topic Re: Aldi's Revisited :-) in Kitchen

Aldi's Revisited :-)

HonnyBrown — Sun, 05 Jul 2015 14:35:15 GMT

A few weeks ago, I had coffee at a friend's house. I asked her the brand and she told me it was Aldi's Breakfast Blend. Figures.

A few days later, hubby and I were in the Aldi's not far from me (but not the one I originally went to) and I told him I needed to pick up some K-Cups.

I got the K-Cups and a 4 pound chicken to fit in my crock pot.

I wasn't as disgusted by this Aldi's. The aisles were free of pallet movers, at least.

I went to that same one this morning. By now I know what to expect.

When I got out of the car, the couple parked next to me offered me their cart. I thanked them and offered them a quarter, which was in my hand. They declined it. Very sweet! So I'm going into the store with a smile.

I didn't bring any bags, but I got everything on my metal list and then some. I took my time shopping and noticed that the prices are tremendously cheaper than the chains for most things that I buy. I ended up spending less than $40 for this week's groceries, including a 4 pound chicken that's in the crock pot now and a bag of Gala apples.

The cashier asked if I wanted some bags (as he threw my items in the cart). I asked if they were free. He said no and so did I. He gave me a bag. Another smile!

On the way to my car, a couple was getting out of their car and I gave them the cart. They were smiling on the way into the store.

Re: Aldi's Revisited :-)

Lacey1 — Sun, 05 Jul 2015 14:52:30 GMT

So glad you had a better Aldi's experience. I really like my Aldi's-i consider it a blessing that I have one so close. Whatever the reason, I think people are so much friendlier there. Don't forget to try the, 'Mosur Roth' dark chocolate bars!

Re: Aldi's Revisited :-)

momtochloe — Sun, 05 Jul 2015 15:14:22 GMT

Oh HonnyBrown, I am so glad you gave them a second chance and was much happier on your second go round! I know they do take a bit of getting used to so I'm glad things went better on this trip.

And thanks for paying it forward with the shopping cart, good karma is coming your way!

Re: Aldi's Revisited :-)

GCR18 — Sun, 05 Jul 2015 15:18:18 GMT

There are a handful of Aldi stores here. I went to the closest one and it formed my opinion of the chain. Since everyone I know loves the store, I ventured to one a little farther away and it was like night and day. Whenever I'm in that area, I drop in.

Re: Aldi's Revisited :-)

NickNack1 — Sun, 05 Jul 2015 15:20:47 GMT

We have an Aldi's but I've never been. From this thread I know that you have to pay a quarter for your cart and bring your own bags. What else do I need to know before I go? You don't have to buy things in bulk, do you? Do they have name brands?

Re: Aldi's Revisited :-)

HonnyBrown — Sun, 05 Jul 2015 15:21:40 GMT

@Lacey1 wrote:
So glad you had a better Aldi's experience. I really like my Aldi's-i consider it a blessing that I have one so close. Whatever the reason, I think people are so much friendlier there. Don't forget to try the, 'Mosur Roth' dark chocolate bars!

Lacey, thank you for the recommendation!

When I first got the coffee, I picked up some Maple French Toast pastries and they were divine! I can't wait to try the dark chocolate bars.

Re: Aldi's Revisited :-)

momtochloe — Sun, 05 Jul 2015 15:21:46 GMT

That's a very good point GCR18. I am lucky, the three by me are all clean, well stocked and well run. Makes all the difference in the world who is running the place.

Re: Aldi's Revisited :-)

HonnyBrown — Sun, 05 Jul 2015 15:25:45 GMT

@momtochloe wrote:
Oh HonnyBrown, I am so glad you gave them a second chance and was much happier on your second go round! I know they do take a bit of getting used to so I'm glad things went better on this trip.

And thanks for paying it forward with the shopping cart, good karma is coming your way!

mtc, I'm glad I gave them another chance also. Maybe the first visit was sticker shock.

The $1.99 K-Cups and the 4 pound chickens are worth it for me. I can't find 4 pound whole chickens anywhere.

I loved the fact that I could pay it forward with the cart! I hope they did the same.

Re: Aldi's Revisited :-)

HonnyBrown — Sun, 05 Jul 2015 15:33:48 GMT

@GCR18 wrote:
There are a handful of Aldi stores here. I went to the closest one and it formed my opinion of the chain. Since everyone I know loves the store, I ventured to one a little farther away and it was like night and day. Whenever I'm in that area, I drop in.

GCR, the first one that I went to was just yuk. It was cluttered, the aisles were blocked and some other things that really disgusted me. I couldn't see the hype.

The one I went to today, like you said, it was night and day. I found everything that was on my list and the prices were great.

Re: Aldi's Revisited :-)

momtochloe — Sun, 05 Jul 2015 15:40:34 GMT

@NickNack1 wrote:
We have an Aldi's but I've never been. From this thread I know that you have to pay a quarter for your cart and bring your own bags. What else do I need to know before I go? You don't have to buy things in bulk, do you? Do they have name brands?

The most important thing to remember is they only take cash or debit cards and no coupons.

The majority of the items there are their own label but you will also see some name brands mixed in (I got a great deal on Uncle Ben's rice bags the other day and Charmin).

Things come in normal sizes (not bulk like Costco or Sam's).

hth.

Re: Aldi's Revisited :-)

HonnyBrown — Sun, 05 Jul 2015 15:44:41 GMT

@NickNack1 wrote:
We have an Aldi's but I've never been. From this thread I know that you have to pay a quarter for your cart and bring your own bags. What else do I need to know before I go? You don't have to buy things in bulk, do you? Do they have name brands?

NickNack, yes, you have to deposit a quarter for a cart, bring your bags and pack your groceries, they only accept cash or debit cards.

They may have some boxes for you to use, like they do at Costco. Some items are bulk, like lemons. Most of the produce is prepackaged.

They have a few name brands. Today I saw Charmin, Sweet Baby Ray's, Campbell's and the plug in things for your car (Airwick, maybe?). Those were the only name brands I saw. Everything else was an off brand and almost 50% less than the chain markets.

They have fresh meats, but the pork tenderloin is marinated. They have whole chickens as well as packs of skinless/boneless and regular.

Re: Aldi's Revisited :-)

Lacey1 — Sun, 05 Jul 2015 15:51:41 GMT

I don't use bags. I have about 3 sturdy cartons, (with hand cut outs) that I keep in my hatch. I just push the cart to the car and load the groceries directly into the cartons. Then, I just carry the cartons into the kitchen and unload. I walk my dog every day and plastic bags are needed for that chore!

Re: Aldi's Revisited :-)

conlt — Sun, 05 Jul 2015 15:52:05 GMT

I also like Aldi, the dark chocolate is excellent, I have to stay away from the butter cookies with dark chocolate though because I love them and will eat the entire box in 1 day. I also get fruit and vegetables at Aldi. Most of the time, those are really good. I get eggs and milk too. Recently I have tried both the deli chicken salad, and the almond and cranberry chicken salad, both excellent. My best buy though is canned Pumpkin which is only available from the fall through the holidays. My family thinks I am crazy because I purchased a years worth of canned pumpkin last fall when Aldi here first opened. My Vet has my 3 dogs on the Pumpkin diet and I use 2 cans per day. The cost of the Pumpkin I bought at Aldi was $0.89 a can and at the grocery it was $1.50 a can. I saved over $400 this year by stocking up at Aldi. I will keep my eye out for the Pumpkin this year. I hope it is just as cheap. I bought about 48 cans at a time until I hit what I needed for the year.

Re: Aldi's Revisited :-)

flickerbulb — Sun, 05 Jul 2015 15:58:54 GMT

How do you incorporate the pumpkin into your dog's food? Mix it in with dry food?

What are the benefits for dogs?

Re: Aldi's Revisited :-)

HonnyBrown — Sun, 05 Jul 2015 16:06:20 GMT

@Lacey1 wrote:
I don't use bags. I have about 3 sturdy cartons, (with hand cut outs) that I keep in my hatch. I just push the cart to the car and load the groceries directly into the cartons. Then, I just carry the cartons into the kitchen and unload. I walk my dog every day and plastic bags are needed for that chore!

Lacey, I recycle my plastic bags as trash can liners and food trash. I use Trader Joe's bags for BJ's purchases. I need to keep some in my car for Aldi's.

I have boxes with handles in my storage closet from when I moved. I will use one the next time I'm at Aldi's or BJ's, thank you for that suggestion!

Re: Aldi's Revisited :-)

Mominohio — Sun, 05 Jul 2015 16:12:37 GMT

@HonnyBrown wrote:
A few weeks ago, I had coffee at a friend's house. I asked her the brand and she told me it was Aldi's Breakfast Blend. Figures.

A few days later, hubby and I were in the Aldi's not far from me (but not the one I originally went to) and I told him I needed to pick up some K-Cups.

I got the K-Cups and a 4 pound chicken to fit in my crock pot.

I wasn't as disgusted by this Aldi's. The aisles were free of pallet movers, at least.

I went to that same one this morning. By now I know what to expect.

When I got out of the car, the couple parked next to me offered me their cart. I thanked them and offered them a quarter, which was in my hand. They declined it. Very sweet! So I'm going into the store with a smile.

I didn't bring any bags, but I got everything on my metal list and then some. I took my time shopping and noticed that the prices are tremendously cheaper than the chains for most things that I buy. I ended up spending less than $40 for this week's groceries, including a 4 pound chicken that's in the crock pot now and a bag of Gala apples.

The cashier asked if I wanted some bags (as he threw my items in the cart). I asked if they were free. He said no and so did I. He gave me a bag. Another smile!

On the way to my car, a couple was getting out of their car and I gave them the cart. They were smiling on the way into the store.

I'm so glad you are having better experiences with Aldi's now. And I know that the people are a great part of the experience. The staff at ours is so very friendly, and I think that since the store is smaller, and the prices cheaper, many customers are in a better mood than in the super stores and the high priced groceries. I always find a customer or two that strike up conversations, and people smile and interact quite often.

I don't use Aldi's as my only store, but I can shop there only for several weeks if need be. The smaller scale is great when I'm not feeling well and it hurts to walk all through those big super stores. I'm so glad we have Aldi's as one of our local choices.

Re: Aldi's Revisited :-)

NickNack1 — Sun, 05 Jul 2015 16:14:37 GMT

Thank you mtc and HonnyBrown! I'll check out Aldi's now that I know what it's like.

Re: Aldi's Revisited :-)

HonnyBrown — Sun, 05 Jul 2015 18:11:44 GMT

@Mominohio wrote:

I'm so glad you are having better experiences with Aldi's now. And I know that the people are a great part of the experience. The staff at ours is so very friendly, and I think that since the store is smaller, and the prices cheaper, many customers are in a better mood than in the super stores and the high priced groceries. I always find a customer or two that strike up conversations, and people smile and interact quite often.

I don't use Aldi's as my only store, but I can shop there only for several weeks if need be. The smaller scale is great when I'm not feeling well and it hurts to walk all through those big super stores. I'm so glad we have Aldi's as one of our local choices.

I am too! With the exception of the produce, I found everything I needed. The big plus for me was the 4 pound chicken. No one else seems to carry those and I need that size for my crock pot.

It wasn't crowded with people, pallets or equipment, so I took my time and walked around as I shopped.

I buy unsalted canned tomatoes, and I was impressed with the cost and variety. I use chicken sausage links for my pasta salads. $2.99 vs $5.99 at the chains. And the k-cups! $2 for a box of 12!!! They are $8 at the chains and $5 at Big Lots!

As for the produce, other than apples and peaches, I like buying individual items as opposed to bagged or boxed.

This was truly a pleasant shopping experience, especially compared to the first one.

Re: Aldi's Revisited :-)

kitty60 — Sun, 05 Jul 2015 21:32:10 GMT

It did take me a long time to honestly try Aldi's but I'm glad I did. If you don't find yourself with a quarter our store will give you one, when you return the cart you get it back.

I haven't been in several weeks but I'll have to check the k-cups, they had been more expensive then mentioned here last time I was in.

Re: Aldi's Revisited :-)

conlt — Sun, 05 Jul 2015 22:00:29 GMT

Well is started with the fact that my 1 year old Sheltie gained 5 pounds after she was spade. The Vet put her on the Pumpkin diet 1/3 cup of dry dog food and 1/3 cup of canned pumpkin (not pie filing) twice a day. So it was for weight loss. She said to use the reguar kibble, not the low calorie kibble. They love it, The Pumpkin is high fiber and serves as a filler to make them feel full. It also moistens the dry dog food which is nice. The vet told me the treats are what make our pets fat. Mine get baby carrots, celery and cucumber throughout the day. Cucumber and Carrots are their favorit. I would check with your vet as I am sure the portions are based on the size of the dog.