Aldi?

[amcc]

Aldi's is known to purchase similar meat and produce lots as Walmart, which are inferior to the likes of what Publix, Kroger, etc. purchase. It could very well be that your local Publix doesn't properly care for its meat and produce, diminishing its quality and shelf life. As I mentioned earlier, these are the same lots that the likes of Whole Foods and premium grocers purchase -- the only difference is handling. Whole Foods spends more on labor than the likes of Kroger, etc., which enables the chain to better handle produce, maintaining its quality and prolonging its shelf life. Their are premium grocers that go beyond Whole Foods -- e.g. putting out a limited number of each item at a given time, having an in-store banana ripening room, etc. This is obviously labor intensive and requires more frequently deliveries, which inflates the price. It's been a decade since I've been into a Publix, and while they never reached the handling level of Whole Foods (let alone the premium grocers), they were known for handling it better than most chains (e.g. Kroger). Maybe that's changed.

And while I'll maintain that the average shopper could save significantly more by shopping sales and pairing with coupons at a traditional supermarket -- this requires both stockpiling and preparing meals around sales (and again, if you don't have room to stockpile or need a fixed weekly grocery budget, this method won't work for you), Publix would likely be an exception. Publix sells the idea of a high level of service, and it has the highest margins of any large traditional grocery chain.

FWIW, for many years we would do all of our shopping at discount chains like Aldi (when we were traveling), Walmart and 99 Cents Only. When we switched to shopping at traditional supermarkets, we realized how much longer our meat and produce lasted, which helped us reduce our shopping trips and ultimately saved us even more money.

So I said I disagreed with you, but I do agree with you on produce based on your discussion. Some of the produce at our Aldi is not as beautiful as the one at Publix or WF - you seem to know the reasons for that and I I defer to you on that. But, in a way, I’ve never really thought of it that way. Produce shouldn't last that long and I don’t care if the zucchini aren’t perfect. But, I can see where that is a selling point that many retailers use successfully.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

I love, love, love Aldis! Amazing prices and lots of organic and gourmet food, including lots of European foods that are hard to find. Only con is no deli and not a lot of name brand stuff but lots of Aldis brand foods scored better in National taste tests then name brands. I have found that you have to really inspect produce though and it sucks having to insert a quarter for a cart ( I never seem to have one on me) But great good at great prices. Check out is quick too because they don’t bag. A Lidl store just opened right across from my Aldis and now I have a major dilemma every time I shop because I love them both!

 

[QueenIsabella]

I love, love, love Aldis! Amazing prices and lots of organic and gourmet food, including lots of European foods that are hard to find. Only con is no deli and not a lot of name brand stuff but lots of Aldis brand foods scored better in National taste tests then name brands. I have found that you have to really inspect produce though and it sucks having to insert a quarter for a cart ( I never seem to have one on me) But great good at great prices. Check out is quick too because they don’t bag. A Lidl store just opened right across from my Aldis and now I have a major dilemma every time I shop because I love them both!

Most regulars have a designated "Aldi's quarter" somewhere in their car. Around Christmas time, they sell cute little quarter holders for ~$1--mine is shaped like a doughnut, and has a slit in the back for the quarter. I use them as stocking stuffers--DD24 has a cupcake, DH has a strawberry, maybe?

We're getting a Lidl in a few months--it won't be as close to home as Aldi's, but close enough. I'm really excited!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

it sucks having to insert a quarter for a cart ( I never seem to have one on me)

That part doesn't bother me because I know exactly why they do it--they aren't asking me to actually pay for the cart so it makes a big difference. I have yet to see a cart in the parking lots. Sure not everyone reconnects the cart to get the quarter out (so sometimes you get lucky and don't have to worry about it) but they are always pushed back into the cart area.

I don't carry change but I have a quarter in my house. If it were me in your shoes I would find a quarter somewhere (that you're bound to have) and designate it the "aldi quarter" and just keep it with you for that reason.

 

[LAS2AMS]

So I said I disagreed with you, but I do agree with you on produce based on your discussion. Some of the produce at our Aldi is not as beautiful as the one at Publix or WF - you seem to know the reasons for that and I I defer to you on that. But, in a way, I’ve never really thought of it that way. Produce shouldn't last that long and I don’t care if the zucchini aren’t perfect. But, I can see where that is a selling point that many retailers use successfully.

No, produce shouldn't last that long, but it should have a certain longevity to it. One of the larger chains (I can't remember which one) use to have a "5 Day Fresh Guarantee," but once Walmart introduced its guarantee -- which allows you to discard the item and bring in just your receipt if you weren't satisfied with your purchase and receive a full refund -- the large traditional chains matched the policy. Aldi itself has a "double guarantee" in which if you're unsatisfied with an item, they'll refund your money and give you a replacement free, but you need to surrender the item. But no honest person would like to waste their time making a return, let alone hauling the item(s) back.

As far as quality, I'm no food snob, but as I mentioned earlier, we use to do most of our shopping at discount grocers. When we became aware of available discounts, we started shopping at Ralph's (each location has a $5 off $50 coupon, which resets monthly, in the Entertainment app) and Albertsons/Vons (most weeks, they offer a $5 off $50 through their app) more, and boy, was the difference noticeable -- sweeter apples and oranges, sweet potatoes so sweet that they don't need butter, etc.

FWIW, back in December I did I price comparison project for another website. We shopped for 67 items, all but one were generics. 63 of the 67 items were available at Aldi's, and -- adjusting for size -- 58 of the 63 items were priced similar to Walmart. Of the five remaining items, four were priced significantly less at Aldi's, but all four were "Produce Picks." Walmart was significantly cheaper on one item (whipping cream) by $2.50. On the 63 items, Aldi's was cheaper by less than $3. This surprised me, because I was expecting Aldi to be significantly cheaper; a decade ago, they would've come out on top by a large margin. What really surprised me... Food4Less, which is Kroger's discount chain, beat Aldi by less than a $1.

That part doesn't bother me because I know exactly why they do it--they aren't asking me to actually pay for the cart so it makes a big difference. I have yet to see a cart in the parking lots. Sure not everyone reconnects the cart to get the quarter out (so sometimes you get lucky and don't have to worry about it) but they are always pushed back into the cart area.

People definitely leave their carts in the parking lot, but somebody will always take them because (a) they don't want to cough up a quarter and (b) they get a quarter back for each cart they return. I stop at the 99 adjacent to my local Aldi quite a bit, and I've returned a few carts. On a related note, the 99 now has a note up asking people not to take their carts into Aldi, so I assume it's a big problem.

I love, love, love Aldis! Amazing prices and lots of organic and gourmet food, including lots of European foods that are hard to find.

Aldi definitely has a lot of organic and (mostly German) European food... but gourmet? . Heck, even Whole Foods doesn't carry a large assortment of gourmet foods...

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

People definitely leave their carts in the parking lot, but somebody will always take them because (a) they don't want to cough up a quarter and (b) they get a quarter back for each cart they return. I stop at the 99 adjacent to my local Aldi quite a bit, and I've returned a few carts. On a related note, the 99 now has a note up asking people not to take their carts into Aldi, so I assume it's a big problem.

Ah yeah that hasn't been a problem in my direct area, it's definitely an issue with other stores even the best Walmart locations but somehow not with Aldi, who knows why lol

 

[toonaspie]

LOL. I was never aware that you could use coupons at Aldi. But I don't have a printer and don't get coupons in the mail so couponing is not a thing for me anyway.

The freezer/fridge section at Aldi will sometimes carry some very unique items you won't find in a regular grocery store. This store also encouraged me to bring reusable bags when I go shopping at other stores.

The big downside is that there is usually only one cashier working checkout even though there's like 5 set up in the store. If it gets really busy, they'll bring a 2nd cashier on but that is rare. This makes it the one grocery store where I wish they would invest in self-scanning check-outs. So I try going shopping during the morning to avoid the crowds when I can.