Anyone shop at ALDI???

[my2boyzrock]

There is a new store open near me and I want to check it out. What foods/products should I avoid all together? How is the produce/meat?

 

[kellia]

I love Aldi!! I haven't found anything I really don't like. I get all of our cereal, box, can/jar items there, plus their fresh produce and dairy/lunchmeat, etc. are good, too. I have gotten their frozen foods, too, and they are very good, though I usually find it cheaper to get my meat at Sam's Club and we don't get a lot of prepackaged-type dinners.

I guess I should just say I like everything! They do have a return where they will give you their money back if you don't like it. They do charge for paper/plastic bags so bring your own, and you need to use a quarter for the cart, but you get it back when you return the cart.

 

[HayGan]

Ah, a fellow Pittsburgher!

I shop at Aldi's all the time! I love it! It has really helped me lower my food bill. There are some things that I won't buy there anymore. I won't buy their bread. It always seems like it is almost stale. I don't buy produce that I know will not be eaten in the next 3 - 4 days. I think that their distribution system takes to long to get these things to the store in time to have enough shelf life left. We don't like their pierogies or their chocolate chip cookies either. Other than that everything is really good.

Which one will you be shopping at? I shop at the one in Bether Park. It has been a huge success! It definitely has put a dent in Giant Eagle's business and I can't believe that the Shop N Save on the hill hasn't gone out of business yet! There is never anyone in that store!!!

 

[Pigeon]

I shop there sometimes, and would do more if it were closer.

Certain things are really, really good. They have fabulous chocolate. Their canned goods are fine. I'm dying to go back to stock up on their canned grapefruit--it's sensational and a fraction of what my normal grocery costs. The cereals are good. I like their plastic bags, trash bags, napkins, cat litter, etc. I haven't gotten anything bad, and they have a money back guarantee.

I haven't bought meat there. Mine has a very limited meat selection, and it's more pre-packaged than I like. I largely get staples. Their produce is pretty limited, too, but I buy some things like bananas, kiwi, onions, garlic.

 

[myprincessgirlisa]

heres my take on aldi

GREAT for canned foods

produce is not that great in terms of price...go to a local european/fresh market...they have EXCELLENT prices on fruit & veggies at those

chips & cookies are cheap, but they aint no doritos

pop...cheap, but if you love your coke or pepsi, its gonna be a hard switch

rice, crackers, cereal....all great prices & not bad either

frozen foods...some are great prices, some are not....


my advice is to be a smart shopper...some stuff is not necesarily cheaper...so do your homework, but they can save you money when you know what to get

 

[Karel]

Don't ....repeat, don't...buy the hot dogs. Ugh. I find the produce tends to go bad quickly.

I just had the frozen shrimp scampi yesterday. YUM!

We always buy our milk, eggs, butter there. They have great ready to bake snickerdoodle cookies. If you can get your hands on monkey bread, that is sooo delicious but only an occasional special. I always buy my pain reliever and allergy medicine there also.

Not all their stuff is always available - they have weekly specials - so be flexible.

 

[Lisa_M]

Pretty much anything there is pretty good. The only things I don't buy there are butter (I like land o' lakes), sliced cheese (it tasted really gross), orange juice (I buy calcium enriched and they don't have it) and milk (it's cheaper at at Giant and seems to last longer). I don't really buy produce there, unless it looks good. The produce at our store is from local farmers/distributors, so it's usually pretty good and has only traveled about 20 miles.

Most things are cheaper there, but some can be cheaper elsewhere with coupons.

Oh and a tip, bring your own bags because they don't bag and if you want some, you have to buy them, like 5 cents a piece.

 

[goofyandmickey]

I love Aldis.... I am just careful about what I buy there. We eat alot of fresh produce so I can buy mine there I just buy it a bit at a time. It is worth the extra stop on my way home from work to pick up new when the other is gone. I am very careful for the prices though. I can not find many lower prices in my area though. Just be a smart shopper and pay attention. Great for the budget though!

 

[kellia]

Boy, it must depend on where you live. I've never had a problem with bread. As for fresh produce, while I will admit sometimes it doesn't look good, I usually have better luck with their stuff lasting longer than Kroger and other big grocery stores in the area.

Baby carrots are .69 this week! We go through a ton of those a week.

 

[Mandychelle79]

I shop there every two weeks on pay day. Things I wont buy there: Milk, they dont carry 1%, spaghetti sauce ( Hunts in a can only in this house), jambalya mix, dirty rice mix, and hamburger helper like meals. I do get the bread there and it does seem to be less squishy than normal bread ( not stale, but stale like maybe) but since we go through 5-7 loaves every 2 weeks I like the 50ish cents per loaf.

 

[Robinrs]

Wow I came here to ask about this store, too! One opened right up the block from my home! I was REALLY impressed by not just the prices but the quality of some of the food I bought.

I bought coconut shrimp, chicken nuggets, lemons and chicken kiev. All were better than anything I bought at Publix, and nearly half the price. The bag of lemons was a treat since they've gotten so expensive. I got a bag of HUGE, juicy thin skinned lemons, best I've had in years! I also got hamburger buns and 2 large scoop kitty litters and spent less than $15!!

I look forward to going back!

 

[crissichef]

I Love Aldi! The bread, rolls, english muffins are all very hard to beat the prices! I have never had a problem with them being stale, in fact, they run out the white bread quite often. DH loves the potato bread. Eggs and butter are usually cheaper there. Most of the regular "staples" to keep in the house are cheaper. Canned veggies are .25 to .33 every day. They even have the small peas that my family likes. Frozen veggies are all .99. The produce is very cheap but they run out often. Their paper towels are the best for the price .59 each and they have more on them than the typical rolls you get in bundle packs! They have toothbrushes, ibuprofen and claritin generics for .99 each! They also have baby wash, shampoo also for .99. I definitely save a lot there!

Crissi

 

[JoyG]

I shop at Aldi's. My boys go through at least 5 boxes of cereal a week so we buy all our cereals there.

Things I buy regularly are their syrup, canned goods, disinfecting wipes, butter, bottled water, cut ham squares for salad.

I don't buy hot dogs, meat of any kind really, produce (except bagged salad).

 

[blackforest]

Also, be prepared to use a debit card or cash. No checks or credit cards. We had to get a debit card just for Aldis. And their frozen juice bars are the best!

 

[ameraumi]

I normally buy the canned fruits & veggies for my daycare there. You can't beat the price on those!

 

[bkreitzel]

My kids really like the whipped yogurt there. Also, their toy clearance after Christmas is the best around.

 

[Cindy B]

The Aldi near us is always crowded, dirty and for the most part more expensive than Wegmans. Sure the bread is less, but other items are more than Wegmans.

Factor in "renting" your cart, standing in long lines, and bagging your own groceries.. I'd rather go to Wegmans.


I found the bread to be too starchy if that makes any sense. The baking supplies and yogurts are decently priced. Ice cream is always off brands or humongous buckets.

I wouldn't trust the meat or the produce.

 

[Cheap Trick Fan]

I've only been there once. The canned goods were all right except for the tuna. I didn't buy the bread because it did feel stiff.

 

[bavaria]

My family used to shop at the very first ALDI store ever in Germany and still shops at ALDI regularly. ALDI in Germany IS quite different than ALDI in the US (But did you know that one of the Albrecht brothers also owns Trader Joe's?)

In Germany we have a lot less processed foods in the stores and more house brand of personal care products, etc.

I haven't been as happy with the American ALDI stores, but sometimes I don't find that much to my taste in the German stores either. I think that you have to go with general wants in mind as some weeks they don't stock certain items.

 

[Cindy B]

My family used to shop at the very first ALDI store ever in Germany and still shops at ALDI regularly. ALDI in Germany IS quite different than ALDI in the US (But did you know that one of the Albrecht brothers also owns Trader Joe's?)

QUOTE]


Besides the processed foods, how different are the German Aldi's? Is it still the same cash and carry no frills concept?

I ask because Carrefour went out of business here in the U.S. about 10 years ago. (I know Carrefour isn't German, but was a non American store competing in America). How does Aldi/Ikea thrive whereas Carrefour didn't?