Everyone is always telling me to go to Aldi's and shop, even some folks on here, so I finally took the plunge this week. Let me just say that I was not all that impressed. Meat - their meat is a bit cheaper than what you'd get at the grocery store, but it didn't look too appetizing to me. Produce - they did have some really good deals on Fresh Produce, but for the most part, it was stuff I can get at the local farmer's market for the same price or better. Grocery - I try not to eat too many processed foods, but I did buy a couple of a things. They have mostly off-brand items. The tortilla chips I got were not my favorite, but they worked. Overall, the prices in this area were better than the grocery but not enough for me to go out of my way to shop there.
I shop at Aldi's once a week and they offer great value for quality produce. You can buy free range eggs and organic meat at much lower prices than in the other supermarkets. Some days they will not have much on the shelves but you can find some real bargains if you go on a good day.
I don't buy meats there, but I buy everything else there. I love buying pantry items there.....flour, sugar, honey, crackers, etc. They're a good chunk cheaper for me and I can stock up about once a month on all those sorts of things. Oh, eggs, too....$.79 a dozen? It's hard to beat that. And their produce has crazy sales on it during peak seasons, so I like to stock up on some of it when I can. It's not out of the way for me, though.
I agree on the meat. I think the quality of Aldi varies from one to the next. I shop at a certain Aldi because their produce is better. It is a bit ripper than the traditional grocery, but it's cheaper. I pick up my staples at Aldi. I find things like flour, eggs and milk are cheaper. I also pick up oatmeal, nuts and yogurt when I'm there. It's a good alternative for small filler trips, but I don't think you can do all your shopping there.
Umm okay! If you check out some of their seasonal deals for products like heaters, gardening tools, etc., you would definitely be impressed. Give it another shot some day. You might feel differently. I agree with Jessi on some of the products she has mentioned. They are a lot cheaper and are of better quality too.
I don't know if Aldi's is different in the US but in the UK it is great for meat and eggs. You can buy quality meat at significantly lower prices than in Tesco's and Asda etc. Recently I bought 2 kilos of organic pork belly for £3, an absolute bargain!
Don't get me wrong, I love Aldi. I am so excited we are finally getting one near me. But a seasoned Aldi shopper knows there are things you buys there and things you don't I like to get my milk, eggs, cereals, crackers, snacks, bread, and things like that there. But yeah, the meat and fresh produce can be kind of scary.
It's pretty good here as well. I can buy a kilo of really lean free range pork tenderloin, which is great for roasting and will feed 4 people generously, for around 4 Euro (just over £3). The only things I tend to steer clear of are tea and coffee - I like my Tetley's, and my husband likes his Nescafe!
Agreed. My mom taught me that as a kid, so I consider myself one of those "seasoned shoppers." They've actually gotten a lot better in both of those departments in the last 5-10 years, though. I still avoid the meat out of habit and would only ever buy maybe ground beef from there. The produce has come a long way and I don't avoid it at all now. No, it's not always the best, but it's definitely not always the worst either.
Aldi's is a great place to shop for canned goods. Their generic chunky soup tastes just as good as Campbells Chunky soup. Their canned vegetables are cheap and good quality. The canned chili is great. The off-brand crackers and chips taste just as good as their name brand counterparts. You'll save a lot of money on dairy goods and what a great selection of cheeses! I don't buy the meat there but they have a great selection of frozen foods, some name brands, that are less expensive than supermarket chains.
I used to shop at Aldi once in a blue moon. That was to check on what special they have. It is also interesting to get some things we need at home like towels, cheap pajamas, flashlight, a set of screw drivers and sort of things like that. But I frequent the store recently as I discovered some really good quality products like their hand soap, liquid detergent, toilet papers... I think I can save on those stuff from Aldi. I will next time try the basic staples like sugar, flour, bread, eggs and milk as suggested by most of our posters here. I think I like Aldi now....
I love Aldis! Where I live the produce is always sold at a huge discount compared to the other grocery stores including the Super Walmart. The prices are lower on yogurt and canned goods as well.
I had misgivings about Aldi's as well, but now I am sold on it. My wife and I have discovered that we simply have to go to two grocery stores each week: Aldi's and something else. For those items that Aldi's does carry that we want, you can't beat the price. We've found the taste to be pretty good on some items (especially potato chips!)
I used to love Aldi before I started couponing. Although Aldi does have great prices, I find that I usually spend less at a larger grocery chain buying brand name items with coupons. I never once bought meat there and only on a few occasions did I buy produce. The best deals in my opinion are the boxed goods such as crackers or cereals. Once, I bought some canned pasta and it had green slime inside - talk about disgusting. I'm pretty sure that's when I decided to start couponing.
I love shopping at Aldi. I always find that their fresh produce is always priced lower than other grocery stores. I don't buy meat from Aldi. Occasionally I will buy one or two other items, but I mostly shop there for milk, bread, and fresh produce.
I hate shopping at Aldi's! There's a select amount of their things I like, the rest of it always tastes cheap to me. I know I'm saving money but, honestly, I'd rather go to Walmart and spend slightly more money (and sometimes less!) and have it taste better. Walmart off-brand tastes so, so much better than Aldi's ever has, and you can price match any of their insanely cheap produce prices at Walmart.
I shop at Aldi from time to time. What I've learned is you honestly have to pick your times to come. It seems like if you go early in the mornings on weekends, you are fighting the elderly people. If you go at night during the week you're fighting off huge crowds. Let me tell you, a lot of the people that shop there are NOT friendly. However, all cashiers I've dealt with are extremely friendly and helpful. I like to call them and see when they get a fresh shipment of produce, that is the main reason I shop there. If you make a trip right after they've put our fresh produce, you are good to go! If you wait a little biy, sure enough customers have ravaged through everything bruising fruit, making messes, tearing eveything to shreds.
Could you give some examples of things you prefer from Wal-mart or that taste cheap from Aldi's? The only thing I can even think of that I can compare would be chips. And I don't want to eat the offbrand from Walmart of chips either....I prefer name brand.
I'm glad someone started this thread. I've been wondering whether it would be worth my time to shop there. I like a good bargain, but if it's not quality food, it's not worth it. I don't go for chips and soda, but fresh veggies and meat. It sounds like Aldi is hit or miss in this respect so I'll pass.
Just a suggestion: If your two stores are a fair distance apart and cause you to spend extra time and gas money to make two stops, try going to Aldis just twice a month. I can usually get the bulk of my groceries for 2 weeks at a time there because so much of it goes in the pantry. Any meats I buy there can get tossed in the freezer and most of the fridge items last a couple weeks, too. Then I can get other things at the other store without having to make two stops every week.
