Anybody shop at an Aldi supermarket?

Originally Posted by UncleDave
You dont one stop at Aldi - you move it into the rotation and get the stuff that makes sense - like trader joes.

That is our experience as well and for us, just too much time (and trouble and effort). Yes, you can save money by shopping there but are those savings then offset by the add'l time and travel to a 2nd grocery store ? For us it was....
 
Shopped at one when I was working in upstate NY. Amazing. NY doesn't have the Dairy Compact I suffer under back home and they had gallons of whole milk for $1.38! Went back next week and the price was in the high-$2s.

They have generic "Ben & Jerry's" ice cream that's very good and like $2/pint.

Big jars of salsa for ~$1.25. You can cook chili with it if you can't find any other purpose. I also like their granola bars. If you're flat broke their corn flakes are under a buck for a big box.

Definitely going back next time I'm around one. As said above, it's not a complete supermarket but it's great for staples, and it shows off just how much regular supermarkets rip you off, particularly if you're trying to eat on the cheap.
 
I used too a lot. I haven't had an issue with anything there except the produce - those tend to go bad really fast. Maybe it's different in other Aldi stores? They lack the "boutique" brands that places like whole foods will have but otherwise it's 99% good for me.
 
We made Aldi our go to grocer about 25 years ago. Eating a cup of their butter pecan ice cream at this moment. I think it's better that Bryers BP.
 
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I always try to shop at Aldi for stuff. If I can't get it at Aldi, then I'll pick it up at Wegmans. I'm cheap and don't like spending money.

There's an aldi walking distance from my work. I usually do all of my grocery shopping on lunch - walk over, shop, then put it in the fridge at work so it doesn't go bad while i'm still working.
 
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Originally Posted by Malo83
Aldi's opened up here this past summer, not impressed, looks like the flea market of grocery stores, only thing i walked out with was some cheap Sangria wine.
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I call Aldi stores this.... Aldi Welfaro stores.

I like Harris Teeter... Though they can be pricey... But they also have good sales too. My trip two weeks ago I saved $61... Instead of $164 I paid $103. And it was all things the lady and I really like and eat/enjoy.
 
Their frozen ready-made German foods are pretty good, and they are known for having various types of advent calendars this time of year.

But the local one here looks like a soviet-era grocery inside and it's really depressing to shop there.
 
Originally Posted by Kira

My first Aldi store is on Rt. 254 in/near Queensbury, NY. It's just plain bigger and has more stuff.



If you liked the size of that store.. they moved closer to the Northway just off the intersection of Rt.254 on Route 9 going south. They now occupy the previous ToysRUs building.

Its even bigger and updated.
 
Lidl & Aldi, we have them both in our neighborhood and we go there on a weekly basis, both great stores IMO
 
I got an ice cream addition a year ago and Aldis has a $6/half gallon brand that is fantastic.. Whole Milk/Eggs/Sugar are the only ingredients i think.. super rich.

Their brand of laundry detergent/TP and Paper Towels are all good for cheap.

Their Yogurts/Naan/Hummus are all very good values as well.

As for the 25 cent buggies.. I would gladly pay $1 to avoid Walmart and Kroger at times.. There is no chit chat and kids running crazy and scooters running around.. and now the online shopping people at Kroger and Walmart.

Parking is alot easier at Aldis too.. My Kroger and Walmarts are nearly impossible to park at anymore..with the rows of online shoppers only.
 
Originally Posted by krismoriah72
Parking is alot easier at Aldis too..


Au contraire, the one I went to must have been laid out by a German who drives a Smart Fortwo. I could barely fit the Impala in a spot and still open the door. Can't imagine parking a larger SUV or minivan there.
 
The quarter thing for the cart is brilliant, I wish more stores would adopt this practice. As for the quality, it is pretty good but they have A LOT of junk food.
 
Aldi has gotten too big. They are basically "just another supermarket" in the U.S.

Aldi 1996 was a no thrills good deals store selling staple goods. Mostly boxed and cans on pallets..
Aldi also treats their employees better than most places.

Today they are sporting a meat and produce dept in store, they have lost their way.
 
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Went once and didn't care for the store at all. Never went again.
 
I like Aldi a lot for some things.

Very good prices on fruits/vegetables, their whole wheat bread is the best I have found anywhere.

very good prices on imported wines/beers if you are into that. canned stuff is on par with anything you find at any other supermarket and generally cheaper than wal mart.

it is what it is.

p.s. forgot to mention the spaghetti sauce, I buy it a case at a time, .99/jar and as good/better than any ready made sauce sold anywhere in the U.S. my son loves it.
 
These days my grocery shopping is split approx 45% Aldi, 30% Walmart, 15% Kroger, and 10% the little local no-name corner grocer. I usually shop sales for meats and produce, Aldi is nice because their stuff is reasonably priced with or without a sale, but a bargain when on sale.

The name brands you've never heard of are just Aldi's version of Great Value--- except they give each product category it's own cheesy store-brand name. As far as quality goes, I like it. The store brand goods are generally on par with Walmart's Great Value, which I've been mostly pleased with. Some are fantastic, like their bagels. We've gotten a few things I've not been impressed with (for example: lousy peaches in the prime of peach season, their cottage cheese tastes like mushy bits of salt cube), but overall their produce and meat quality is decent. Their prices are comparable with Walmart, some items will be a couple nickels higher, some lower. The beautiful thing about Aldi (for me) is it's NOT WALMART.

My issues with Walmart are many. Among them: Their (usually) incompetent employees, never help available when you need it, the types of customers Walmart attracts, long lines, etc. Then there's Walmart's dirty tricks like pricing value & family sized products MORE EXPENSIVE per unit than the small containers (a waste of packaging and intentionally bleeding more money out of [mostly] poor, uneducated folks that are too dumb/lazy to look at the price per unit) has turned me off for good.

That said, Walmart's pricing is hard to beat, but Aldi has filled the low-cost grocer role quite well for my family. I only use Walmart for their canned goods, box foods, baking supplies, etc, and that's usually only if I'm at Walmart for some other reason.
 
Aldi is pretty good...if you know what you're looking for. Many brand name products are cheaper than WM. Their salmon is very good. Again, cheaper. Haas avocado was huge for 75c. Fruits and veggies I won't touch.

I always go back.
 
Originally Posted by Malo83
Aldi's opened up here this past summer, not impressed, looks like the flea market of grocery stores, only thing i walked out with was some cheap Sangria wine.
lol.gif



Same here. Limited selections, unknown brands, tried a few items........never went back.
 
90% of my food comes from ALDI. Personally, I enjoy going there knowing that whatever I buy is a decent price. Sure, shopping sales at traditional grocers might save a few cents here and there, but sometimes you need something now. Certainly beats waiting a week or two for the next ad to come around or clipping coupons. I like that for almost any given item, there is one brand, one size one price. Need a block of mozzarella? At a traditonal grocery store, you're comparing the prices of 3-4 brands of the same cheese. Is one little rectangle of mozzarella better than another? IMO, no. ALDI? One brand, one price that beats any of the brands at the traditional grocery store. I also appreciate that the cashiers are lightning quick at ALDI, which I can't say for the other grocers in town. And really, the only time I've noticed a difference between and ALDI product and a name brand was the boxed Mac N Cheese. Yes, the Kraft is better. But for 1/3 of the price, college me bought the ALDI stuff- and it's far more palatable than other store brands. Oh, and soda, but in reality, all store brand sodas suck.
If you like Malt-O-Meal cereal- go to ALDI, they make most, if not all of the store brand cereals. I work in the shipping industry, I've seen the proof.
Overall, use your head. Some things with proprietary recipies are not going to taste the same or as good as the original- Doritos, Cola, etc, you are going to notice the difference. But for basics- lunch meat, cheese, milk, eggs, butter, bread, chicken, sugar, flour, baking soda, chocolate chips, nuts- you're never going to know the difference and if you can deprogram your brain's attachement to the brand, your wallet will be much happier.I'd say we save hundreds every year buying at ALDI vs. going to the grocery store. Only way I'd get close to that savings is at Walmart- but the downside is you have to shop at Walmart, and you still aren't saving as much, in my experience.
 
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