Aldi's

[Bestwifeever]

We don't have a Walmart close enough to us to frequent--when we've shopped at out-of-town Wallyworlds, we've been impressed with their grocery prices. Their groceries seem to turn over frequently so everything is very fresh and the selection is amazing (the Walmart in DH's hometown has run the local family grocers out of business but hey, welcome to the real world of today). There's a Target with some groceries that is closer but they do not get enough shoppers to keep the grocery merchandise moving and it's dusty.

Aldi's opened up several stores in the Chicago suburbs over the last couple of years--brand new, clean, bright, freestanding buildings. It actually reminds me of a mini-warehouse store, and I like being able to get in and out in ten minutes (including shopping for Thanksgiving) and saving 30 to 40 percent on average.

Of course today it is cool to bring your own grocery bags even to the upscale Whole Foods (and those "free" plastic bags could soon be a thing of the past if other stores follow WF's lead: Whole Foods Sacks Plastic Bags)

So Aldi's = another option for LBYMing, for sure!

 

[Notmuchlonger]

We don't have a Walmart close enough to us to frequent--when we've shopped at out-of-town Wallyworlds, we've been impressed with their grocery prices. Their groceries seem to turn over frequently so everything is very fresh and the selection is amazing (the Walmart in DH's hometown has run the local family grocers out of business but hey, welcome to the real world of today). There's a Target with some groceries that is closer but they do not get enough shoppers to keep the grocery merchandise moving and it's dusty.

Aldi's opened up several stores in the Chicago suburbs over the last couple of years--brand new, clean, bright, freestanding buildings. It actually reminds me of a mini-warehouse store, and I like being able to get in and out in ten minutes (including shopping for Thanksgiving) and saving 30 to 40 percent on average.

Of course today it is cool to bring your own grocery bags even to the upscale Whole Foods (and those "free" plastic bags could soon be a thing of the past if other stores follow WF's lead: Whole Foods Sacks Plastic Bags)

So Aldi's = another option for LBYMing, for sure!

Im impressed with grocery prices anywhere outside of California.. A saying Ive heard about Whole Foods out here. Its called Whole Paycheck Ive shopped there once.

 

[Sparky]

Im impressed with grocery prices anywhere outside of California.. A saying Ive heard about Whole Foods out here. Its called Whole Paycheck Ive shopped there once.

I agree - I think Whole Foods meat and produce is about double the price of Trader Joe's.

 

[crispus]

We have an Aldi less then 2 miles from our home. So far all we have bought there is cat litter and chocolate. Our cat is diabetic and goes through 20lbs of litter a week. The litter at Aldi's is half the price and clomps up very well.

 

[freebird5825]

the Aldi's near me is very small. their produce is awful. they carry no fresh meat. they also don't take credit cards, only debit. most of their stuff is high salt, high fat processed food-in-a-box. it's not as conveniently located as my mom-n-pop and dollar type stores, which are 2 miles closer to my usual driving route. if i'm on that side of town anyway, i go there once in a while for frozen seafood or canned goods i can't get as cheaply elsewhere.

 

[Sparky]

the Aldi's near me is very small. their produce is awful. they carry no fresh meat. they also don't take credit cards, only debit. most of their stuff is high salt, high fat processed food-in-a-box. it's not as conveniently located as my mom-n-pop and dollar type stores, which are 2 miles closer to my usual driving route. if i'm on that side of town anyway, i go there once in a while for frozen seafood or canned goods i can't get as cheaply elsewhere.

I think if you look at some of the other things that you take for granted at WalMart or other stores, such as aspirin, vitamin e, paper products, body wash, body lotion, etc., you will be impressed. I also think their cheeses are good quality.

However, their frozen fish is all from China, at least at ours in the Northeast (don't buy that).

You need to check out the new "COOL" - Congress actually did something good for us for a change - that means "country of original label", meaning the food is labeled as to where it comes from.

The sugary foods and fruity drinks are something that turned me off the first time I went to Aldi's.

My eyes were opened when I tried their paper products and body lotions and stuff.

Try it again for those non-perishable everyday items and try to keep an open mind and I think you'll be impressed.

 

[W2R]

This thread is so interesting and helpful. I have never been in an Aldi's, and in fact I have only seen one in my life. That Aldi's is in the town where I intend to retire. So, I will know something about that Aldi's before moving there.

 

[freebird5825]

...Try it again for those non-perishable everyday items and try to keep an open mind and I think you'll be impressed.

i will. i suspect each Aldi's carries it's own choice of goods, hence the difference in perceptions. i did buy some yogurts, only to find out they all expired in 3 days. we ate them very quickly. my lettuce went bad in short order, so i had to throw it away. it looked fine when i bought it.
BTW, i hate walmart too.

 

[Sparky]

i will. i suspect each Aldi's carries it's own choice of goods, hence the difference in perceptions. i did buy some yogurts, only to find out they all expired in 3 days. we ate them very quickly. my lettuce went bad in short order, so i had to throw it away. it looked fine when i bought it.
BTW, i hate walmart too.

I have seen salad for sale at Aldi's, ($1.19) - buy 1 get 1 free, expiring the next day. I couldn't eat 2 salads in one day.

If I was having a dinner party that night, it would have been a great deal.

The premise of Aldi's is what is so interesting.

They are not trying to be all things to all people and also are not trying to be a cheap, knock-off of Walmart.

This is a new experience - they are attempting to have very high quality items for very low prices. You have to pick through their items to find them. Some items are crappy sugary stuff meant for children. One needs to take one's time and look further. They have some name brand items but the majority items are Aldi's brand items, which carry a double-your-money back guarantee if you don't find them equal or superior to NAME BRANDS.

It is not a dollar store or an oddlot store.

The first time I went there I was annoyed that they wouldn't let me pack my own stuff - you have to realize that they are trained to pack your stuff back in your cart. You have to pack it later (and get your quarter back).

 

[FIREd]

We never get anything good. No Aldis. No Trader Joes. No Costco. Even our Walmart is an old fashioned one without food.

We've got nothing either. No Aldis, No Trader Joes, no BJ's, no Wild Oats, no Whole Foods... We have to drive to B'Ham or Nashville to get the good stuff...

 

[Sparky]

The reason that Aldi's only takes debit or cash is they don't have to pay credit card fees, so they can pass the savings on to the consumer. You pay a quarter to use their carts (which you get back when you return it). There is a big notice on the cart that "if you take the cart past the yellow line, the wheels will lock".

 

[Martha]

We've got nothing either. . . no BJ's, ... We have to drive to B'Ham or Nashville to get the good stuff...

 

[martyb]

There's an Aldis here in Janesville, WI where we just moved to from down south. Never been in the place, but now I guess we'll have to at least check it out. The store's about a mile from my house. I'd seen the sign & store, but honestly didn't even know what kind of business it was.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

I don't know about your area, but our Mayor is active in trying to bring new businesses to our town and surrounding area..

I have family in Columbia, MO where the population is just now pushing 100k. The word out there is that this is a tipping point, beyond which many national chains including the Trader Joe, Whole Foods will start snooping around. Also, that is a population which will support the local restaurant industry, better stores, etc.

My DD thinks that this is exactly what's happening. My guess is that real progress will be delayed until after the Recession of 08, but it will happen.

 

[FANOFJESUS]

We have been shoping at aldi's for years and love them. You have to go slow a first so you don't miss some of the products. We try to get everything we can at aldi's.

 

[Ronnieboy]

I also got 120 count baby aspirin for $1.49.

Costco, Kirkland Signature baby aspirin #730 [(2) 365 ct bottles] $4.99

Heck, they might expire before you could use them all....

 

[harley]

Never even heard of Aldi's. Just looked it up. There's one 17 miles away in Frederick MD. I'll stop in next time I'm up there. I love Trader Joes. Always looking for new ways to spend money.

 

[jazz4cash]

Aldi's is a great resource for LBYM. I started going there in the Midwest in the early 90's and thier prices really made a big difference in the grocery budget for a family of 5 with one paycheck.

The prices were so low, I was skeptical about the quality, but I experimented and everything I tried was ok quality-wise and the staples like bread, milk, cereal, etc were equal to anyplace else. One of the few name brand items they had was Echrich hot dogs for 50% of what the big chains were charging. Biggest problem was the lines were so long I could only go during the slow period on my lunch hour.

The new Aldi stores are like Palaces compared to the ones back then. They had old-fashion adding machines and no price tags...in the '90's......clerks had to memorize every price. They had no fresh meat which I just noticed a few months ago a local Aldi's. It's pre-packaged someplace else and brought to the store in sealed trays.....dunno about that! I only go a few times a year now when it's convenient.

 

[Goonie]

They are not trying to be all things to all people and also are not trying to be a cheap, knock-off of Walmart.

Yeah, we've had an Aldi's around here since years before that Walplace ever even thought about building anywhere around here!

 

[Goonie]

They had no fresh meat which I just noticed a few months ago a local Aldi's. It's pre-packaged someplace else and brought to the store in sealed trays.....dunno about that!

We've bought their pre-packaged, sealed trays of meat, and it's been just as good, if not better than, Krogers, Eagles, and IGA. Our store has a lot of business, so everything is continuously being restocked, and the meat usually looks a lot fresher than our local chain stores.

 

[shoe]

My friend's son is a truck driver for Aldi's and picked up their soup... at the Campbell's factory. They pay excellent wages and when the distribution center here advertises in the paper there are long long lines of people waiting to apply. I love the fast checkouts and spacious packing areas.

 

[tuixiu]

I've taken to buying meats and veggies at the Sprouts near us. Stuff like hamburger and chicken breasts are consistently far cheaper than the bigger chain grocery stores, and some "luxury" veggies like artichokes and asparagus are back on my higher frequency list.

 

[NW-Bound]

Count me among the lucky ones. Got a Sprouts near me too! Darn, why am I not happy with where I am, and still looking for a better place to retire?

 

[jazz4cash]

We've bought their pre-packaged, sealed trays of meat, and it's been just as good, if not better than, Krogers, Eagles, and IGA. Our store has a lot of business, so everything is continuously being restocked, and the meat usually looks a lot fresher than our local chain stores.

Ok...Goonie, on your recommendation, I may give it a try! If I recall, isn't Aldi's in based IL?

 

[Notmuchlonger]

Count me among the lucky ones. Got a Sprouts near me too! Darn, why am I not happy with where I am, and still looking for a better place to retire?

Grass is greener eh?