Aldi's worth a 45 minute drive?

[annsteere]

No.

Aldi is my first store. I do my basic shop there. Then I fill in whatever I wanted but Aldi didn't stock.

Prices are good.

But 45 minutes?? That's lots of time and gas.

Someday when you are in the area, stop in and see what they have that you eat.

But, I wouldn't make a special trip over it.

 

[notsosnowwhite]

Absolutely not.

 

[Tinkerbelle32]

No! I would rather buy store brands elsewhere. I used to be an asst. manager there and would never shop there again!

 

[vetrik]

I would say it's not worth a special 45 minute trip - I think it is worth checking out if you will be in the area. I drive by one of the RI stores everyday, and live about 5 minutes away.

We do go there maybe once or twice a month, and we now have certain things that we like to buy from there. It can be a case of trial and error what you like there. I also second that we've had different qualities - for example, I was buying my DH the canned ravioli for lunches, and it was just as good as Chef Boyardee for a lot cheaper. However, he said the last batch we got was awful, and he doesn't want to eat it anymore.

 

[caribear]

Definitely not. My store is brand new, but I didn't realize how small it was going to be. A complete waste of time for me. I bought a $.88 jar of mustard......

 

[stacy2197]

I drive 45 minutes to Aldis but It's part of my Saturday shopping trip. I live in a small town and the closest small town expensive grocery store is about 20 minutes to my house but close to work. I'll only stop there for sale items or if I need somthing right now. Otherwise 2 or 3 times a month I drive 45 min to a bigger town and grocery shop at Aldis and Walmart. I also combine this trip with visiting family or shopping other stores. I realy like Aldis frozen whole chicken. It taste more fresh than any other chicken I've ever bought. Our Aldis is newer and very clean and I do think that makes a difference.

 

[2 princes 1 princess]

No! I would rather buy store brands elsewhere. I used to be an asst. manager there and would never shop there again!

Why? What are you not telling us?

 

[CajunDixie]

I like Aldi's, but I would not drive 45 minutes to get there--that would be half of your day. The amount you saved on groceries, you would probably use in gas to get there. Hopefully they will build one closer to you

How is 45 minutes or even 90 minutes half her day???? Yet again I must be the odd duck out because I'm awake several hours a day.

There are some possible problems but also some potential.

Some Aldi's are just nasty and you never know if you're going to get a good one or one of the nasty ones until you're there.

Some of their food is very good and some is very bad, but that also depends on your personal preference. Really what I used to do is if I wasn't sure, I'd buy one and try it out. If it was good, next time I'd buy several. But that's easy to do because it's not 45 minutes away. And I think the suppliers might be different depending on where you live? I remember posting on some forum a long time ago about Aldi's canned green beans the whole can was just the "ends" and awful, and someone else said they'd never had a problem with that and their canned green beans were perfect.

45 minutes means you'd need to take a cooler for anything frozen or fridged, which is some of their best stuff.

The good stuff: You can stock up for cheap! If you're up for buying a whole flat of soup, you know, someone who buys in quantity and knows what to do with it all, you can save some big bucks. And as such, if you could plan to go there once a month and do that stock-piling, it would probably even out on the gas. I don't know that I'd make a special trip because you'd have to buy a whole lot to make up for 1/2 tank of gas.

The whole bag-your-own and 25 cent shopping carts are not a biggie. Ours always has boxes and they have a counter for you to use to pack everything up.

1/2 a tank of gas to go 45 minutes away???

I think everyone really needs to look at this a little closer. I know we all live in different settings but does driving 45 minutes really take half a day and half a tank of gas?? Really????

I would guess my car would use 1 1/2 gallons of fuel to go 45 minutes/45 miles from here. So 3 gallons for round trip. Right now that would cost me less than $6 here. And well 45 minutes is 45 minutes and only a small fraction of my day. I sleep 7 hours out of 24. Heck I've been known to drive 45 miles for good pizza!!!

I would suggest going at least once and combining your trip with other errands and check out the store yourself. I can easily save the $6 in gas it costs me to go there. I do bake quite a bit (and totally agree with everything C Ann said) and I do have a freezer in my garage and tons of "pantry" room. Although after doing so much CVS shopping the last few months my laundry room lost one whole cabinet to that stuff.

When I go to our closest "large" city it is 45 minutes/miles away and I try to hit several places IF DH doesn't go. I go to Sams Club, a bread outlet, a used bookstore (they do trades), Meijers, CVS, Walgreens, Menards, "the mall," if it's close to dinner time I'll grab a pizza or coney dogs, if its morning I'll stop and visit my parents. Buying my contacts at Sams alone saves me the $6 in gas to go there!!!

 

[ShootingStarMom2]

No, I wouldn't drive that far just for one store. I do have 4 Aldi's nearby so I have my pick of the ones that are old and new. There are things I won't buy there because they don't taste as good as other store brands or name brands. But we do buy our dairy, fruit, veggies, and bread items there. I won't give Jewel or Dominick's $3.09 for a gallon of milk when I can get it for $1.99. Same for butter. It was $3.99 over Easter and only $1.49 at Aldi. We get everything else at WalMart or Woodman's. No one out here doubles coupons that I know of.

I see people at other stores with loaded carts and think they could have gotten half the items for way less at Aldi. I also love that I don't have to wait for someone to bring carts in. For 25 cents they are always at the front.

 

[kydisneyfans]

I drive 45 minutes 1 way to shop at a Kroger Marketplace and I have a Kroger less than a 1/2 mile from home.

As for Aldi, there is nothing there I can't get somewhere else for a better price, not 1 thing. When they opened, many of the prices were worthwhile, milk and eggs were cheap, produce was OK, canned staples were lower than everyone else. About 6 months ago, Aldi prices went up across the board, and the local grocers (Meijer and Kroger) really got aggressive with sales. I have not been back to Aldi since.

 

[Cindy B]

I drive 45 minutes 1 way to shop at a Kroger Marketplace and I have a Kroger less than a 1/2 mile from home.

As for Aldi, there is nothing there I can't get somewhere else for a better price, not 1 thing. When they opened, many of the prices were worthwhile, milk and eggs were cheap, produce was OK, canned staples were lower than everyone else. About 6 months ago, Aldi prices went up across the board, and the local grocers (Meijer and Kroger) really got aggressive with sales. I have not been back to Aldi since.

I can get things cheaper at Wegmans than at Aldi. Milk is only $2.05 at Wegmans and like $2.99 at Aldi's... Bananas were cheaper at Wegmans too.

Wegmans generic cereal was cheaper at ($1.50-1.99 per box) than Aldi's generic cereal at $2.29-2.49. Wegmans generic yogurt is cheaper at 40 cents per container versus 45 cents at Aldi's.

Plus I can coupon at the other stores so that is a great thing.

Aldi's is not all that. I certainly wouldn't waste my time going there.

 

[punkin]

To those who buy butter at Aldi's: I have only seen salted butter there, and yes it is cheaper than at the supermarket, but I do not like to use salted butter. Do they ever have unsalted?

 

[patsal]

My vote would be NO, but if I wer going to be around one for other reasons--maybe an appointment or other shopping or something then I would make a stop--then I could stock on pantry items.

 

[IMALOVNDISNEY]

If you have a Price Rite near you.....Shop there. I have heard that they are about the same type and prices are comparable. I love Price Rite.

 

[Todd&Copper]

No.

I work fulltime and would not want to waste 90 mintes RT to save a few dollars [IF that] on produce.

I have a Safeway, Giant, FoodLoin, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, an Amish Market and Shopper's Food Warehouse all within 8 miles of my house. Between all of those places, their sales on meats/fish and produce, and coupons, there is no deal at an Aldi's that would prompt me to take 2.5 + hours out of a weekend to shop there.

 

[TaraPA]

Our Aldi's is only 15 min. away & I wouln't go in there again - EVER! Ours is filthy & nasty. I didn't see any great savings in prices & the produce was half-rotten at best. I have read on here though that some are really nice. But I've also read on here that many seem to be just like mine. I have no idea why they are so inconsistent! Maybe ask around locally first to see what others that have been in that exact store can tell you.

 

[pamjb]

Basically you won't know for yourself unless you do it. Think of it as a field trip. Some people may only buy name brands, so Aldi's wouldn't be for them. Some stores may be dirty, some may not be. Maybe if you post where the store is (like an address) maybe you can get a more accurate opionion of the cleanliness, or lack thereof. The closest Aldi's to me is about a 25 minute ride. I used to shop there often, but don't get that to end of town very much. I can get great deals on certain things, not so much for others.
As for the quality of the product, I know the woman that made my wedding cake used Aldi's cake mixes for all of her cakes. And I can tell you, that was the best yellow cake.
I don't mind bagging my own groceries. I typically prefer to do it as I try to sort it out for when I get home to make it easier to put away.

 

[kimsuenew]

The closest Aldi's is 45 minutes from me. There seem to be many in RI and CT, but none in MA yet. I usually shop at Shaw's and Big Y and do well with double coupons, etc.

Do you find the savings at Aldi's worth while...I am curious to try it. Cash only and bring your own bags...just like Spag's used to be!!

Thanks!

IMHO... absolutely!

The only thing we really don't buy from Aldi's is fresh meat, peanut butter (we are Jif people) and canned soups. We have been very happy with everything we have bought. The cereal, pepperoni, milk, yogurt, cheeses, frozen chicken breast strips, frozen fries, their version of "Frito's" and "Cheetos", jelly, EVOO, ice cream sundaes and sandwiches, dry pastas, canned tomatoes and veggies, paper towels, and fresh produce are wonderful!

I also love the fabric softner (pink cap). I am very particular about smells and my laudry detergent/softner and I have stopped buying Downy since I tried their version... it works wonderful and smells sooooooo good (the smell lingers as well, it is not there and gone)!

If I lived 45 minutes away I would stock up 1-2 times a month (not go weekly as we do now). We are blessed with two Aldi's (different towns... 15 minutes to one that was recently built and about 25 minutes to the other). I try to go weekly or at least every 10 days or so, as I like the fresh produce (cucumbers, green and multi colored peppers, purple onions, and in-season fruits).

Aldi's often has name-brand items mixed throughout the store as well and they are at discounted prices! It is also nice that they now take debit cards (used to be stricktly cash, no checks and no cards). I also like the deposit they have you make on the carts (.25 cents that you get back), as it keeps wandering carts out of the parking lot!

 

[Joyful3Heart]

IMHO... absolutely!

The only thing we really don't buy from Aldi's is fresh meat, peanut butter (we are Jif people) and canned soups. We have been very happy with everything we have bought. The cereal, pepperoni, milk, yogurt, cheeses, frozen chicken breast strips, frozen fries, their version of "Frito's" and "Cheetos", jelly, EVOO, ice cream sundaes and sandwiches, dry pastas, canned tomatoes and veggies, paper towels, and fresh produce are wonderful!

I also love the fabric softner (pink cap). I am very particular about smells and my laudry detergent/softner and I have stopped buying Downy since I tried their version... it works wonderful and smells sooooooo good (the smell lingers as well, it is not there and gone)!

If I lived 45 minutes away I would stock up 1-2 times a month (not go weekly as we do now). We are blessed with two Aldi's (different towns... 15 minutes to one that was recently built and about 25 minutes to the other). I try to go weekly or at least every 10 days or so, as I like the fresh produce (cucumbers, green and multi colored peppers, purple onions, and in-season fruits).

Aldi's often has name-brand items mixed throughout the store as well and they are at discounted prices! It is also nice that they now take debit cards (used to be stricktly cash, no checks and no cards). I also like the deposit they have you make on the carts (.25 cents that you get back), as it keeps wandering carts out of the parking lot!

I'll second that! Once you get to know the store, you'll know what you want and don't want to get there. I still hit my local supermarket for fresh meats from the butcher, brand name salad dressing and mayo and other various things aldi's doesn't carry. Nice thing is though, if you buy something and don't like it you can return it hassle free your next trip there.

 

[LisaNJ25]

I'll second that! Once you get to know the store, you'll know what you want and don't want to get there. I still hit my local supermarket for fresh meats from the butcher, brand name salad dressing and mayo and other various things aldi's doesn't carry. Nice thing is though, if you buy something and don't like it you can return it hassle free your next trip there.

I will 3rd that I love my Aldi's and I am there a few times a week. I come out with much more food for my money than I do at my regular grocery store.