Hmmm. Explain Aldi's grocery store to me.

[Melissa in Australia]

So, you budget. A lot of people on these boards budget, too, but you know what? Outside of these boards, most people I know are not grocery shopping with lists and a budget. They're just out buying stuff to eat. Most people I know IRL don't meal plan, don't budget, don't make grocery lists, don't even have much of an idea what they'll do with much of the food they buy. They just shop and they figure it out when they get it home.

 

They're not irresponsible for doing it that way if it is working for them. They're just doing it differently than you. Just because they aren't doing it your way doesn't make them less than you or better than you. It just makes them different.

 

And that is not something worthy of scorn.

 

This is basically how We live.

We don't run a budget. We do take a list but that is because we drive 100km to the shops, and don't want to forget anything. What we do instead of budgeting is try very hard to live on the smallest amount of money we can . We shop, fill the pantry and for the rest of the month we live on whatever we have in the garden or pantry. I pick recipes according to what I have at home.

 

Living like this has allowed us to not only have no mortgage and no debt, but buy other properties as well. All on hardly any income.

[Melissa in Australia]

Audrey, I am starting to think we have a lot in common.

[AvasMom]

 

 

 

Well we rather enjoy being responsible adults as well, and becuase we are responsible adults we don't have to pay attention to what I'm spending at the grocery store.

 

 

People who don't care to pay attention to their spending habits tend to not remain in that situation for very long. Dave Ramsey is a millionaire and budgets. My grandfather (also a millionaire) left myself and all of his family a hefty chunk of money. Why? Because he (and my grandmother) paid attention to spending. Enough said on that topic. What a ridiculous, illogical argument to make. Lol!

[AvasMom]

 

 

 

So, you budget. A lot of people on these boards budget, too, but you know what? Outside of these boards, most people I know are not grocery shopping with lists and a budget. They're just out buying stuff to eat. Most people I know IRL don't meal plan, don't budget, don't make grocery lists, don't even have much of an idea what they'll do with much of the food they buy. They just shop and they figure it out when they get it home.

 

They're not irresponsible for doing it that way if it is working for them. They're just doing it differently than you. Just because they aren't doing it your way doesn't make them less than you or better than you. It just makes them different.

 

And that is not something worthy of scorn.

 

 

Yes, I realize that's how many Americans live. And if you will note our economic problems....

[nukeswife]

People who don't care to pay attention to their spending habits tend to not remain in that situation for very long. Dave Ramsey is a millionaire and budgets. My grandfather (also a millionaire) left myself and all of his family a hefty chunk of money. Why? Because he (and my grandmother) paid attention to spending. Enough said on that topic. What a ridiculous, illogical argument to make. Lol!

 

I've lived this way for 15 years. SO again, please explain how budgeting makes you more of a responsible adult than me.

 

I really don't care what Dave Ramsey does or what your grandparents did, good for them, that still doesn't make them more responsible than anyone else that chooses to live differently.

[jujsky]

Is the Aldi's thread the new crockpot thread?

[Moxie]

Is the Aldi's thread the new crockpot thread?

 

Seriously. It is just a grocery store, ladies. There is no one right and moral way to buy groceries!

[m0mmaBuck]

Me either.

 

From what I can tell, they don't have any stores in S California. Does anyone know if that's right?

 

We don't have any in WA that I know of either. At least not on my side of the state. However, I did find this: http://freshneasybuzz.blogspot.com/2012/06/scoop-aldi-usa-headed-to-southern.html

 

You and I may get our ALDI experiences some day. :)

[Renthead Mommy]

People who don't care to pay attention to their spending habits tend to not remain in that situation for very long. Dave Ramsey is a millionaire and budgets. My grandfather (also a millionaire) left myself and all of his family a hefty chunk of money. Why? Because he (and my grandmother) paid attention to spending. Enough said on that topic. What a ridiculous, illogical argument to make. Lol!

 

 

You right, that is a ridiculous illogical argument that YOU made.

 

I go to the grocery store to get some food for the week. I get what looks good, what sounds good, and what we've run out of. One week it could be $100, the next it could be $200. How much we need depends also on our plans for the week as well as how many time we may eat out this week or did eat out last week. I get what I want and what I need at the store. I don't worry about how much it costs, because I can cover whatever our food costs are for the week.

 

That in no way means we don't pay attention to ourspending habits.

 

We pay close attention. That is way I can spend what I want on groceries. We pay close attention to our investments, our retirement fund, my son's college account, our checking account and our savings. We pay off our credit cards every month. We carry no debt other than a car lease and our rent. We live below our means.

 

To get to this point we made choices. Choices that started in high school and college. Before we ever even met. We made good choices and good investments. We choose what to spend money on and what not to spend it on. We paid off our schooling bills early.

 

I don't care what Dave Ramsey says or does. But neither he nor you can say we don't pay attention to our spending habits. And basing that thought on the fact that I don't go to the grocery store with a plan or a budget is very illogical.

[Lady Marmalade]

 

 

So I always pay attention to their ads but the reality is that I only buy produce there. You really can't beat avocados or pomegranites for 49 cents each or pineapple for 99 cents. We just recently got some beautiful grapefruit for 25 cents each.

 

 

 

 

Just an FYI for people following this thread, Wal-Mart will price match an Aldi's ad. I am one of the people who doesn't "get" Aldi's. It's not food my family eats, and we don't shop at Wal-Mart either because we have amazing options for grocery stores here. But, on the occasion where I'm going to be by a Wal-Mart and Aldi has a great deal running like the 99 cent pineapple, I just pop into Wal-Mart and pick some up.

 

When fresh cherries and peaches were in season, I was at Wal-Mart picking something else up and saw these gorgeous fruits, so I picked up a few pounds of each. The cashier at the check-out rang me up and the fruit was half the marked price. When I asked about it she informed me that Aldi's was running a great sale on cherries and peaches that week. Ever since then, I've paid attention to the ads at least. Aldi does run great deals on fruit, and for me the quality is better at WM than Aldi.

[Bang!Zoom!]

Get out of here!!! Walmart matches Aldi's?

 

Do you need the paper ad to do that or what?

[Reeciecup]

Well, I'm still mulling my Aldi experience over in my mind. The bags - not an issue. I bring reusable bags to grocery shop anyway. I didn't know that was their schtick, but I happened to have brought my bags anyway.

 

I'm not at all bothered by the un-fancy appearance and I don't care if the food is brand or not. I buy generics anyway. However, I am worried about counterfeiting. Are these products simply generics or are they counterfeit? It looks a little sketchy to me to have a jar that is stylistically a dead ringer or Hellman's mayo, but isn't Hellman's in fact. Is it law-breaking or simply a creative generic? If it's actually a counterfeit, all bets are off on the labeling, which concerns me. But if it's merely generic and half the price, I could not care less. If we like it, we like it. Generic razors still shave hair.

 

 

 

 

 

They aren't counterfeiting, these products are made by the same companies that make the name brands. Sara Lee Bakery makes Aldi bread. They also make lots of other store brand bread, and other name brand breads, like Sunbeam. The recipes may be slightly different, but it's not counterfeiting. The milk is made by Pet Dairy. The milk that goes into the Aldi jug comes out of the same nozzle as the milk that goes in the Pet jug. I know this because I have friends and family that work in those factories. I've heard that Aldi cereal is made by General Mills as well.

[AimeeM]

Yes, I realize that's how many Americans live. And if you will note our economic problems....

*America* is having economic problems. It's short sighted to believe all AmericANS are having economic problems or that the shopping habits of AmericANS is the reason for the the country's problems.

[J-rap]

I've heard that Aldi's gets products that are nearing their expiration date, and also products that there happens to be an overabundance of at the moment. So when I go there looking for a specific vegetable, they might not have that one but they'll have a giant amount of another. Or, they'll have a whole shelf of one type of cracker that is at its expiration date (but still considered okay to eat, of course). The two experiences I had there, I wasn't able to find many things that I needed and had to change my menu according to what they had.

[Jenny in Florida]

fight! fight!

:boxing_smiley: :boxing_smiley: :boxing_smiley:

 

Lets have a fight about who is the most responsible..

perhaps we can create a poll on it

what are some of the poll options could we come up with that define a responsible adult?

 

 

I think part of the reason this thread derailed may be that the original question asked for folks to explain Aldi, and a whole bunch of others jumped in and talked about how much they dislike the store(s). Those of us who do like/shop/understand the format explained to the best of our ability how the stores work and how they keep prices low and quality (as far as we can tell) high, and a whole bunch of other folks jumped in to talk about how they dislike things about the approach.

 

Explanation #1: They carry their own products, which they can bring to market less expensively and pass along savings.

Response: Ewwwwww . . . they don't carry national brands I recognize!

 

Explanation #2: They don't take credit cards so as to avoid the extra fees charged by banks, creating savings they pass along to customers.

Response: WHAT?!?!?! I only ever use my credit cards.

 

Explanation #3: They design shipping boxes so they double as displays, meaning less labor is required to get things on the shelves, creating savings they pass along to customers.

Response: I don't like to shop there because their stores look junky.

 

Considering the original question was, "Please explain to me how Aldi works," I fail to see how any of the responses I've paraphrased above meaningful.

 

While I do think the outrage over who does and does not shop with a list is silly, I have to say that I don't think the people who've participate in the thread apparently only to explain how much they dislike the chain haven't made a terribly helpful contribution.

 

Am I guilty of doing similar things now and then? Of course. I totally understand the urge to comment on topics just because I have something to say, even if my comment doesn't actually address the original question in a helpful way. But I also recognize that those are the kinds of comments that tend to make conversation in a given thread degenerate into unpleasantness.

[Garga]

I don't budget for groceries either and am always curious as to what my groceries will ring up to be, since I have no idea until the clerk tells me.

 

However, I'm not tossing stuff willy nilly into the cart. I write a list and get what i'll need for the week and very, very rarely stray from the list for impulsive items. Some weeks we spend $80 and some weeks it's $180.

 

To say that not having a budget, or not knowing what the total is before ring up, is going to lead to financial ruin or is irresponsible is not true. We've been living this way for 20 years and have thousands in the bank, fully funded retirement, etc. in fact, my friends consider me to be the most frugal in our circle.

 

I agree with the pp who says that she keeps an eye on every other aspect of her finances so that the grocery store is where she has wiggle room. That's how we are.

 

Perhaps those who deemed such a way of grocery shopping as silly, or who have predicted iminent financial ruin, aren't clear that just because I don't know ahead of time what the total will be, that doesn't mean I'm tossing impulsive buys into my cart. I still comparison shop and will do without something for a week if I don't think it's a good deal.

[BigMamaBird]

I will not shop there. I went twice and had horrid experiences both times.

[melissad2]

Cupcakes?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anyone?

[nmoira]

AmericANS

 

Pardon me for jumping in. We don't have Aldi's here and I don't tend to shop other than within walking distance....

 

But what does AmericANS denote?

[AimeeM]

Pardon me for jumping in. We don't have Aldi's here and I don't tend to shop other than within walking distance....

 

But what does AmericANS denote?

Nothing really. Just trying to show the difference between "america" (as a nation) and "americans" (as individuals) - while nursing a wiggly infant in my lap, lol.

[nmoira]

 

Nothing really. Just trying to show the difference between "america" (as a nation) and "americans" (as individuals) - while nursing a wiggly infant in my lap, lol.

 

Thanks. I feel that can hardly tell what's code or couched language anymore, and I'm sometimes wary of agreeing with anything for fear I don't get what it really means. :)

[AimeeM]

Thanks. I feel that can hardly tell what's code or couched language anymore, and I'm sometimes wary of agreeing with anything for fear I don't get what it really means. :)

No problem. After I wrote it, I was afraid it might be taken the wrong way - but in my sleep deprived state, I'm just glad I can type right now... lol.

[Catwoman]

People who don't care to pay attention to their spending habits tend to not remain in that situation for very long. Dave Ramsey is a millionaire and budgets. My grandfather (also a millionaire) left myself and all of his family a hefty chunk of money. Why? Because he (and my grandmother) paid attention to spending. Enough said on that topic. What a ridiculous, illogical argument to make. Lol!

 

Wow. Judgmental much? :confused:

 

Just because a person doesn't pay much attention to how much they spend at the grocery store hardly equates to a future of financial ruin. :glare:

 

I think all of us would agree that if a person never, ever pays attention to how much he or she is spending in general, that could indicate a problem, because that person could very well be spending money that he or she doesn't have, but no one here has suggested any such thing. I don't think any of us would recommend that people should spend money they don't have, nor that they shouldn't make lists and budgets for their groceries if they need to do it for financial reasons, or if they simply feel more comfortable keeping close track of what they buy or how much they spend.

 

I think you are reading a lot more into our posts than was intended.

[Dandelion]

We don't have an Aldi in Colorado Springs as far as I know (seems like there may have been one in town at some point, as I found a listing - but the official Aldi website doesn't show that location). I remember shopping at Aldi in Germany as a kid 30 years ago - all I remember is that it was bare bones, and I had a few favorite snacks that we got from there, but that's it.

 

 

People who don't care to pay attention to their spending habits tend to not remain in that situation for very long. Dave Ramsey is a millionaire and budgets. My grandfather (also a millionaire) left myself and all of his family a hefty chunk of money. Why? Because he (and my grandmother) paid attention to spending. Enough said on that topic. What a ridiculous, illogical argument to make. Lol!

 

 

Correlation does not equal causation.

 

Just because some millionaires got there by budgeting doesn't mean that's the only way to become a millionaire.

 

We don't budget - never have. I do take a shopping list to the store, but that's to make sure I don't forget anything - not to limit myself or stay within a budget. Our financial situation is very solid. We have zero debt (not even for our homes or cars). We do plan for our overall financial goals, retirement, investments, college savings for the kids, etc. - but we have never budgeted for the basics. DH's business could fail tomorrow and we'd be just fine with no income for the next five years. So....yes, it's perfectly possible to be responsible and have a solid grasp on your finances without budgeting.

[Guest]

Is the Aldi's thread the new crockpot thread?

 

It depends on the cupcakes they sell. :laugh:

[Guest]

 

 

They aren't counterfeiting, these products are made by the same companies that make the name brands. Sara Lee Bakery makes Aldi bread. They also make lots of other store brand bread, and other name brand breads, like Sunbeam. The recipes may be slightly different, but it's not counterfeiting. The milk is made by Pet Dairy. The milk that goes into the Aldi jug comes out of the same nozzle as the milk that goes in the Pet jug. I know this because I have friends and family that work in those factories. I've heard that Aldi cereal is made by General Mills as well.

 

How is the produce so cheap? I bought 2 cartons of Organic Baby Spinach for $2.50 each - unheard of price at the regular grocery store. Clementines were $3.50 a bag. That's almost half of the price at Martin's. Where does their produce come from that it can be so inexpensive?

[Jenny in Florida]

 

How is the produce so cheap? I bought 2 cartons of Organic Baby Spinach for $2.50 each - unheard of price at the regular grocery store. Clementines were $3.50 a bag. That's almost half of the price at Martin's. Where does their produce come from that it can be so inexpensive?

 

 

According to most of what I'm reading, they keep produce costs low with several strategies:

 

- They take deliveries of perishables several times a week, meaning they don't have to store excess or rotate stock for freshness.

- Produce is pre-packaged and labelled with weight and cost so that it doesn't have to be weighed at check-out (saving labor and time).

- They stock only the seasonal stuff on which their buyers get a good enough price.

- Their produce section benefits from all the same cost-saving practices as happen in the rest of the store.

 

I get the impression this comes from pretty much the same place as all of the other questions about the store: We've all been conditioned by other, mainstream retail outlets to think that the way they run their stores -- and the prices they charge as a result -- are the norm. Therefore, we get suspicious of anything that looks "too good to be true," when, in fact, it's just different.

[Cinder]

Cupcakes?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anyone?

 

 

 

Are they made from a mix you bought at Aldi? :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

[Guest]

According to most of what I'm reading, they keep produce costs low with several strategies:

 

- They take deliveries of perishables several times a week, meaning they don't have to store excess or rotate stock for freshness.

- Produce is pre-packaged and labelled with weight and cost so that it doesn't have to be weighed at check-out (saving labor and time).

- They stock only the seasonal stuff on which their buyers get a good enough price.

- Their produce section benefits from all the same cost-saving practices as happen in the rest of the store.

 

I get the impression this comes from pretty much the same place as all of the other questions about the store: We've all been conditioned by other, mainstream retail outlets to think that the way they run their stores -- and the prices they charge as a result -- are the norm. Therefore, we get suspicious of anything that looks "too good to be true," when, in fact, it's just different.

 

 

 

Well, those strategies make sense.

 

I'm not extraordinarily bothered by the "differentness" of Aldi. What I'm mulling around in my mind is questions of how much it matters to me. Aldi is not nearby; it takes 30 minutes one way to get there. That is one reason it's not going to be a regular part of weekly shopping. If I waste gas getting there, it isn't truly saving money. Also, this is not a severe need for us. Thankfully, our financial situation is such that whether I pay 2.50 for spinach or 5.00 will not make or break us at this time. However, I like getting things for as little as possible; it's fun for me. :thumbup1: I want to be able to use our money for things that mean something to me, so every $1.10 more I spend for a jar of jam or bag of lettuce does mean less money spent on a family trip or seeing a show or painting my family room. :D So...at this time, I expect I will go again, but probably not for a month. I considered finding another Aldi that might be on the way to somewhere else I would have reason to go; the current Aldi is totally out of the way.

[regentrude]

How is the produce so cheap? I bought 2 cartons of Organic Baby Spinach for $2.50 each - unheard of price at the regular grocery store. Clementines were $3.50 a bag. That's almost half of the price at Martin's. Where does their produce come from that it can be so inexpensive?

 

It is cheap because

1. They limit the selection. Not all produce is available every week.

2. They prepackage. No waste in the store, no weighing, packing.

3. They have a huge turnover, so produce will sell quickly.

4. they get deliveries several days a week.

ETA: and because everything there is cheap since they do not pay for staff to put items on shelves, bag groceries, collect carts.

[Mommy22alyns]

Man, guys, now you're making me want to actually venture into our Aldi. I think I've been in one once and it seemed like Dollar Tree to me, but now I'm curious again.

[windmillmarie]

 

Seriously. It is just a grocery store, ladies. There is no one right and moral way to buy groceries!

 

 

 

I am morally offended by grocery stores that put a table of incredibly yummy looking baked goods right near the registers because after walking around a store that smells of chocolate chip cookies baking, you know darn well I'm going to be buying the stupid box of cookies. Trickery, I tell you.

[Lady Marmalade]

Get out of here!!! Walmart matches Aldi's?

 

Do you need the paper ad to do that or what?

 

 

They do! Supposedly you don't need the ad with you, you just need to know it's on sale and mention it to the cashier. I don't trust that, so I take the ad with me when I'm going. The only stipulation is that it has to be the current ad. (So last week's ad won't work, for example.)

[regentrude]

I've heard that Aldi's gets products that are nearing their expiration date,

 

 

This is most definitely not true at our store.

 

and also products that there happens to be an overabundance of at the moment. So when I go there looking for a specific vegetable, they might not have that one but they'll have a giant amount of another.

 

 

Not true at ours either. There are staple vegetables which they will reliably have every week (unless blizzards or extreme conditions hit) - and some specials which will be available rarely/seasonal.

 

 

Or, they'll have a whole shelf of one type of cracker that is at its expiration date (but still considered okay to eat, of course).

 

 

I never had this experience. It is not a discount type store like BigLots that buys almost expired foods in large quantities. Aldi's produces its own line of groceries and sells them exclusively in its stores; they are as fresh as foods are elsewhere.

Now, what may happen is that they have a seasonal item and that they are selling the last boxes close to expiration... such as Christmas cookies right now.

[Catwoman]

It depends on the cupcakes they sell. :laugh:

 

Whoa -- hold the phone, people!!! :eek:

 

No one mentioned anything about Aldi selling cupcakes! If they sell cupcakes, it could change everything, as far as I'm concerned. I mean, I was considering going there again just for the German chocolate I've been reading about, but if there is also a reasonable chance that there will be cupcakes, I will totally re-think every last negative thing I have ever thought about Aldi.

 

But I do have to ask one more thing -- it sounds like many of you get a lot of different stuff at Aldi, but the store I visited was quite tiny. I'm not sure how to describe it, but it was about the size of the produce department at my regular grocery store. Are they all small stores, or is the one I visited an exception to the rule?

[Forget-Me-Not]

It sounds like the Aldi experience varies widely from store to store? We don't have one nearby, but when we lived in the Midwest, the town we were in had an Aldi that I went into a handful of times. It was very small, and I don't remember them selling any fresh produce--just a lot of prepackaged items. Some of the Aldis described in this thread sound very different from what we had :)

 

That being said, I loved the grocery cart return thing. We were allowed to take ours out of the store, but you did get your quarter back if you put it into the cart return. Frankly, I wish our local Wal-Mart would employ a system like that. The far-and-few-between cart returns are usually packed full and overflowing into the aisle or the next parking space, and those are the ones that have actually been returned.

[Mrs Mungo]

 

 

 

Aldi came to our part of Texas a few years ago. It was like going in a German store except for the language part. Same layout, etc.

Made me smile.

 

 

Agreed. It is just like any grocery store in Germany-you put in a coin to get the cart, they don't give you bags, etc. I never found any of these things "sketchy" because I have lived in Germany and I know they are a German company.

 

My Target in Hawaii had cup holders, but not my Target here. They both have Starbucks inside. I don't find that particularly fancy.

 

Sometimes I make a list and meal plan ahead of time, but sometimes I don't. I spend about the same, either way. I don't find one better or fancier or more wasteful than the other.

 

I find this whole thread very weird. Why get up in arms about where or how other people grocery shop?

[Audrey]

Yes, I realize that's how many Americans live. And if you will note our economic problems....

 

 

Maybe the American government needs a Dave Ramsey course. They obviously don't know how to use a budget either.

[Audrey]

Just an FYI for people following this thread, Wal-Mart will price match an Aldi's ad. I am one of the people who doesn't "get" Aldi's. It's not food my family eats, and we don't shop at Wal-Mart either because we have amazing options for grocery stores here. But, on the occasion where I'm going to be by a Wal-Mart and Aldi has a great deal running like the 99 cent pineapple, I just pop into Wal-Mart and pick some up.

 

When fresh cherries and peaches were in season, I was at Wal-Mart picking something else up and saw these gorgeous fruits, so I picked up a few pounds of each. The cashier at the check-out rang me up and the fruit was half the marked price. When I asked about it she informed me that Aldi's was running a great sale on cherries and peaches that week. Ever since then, I've paid attention to the ads at least. Aldi does run great deals on fruit, and for me the quality is better at WM than Aldi.

 

 

I didn't know there were Wal-Marts that had produce. The only ones I've been in just have a basic canned/packaged foods section and a fridge/freezer section. All processed stuff -- no fresh veg or meat.

[MiniBlondes]

I've heard that Aldi's gets products that are nearing their expiration date, and also products that there happens to be an overabundance of at the moment. So when I go there looking for a specific vegetable, they might not have that one but they'll have a giant amount of another. Or, they'll have a whole shelf of one type of cracker that is at its expiration date (but still considered okay to eat, of course). The two experiences I had there, I wasn't able to find many things that I needed and had to change my menu according to what they had.

 

 

I've never found this to be true. 90% of the products they have is the same stuff, in the same exact spot, week after week after week. This is usually only true if they have some kind of special buy or something. For example, our Aldi had a large pallate of those Fruitable juice boxes that are 100% juice. They sat there until they were all sold out. They weren't in danger of going out of date or anything, but they also don't carry them all the time. I think the produce varies from store to store, and also the day that you go. If you go the day before the produce truck comes, then yeah... it does look a little rough out there.

[Forget-Me-Not]

 

There are Super Walmarts. They are full fledged grocery stores (plus their regular store). We have one. It has a McDs, nail salon, full sized bank, hair salon, photo studio, and an automotive place that changes tires, batteries, etc. You could live there. LOL

 

Yep, ours has a Subway, no photo studio but a hair salon AND a nail salon. You really could live there. It never closes either.

 

I don't love it, but it's the cheapest place in town to shop unless I want to drive 25 min to Costco and Winco (which I also do frequently), and it's very convenient to my house.

[kitten18]

We don't have any in WA that I know of either. At least not on my side of the state. However, I did find this: http://freshneasybuz...o-southern.html

 

You and I may get our ALDI experiences some day. :)

Thanks for the great information. That's exciting.

 

 

 

Well, those strategies make sense.

 

I'm not extraordinarily bothered by the "differentness" of Aldi. What I'm mulling around in my mind is questions of how much it matters to me. Aldi is not nearby; it takes 30 minutes one way to get there. That is one reason it's not going to be a regular part of weekly shopping. If I waste gas getting there, it isn't truly saving money. Also, this is not a severe need for us. Thankfully, our financial situation is such that whether I pay 2.50 for spinach or 5.00 will not make or break us at this time. However, I like getting things for as little as possible; it's fun for me. :thumbup1: I want to be able to use our money for things that mean something to me, so every $1.10 more I spend for a jar of jam or bag of lettuce does mean less money spent on a family trip or seeing a show or painting my family room. :D So...at this time, I expect I will go again, but probably not for a month. I considered finding another Aldi that might be on the way to somewhere else I would have reason to go; the current Aldi is totally out of the way.

That's how I am. I love a bargain and if I save in one area, it helps me justify splurge in another area (that could mean buying my favorite Brie or a new writing program).

[Audrey]

 

There are Super Walmarts. They are full fledged grocery stores (plus their regular store). We have one. It has a McDs, nail salon, full sized bank, hair salon, photo studio, and an automotive place that changes tires, batteries, etc. You could live there. LOL

 

 

Oh, the one I can get to has a tiny McD and a photo studio and auto centre, but no full grocery. Maybe its a mini-super WM? LOL!

[Jenny in Florida]

But I do have to ask one more thing -- it sounds like many of you get a lot of different stuff at Aldi, but the store I visited was quite tiny. I'm not sure how to describe it, but it was about the size of the produce department at my regular grocery store. Are they all small stores, or is the one I visited an exception to the rule?

 

No, they are all small. Again, it's part of the cost-saving approach. They don't have any more square footage than they need. And since they don't stock or sell 20 different brands or versions of each item, they don't need a lot of space.

 

I'd really encourage anyone who is genuinely curious to read some of the blog posts a few of us linked earlier. There are answers to every one of these questions in them.

[Forget-Me-Not]

Sometimes I just like going to look at the massive amounts of stuff. LOL

 

I know! The stockpiles of seasonal made-in-China "junk" astound me. What astounds me even more is how little of it is left on the clearance aisle after the fact.

[MiniBlondes]

 

But I do have to ask one more thing -- it sounds like many of you get a lot of different stuff at Aldi, but the store I visited was quite tiny. I'm not sure how to describe it, but it was about the size of the produce department at my regular grocery store. Are they all small stores, or is the one I visited an exception to the rule?

 

They are generally smaller, yes. The aisles are not as wide and they don't have 786 kinds of canned green beans. So it doesn't take up as much space.

 

The only negative thing that I have to say about Aldi is that because of the layout and because the aisles are thinner, if I forget something and I have to backtrack through the store, it's a real pain in the butt. In those cases, I will often pull my cart to the side and backtrack on foot for the forgotten item/s. Once you start going every week you start to learn exactly where your staple items are and you grab one as you pass. It's SO fast.

[Forget-Me-Not]

 

 

Oh, the one I can get to has a tiny McD and a photo studio and auto centre, but no full grocery. Maybe its a mini-super WM? LOL!

 

That's how our Target is, LOL. Not quite a full grocery store, but enough shelf/refrigerated items that if I'm going in for something else and just need a grocery item or two, I can usually find it there if I don't want to make a second stop.

[Lady Florida.]

 

 

Frankly, I wish our local Wal-Mart would employ a system like that. The far-and-few-between cart returns are usually packed full and overflowing into the aisle or the next parking space, and those are the ones that have actually been returned.

 

 

Ugh! Wal-Mart is the worst when it comes to collecting their carts from the parking lot.

[kitten18]

 

 

Ugh! Wal-Mart is the worst when it comes to collecting their carts from the parking lot.

I think it has to do with the management at the individual stores. The WalMart I shop at (and the Sam's next door) are diligent with cart collecting. There is never very many carts in the parking lot.

[melissad2]

I simply cannot shop at Walmart! It stresses me out to the max! I think I get overwhelmed with all the people and the stuff. Plus, both our walmarts are quite dirty.