Posted on 12/27/2013 12:50:27 AM PST by iowamark
Chances are that you have never set foot inside the best grocery store in America: Aldi. And even if you are lucky enough to be in one of the 32 states where Aldi is, perhaps you were put-off by the cardboard boxes in lieu of shelves, or the row upon row of suspicious-looking off-brands. What is this place? Why do I have to put down a deposit to check out a cart? What is the weird giant shelf by the exit? And what do you mean, I have to pay for a bag?
Calm your hormones, meine Schatzis: Aldi, which is short for Albrecht Discount, is the American incarnation of a German grocery chain that is so ubiquitous in the Vaterland that almost 90 percent of Germans shop there...
A disagreement in 1960 over selling cigarettes hastened a partition, and an epic game of grocery-store Risk: Theo would rename his business Aldi Nord, and would control territories north of the Rhine, plus a healthy chunk of Europe. Karl would head up Aldi Süd, and get southern Germany, more of Europe, plus the U.K. and Ireland. But both companies operate stores in the United States—Aldi Süd operates as Aldi, and Aldi Nord as the now ubiquitous Trader Joe’s.
But whereas Trader Joe’s employs just one major cost-saving device—private labeling—everything else about it is Americanized. The place is swarming with upbeat employees; cashiers stand at the till and bag your products for you; you just grab a cart willy-nilly and they trust you to put it back. Aldi also private-labels (those $1.99 “Millville” Rice Squares are Chex, you guys!), but what makes it a more exciting venture—and even cheaper than Trader Joe’s—is that it has imported the entire German grocery experience...
(Excerpt) Read more at slate.com ...
This author thinks she has discovered a secret. She needs to get out more.
Trader Joe’s meat and produce is abominable
the frozen section is good
nothing that high class
all crappy stuff the other stores won’t sell
We got used to shopping at Aldi and Lidl in Germany. Small stores, but fresh produce EVERY DAY! They did not restock (normally) when the daily supplies ran out, so you shopped early. They left the greens on the carrots, kohlrabi, etc., which our bunnies loved. We purchased less & less at the Commissary every year. Great weekly feature items, too! I seriously miss shopping in Germany and the Cora and Auchan stores in France! There is no comparison to some of the foods there. America tries to replicate, but they don’t really ‘get’ European-style foods!
The Aldis pro vs. con on this and other Aldis threads seems to always boil down to those who don’t care about store presentation and love saving 25% on their grocery bill vs. those who are willing to pay 25% more to shop in their comfort zone.
If you like saving money it’s a great place to shop. Be sure to read the labels. Great prices on produce and a lot of boutique food items.
So others won’t be traumatized by their first alternative grocery shopping venture here are the main objections:
Have a quarter handy to get a cart or be prepared to wait in line to get change.
There is no customer service desk, butcher, bakery or cheese world.
You have to bag your own groceries. Bring your own bags or pay a nickle for a paper bag or 10 cents for a large plastic bag. Or just grab a stock box off the shelf and use that.
Selection is limited compared to a full service grocery.
Aldis usually have only one or two inventory deliveries a week. Sometimes things sell out.
Mostly off brand items.
Product is stacked in open boxes on the shelves.
The frozen seafood is from China.
Cora in France! Six lanes of cheese! 5 lanes of pudding.
Never tried the meat section. Agreed about the frozen food. They carry a frozen appetizer of Beef Welington squares. Very good indeed.
We love our Aldi! The food has been consistently good, the store is clean, reasonably priced, and we can pack things as we like without being huffed at by an insulted cashier.
Oh yeah, also the BEST tasting milk of any brand avail locally!
What’s not to love?
I LOVE Aldi’s. There’s a fairly ratty-looking one not far from here but after checkout with high quality merchandise 40% less than I’d pay at the local ‘brand name’ market, it feels sooooooo good
They have a ‘double your money back’ if you don’t think the Aldi-branded product is as good as the brand-name. Occasionally they get in authentic German foods, too, German mustard, cabbage, pumpernickel bread , strudels, etc.
I guess I am blessed to live the in the communist utopia of Massachusetts for one reason: The food shopping around here is superior to what I have seen in other parts of the country.
We have access to really good, local meat and really fresh seafood.
The Liberals around here are really into their Organic, free trade stuff. I don’t buy that stuff, but that leads to some really good selection for produce and other stuff that I could not find elsewhere.
So...I hate their politics, but I love their food and wine.
That makes more sense, thanks!
Vee Germans have vays of dealing with vith subhumans like you!
We’ve got all of those except Kroger here (Meijer started as a single store, in Greenville MI, about 85 years ago), also Sam’s Club, Kmart, Dollar General, Family Dollar, and the local Spartan chain, Horrock’s, Kingma’s, and the various mom and pops. Aldi and Save-a-Lot are very similar (cash, debit, or EBT only, for one thing), but it’s typical to find the Aldi stores in much better states of repair and cleaner. Save-a-Lot has more familiar brand names than Aldi’s. Aldi’s take and bake pizzas have been recommended to me, and they do look pretty tasty. :’)
How can you govern a country which has two hundred and forty-six varieties of cheese? - Charles de Gaulle
Well one thing certainly seems to be the case in this thread, you either like Aldi or absolutely hate it with a passion and want it burned down to the ground, have a priest perform an exorcism over the land, and salt strewn so that nothing will ever grow there again! :0)
As for Aldi's, I've never been in one but I see them around. I'll have to check one out, I aways assumed they were a convenience store and not a full supermarket. I do like the concept of putting a deposit on your cart and bagging your own groceries. Americans can be so damn lazy and they are very sloppy with their carts when they get to the parking lot. Even with those "carriage corrals", most people just leave their carts in the middle of the parking lot. Absolutely inexcusable behavior.
We Midwesterners envy that fresh seafood!
We also have excellent fresh local meat available, both from our small local grocery and from butcher shops supplied by local producers. Twice a year the grocery has sales on whole muscle cuts from area farmers that are wonderful in all respects.
This area boasts the largest collection of organic farmers in the country, mostly thanks to Organic Valley. Our Farmers Market also has wonderful produce from the Amish and from the Hmong. Lots of heirloom and exotic varieties, too, plus local maple syrup and honey. Best selection in summer, of course, but they are open all year round in a marketplace-type building.
Of course, we also have the Free Trade organic coffee and local wine. Not too impressed with either, though.
Still, I am impressed with Aldi’s and when my husband is in La Crosse for work, he will stop there and at Woodman’s for perishables. Otherwise, I probably make the trip every couple of months to stock up on shelf items.
I can sometimes feel guilty at how much I will spend on exotic & gourmet items. The Sam’s in La Crosse carries a wonderful Danish Blue cheese and affordable nova lox. I probably do whatever I can to save on other foodstuffs to make up for my other extravagances.
A deposit for a shopping cart is a good idea. Around here, people brazenly take them home, then abandon them wherever they feel like it. Stores have to pay guys to drive around and collect them and bring them back, which I’m sure we all pay for.
I guess I should wander in and take another look.
I worked retail as a youth. I am aware that management and other factors will really change your experience from store to store.
Stay warm!
It struck me funny that you see a lot of high-fat foods in Trader Joes. Maybe I’m shorter than you and I don’t see the upper shelves? LOL
There was another poster a couple of months ago who said it was all processed food. That struck me as odd also. It’s funny I only see/buy nuts, dried fruit, cheese and all kinds of salad greens, e.g., romaine, arugula, spinach and kale. Now that I think of it they have much better acorn squash than the other local market and the avocados are the best I’ve ever had. I think of it as my health food store.
BTW they have a wonderful Toscano cheese covered in cinnamon that is terrific, especially scraped on top of salad. They only have it at Christmas time unfortunately.
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