Aldi's worth a 45 minute drive?

[HelloChum]

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!

 

[wall*e2008]

No

 

[llori7]

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

 

[OctMtnWoods]

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!

I wondered the same thing and was going to take a ride to a store in RI but kind of got the impression it wouldn't be worth it. Read the Aldi's website. That's what I did. It talks about paying, coupons, carriages, bags........

Also happened to be in a town that has a Trader Joe's recently. Stopped in for the first time. Lots of unique & different foods, but I wasn't impressed with the prices like everyone raves about. Didn't want to spend that kind of money on food I had never heard of or tasted.

I miss Spag's. The OLD Spag's. That was worth the drive.

 

[savannahcat]

I love Aldi, but I am not, and have never been, a brand-name shopper. If you are, you will not be happy with Aldi. My biggest savings come from the produce which, in my area (WV/OH), are at least 40% cheaper then the regular grocery. I love the fact that the store is small and there is limited selection. It gets me in and out of the store quickly. I also still shop for some things at my regular grocery since Aldi doesn't stock everything I need. I drive 25 minutes to get there and find it to be completely worth it.

 

[mommymeg]

My vote is a NO...
We have an Aldi in our town and I have tried and tried to like it, but I can't bring myself to using it as my primary food store...

Selection is limited, you most likely will not find everything that you need..
Ours has a very limited supply of fresh meats, and nothing but prepackaged deli items..

The selection of produce at the store in my town is ok for me since we only stick to basics...and produce is a little more affordable here than at a large grocery store...this is probably the only reason I EVER go to Aldi..

I do one big grocery order every two weeks...by the time I get thru the store with a big cart full of food, I have to then spend just as much time bagging things up...frozen foods start to thaw and I just get frustrated...

Overall savings is minimal at best... I just use my regular store and stick to what's on sale and coupons...most of the time I make out pretty well..

I would never drive 45 minutes to any grocery store...

 

[wall*e2008]

I wondered the same thing and was going to take a ride to a store in RI but kind of got the impression it wouldn't be worth it. Read the Aldi's website. That's what I did. It talks about paying, coupons, carriages, bags........

Also happened to be in a town that has a Trader Joe's recently. Stopped in for the first time. Lots of unique & different foods, but I wasn't impressed with the prices like everyone raves about. Didn't want to spend that kind of money on food I had never heard of or tasted.

I miss Spag's. The OLD Spag's. That was worth the drive.

ITA about TJ. I have thinks I like to buy (dried fruit) but I am not convinced it is a great savings.

 

[Earstou]

I would say NO, also. I rarely shop at mine because of the limited stock.
I do try it for the produce when I'm close to it, but I don't make a trip just for it.
The first Aldi's here was very dirty and smelly. They finally closed it about 2 years ago and built a new one. But I would have hated to drive 45 minutes to find an Aldi's like our previous one!

 

[MyDizneyBoyz]

I would say that it's worth at least one trip so you can see for yourself.

There's one near us that I visit occasionally to see what's new and when funds are especially tight, I've definitely enjoyed the savings.

 

[HelloChum]

A 45 minute drive to get to ALDIs didn't thrill me...based on all of your replies, I think I'll just skip it for now. Maybe if I happen to be near one, I'll pop in to check it out...but I definitely won't make the trip just for groceries.

I do one big grocery order every two weeks...by the time I get thru the store with a big cart full of food, I have to then spend just as much time bagging things up...frozen foods start to thaw and I just get frustrated...

Overall savings is minimal at best... I just use my regular store and stick to what's on sale and coupons...most of the time I make out pretty well..

This sounds like me...I usually stack coupon savings on top of sale items to maximize savings. Bagging up a cart load of groceries wouldn't thrill me...I avoid self check out in the grocery store when I have a full cart too!

Also happened to be in a town that has a Trader Joe's recently. Stopped in for the first time. Lots of unique & different foods, but I wasn't impressed with the prices like everyone raves about. Didn't want to spend that kind of money on food I had never heard of or tasted.

I miss Spag's. The OLD Spag's. That was worth the drive.

Actually a Trader Joes is very near my kids' school and I very rarely go...though I do like some of their items...they have choc drizzled lemon cookies that are YUMMY!

Yes, I miss the OLD Spag's...it was always an adventure and we always found great deals....Bldg 19 (now in the former Spags bldg) just does not compare...

Thanks again!

 

[Alesia]

My Aldi has Gala apples for $1.49 for a 3 pound bag. That works out to 50 cents a pound. I used to buy then at Schnucks for $1.99 a pound.

We go through 10 pounds of apples a week, so we save $15 dollars a week just on apples. We also save a ton on fresh pineapple and grapes.

 

[GinaBean]

The nearest Aldi's to me is about 45 minutes. I love Aldi's, and when I do go I buy enough stuff for a month or more. I also try to schedule my trip there with something else that I need to do, so I am not spending my savings on gas just to get there. We have been pleased with the food, but I am also not a name brand shopper.

 

[punkin]

My Aldi's is about 45 min away, but it is only 15 min from D's school, so I go after I drop her off. I save on produce and I like their chocolate. I would not make the trip otherwise. It is not a pleasant place to shop.

 

[OctMtnWoods]

When I first started hearing about Aldi's late last year, I googled around and found they built a huge distrubution center I think in the Vernon, CT area with the intention of opening something like 70 stores in New England.

They are in CT. Only 2 in RI. None in MA yet like you said. It will only be a matter of time I guess before they make it here. So keep checking.

 

[AndreaDM]

NO! I have one 5 min. from my house and stop maybe once a year.

 

[BeckyScott]

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.

 

[snowgooseltd]

I'm in MA and the closest one, to me, is in Rumford, RI, about 25 minutes from me. It's small but the prices are so good that I make one trip per month and stock up on what I need that they have. They don't always have what I need but there are a couple of other stores that I like to visit in that area so I combine shopping at them all on the same day. It's just me and my husband so we don't buy much in bulk. I had read that Aldi's own brand was superior and, the things I've tried, are awesome! Butter is $1.49 as is a 1% gallon of milk. They flash freeze individual servings of meats so it's easy for me to buy just for the two of us. I don't know who makes their brands but Kirkwood is one of their names. It's also the name that Martha Stewart's soups carry and they're made by Blount Soups who also make Chello's and Legal Seafood soups. That should give you an idea of who they have preparing foods for them. Their diet soda has the same coloring and packaging as Diet P**** and is extremely good, about $1.00 less per twelve pack. Hope this gives you an idea....maybe try them on a day that you'll be in that particular area.

 

[mybabesuz]

NO

 

[Cindy B]

No.

I can do much better with my grocery store. However I do live in double coupon land though.

 

[C.Ann]

Absolutely!! But only if you are really going to stock up on things.. (If it were closer, then I would not add any "conditions" to my answer..)

The closest one to where I am now is probably a 30-minute drive and I hope to get over there next week.. I will be stocking up on numerous things that I don't have to worry about going bad (staples; canned goods; freezer items; etc.) - will get all of my dairy items there and all of my fresh produce there..

The store is extremely clean - always well stocked - and there is no grocery store (even with coupons) that can match some of their prices.. Not even Walmart!!

They have the best prices on milk; eggs; butter (not margarine); cheeses; and numerous other dairy items..

Frozen food selection is awesome - always a good variety - and many times they have name brand items as opposed to non-brand items..

Produce is always fresh and at least half of what you would pay for it in a supermarket (and sometimes even less)..

They have a great selection of all types of breads and bread items - all very fresh - and their own large cinnamon danish that are absolutely delicious (and very inexpensive)..

I use evaporated milk in my coffee (easily go through 15 cans a week) and at Aldi's they are a third of the price of any store.. So when I make the trip, I usually pick up at least 48 cans at a time..

Aldi's is also where I get all of my staples for baking - which I do a lot of here at the lake.. You just can't beat their prices on everything from flour and brown sugar to maraschino cherries! If you are into cake mixes, theirs are every bit as moist as Duncan Hines (or any of the other name brands) and their canned frosting (if you choose to use it) tastes exactly the same as the name brand frostings.. Instant pudding mixes are delicious and if you need walnuts for baking (and don't want to pay an arm and a leg for them) Aldi's is the place to go!!

I'm always surprised when people say nasty things about their Aldi's on the BB because all of the ones I have ever used are extremely clean, well stocked, and you just can't beat the prices or the quality..

Of course the only way you will know what yours is like is to make the trip.. But since it's 45 minutes one way, I wouldn't go unless you plan on stocking up on something - even if it's only staples..

I'm really looking forward to my trip next week - and all of the money I'm going to save.. I have a list here that's about a mile long..