d like from the bakery section? I think my last trip to Aldi gave me the option of apple or cherry pie. I went with the Dutch apple pie, which was freakin’ delicious, and about $2 cheaper than a pie at Publix.
I think the weirdest thing I’ve gotten from Aldi was a plush microfiber blanket. King size, with a pretty pattern, $14.99. Loved it, and tried to pick up another in a different pattern, but alas, it was one of their limited specials, so I was outta luck. If I ever see those in stock again, I’m going to snatch up a couple more before they’re gone!
Saving money is always a good thing!
A lot of that is going to come down to them only selling their store brand - so one SKU for peas, as opposed to the super market having 4 or more (Libby’s, Del Monte, Green Giant, and one or two store brands).
I’m not impressed by them myself. Their selection isn’t that great, and many products really aren’t cheaper than other grocery stores.
Plus having to pay for a shopping cart and having to pay for bags is annoying. Not a major issue though, but an annoyance.
I usually only shop there if I have a coupon. Normally I stick to other grocery stores.
You do not have to pay for a shopping cart. You get the quarter back once you return the cart.
I’ve become a huge fan—not so much because of the pricing but because of the quality of the items. I can’t think of anything that has ever disappointed me, and lots of the limited-time Specially Selected or Deutsche Kuche stuff is incredible. Luckily, some of it comes back on some sort of seasonal cycle. Recent addictions: herbed shoestring potatos, Gouda bite crackers, pepper-and-cheddar waffle chips, raspberry sorbet.
I just wish they’d open one closer to me. In the summer, I can bicycle to one only about three miles away (I make quite the spectacle cycling back with a big box of groceries hanging off my rear rack) but in winter it’s more practical to take the subway about 40 minutes each way to one in Uptown.
My current chocolate addiction is the Moser Roth Dark Sea Salt. I only see it about twice a year, and I fill up a refrigerator drawer. This is the time of year to lay in the dark chocolate covered gingerbread hearts, too.
I do often hear from people who think that Aldi USA and Trader Joes are connected, not understanding the Nord-Süd split into two different family trusts. I do sometimes think they must swap recommendations of suppliers, though.
Aldi is fantastic (depending on its location or proximity to certain areas).
If you actually know how to cook, it has nearly everything you need. If you can’t cook and rely on prepackaged stuff, then the inventory may seem a bit limited. They also have really nice items for around your house, tools, gadgets, basic bath items and the quality of them rivals if not exceeds the major players, even though they carry some name brand items. I never used to like going to Aldi when I was younger, because of the whole “poor” association with it as well as worrying about limited selection. As I got older (and make much more money) and learned how to cook, its the best place to shop IMHO. It has everything you need. I shop at one of the better ones, so it is nicely organized and accessible. Its also a great place to buy AA and AAA batteries. They seem to last longer than Duracell and I am a heavy gamer who can’t be bothered with a corded game controller.
The savings of doing grocery shopping at Aldi are immense. I could leave with 3x the amount of stuff as I could shopping at Jewel or Mariano’s (other major supermarket chains) for the same price. If you are a single person, you could EASILY eat really well for a month at about $100 or less by shopping here. Just give it a try if you haven’t.
All being said, you do find some Aldi stores nearer to poorer neighborhoods, and some are complete shit and drag in some shady clientele. Just avoid it the first 5 days of the month and you won’t have to worry much about lines or people with multiple carts, you’ll have time to look at everything they’ve got without feeling squished. If you need to, supplement with Trader Joes (related to Aldi or not) to fill in the gaps. Enjoy your savings!
YES, YES and YES!
The chocolate they sell there is amazing! Since I already will feel guilty eating so much of it as it is, I feel less guilty saving money doing so.
I found one too, has a plaid outside and sherpa underside, best blanket i’ve bought in a while, I made sure to buy 2 of them, because I wasn’t sure i’d ever see it again… I really wish I bought those awesome car seat covers…:mad:
I like Aldi but don’t shop there often. The closest one is too far away. As long as you don’t go there expecting a typical supermarket experience, it’s fine. Be prepared for limited selection, few employees, bagging your own groceries, paying for bags if you don’t bring your own, and quite often long checkout lines. The lines do move faster than in a typical grocery store, thankfully.
I do buy produce there sometimes but it tends to go bad a little faster than standard grocery store produce. Their root vegetables are fine but I don’t buy grapes, strawberries, and other highly perishable fruits unless I plan to use them right away. They sometimes have very good prices on mushrooms but again they need to be used up quick.
The dairy section (milk, cream, butter, eggs, cheese, etc) has excellent prices and very good quality. I also buy sausages, cold cuts, frozen fish, flour, sugar, and other baking ingredients. I don’t recall every buying beef, chicken, or pork there. I avoid their bread and other baked goods. It’s not that they’re bad but I can get better quality and selection at lower prices elsewhere.
There are a number of regional chains with a similar low-price limited-selection business model. I’m familiar with Price Rite and Save-a-lot. In my experience, Aldi offers better quality than them at slightly higher prices. Trader Joe’s has higher prices and generally higher quality.
We shop there all the time, because of the prices. And the quality isn’t bad, either. And, come Thanksgiving they will have a lot of Christmas confections, etc., we can’t find anywhere else.
I thought that in California all stores, not merely Aldi, were already obliged to charge for shopping bags — as in most of Europe and no doubt other US States.
Plus they banned single-use plastic bags to reduce pollution — which no doubt has the usual libertarian, climate deniers, anti-greens claiming the ban increases pollution, somehow.
I’ve been in an Aldi once, maybe ten years ago. I was with my son. We needed something, so I decided to go into an Aldi. It was a totally foreign experience, one I didn’t enjoy. We walked out empty handed and it became “a thing” with us. “Remember that time we went into an Aldi?”
California has a statewide ban on free lightweight plastic bags but it’s the only U.S. state that does, so far. Many counties, cities (including Washington DC), and towns have local bans. See the rundown on Wikipedia.
I don’t have a problem with bagging my own groceries or with bringing my own bags. Aldi sells higher quality thicker reusable bags that are slightly bigger than the disposable ones for (I think) 10 cents. I bought two a couple of years ago and have reused them many times. I’ve never had one break even when I stuff them to overflowing with heavy groceries.
Around here, we have Sav-A-Lot and another one that’s part of the same parent company as Giant Eagle, I think it’s called Savers. I don’t see much difference in price between Aldi and Sav-A-Lot (which one is cheaper on any given item varies week to week), but the quality seems to be a touch higher at Aldi. The other one is more expensive than Aldi with less variety, less quality, and poorer customer service, so we never go there any more.
The only item I’ve gotten from an ALDI that I absolutely hated was a queen size set of sheets. They were made of polyester rather than cotton, and the first time I tried them, I slipped out of bed to use the bathroom, touched the screw of the light switch and shocked the crap out of myself. Those sheets went back the next day.
The local foodie website I belong to has a 28-page thread on Aldi. Suffice to say, the consensus is that Aldi has a lot of great items, especially their specialty items, and is not just your run-of-the-mill cheap-ass shit discount store.
Broomstick said it all. I’ve been shopping at Aldi for over 20 years–when dead broke thru well-off, and I still like it. Best thing is to go there first, get all your staples, then hit the regular supermarket for your better meats and produce and specialties. I also like it for the small footprint–when I’m feeling stressed, I can get by with a week’s worth of groc there in 20 minutes and not have to analyze different brands.
Things I like: staples, of course, flour, sugar, dairy, eggs, pasta. Beans, crackers, basic spices, tomato sauce, rice, etc. Kidfood like cereal, pudding, cheese sticks, juice boxes, mandarin orange cups, etc., chips, chocolate. Where I live, produce is ok if you go on the right day. Frozen sausage patties and bratwurst. Toast bread and danishes. The wine is pretty decent too. I also really like their Havarti and hummus and chicken salad.