I Finally Shopped At Aldi

I get the sales flyers every week from Aldi, and have been curious. The closest and only one I'm aware of in the area is about twice the distance of Kroger, over between Super Target and Walmart Supercenter. That wouldn't be a prohibitive distance to travel to save money, if my vehicle were in better shape, but it's not, so I tend to stick to Kroger as much as possible. I had to visit Walmart the other day, though, so I decided to stop in at Aldi and try to save a little money on produce.

I always keep a reusable shopping bag in the car, because they come in handy for various purposes. I bought these quite a while ago, and they're the insulated sort, so if I happen to buy ice cream or other frozen goods on a really hot day, I will slip them into the reusable bag, then return it to my vehicle for the next trip. I was glad to have the bag that day, because Aldi doesn't supply bags for free. They may supply them for a charge, but I'm not sure about that. They also charge $.25 to borrow a shopping cart. I knew that ahead of time, but for some reason, I didn't have a quarter that day. I decided to just put the items I was purchasing in the reusable shopping bag, which limited the amount I could purchase.

I was limited not only in the amount of goods I could stuff into the one bag, but also in the type of goods, because it was around 95 degrees outside, and I had to stop at Walmart after my trip to Aldi, so I couldn't purchase perishable or frozen food. They had a great price on eggs, and always have good deals on milk, but there was no way I would chance that, since I had to spend at least a half hour in Walmart.

I was very happy with my first shopping experience. I got some plump juicy sweet blueberries for very low cost, as well as some strawberries at a great price. I also picked up some summer squash that turned out to be the perfect ripeness, as well as a bag of sugar at a lower cost than I've seen at both Kroger and Walmart.

I would like to shop at Aldi more, but the location prohibits that. However, I'll be keeping a few extra reusable bags in my vehicle for the next time I'm in the area, and leaving a quarter in the car so that next time, I'll be able to buy more than I was able to on this trip.

 

WE pay a whole pound for a cart (trolley) at Aldi's here ...which is the equivalent currently of just over $1 dollar

yes we get it back when we return the trolley but not everyone has a pound coin handy in their purse or pocket...Aldi aren't the only supermarket which charges a pound for a trolley here in the UK...The idea behind it is that they don't have to pay to employ trolley collectors from the car park , therefore helping to keep their prices more competitive.. They are also one of the few supermarkets who charge you to park as well..although if you spend over a certain amount you get the parking fee refunded..

 

My wife would give anything, @Diane Lane, if we could go to Aldi out here. Closest one in Missouri was 55 miles one-way, but we always stopped there if we had any other reason to drive to Rolla. Parking lot was of course free. We suspected the company was a foreign-owned one, but did not learn until much later, it is a German company. Very strictly run, precisely might be a good word, no nonsense of course. We liked the fact that the store had only a limited number of similar items, rather than an entire block-long aisle of cat food one side, dog on the other, for example. Lots of stuff was Aldi-branded.

I don't know about your Kroger, but ours here (called Smith's) is enormous, so big we often walk "laps" around it's inside perimeter when it's too hot outdoors! Immediately across the street lies Safeway, just as large! Puzzles me why two big competing businesses like that choose to exist in side-by-side fashion! Today, Kroger is the largest supermarket chain (by revenue), a rumor arose around 1929 talking of a Kroger-Safeway merger! Didn't happen, though Safeway bough 36 Kroger stores in Oklahoma in 1936!

"In 1997, Kroger merged with the then fifth-largest grocery company Fred Meyer, along with its subsidiaries, Ralphs, QFC, and Smith's."

Rather interesting history. As I grew up around the Chicago area, we had never heard of Safeway, but I believe Kroger was around. In our relatively small suburb, our biggest store was the Jewel Store, tiny by today's standards. We also had an A & P (Atlantic & Pacific) and a Hillman's. Frank

 

Ugh, paying to park sucks. That reminds me too much of being up in the city. I usually have lots of change on hand, but I think I had put air in my tires, which used up all of my quarters. I'm keeping the quarter the lady gave me, and will leave it in the car just for that purpose.

We had A&P back home Frank, I have fond memories of shopping there with my mom when I was little. We don't have any of the same grocery stores down here that we had back there, and the parking lots are also much larger here. My mom loves when my sister takes her up to New Hampshire to shop, because the lots up there are much bigger and the stores also tend to be more spacious. I like that I don't have to try to squeeze a big car into a small space, the way I'd have to up there.

The produce, egg and milk prices would definitely draw me back to Aldi @Yvonne Smith. They are so much lower than at Kroger, and even Walmart, which is still significantly lower than Kroger. Super Target is another option for me, seeing as it's over by Aldi and Walmart, but their produce prices (and many of their other prices) are also higher, and sometimes even surpass those at Kroger.

 

I don't remember Kroger in Chicago, we had Jewel and Dominick's, A & P, Hillmans and I have a vague memory of National but not sure. The only time I had an Aldi near was either McHenry County, Il or Merrillville, Indiana.

I didn't like it. In Indiana in the 90's a huge store opened called Omni I think and you bagged your own food there.

It had good prices and was one of my favorite stores.

In Fresno, Safeway is called Vons for some reason. We also have Savemart and Food for Less which is cheap on produce. When I moved here we had a Ralph's and Albertsons but they went out of business.

 

We've been in our local Aldi's, but didn't like what we seen..........so, left. Now, once we are both retired, we might just have to shop in that store.......if there is one where we end up moving to.

 

I like to shop at Aldi's when I am in the area where there is one. None of them are too close to me. I honestly find however, that groceries are cheaper on many items at the Super Value Foods which is a cost plus 10 percent store located near here. That would not go for every single thing, as some foods are over priced at Super Value, but they beat Aldi's and Walmart for many of their items. I would say Aldi's has better quality though, and they even have organic foods now which is neat.

 

I haven't seen pet supplies at Aldi, but that would be a reason for me to drive over there. I do try to buy most of the cat litter and food at Walmart because it's so much cheaper than at Kroger ($2-$3 less per bucket of litter, 3 lbs more of dry cat food for the same price), but if Aldi could beat those prices, I'd be happy to go there instead. Those items tend to be bulky, though, so unless the Aldi I have been to expands, it's doubtful they'd stock them. Still, I'd be happy to pop in there for milk, eggs and some produce now and then when I'm in the area. I think the price I saw was $.70/dozen for eggs, which was cheap, but of coursd 2 dozen for $1 would be even better.

 

The cheapest I've seen eggs is $1.99 a dozen and that's rare. Usually average price is $2.99 and up. The prices at my cheapest store were $1.99- $4.99 a dozen yesterday.

 

Great! It's nice to be able to take a pic to prove something sometimes because who wants to take back a watermelon that's been cut or popsicles that melt quickly in this heat.

I didn't have my receipt but they believed me.

So far I think Costco takes the prize for being best at taking things back. When I moved here, I bought a new set of pots and pans at Costco and even used them for a year or more but they got scratched up too easily or something, I don't remember the specifics but Costco took them back without a receipt after a year of use and gave me back the money to get whatever type I wanted, don't think they had the same set anymore.

 

We don't have aldis, sams club, Costco, trader joes, or most other stores mentioned in this thread. We have Walmart and harps. That's it. There is a Kroger about 25 miles and Sams club and I believe aldis in Fort Smith which is about 60 miles. I've never been to any of them.

 

That's because you have your own fruit and produce section and fish department in your own back yard.

I'm sure you do have to shop for some things...where do you go?