So what's the deal with ALDI?

[MaryKLady]

I see lots of you shop there. We don't have one now but they are building one "nearish" me. Do you really save more there than at other stores?

 

[estherhead]

I love my Aldi's. I coupon at regular stores too & do loss leaders, but for staples like flour, olive oil, vanilla, milk, eggs, etc. you just can't beat them. Two weeks ago they had skim milk for $1.70 and this week they had a dozen large eggs for $.47!!!! Even not on sale, staples are cheaper (milk is $3.99 at Kroger's normally & $2.49 at Aldi's) but they have sales fairly often which makes stuff super cheap.

My sister in law was spending $200 per week on groceries & really doesn't have time to coupon & run around to different stores. So she simply does all of her shopping at Aldi's & builds her menus around what they have. Once a month she goes to a normal store to get all the stuff they don't carry at Aldi's. Her weekly bill is now $125 a week! I say that is pretty good & she is more than thrilled.

So, that is my take on Aldi's. Ours is clean & well organized & I go at least every other week.

 

[disney1990]

We love our Aldi. We discovered the store only about 2 months ago. We now go there once a week.

 

[Microcell]

I haven't set foot in Aldi in almost two years and don't miss it at all!

I do the Grocery Game and shop at Costco for staples and really do not need to go to Aldi at all anymore.

It was definately easier to go there, and the staples are cheaper than grocery store retail, but with couponing and stockpiling, I just don't need to go there.

Depending on where you live, it might be a godsend, but I live in a city of 85,000 and there are many grocery stores to get great deals at.

 

[aunt lissa]

We love our Aldi and do 90% of our grocery shopping there. There are some things that I will not get in the generic so I run next door to Walmart.

 

[happily single]

It seems that Aldi's is either a "love it" or "hate it" store. I actually think it's addtictive, like the Disboards!. I stock up my the basics, salad dressing .99, milk is $1.99 a gallon, eggs are about $1.49 a dozen, their block cheese, cream cheese and bacon are also good deals. Other than that it's hit or miss, they don't carry a lot of items, but to stock up say for a cook-out you would do well (you might spend a little more at Wal-mart, but would probably find a bigger selection. My Aldi (which opened a few months ago) has a tiny meat dept. Last year they only had hamburger and pork chops?
Try it, you might like it!

 

[ceecee]

I agree with the above poster, you will love it or hate it. I really hate it, I went back and got some produce and fruit and it was not good at all. The bananas even tasted off.

 

[Sonoma]

We love Aldis. I find that I spend very little time shopping when I go there because there aren’t all of the brand choices. Our store is very clean and the employees are very helpful and fast at checkout.

The produce isn't always the best; I really pay attention to what I pick up. If you have plans to use the fresh produce with in a few days, it's usually fine. It just doesn't seem to last as long as if I get it from Kroger.

Give it a try.

 

[InstImpres]

We buy the cereal (mostly cheerios) as well as a jar of PB&J mix that DD loves and bread. That alone save a lot. We certainly buy other items to (side dishes are great their IMHO) but the closest is about an hour away, so I only get stuff when my parents are driving by. I have one opening near me soon and can't wait. It may be the same store....Rockaway, NJ? I am wondering when it is actually opening though

 

[CarolinaMomOf3boys]

we love our Aldi, I have never had a problem with anything I have purcahsed there and the store is so clean and very neat and organized!

 

[tar heel]

I shop at Aldi 3-4 times a month. Things I try to never buy anywhere else b/c they are so much cheaper: coffee filters, walnuts and pecans, dried fruit, flour tortillas, margarine. Things I usually buy when I'm there: romaine salad mix, fresh pineapple, cinnamon grahams, eggs, various canned food to have in the pantry, a couple of Asian noodle bowls to keep at work for emergency lunches. Things I sometimes buy: potatoes, onions, tomatoes, apples, carrots, celery, grapes, cherries, blue cheese crumbles, grated parmesan cheese, tater tots, marshmallows, rice krispie type cereal, apple sauce, milk, tortilla chips, frozen fruit, frozen apple strudel, frozen Asian vegetables, flour, sugar, brownie mix.

 

[Tinkerbelle32]

The produce is so cheap because they buy it later than other grocery stores. You will notice that their produce doesn't last nearly as long for that very same reason. So, unless you will be using the fruits/veggies rather quickly, you may be dissappointed. I used to manage an Aldi years ago. Don't get me wrong. Some things are O.K. But the canned veggies, canned soups, etc. tasted horrible to me. Very bland in my opinion.

 

[musclemouse]

I wouldn't think of ALDI as generic grocery shopping. I don't know how many times my family has told me that their food tastes so much better than the more popular name brands. Don't knock it until you tried it. Seriously.

 

[Cindy B]

Aldi is so crowded, dirty, gross and well scary. I can get better deals at higher end stores (Wegmans)

I will never forget my last time shopping at Aldi's. I was in line and there was some man behind me trudging along a heavy suitcase with his foot. That in itself was interesting, but the guy also had sawed off handcuffs on his hands!

 

[Stephaniecmc]

I buy all my dairy products there. I also buy the chicken nuggets and frozen pizzas. I don't like the mayo...will never buy again. But they do have double money back guarantee. Happy shopping!

 

[rockin_rep]

We too, have one opening soon nearby.

Sorry if this has already been covered -

Can you use coupons?

Do they offer coupons in the mail?

And isn't that the place where you need to bring your own bag/boxes to carry home?

TIA!

 

[Cindy B]

We too, have one opening soon nearby.

Sorry if this has already been covered -

Can you use coupons?

Do they offer coupons in the mail?

And isn't that the place where you need to bring your own bag/boxes to carry home?

TIA!

No coupons

No coupons in the mail.

Yes, you need to box and bag your own.

 

[rockin_rep]

No coupons

No coupons in the mail.

Yes, you need to box and bag your own.

Thanks, thats what i thought.

Still eager to give them a try, though!

 

[Chelley00]

Aldi is so crowded, dirty, gross and well scary. I can get better deals at higher end stores (Wegmans)

I will never forget my last time shopping at Aldi's. I was in line and there was some man behind me trudging along a heavy suitcase with his foot. That in itself was interesting, but the guy also had sawed off handcuffs on his hands!

I hate when people post stuff like this. It's all in the neighborhood, not the store itself.

I have 3 within 15 miles of me. One I wouldn't even drive by because of the neighorhood it's located in. I went in it once and walked right back out again. The other 2 are beautiful - one is even brand new. Those 2 are well kept, well stocked and crowded only on Saturday mornings (what grocery store isn't?) We save a ton of money by shopping at Aldi's, but I'm careful about checking the grocery store ads and my coupons first, and then buying what I need that I can't get cheaper elsewhere.

 

[Lucky4me]

We have brand new ALdi stores nearby. Clean and no escaped convicts in them.
There are many things in that store we do not like, but more that we do. Its trial and error.
My total grocery bill has been cut by 40% since I've started shopping at Aldi's. No coupons, no fuss, no muss. In and out in 15 minutes.
I only go to Wegmans for a few name and store brand things we all like.
I buy what little meat we do eat at a local butcher once a month.

Another good thing at Aldi's is you're not lured into buying things not on your list. Well except for the cheap flowers. I love their $2.99 bouquets and I buy one most weeks. To me, from me.