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Old 02-16-2019, 07:58 PM   #41
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About monthly, we head to a local farm market that mostly sells produce, and fruit to resturaunts. The prices are incredibly cheap, and often have deals on stew ingredients that will make a stew large enough for many leftovers. We buy beef 1/4 cow at a time, and have it processed to our specs. Sometimes we get a deer for venison., and have our own chickens, for meat, and eggs.
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Old 02-17-2019, 12:56 AM   #42
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Originally Posted by imoldernu View Post
For those who mentioned Trader Joe, here's an interesting article that does a price comparison.

https://clark.com/deals-money-saving...ce-comparison/

Aldi now has an ever growing selection of organic foods. Many if not most stores have been upgraded, enlarged or moved, and SKU's have increased by about 30% I think.

Some recent low prices here in our town.... chicken breasts $.69/lb, dozen eggs $.64, all 1 gallon milk 1%,2% etc. $1.29, 12 .oz Strawberries..$1.29, organic chiquita bananas $.32/lb, Rye bread, $.79, whole sliced ham, $.95/lb, green grapes $.99/lb, whole pineapple $1.29, and my favorite, sunflower seeds... (everywhere else in town $2.89) ours $1.49.

BTW... fresh fruits and vegetables are almost always fresh... more so than at Walmart.
Some of my bargain this past week - vegan cheese $1 for 9 ounces, shrimp $5 pound, organic strawberries for $1 pound, 30 organic eggs for $5, organic pears $1.50 pound, living lettuce for $1 a head, yams .50 pound, tomatoes 3 pounds for $2, butternut squash $1 each, vegan macadamia nut milk $1.50 carton, grass fed beef $3.99 and Cheerios for $1 box.

I also find the produce to be fresher at the outlet stores and ethnic markets. They seem to have faster turnover than the local supermarkets.
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Old 02-17-2019, 03:03 PM   #43
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Food Shopping

I’m not sure how Aldi does it but there’s a lot of transportation costs embedded in most of the major chains (giant Safeway Kroger etc). They have distribution centers hundreds of miles away from their stores. Gas distribution works that way too.
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Old 02-17-2019, 03:10 PM   #44
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We start our grocery run at Aldi's, then we go to either ShopRite or Stop&Shop for things we can't get at Aldi's. We only go to Whole Foods for the fish counter. Occasionally we go to Trader Joe; it is my understanding that TJ and Aldi are the same company.
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Old 02-17-2019, 04:59 PM   #45
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it is my understanding that TJ and Aldi are the same company.
The Albrecht brothers... the whole story is fascinating, but here's the wiki article.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theo_Albrecht

The US Aldi headquarters is a little more than an hour from our home... in Batavia, IL. IMHO the smartest, most advanced grocery chain in the US... We know many of the managers, and try to stay on top of what they're doing. The "team menbers" from management to workers are top drawer... High energy and hard work. Aldi pays well, and expects a lot.

1600 stores... Plans for 2500 by 2022. Will be 3rd after Walmart and Kroger. BTW... Kroger is the 4th largest employer in the US... with 440,000 employees.
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Old 02-17-2019, 06:24 PM   #46
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In New Jersey there are a number of wealthy immigrants from India that have invested and opened up food stores that cater to the immigrant crowd and all others. The fruits and vegetables are cheaper than the nearby big block chain grocery stores. The local residents have caught on and take advantage of the cheaper prices.
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Old 02-17-2019, 07:37 PM   #47
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The Albrecht brothers... the whole story is fascinating, but here's the wiki article.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theo_Albrecht

The US Aldi headquarters is a little more than an hour from our home... in Batavia, IL. IMHO the smartest, most advanced grocery chain in the US... We know many of the managers, and try to stay on top of what they're doing. The "team menbers" from management to workers are top drawer... High energy and hard work. Aldi pays well, and expects a lot.

1600 stores... Plans for 2500 by 2022. Will be 3rd after Walmart and Kroger. BTW... Kroger is the 4th largest employer in the US... with 440,000 employees.


When I first started going to Aldi in the late 80’s they were taking over stores in working class neighborhoods that Safeway had outgrown. They really helped me feed our 3 young kids. Fast forward to today and Aldi just moved into a location that Safeway abandoned because they could not compete. Aldi only uses 50% of the space and they stay busy but not packed. I see more and more national brands every time I go. One thing I am getting tired of is how they stack merchandise. They don’t have regular shelving so the shipping boxes for things like breakfast cereal have to self stack and many times the product boxes get slightly crushed. I don’t like that.
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Old 02-17-2019, 07:41 PM   #48
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Until we left our tiny little town in Texas a few months ago, they had recently opened an Aldi about 50 miles from us. (And since the closest decent grocery store was 25 miles away, it wasn't a big deal.) We were increasingly doing most of our "stocking up" there since we usually only went that far about twice a month.
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Old 02-17-2019, 08:05 PM   #49
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In New Jersey there are a number of wealthy immigrants from India that have invested and opened up food stores that cater to the immigrant crowd and all others. The fruits and vegetables are cheaper than the nearby big block chain grocery stores. The local residents have caught on and take advantage of the cheaper prices.

Where in NJ? Edison, Iselin, Jersey City?

But very few Americans and other ethnicities will shop outside their preferred or mainstream stores.
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Old 02-17-2019, 11:14 PM   #50
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We vary our shopping to about 6 or 7 stores, all for various reasons, but only hit 2 or 3 per week, as convenience dictates.

We shop at Aldi's for a number of basic things and canned goods.

I noticed our Aldi is looking for a worker, they sign says they pay $13.50 /hr plus benefits.. pretty good wage.

Costco is our new shopping spot, mostly because I bought a cruise from Costco.
I like how they package chicken in small packs so you only need to open 1 pack (3 thighs) and the plastic is thick so they freeze well.
However they are NOT the cheapest , their boneless skinless chicken breast was $2.99 /lb , at Sam's (we still have membership) it's $1.99 but it is in ordinary big packages.

Both Sam's and Costco both have the great roasted chicken for $5 that beats our local grocery stores trying to flog their skinny tiny roasted chicken at $7.99 !

I get a bunch of our fresh meat and vegies at the mexican grocery store beside Aldi's, which has a large meat counter with about 5 guys serving everyone. They have lots of unique things for sale there.
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Old 02-18-2019, 02:54 AM   #51
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Where in NJ? Edison, Iselin, Jersey City?

But very few Americans and other ethnicities will shop outside their preferred or mainstream stores.
Patel Brothers , Subzimandi are scattered in NJ. Visiting NJ has become a cultural mecca. Don't agree with not many shop outside mainstream. The Latino mom and pop grocers in FL where I live is where I can get the freshest veggies, produce and fish at better prices than big block chain markets. It's a good way to practice my Spanish since English is rarely spoken in these locations.
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Old 02-18-2019, 03:20 AM   #52
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Is it pronounced "AL DEE" or "AWL DEE"?

We spend at Aldi as well as Whole Foods. Aldi was our go to store in the lean years earlier this century.
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Aldi is a German company and is pronounced "all" "dee".
And there is no 's in Aldi
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Old 02-18-2019, 03:27 AM   #53
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We have Aldis springing up in new locations, often taking over defunct grocery store sites. I visited a new one last week and wow, it is head and tails better than the much older Aldis I'd been frequenting. They've really improved over the decade. If I can't find it at Aldi, my next stop is usually SuperTarget.
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Old 02-18-2019, 03:48 AM   #54
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ALDI's Millville Crispy Oats are inferior to Cheerios. https://www.aldireviewer.com/2016/12...ereal-roundup/
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Old 02-18-2019, 04:13 AM   #55
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ALDI's Millville Crispy Oats are inferior to Cheerios. https://www.aldireviewer.com/2016/12...ereal-roundup/
+1
My wife has tried Aldi's Crispy Oats. To her, there is a significant difference in flavor between Crispy Oats and Cheerios.

As to which is "better", that is probably a personal preference.
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Old 02-18-2019, 04:39 AM   #56
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I not a fan of Aldi’s because they don’t have some of the things that we buy. But it is across the street from Walmart, so that makes it convenient to stop at Aldi’s on the same trip to Walmart. Also buy a few things at Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s.
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Old 02-18-2019, 05:06 AM   #57
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Aldi sells Honeynut Cheerios along with their own version. I haven't tried any of them but I'm pretty sure the genuine Cheerios brand at Aldi is no different than Cheerios at other stores.
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Old 02-18-2019, 05:19 AM   #58
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It would be interesting to see a map of the US where “Aldi” becomes “Aldis” and “Walmart” becomes “The Walmart.”
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Old 02-18-2019, 07:35 AM   #59
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+1
My wife has tried Aldi's Crispy Oats. To her, there is a significant difference in flavor between Crispy Oats and Cheerios.

As to which is "better", that is probably a personal preference.

Yes...To her. And, to each his own !

Same with the author of the article in the post above.

Key Words: Subjective Opinions

I would bet heavily that if the bowls of cereal were set in front of each individual, and they were not told anything about the test, that they would have no idea which was which.

They might actually have a preference for one or the other and that would be purely subjective, even if they were the exact same thing.

Much like when a talk show host showed numerous people the "New" I- Phone (which was NOT the new I-Phone but actually last year's model) and most subjects reported that it was " faster", "easier", "lighter" etc.

Many people reject Aldi and it's products out of hand, without ever even trying them. They perceive that it costs less so it must be inferior.

My friend, who I forced to go to Aldi with me, remarked as we pulled into the parking lot " Wow! There's a lot of nice cars here! "

Amused, because I knew the basis of the comment was formulated from an opinion that " only poor people shop at ALDI "... I looked at her, smiled, and said : " That's because these people shop at ALDI. They can afford nice things and these cars are most likely paid for. That's because they don't pay more for things than they have to, and they don't care what others think of where they SHOP for Chrissake! . If you want to see poor people, go to Whole Foods. "

I say again (see previous post)....And THAT is how Trader Joe's was born. Charge more for the same product and put it in a fancier package. Devised by one of the Albrecht Brothers of Aldi fame who realized the foolishness of American behavior as regards pricing and money.



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P.S. - NOT bagging on TJ's. My Son used to work there and I used to buy select items there that were excellent products and at good value.
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Old 02-18-2019, 08:01 AM   #60
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We have a newer Aldi. I like the convenience, in and out in 10 minutes. Small parking lot, small store and great fresh fruit and fruit like Kiwi, Persimmons, blood oranges and nice peppers. The bran flakes are as good as GM and the cookies...they are a German co. and they own Trader Joe's. I wish we had a Trader Joe's.

Also, the way they handle shopping carts. There are never shopping carts all over the parking lot. Who wants to waste a quarter? Plus customers trade their carts with incoming customers.
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