Pls tell me abOut aldi supermart

[MomtoNico]

They are opening one near me. I would love to find out more about it. Thanks

[Momit]

Aldi is different than a typical supermarket. I used to think they were a little strange, but then we lived in Germany for 2 years and shopped there all the time.

Most of what they carry will not be brands you've heard of. They don't bag your groceries for you, and you need to bring your own bags (or purchase bags when you get there). You have to put in a coin to detach your cart from a chain, and you get the coin back when you return the cart. They carry some European goodies like coffee, chocolate and Gluehwein (spiced red wine) especially at the holidays. Oh and they don't have/answer the phone so you can't call the store for more info.

I believe they are somehow owned by the same parent company that owns Trader Joe's but they are totally different!

Definitely check it out when they open.

[MBAChick]

I shop at Aldi regularly for several items. There are somethings that you may not be willing to stray from your favorite brands on but other items you may really enjoy.

Some of the items I regularly purchase are sour tortilla chips ($1 here in MN)! spaghetti sauce, deli cheese slices. romaine lettuce hearts, portabella mushrooms, strawberries, fresh mozzarella cheese, the list goes on and on. They get some fun seasonal items as well.

Just because you don't like one thing do not be afraid to try something else that they have!

[annex]

Many also don't take credit cards, so make sure you have cash with you.

[eagle]

i used to feel suffocated when i go there. i guess i am spoiled by regular supermarkets. so after a couple times i stopped going. i am one who is not used to buying generic / house brands so being stuck in a place that is nothing but house brands can do that.

but over the past couple years my attitudes changed. dont know how or why but when i started going back i no longer felt that suffocating feeling.

i LOVE how cheap things are there. i LOVE their no questions asked return policy. i definitely do not like some things (their goldfish, their graham crackers and their fruit snacks) but there are so many other things that i have tried and liked (cheese and other dairy products, chips, chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate, flour and sugar...). im now a convert.

all the things people said above. its a pain but part of the adventure: bring your own bags, bring a quarter and bring your cash!

[MomtoNico]

Wow- Different. Not sure when they open but I cant wait to check it out. thanks

[WatchingThemGrow]

I'm still in the "not loving it" stage I suppose. We've had fresh corn that tasted like chemicals and shark goldfish that tasted like nothing. We did get an inflatable pool that we like and a shelving unit for really cheap, though.

[anonomom]

They have a whole line of chocolate. Some isn't great, but they sell a "coffee and cream" bar that's amazing. For $2, you get 7 ounces of heaven.

Their produce tends to be very inexpensive. I pay $1 for pineapples, for instance. Granted they're small pineapples, but it's still a great price.

[Gracemom]

You can't find cheaper eggs and milk than at Aldi, at least here. They have cheap produce as well. The packaged goods are hit and miss. My DD loved the pita chips. You can occasionally find brand name goods, but most are their own generic brand. I stop in every few weeks to see what they have, but it's not where I do most of my shopping.

[Melaine]

We really like Aldi, you can look up past threads for lists of what people get there. I like a lot of their generic brand items, and it's a place I often go if we are doing parties, BBQ, or having guests. For instance, their chips are super cheap. I like to buy baking supplies like flour, chocolate chips, spices there, oatmeal. Their milk is hormone free and cheap (I've been told is usually local milk as well). I also stock up on canned stuff and taco fixings (like shells, seasoning, beans). I buy at least one or two spiral hams there every year because, they are good and cheaper than elsewhere. Produce can be SOOOO cheap and in general we've had good experiences with the quality. There have been a few times when things were over-ripe but I have had that everywhere (I'm not great at picking produce). They do return no questions asked but I'm not going to take back a 99 cent pineapple, ykwim? We like some of their frozen stuff but it's been awhile since we have bought frozen stuff there (because I have been trying to stock up at Trader Joe's every couple months).

You can check out their specials online, too. Oh yes, and they markdown seasonal merchandise and sometimes the deals are great, our sand table was $20 IIRC.

I really love the simplicity of Aldi, but of course you can't find everything you need there every time.

[newnana]

The party cheese tray for the 4 varieties of sliced cheese is $4 there versus $7 at our local regular grocery store. Exact same package.

The spiral sliced ham is amazing. Really good and really cheap. Bonus that it a super easy meal that is sure to please a group.

Echoing other posts regarding eggs and milk and chocolate.

Also excellent prices on things like peanuts or seasonal items like party trays and gift packaged chocolates and cookies and the like. A lot of the same type of seasonal desserts on par with Trader Joes for things like the peppermint bark, peppermint piece chocolate dipped pretzels and chocolate disks with sprinkles. Random weirdness like the pool pp mentioned. Hit or miss, but overall good deals. I could not do all my shopping there.

[sidmand]

Sorry, dp.

[sidmand]

As PPs mentioned, their graham crackers and goldfish are disgusting but I love how cheap they are! There's not a lot of selection but they usually have some really cheap produce, ready made pizzas, bread, milk, etc. and yes, bring your own bags and cash!

But new ones are in good condition and ur only takes about 20 minutes to go through the whole store even if you check out everything!

[DietCokeLover]

In addition to others posts, we often buy cereal there. Shredded wheat, granola, rice chex, etc all tastes just like name brand.

My FAV thing there is their Happy Farms cheese sticks. These are by far the best cheese sticks you can buy.

You can also buy 1/2 dozen roses for $3.99.

[mom2binsd]

I find the good buys there few and far between and not worth my time.

I have an awesome Meijer store nearby, it's 2 miles from my house and their produce and other items are wonderful/best prices in town, Aldi's produce has always been scary when I went.

I shop at two places, Meijer and Sam's for my Soymilk, big boxes of lunch size Pringles, Fiber One bars, and raspberries (they are always so much cheaper, except this week when Meijer had them 1.50 a box).

My time and energy are two valuable and the payoff at Aldi isn't worth it. The times I have gone, it wasn't very clean. I think ours suffers because within about 1/2 - 1 mile there are Sams, Meijer, Walmart Supercenter, Kroger, JewelOsco, so lots of full size stores who are pretty competitive (well except JewelOsco-Albertson's).

[lowrioh]

Just want to chime in that our Aldi also takes Debit cards so you don't need cold hard cash if you don't normally have it on you.

[Tinkerbell313]

I believe they are somehow owned by the same parent company that owns Trader Joe's but they are totally different!

Definitely check it out when they open.

One brother opened up Trader Joes; the other brother opened Aldi's.

[Katigre]

They are great for some staples and garbage for others. Things to buy at Aldi:

1. Almond milk - it is as good as Trader joe's but almost a full $1 less (and over $1 less per carton than the conventional supermarket's almond milk)
2. Baking supplies: Canola oil, sugar, flour, salt, etc...

Here's a blog about Aldi: http://www.mommysavers.com/money-saving-ideas/save-big-bucks-aldi/

I pay with a debit card (cash is your other option) and bring a quarter for the grocery cart - this is a European thing and Aldi started in Europe.

[Katigre]

One thing I like about Aldis is that their employees are treated very well and often work there for years if not decades - it's a good employer from what I have read.

[kbud]

I like how quick and easy Aldi's is, especially with kids. It's smaller and not many choices so we are in and out so fast. The cashiers are so fast too. I'm always amazed at how cheap my total is too for a full cart of groceries.

[AuGoldie]

I just noticed an Aldi is opening up by my house real soon! Can't wait to check it out! I'll gladly give up those services for cheaper prices at checkout =)

[DrSally]

I haven't been happy w/their frozen meals. Not very tasty or healthy. The produce is fine and cheap. People seem to like their cheesesticks (I haven't tried). I used to get ground turkey there. Not taking credit cards is a big neg for me (I rarely carry a lot of cash). Also, the not having any phone/email avail there is no way to contact the company for allergen info (other than via hand written letter). I don't know if their labelling is accurate for cross contamination, so I don't buy a lot there. I did see that they had some popsicles that looked exactly like phillyswirl and they were labelled as peanut free. My guess is that they're made by phillyswirl.

[AustenFan]

We love Aldi and have missed not having a nearby one in the past two places we've lived.

Here's another frugal mom website dedicated to Aldi:
http://momadvice.com/food/aldi_supermarket.aspx

[Katigre]

I was just at Aldi yesterday and they had whole pineapples for .99 each - that tends to be how their produce goes for me. One or two items that are a great deal and good quality (in the summer it was strawberries for .99 pound, in the fall it was honeycrisp apples for cheaper than the other stores - maybe $3.69 for a bag?). They also have cycles where red grapes are .99 for a pound and they're really good and grown in the USA.

But on the whole their produce is hit or miss.

[calv]

I haven't been happy w/their frozen meals. Not very tasty or healthy. The produce is fine and cheap. People seem to like their cheesesticks (I haven't tried). I used to get ground turkey there. Not taking credit cards is a big neg for me (I rarely carry a lot of cash). Also, the not having any phone/email avail there is no way to contact the company for allergen info (other than via hand written letter). I don't know if their labelling is accurate for cross contamination, so I don't buy a lot there. I did see that they had some popsicles that looked exactly like phillyswirl and they were labelled as peanut free. My guess is that they're made by phillyswirl.

yes I'd like to know whats up w/not being able to contact/call invidividual store/locations. WEIRD!!

[ourbabygirl]

I used to shop there before DS was born, but it's been really hard now with two kids, esp. since it's a longer drive than our local grocery store or SuperTarget.

I like how compact the store is, though, so you know you won't be able to get sucked into a longer shopping trip ;), and I like that I can get 'store brand/ generic' things for even cheaper than at the other stores.

Produce is def. a good buy in the summer- I regularly got strawberries, bananas, and grapes there. Haven't been there for about 6 months, so I'm not sure what they have out now.

I like their milk, eggs, cereal (mini wheats is what I buy), baking supplies (flour, sugar, pudding, spices, choc. chips), and also canned & dry soups that I use for recipes (cream of mushroom/ tomato/ whatever). Also some of their snack foods (tortilla chips, fruit snacks & fruit strips, etc.). Beware for HFCS, though, which I've found in their baked goods (whole wheat white bread, hamburger buns, etc.).

I do wish it were the sort of place where I could do one-stop shopping, because they have such great prices- it's fun seeing a much lower price on the receipt when I leave the store!

[pjsmom30]

Do they have organic produce?

[brittone2]

I like their hummus. It tastes the closest to my local Lebanese restaurant that Dh and I have frequented for 15 years now. The cheese sticks are the only other thing I really like.

My mom buys nuts there fairly frequently for baking.

[c914]

and Beware for HFCS, though, which I've found in their baked goods (whole wheat white bread, hamburger buns, etc.).

I

I have wheat bread and hamburger buns from there right now and it is labeled "contains no HCFS" -- so they are making some progress. (I am in the midwest so maybe the bakers they use by region vary) Produce I find to be hit and miss - in the summer though I've found pints of blueberries there for 99 cents.

I know for a fact that their sausage is made by a national brand sausage maker. I generally don't purchase meat there though.

[dukie41181]

Do they have organic produce?

My question too. :)

[DietCokeLover]

Do they have organic produce?

I don't think so. At least not on a regular basis.

[Katigre]

Do they have organic produce?
No, not that I have seen.