Community Chat

[KCDiva]

It is very hit and miss at my store. I buy some things I love and never see them again. I buy mainly the frozen fish and seafood. Great crabcakes. I recently bought a 2lb package of frozen jumbo shrimp. It was $14.99. I have to say it was probably the best shrimp I have gotten at the grocery store. It was jumbo and at $7.50 a pound you can't beat it. I am going back for some more but I bet it is all gone. I am a dark chocolate lover and they have the best chocolate bars, cookies, etc. which I have to treat myself to when I go. It's not my regular grocery store but they have some great items I go in to check for. The service is amazing. The cashier's are timed so they like to get you in and out in a hurry. It must be a great store for some families because I've seen $200 & $300 carts checked out. In record time I might add. 

[PinkyPetunia]

Hit or miss is a good way to describe Aldi.  I have one close so I am not making a special trip.  I am rather picky and don't care for much of their items.  Breads are dry, cereals and cookies taste inferior to me. I did not like their version of Ritz crackers.   Produce is pretty bad most of the time.  Potato chips and similar snacks are super salty.  No reduced salt options available.

I like their mayonnaise, bottled salad dressings, mustard, packaged sliced cheese, half & half and spreadable butter in tubs.  Chocolate is delish.

I used to get a tub of chicken salad with nuts and cranberries for around $3.99.  It went up to $6.49 last time I got it.  

[deeva]

Not for me, didn't like Aldis in the 90's, Still don't like them. 
Majority of the products are private label brands, and most of the produce is sold in bags. Walmart's Great Value brand is cheaper than Aldi's.

Our new Aldis is two minutes away from Target, Walmart and Fry's .

So they're not doing great. 

[Caaareful Shopper]

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@Ainhisg wrote:

I used to start my weekly grocery trip by going to Aldi, which is 3 miles away through many stoplights.  Then I would head to Wal-Mart and a local grocery store to finish off my list.  During the pandemic, I started using Wal-Mart pickup and couldn't have been happier.  After things returned to normal (as much as they will ever be), I went to Aldi to buy some things that we like from there.  Wow.  What a change in quality in many of the items, and the prices had gone up, up, up!  They started using different suppliers for some of their staples.  Case in point.  I use refried beans in a few recipes.  Bought a can at Aldi, and when I opened it, there were few beans, some smashed beans, and a lot of water...I mean a lot!  Thank goodness I had a can I had purchased at Wal-Mart.  Other things that I used to get there were the same way.  I figured by the time I spent my gas (especially now), wear and tear on my car, and my time to go to all those stores, plus the quality of their line seems to have gone down, I am better off using Wal-Mart pickup (1 mile away) and going to a local store to buy meat and a few other things.  Everything has gone up in all the stores, but unfortunately, I found the quality went down at Aldi.  Their bread molds quickly and so do their fruits.  This is just my experience.

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@Ainhisg  Yes!  I tried Aldis a total of three times, since I have two of them fairly close to me.  In every instance, their bread and fruit molded extremely quickly.  Lower prices on other things didn't compensate for that.  It was never my sole grocery store, so it was very easy to give it up. Haven't been back. 

[Sooner]

@jst4jan Aldi's is either great or awful depending on what you want in a grocery store.  I have been to ours about 4 times in five years and it doesn't have what I want.  If you are adventurous and try lots of new brands and frozen items, it's great.

In ours there is a lot of frozen food, a LOT of candy and snacks, and some produce that is hit or miss in what they have.  Most things are brands I've never seen from all over the globe.

We don't buy a lot of snacks, we don't use a lot of frozen food, and we cook a lot-- Italian, Tex-Mex, Asian and Middle Eastern dishes--buying lots of produce, staples and some canned goods, and flour for a bread machine.

We need a bigger produce section and fewer snacks and candy or miscellaneous items in the middle.  And I want to buy what I know and rely on in staples--because  we would waste money in the long run to try things.

[jst4jan]

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@jst4jan wrote:

There is an Aldi's opening near us. Can you tell me your thoughts about Aldi's?

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Thank you everyone for your replies. I guess I'll have to go there and check it out myself.

[4kitties]

@millieshops 

Thanks for recommending the Crispy Oats!  I bought a box this morning to try.  No sugar is a good thing for me!

[ciao_bella]

For me, Aldi's has been a store I go to each week.  Granted, you will not find lots of brands or varieties like large supermarkets carry, but you also will not pay those high  prices either.  Most items sold at Aldi's are less expense than regular grocery store prices.

If you're a 'only buy brand name' person, than you're probably not going to be an Aldi's shopper.  That said, if you're more open to try their brand/s, I think you will be surprised that many of the items are comparible or, sometimes, even better than brand names.  Produce in my Aldi's is fresh but not all produce is available.  I never see fresh parsley sold there, though fresh cilantro is always available. 

Their 16-17 inch signature pizzas (not the frozen ones)  are a bargain at $6.49. If you have a family, especially with kids, it's a no brainer purchase.   I have found most of their canned goods to be very good and at a substantially lower price.   The basics (assorted breads, rolls, English muffins, flat breads,  etc). are found in their bread/bakery area with some bakery items available. Most, if not all, items are less in price than regular grocery stores. 

As with all grocery stores, Aldi's too has raised their prices on their items, as one would expect.  If you want to spend less than you do each week shopping exclusively at your regular grocery store, then Aldi's is an excellent shopping option or addition.  I find, even with increased recent prices, I spend less on my total weekly grocery bill being an Aldi's shopper.     

[Ladybug724]

Aldi is great! I like everything there except for their paper towels and toliet paper. I mean it's okay, but you can tell it's cheap.

The produce section in my Aldi is really fresh and well-stocked and always has what I need. The cheese section is fantastic as is the dairy section. Also things like spaghetti and taco ingredients are good to stock up on while you're there; you can't beat the prices.

My kids and I love to bake and make candy so I also find their baking goods such as sugar, flour, chocolate chips, etc. to be a good value. I try to stock up on those things while I'm there.

They have a nice variety of chips of all kinds, and sometimes they have specialty chips in their specialty aisle. You can find other goodies in that aisle too, but when you see something that sounds good to you grab it then, because most of those items are only seasonal.

[manny2]

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@tototwo wrote:
I suppose every Aldi is different. We went to ours once. It was filthy dirty for one thing. Plus, it was early in the pandemic - even tho there were signs on the doors and in the parking lot that stated "face masks required," no one inside the store had a mask on, including the employees. I walked down 2 aisles then left quickly, never to return.

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@tototwo I don't know where you live, but I have never seen a dirty store. Everyone I have been in is just as clean if not cleaner than the local supermarkets.