Anyone shop ALDI?

[KKB]

I have a new job & drive by one on the way to work...
Do they have good prices? Quality items?

 

[defendthehill]

We go to Aldi's. Like any store some things are good...some are not. Prices are worth your time and effort to stop though. We also go to WalMart as well.

 

[Purseval]

We were in Aldi today. They have great prices on some stuff and okay prices on the rest. Makes it worth the drive every once in a while. We still do the vast majority of our shopping at Kroger.

 

[snowy76]

We have one a couple of miles from us... I stop there weekly. We've probably been shopping there for two or three years now; we always stop there first, then on to Wegman's for whatever we're missing on the list. They always seem to be adding new items.

 

[JackNMel]

I just started going to Aldi to save some money, and my family loves the granola bars. There are two kinds we get, the chewy ones (compare to Quaker) and the sweet/salty ones with peanuts and almonds. The prices are really good, you just have to pick and choose what you think you will like. Every time I go I get one or two new things to try, and so far everything has been good. Haven't brought myself to buy the meat or produce though.

 

[alicia080979]

I also shop there. I have an in-home daycare and it has saved me so much money. I am also an avid coupon user and with coupons, I can often stock up and get items cheaper than I can at Aldis but still shop there quite a bit for other items I don't have coupons for. Like others said, try a few things each time and see what you like and what you don't. Here are some of my favorites:
Frozen fruit to use in smoothies
Milk
Cereal (daycare kids don't know the difference but I haven't personally eaten it)
Chips/Pretzels
Pop Tarts
100% Apple Juice (unless Costco has a coupon on it or I find a really really good sale, this is the best price I have found)
Canned soup and Ravioli/Spaghetti O's
Bread
Fruit/Veggies: I have bought apples, grapes, blueberries, strawberries, mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, squash and bananas. These have been good with one exception. One time I bought a bag of granny smith apples and after opening it, realized that most of them were mushy. I took them back and they gave us double our money back.

I have also bought kids toys and a Step 2 picnic table that gets daily use and has held up fine.

I wouldn't hesitate about buying anything to try bc if it is bad, they have a double money back guarantee.

Don't forget to keep a quarter in your car/purse for your cart and bring your own shopping bags!

 

[DisneyCrafter]

I shop at Aldi weekly. Their French Vanilla Coffee Creamer price cannot be beat ANYWHERE. Their milk was $1.79 here just a few months ago and now is $2.49 (same as other stores) so not such a good deal anymore. Just in the past year that I've been shopping there they have changed the packaging on A LOT of the items and they aren't all the same quality as before. Their ranch dressing used to be amazing, now it has a bad taste IMO. I also am an avid couponer so it all depends on what I get each week. I don't buy their produce b/c it spoils very quickly. (Except their blueberries-they lasted me forever!)

 

[alicia080979]

I shop at Aldi weekly. Their French Vanilla Coffee Creamer price cannot be beat ANYWHERE. Their milk was $1.79 here just a few months ago and now is $2.49 (same as other stores) so not such a good deal anymore. Just in the past year that I've been shopping there they have changed the packaging on A LOT of the items and they aren't all the same quality as before. Their ranch dressing used to be amazing, now it has a bad taste IMO. I also am an avid couponer so it all depends on what I get each week. I don't buy their produce b/c it spoils very quickly. (Except their blueberries-they lasted me forever!)

I wonder if it is your area for the price changes? I just bought milk for the kids two days ago and it is $1.75 here still. I haven't noticed the changes in packages either around here but I have only been shopping there for about 9 months.

 

[dnbent]

I own several group homes for the handicapped and I shop at Aldi's every week. I am able to save so much money.

Like many of you I don't purchase much from their fresh meat case but I do purchase their frozen chicken breasts. My guys love them. I do purchase the produce but with feeding so many people we can use it up quickly.

My husband is very good to me and goes over and purchases "flats" every month or so. This really helps me as then I don't have quite so much to lug when doing the weekly shopping.

 

[BellePrincessBelle]

I shop there & I buy there meat. The pork is Tysons & the beef is from IBF all big companies that supply major chains. Trader Joes sells the exact same ground beef FYI.

 

[patsal]

We have one a couple of miles from us... I stop there weekly. We've probably been shopping there for two or three years now; we always stop there first, then on to Wegman's for whatever we're missing on the list. They always seem to be adding new items.

Exactly what I do!

 

[simonkodousek]

We love Aldi! I would say about 95% of their products are as good, if not better than the products from more expensive chains. The only thing I would never buy there again is the "fresh" meat. We made chili with some ground beef we purchased at Aldi, and the entire batch had to be thrown out. It was gross.

 

[ceecee]

I don't find the prices that much cheaper at Aldis here. The fruit and veggies are sometimes good and sometimes not. I found a little stone in the yogurt, so I quit buying that. The bagged salads I used to buy, but lately it's just lettuce and Kroger has it for the same price. The lines are totally insane and there is only one check out at ours so if you want to buy a few things it just isn't worth it. The Veggie Chips we tried are the same as Trader Joes.

 

[las3888]

I think Aldi's has great prices on most items. I love to go and get some good deals. The problem that I have with Aldi is they don't have everything you need--i.e. if you are looking for Aleve, they have acetominophin and ibuprofin, but not aleve. They really lack in a lot of areas. So, we can only go there when I know I don't need a lot of real specific items, or as others do, they finish their shopping elsewhere. I also don't like not being able to use my Disney visa there. Otherwise, I do recommend it--it's fun to go in and check it out at least!

 

[dclfun]

I love the one in my neighborhood- it's never crowded, is nice and clean, and they have a very nice variety of products. Most of their products are name-brand with a different label. There is a sale section that's worth checking out. Last week in the sale section I got a huge box of banana oat cereal ( like cheerios but banana flavor) for $1.39, organic salad dressing was on sale for 79 cents ( large bottle), the vac pacs of tuna were on sale for 29 cents, a huge container of 5-layer Mexican dip was $1.50 and the tortilla chips were a large bag for 79 cents ( can you tell I still have my receipt?). I got a huge box of ice cream/sorbet pops for 89 cents. Like any other store, you have to know your prices and when it makes sense to shop elsewhere with a coupon, but I'm sold on Aldi's for my major shopping, then I fill in at Costco right down the road for paper and cleaning products so I only have to shop there once every month or so. My total bill at Aldi's last week- $38.00.---Kathy

 

[PollyannaMom]

I just found out we have one of these now. I think I'll try it out!

 

[Mom_Rides]

We shop at Aldi at least twice a month. We've found a few things that we didn't care for but most of their stuff is great. We were not fans of their cereal (any of it). I get all of my staples there (milk, butter, eggs, flour, sugar, oils, etc). I also buy a lot of canned items there (tomatoes, sauerkraut, fruit, etc) Their canned corn is super sweet! I have never had a problem with any fresh meat that I've got from them. Last week I was able to get 93/7 lean ground beef for $2.89lb when my grocery store was selling it for $4.19lb!

You have to watch things on sale at your normal supermarket and know what the prices are at Aldi but once you get that down, you can take advantage of some really great deals.

 

[kydisneyfans]

Hit and miss for me, mostly misses lately. Milk has gone to 2.09, it's been $2 at Meijer for 2 weeks. Some produce is OK, but the last batch of strawberries got moldy within 24 hours, the last cherries were rotten within 3 days. As for the other stuff, coupons and sales make pretty much everything cheaper at Kroger/Meijer, so the 25 mile round trip to Aldi isn't worth it.

 

[Local_Girl]

Guess I'm the lone voice of dissent! I've walked into Aldi 3 times, in 2 different cities, and come out empty handed. I tried to love it...wanted to find good deals, but they weren't there. The produce didn't look great, the variety/options were limited, and as a PP mentioned, I could get better prices on most things with coupons at Meijer. I've decided not to go back.

 

[sherry7]

I noticed that a lot of you mentioned the prices on the milk. Some states (not all) actually regulate the minimum price of milk. I live in PA, and a gallon of 2% milk is typically around $3.60 to $3.80, regardless of where you shop.

I usually go to Aldi about once per month to stock up. I buy just about everything they have, with the exception of fresh meat. I can usually get a better deal on meat by watching the sales at other places. I have a big freezer, so I stock up when it's on sale. I do really like their frozen breaded Southern style chicken (boneless) though.

The only thing I've bought that we didn't like was the medium salsa. We like the mild salsa though, so go figure.

BTW, if you pay very close attention, you might notice that occasionally the food is packaged in cardboard boxes with the manufacturer's name on it rather than the usual generic cardboard box. Aldi's version of Pine-Sol really is from Pine-Sol. Their ketchup is Hunt's (bummer because I'm a Heinz girl). Their cereal is from General Mills.