?'s Aldi grocery store

[dreamin_disney]

Just found out an Aldi grocery store is going up in the next town.


I would love to hear from those that shop there.
Is it really a lot cheaper?
Do they double coupons?
Do they have a deli where I can order party subs/grinders.
Do they sell fried chicken and other hot food for parties?
Is there a bakery and how are the 1/2-sheet cakes?

I might do grocery shopping if its worth the drive or especially for party foods for large groups
I would love to hear feed back. Thanks

 

[myhoney]

I now do all my shopping at Aldi's. It's definitely cheaper, but sometimes it's just because there isn't as much selection. For example, goldfish crackers? At Aldi's you can get the real ones in cheddar flavor, or the Aldi's brand in cheddar flavored penguins. But you won't get the Xtreme Pizza or Vanilla Cupcake that you can get at a regular store. When I shopped at Wegmans (which I love), I would spend ~$120-$140/week. At Aldi's, I was spending ~$90/week. I did get better about sticking to my list and not grabbing things because of a special sale or because a new flavor caught my eye.

They do not take coupons at all. They also don't take credit cards. It's cash or debit. They do not have a deli or a bakery. It is a basic grocery store. Don't get me wrong - I love shopping there and rarely can't find something I want. But they can make the prices lower by not offering all of the extras.

 

[Narnia_girl]

They are a budget store, and you can really save money on staple items. I personally don't buy canned goods there, but their prices on fresh produce and dairy are about the best around.
They have very good (German) chocolate.

They also have some great buys on things you just wouldn't expect and it changes all the time. For example, I just bought a large mum plant (perennial) that was selling for $7.99 at the grocery store. At Aldi it was $2.99. Today I bought a beautiful throw rug there.

 

[Majesty1919]

Yes it is cheaper.
Don't know about the coupons
No deli. They do offer cold cuts but prepackaged only i.e.: Oscar Meyer but you can get an 8 oz Turkey breast for about $2.69 in CT.
Fried Chicken only in Frozen aisle no hot foods like Rotisserie Chicken.
No bakery just miscellaneous prepackaged good.

I really like Aldi's but realize that I will have to go a regular Supermarket too.
After a while I know I'll get:
Eggs
Milk
butter
yogurts
1/2 and 1/2
Kielbasa
Organic baby spinach or kale
prepackage salads
fruit and most vegetables
English muffins really good.
toilet paper
pasta
feta, fresh parmesan cheese, and other specialty cheese at times
Turkey breast
ground meat
hummus
Cheese sticks almost 40% cheaper
bread
bagels

Sometimes they'll bring in random stuff but you won't always find it there. Its hit or miss
ie; Naked juice, specialty cheese platters and egg nog
They sell Pringles and Honey nut cheerios regularly and quite a bit of dark chocolate and candy
I just read an article that ended up on my Facebook newsfeed that the Kirkland Fried chicken is made my Tyson. Not sure if it's true or not.

If your house our label sensitive they may need to adapt but I'd be disappointed if our Aldi's closed. Most of it will be trial and error as far as which products you like. My son loved their pre made cheese pizza and honey graham crackers but not my daughter. Depending on how far I'm not sure if its worth the savings. I say give it whirl one day and stock up if you can. Best wishes

 

[Majesty1919]

I agree with Narnia_girl.

They have a general merchandise line that is hit and miss but when you hit, it's great. I bought a cast iron fajita skillet on a whim for $7.99. It came with the wooden platter and a handle mitt. Last month I bought a plug in electric wok for $24.99. Many utensils like silicon whisks and spoons for $2 or so.

 

[myhoney]

I just read an article that ended up on my Facebook newsfeed that the Kirkland Fried chicken is made my Tyson. Not sure if it's true or not.

A friend of mine used to work at Aldi's, and she told me that it was really Tyson chicken, too. DH and I are VERY particular about our chicken. We tried it and buy it every time now. It's as good as Wegmans (and cleaned better!) and much better than Tops chicken!

 

[dreamin_disney]

Thanks for the info. I guess I will check it out when I'm in that area. How is the meat quality?

We don't have a Wegman's in this area. I'm in CA

 

[powellrj]

Don't forget to take a quarter with you to get your shopping cart! When I use to shop at Aldi, I would keep a stash of quarters in my car just for my shopping cart!

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

A lot of what Aldi sells is the same as the name brand product, just with different packaging. We have found a few things we like there. We do not like their meat. It seems to be the leftover, lower-quality stuff the other grocery stores turn down.

 

[cjnix29]

love Aldi!! I always buy milk, eggs, cheese, produce, breakfast nutrigrain type bars, all baking products...sugar, flour, oils, hummus, bagged salad, almond milk! (always cheaper!!!), frozen potatoes, frozen fruit, nuts, gosh....there's a lot....but I usually have to go to the regular store too, but it saves me a lot of money getting staples here!! Around Christmas time, you find a lot of specialty European foods. I don't generally buy my meat there, but only because I never get meat from a place that doesn't have an in house butcher. Just a weird thing with me. But I LOVE Aldi!!!!

 

[5kidsmommy]

Love Aldi. I do most of my shopping there. They have great prices on fancier foods such as gluten free and organic for often cheaper than grocery store regular food. No they don't take coupons but the prices are super low anyhow. We don't eat frozen or prepared foods so we mostly buy staples there, except for milk because our store doesn't carry 1% milk.

I have been shopping at ALDI for about 18 years now and I can't imagine living somewhere that there wasn't one.

Just a couple things, it's a bare bones store. Nothing fancy, bring your own bags or pay for them there and always bring a quarter. Don't let the sparseness scare you. And if you ever have issues with an item, take it back they are great with returns, although I have only had two issues ever.

 

[Bete]

I'm a fan of Aldi's and I do save money. In my case I have to travel a half hour to get there; so, I don't go there on a regular basis. When I do go I stock up.

Besides paying a quarter for the cart which you get back when you return it you also have to bring your own bags and bag your groceries yourself. The cashier just dumps the food loose into the cart and you take care of it. You will pay for their bags if you don't bring your own.

 

[robinb]

Do they double coupons?
Do they have a deli where I can order party subs/grinders.
Do they sell fried chicken and other hot food for parties?
Is there a bakery and how are the 1/2-sheet cakes?

No to all of that.

I shop Aldi's primarily for fresh fruits and veggies. The have the SAME BRANDS as my other local groceries and Costco for a fraction of the price. I also buy their organic canned goods (like beans and tomato products) as well as their non-organic beans. I also LOVE their packaged trail mix. My DD swims in HS and she is in constant need of healthy snacks. For me, I really like their pita chips. I tend to stay away from their meat, except their natural whole chickens. Some of their dairy products can be a nasty, I had 2 bad experiences withe their half and half so I give the whole dairy section a wide berth. I buy only organic eggs, so I skip the eggs at Aldi's.

Someone mentioned their "general merchandise". I bought a composter from my city in the spring and I saw the same thing (rebranded) for less than half the price a month later. Yeah, I was peeved.


ETA: My Aldi's shopping has evolved since I first started shopping there. I started with the fresh fruit when a friend told me they had blackberries for 79-cents a package. I was hooked and for a while I ONLY shopped for fresh fruit and veggies. Then I started to shop the rest of the store once I was comfortable with it. It can be frightening with it's sparseness if you are used to a lit of choices in an item. I would think, "If I have only one choice of pita chips, how can they be good?" They are.

 

[dreamin_disney]

sounds like an interesting store

No butcher/meat counter.....hmmmm

quarter and cash :/

cheap fruit

I don't have a problem taking my own bags or bagging it. Can't wait to chec
k it out

 

[Narnia_girl]

Passing my cart on to another person, and saying "no thanks" when they offer a quarter, is my favorite little good deed.
Tiny investment = pixie dust for a stranger.

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

Aldi's is my favorite place to shop when I'm watching my budget. They are by no means a full service grocery store. We have one of those close to me, a deluxe grocery store that provides a free drop-in daycare service while parents shop, and also contains a starbucks, frou frou beer and wine in the cafe area, full sushi bar/salad bar/olive bar, dry cleaning service, I could go on, but I think you get the picture. I shop at this full service store every other month, partly to pamper myself and partly because the store offers products that my family enjoys and that can't be found at Aldi (I dare you to try to find tahini at Aldi). For all my regular grocery shopping needs? It's Aldi all the way. I prepare almost all our meals from scratch so I can't really give any advice about the frozen convenience foods, but the staple foods that I use to put together our meals are cheap and good quality. They don't have everything you could ever want on a whim, like a full-service grocery store, but if you are a frugal shopper (and I'm guessing you are if you are on this board!) I think you'll find that doesn't matter so much. I make loose menus, then do my shopping for the week at Aldi and adapt the menu as needed.

 

[Judique]

We've got one right by our Costco so it is convenient to check it out. I like to do the fruits and berries because sometimes the Costco pack is too big for me.

 

[RoosMama]

I love Aldi's also! You have to pay attention to the prices - some things are not cheaper than a regular grocery store, but then they have great deals. I just got a whole bunch of keurig coffee cups for 99 cents per box.

 

[chartle]

Things may have changed but years ago we camped with a family that shopped there and we checked out some of their packages of hot dogs and the ingredient list was less than desirable.

 

[momto4obkids]

Things may have changed but years ago we camped with a family that shopped there and we checked out some of their packages of hot dogs and the ingredient list was less than desirable.

Lol! I've not seen many packages of hot dogs with desirable ingredient lists.

Anyway, they have great cheeses there! We get one that has cranberries in it and their marmalade and a baguette and make our own version of a rose and crown appetizer. yummy!

Their chocolate brioche is excellent as well.