We have ALDI stores here in the Midwest. We shop at the local ALDI store a lot... usually once/week. There are some things you can get good buys on. They have excellent produce. You see folks from all walks of life and from all income levels shopping there. Our community has two large Kroger stores, a Super WalMart, and one other chain grocery. Still, ALDI's draws a steady stream of shoppers.
We have an Aldi store only a mile away from me. I only went once. Strangest thing is that they make you pay a quarter to use a shopping cart I mean seriously, what if you don't happen to have a quarter on you? You have to go in and bother them for change? The store was small and had a strange conglomeration of items. They were selling a vacuum cleaner next to the produce
I'm not keen on Aldi either...the only time I go there (probably once a year) is to buy their excellent dark chocolate. Bonnie you'd get a shock if you did your shopping in the uk..even the biggest most prestigious supermarkets do not bag your shopping for you...we all have to do it ourselves..(sometimes the cashier will help but mostly not)...and every supermarket not just Aldi, implements the £1 charge (that's more than a dollar) Trolley unlocking fee. Most of us carry a trolley coin token on our key rings which is exactly the size of a £1 coin and that's what we use to unlock the trolley...
They accept all credit and debit cards in the UK and the prices are up to 40% cheaper on some products, than the large chains. Our local Aldi in Worcester is always packed nowadays and because it now attracts a lot of middle class customers, the range has gone a lot more upmarket.Their fresh produce has always been excellent and the staff I find friendly. I would guess I get 90% of my shopping at Aldi the rest at the other chains. I used to use Tesco exclusively, but they became too expensive for me in the end.
Your description Lara is similar to how ours were until fairly recently, post the 2008 crash lots of people went downmarket in their food shopping, and Aldi and Lidl took advantage of it and changed their image.
I guess it's the old habit thing... are we spoiled Holly - I guess so. I know there are grocery stores in the US that don't bag your groceries, or give you free bags at all. But the stores that I go to put everything in plastic bags for you, like Kroger, Walmart. There is even one old neighborhood store that asks if you want paper or plastic bags yet ...