Is your Aldi like this?

[SparklyUnicorn]

Aldi is very nearby for us.  I like their prices, but it seems they are out of the basics constantly.  The other day I went in there because I wanted a cucumber and not only did they not have cucumbers, they had almost no produce left at all. I've gone there and they've been out of milk, bread, and eggs.  I can't count on going there to pick up something basic.

 

I don't know if their management does a lousy job figuring out what they need or what. 

 

 

[marbel]

Ours is usually pretty well stocked.  At the end of the day the produce is picked over, and when there's a storm forecast of course they are out of bread, milk, eggs... but really most of the time it is pretty good.

 

I'm trying to think of a time I went in and really needed something and the only thing I can remember is their being out of half and half.  Though it felt like it at the time, it was not an emergency. 

 

I am on my way there in a few minutes.  Just watch; they'll be out of everything!

[3 ladybugs]

It depends on the time of day. If I go at 5pm on a Friday or a Saturday afternoon, yes there will be less out. If I go at 8:00 am (or do they open at 9 am??) on a weekday, I can normally find everything I want including plantains (they go fast around me). 

 

 

[SparklyUnicorn]

There seems to be no rhyme or reason to when they are out of stuff.

 

One thing that I do notice though is people go in there a lot and buy 50 gallons of milk or 50 loaves of bread.  I find that annoying. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

Very little produce here at the Aldi...when they have it, its poorer quality and higher priced than the competition...shop rite and an asian market.even target's limited selection is a better value.

 

Yeah I have had no luck with certain produce there.  I won't buy certain produce there at all because it seems like it's always old.  More than once I bought a bag of potatoes and every single potato was black in the center and unusable.  It's a shame because it would be convenient and the prices are pretty good.  So at this point I just mostly get produce as needed since it is so close.  This isn't working out these days though because they are constantly out of stuff.

[happi duck]

I haven't noticed that but I also have never seen people buying 50 of the same thing at a time. I wonder if several convenience store owners are using aldi to stock their own store. Could also be an institution of some sort. It's weird the manager can't plan ahead in some way.

 

My aldi question:

The one nearest to me has an armed security guard...anyone else?

[SparklyUnicorn]

I haven't noticed that but I also have never seen people buying 50 of the same thing at a time. I wonder if several convenience store owners are using aldi to stock their own store. Could also be an institution of some sort. It's weird the manager can't plan ahead in some way.

 

My aldi question:

The one nearest to me has an armed security guard...anyone else?

 

I am pretty certain they are either reselling the stuff or treating it as a wholesale club and buying for larger organization (day cares, camps, etc.)

 

 

There was a security guard for awhile.  He didn't appear to be armed.  I haven't seen him in awhile so no clue if he is still there. 

[3 ladybugs]

My aldi question:

The one nearest to me has an armed security guard...anyone else?

 

There are 2 near me and I haven't seen that at either! Yikes!!

[chiguirre]

No, they've never been out of anything basic. They do have a sign on the milk doors saying there's a 4 gallon limit, so maybe they have had problems. No armed guard.

[SparklyUnicorn]

No, they've never been out of anything basic. They do have a sign on the milk doors saying there's a 4 gallon limit, so maybe they have had problems. No armed guard.

 

As far as I can tell they aren't ever limiting this.  I am torn regarding how I feel about that.  I mean why limit it?  If someone really wants to buy 50 gallons of milk...fine.  But then it is annoying as a regular customer to not be able to get the basics half the time I go there.

 

And they have tons of competition around here.  There are 2 other chains in the area who have a similar concept.  Only reason I don't go to those right out is they are a bit further away from me although still in the same city. 

[regentrude]

Never. Ours is always stocked well. They may be out of some produce that happens to be on sale that week because people have bought it all, but they usually get deliveries very frequently and restock quickly.

[EmilyGF]

That happened to me once. I shop at Aldi about every other week and have for nearly four years. 

 

Emily

[happi duck]

There are 2 near me and I haven't seen that at either! Yikes!!

It does make me pause when a place that is purposely bare bones spends money on an armed guard!

 

Thankfully it's not my only option.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I wonder if I should complain.  It is truly that bad.

 

 

[regentrude]

As far as I can tell they aren't ever limiting this.  I am torn regarding how I feel about that.  I mean why limit it?  If someone really wants to buy 50 gallons of milk...fine.  But then it is annoying as a regular customer to not be able to get the basics half the time I go there.

Ours does the limiting occasionally. Last week they asked that each customer only buy one box of strawberries. I assume they had trouble with the delivery that day and did not want somebody to buy up the entire stock.

When eggs were extremely cheap, they limited to four dozen. Which is fine for retail customers. At prices this cheap, they'd get people buying it for resale, and as a retail customer, I appreciate that they set these limits.

[SparklyUnicorn]

It does make me pause when a place that is purposely bare bones spends money on an armed guard!

 

Thankfully it's not my only option.

 

Not the Aldi near me, but the one in CT I went to stopped selling beer because too many people were stealing it and taking it into the bathroom to drink it.  The Aldi near me doesn't sell beer because there is some weird requirement that they don't want to fulfill to get permission.

[Sharpie]

It happens fairly ofen here.  My only available time to grocery shop is in the evenings so I've always chalked it up to that.  It is frustrating though because then I have to run to another grocery store to pick up the items that they are out of. 

[Library Momma]

Aldi is relatively new here and depending on when you go the produce can be very sparse.  I don't really notice that with the other items.  

[BarbecueMom]

Ours does the limiting occasionally. Last week they asked that each customer only buy one box of strawberries. I assume they had trouble with the delivery that day and did not want somebody to buy up the entire stock.

When eggs were extremely cheap, they limited to four dozen. Which is fine for retail customers. At prices this cheap, they'd get people buying it for resale, and as a retail customer, I appreciate that they set these limits.

We didn't even have strawberries this week, or last week. Eggs were 69 cents a dozen, but they still had plenty. I don't think there were limits.

 

I've never seen a security guard, but I frequently see the armored truck guys in there. They're just there for the money though, not store security.

[BarbecueMom]

Not the Aldi near me, but the one in CT I went to stopped selling beer because too many people were stealing it and taking it into the bathroom to drink it.

Given how my kids acted during our last shopping trip, drinking in the bathroom doesn't sound like a bad plan. The Aldi bathroom is always nice and clean, too.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Given how my kids acted during our last shopping trip, drinking in the bathroom doesn't sound like a bad plan. The Aldi bathroom is always nice and clean, too.

 

:lol:

[ashfern]

I've only had that happen once. I have three Aldi's that are fairly close to me. The one time they were really low on produce it was about 30 min before closing. One of the workers was cleaning the floors with the industrial mop/vacuum thing.

[Eliz]

Only in the last couple of months have I noticed problems with basic items being out of stock at our Aldi's.  There are signs limited milk and egg purchases and occassionally limits on certain produce items, usually berries, but I don't know if the limits are enforced.  They are frequently out of stock of the 85% dark chocolate!  That's painful, because that chocolate is my stress release.  There's no security guard at our store either.  As far as I know, the store doesn't have a particular problem with theft (except of maybe my dark chocolate!)

[JumpyTheFrog]

Our Aldi had a limit on eggs for a while. For a few months they were low on organic, but not regular, milk. The produce selection is usually pretty good. They seem to run out of cauliflower pretty often, but generally aren't low the way the OP described. No armed guards, either.

[SKL]

I don't shop at Aldi, but when I used to go with a friend, it was like that.  If you went in there without a specific list, you would find enough for some good meals, but you had to be open-minded about it.  :)

 

I tend to be set in my ways, so Aldi really doesn't work for me.  :P

[SparklyUnicorn]

I don't shop at Aldi, but when I used to go with a friend, it was like that.  If you went in there without a specific list, you would find enough for some good meals, but you had to be open-minded about it.  :)

 

I tend to be set in my ways, so Aldi really doesn't work for me.  :p

 

Yeah I am open-minded, but couldn't find cucumber so I'll go for something else and there is literally NO produce is kinda hard to work around!

 

I did end up sending them an e-mail about it.  So who knows what they will say back.

[Callie]

There seems to be no rhyme or reason to when they are out of stuff.

 

One thing that I do notice though is people go in there a lot and buy 50 gallons of milk or 50 loaves of bread.  I find that annoying. 

My Aldi is rarely out of things I buy but there is always at least one or two customers buying cartloads of lettuce or milk and stuff like that.  I think it is either restaurants or convenience store owners.

[Callie]

I haven't noticed that but I also have never seen people buying 50 of the same thing at a time. I wonder if several convenience store owners are using aldi to stock their own store. Could also be an institution of some sort. It's weird the manager can't plan ahead in some way.

 

My aldi question:

The one nearest to me has an armed security guard...anyone else?

No armed security here in rural Kentucky but always someone buying loads of iceberg.

[Katy]

Yeah, but if you avoid Fridays and common paydays (28th-2nd), (13th-16th), it's not an issue except for odd items.  Last time the only thing they didn't have was tartar sauce.  They did have relish, onions, and mayo though, so it wasn't a big deal.

 

The biggest problem at mine is that if you go in the afternoon you have to wait almost as long in line as it took you to do all the shopping, because they usually only have one checker on at a time.

[happypamama]

Ours generally is pretty well stocked, except sometimes the day before their truck comes, and sometimes right after the sales start.

[EmilyGF]

My Aldi is rarely out of things I buy but there is always at least one or two customers buying cartloads of lettuce or milk and stuff like that.  I think it is either restaurants or convenience store owners.

Once I was leaving our Aldi and there was a woman with a compact car packed completely with bread. As in, she could just fit in to drive and every other square inch was full of bread. 

 

Here's hoping she wasn't going far...

 

Emily

[Garga]

No armed guard.  I live in a very low crime area.

 

Sometimes things run out.  I go to Aldi first and then to another store  I never expect to find everything at Aldi and I do expect that they might run out from time to time.  I have made sure to have extra jugs of their cat litter on hand.  I found out the hard way that my cat gets angry when I use a non-Aldi brand litter. He pees on the carpet to let me know he's mad. I have extra cat litter stocked in case they're out and I need to change the litter.

 

If I was depending only on Aldi, it would be bad.  But I write an Aldi list and I write the other store list.  If something is missing from Aldi, I just draw an arrow from the Aldi side of my paper to the other side and get it at the other store.

 

There are limits on eggs in my store.  4 cartons per person.

[Garga]

Yeah, but if you avoid Fridays and common paydays (28th-2nd), (13th-16th), it's not an issue except for odd items.  Last time the only thing they didn't have was tartar sauce.  They did have relish, onions, and mayo though, so it wasn't a big deal.

 

The biggest problem at mine is that if you go in the afternoon you have to wait almost as long in line as it took you to do all the shopping, because they usually only have one checker on at a time.

 

 

I've never noticed people buying all one item, but I've never looked too hard at anyone else's cart. 

 

I live in a low crime and low population area.  The lines around here are pretty short everywhere you go.  The locals don't think so.  They think they're in long lines.  Ha!  I've lived in a populated area and know what a long line is. 

 

Aldi lines around here are lightning fast.  There is no time to relax or loaf in the Aldi line.  And I sometimes have trouble getting everything on the belt before the person is done ringing it up.  And on days when I have the 6 jugs of cat litter, the lady has finished ringing everything up and is waiting for me to pay, while I'm still transferring the remaining 5 jugs to the next cart.  I think they have time turner necklaces or something, they're so fast.

[marbel]

My local store does not have an armed guard, but one in a city not too far away does.  But that city also has two armed guards in the public library. 

 

I have just returned from an Aldi trip and am happy to report that they had everything I needed, and more.  I specifically looked for empty spaces in the produce and there were none. But perhaps they are gearing up for weekend shopping.  (I try to plan so I don't have to be in a store on the weekend.)

Edited May 6, 2016 by marbel

[Laura Corin]

Our one is pretty well stocked with basics, certainly milk, bread, eggs, etc.  They might not have cucumbers, but would have a wide range of veg.

 

The things that come and go are their specials - they are seasonal or tied to a particular offer.

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

Ours is usually well stocked.

[Mergath]

Ours has been well-stocked every time I've gone. And no security guards, but here in rural MN, I have literally never seen a security guard anywhere.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I'm jealous over these well stocked Aldis.

 

 

[Mom22ns]

No security guards. Usually well stocked, although advertised specials do run out between deliveries which do not happen every day. I believe our store gets 3 deliveries/week, so if you go on the day of a delivery, you are golden. By the time the next truck comes in, it will be pretty scant, but never what the OP describes. Our Aldi is new, it just opened last summer. Before the nearest one was over 30 min away and I rarely went.

 

I used to match Aldi prices at Wal-Mart (supercenter) instead of buying at Aldi's but I have found that there are quite a few produce items that are higher quality at Aldi. I love their berries and Walmarts are awful. Walmart has better bananas though. I go both places most weeks because I can't get everything I need at Aldi's but I do find them worth the visit. They are between Wal-mart and my house. 

[happypamama]

Oh, yeah, no security guards here, but Garga and I (and everyone else we know) use the same Aldi.  There's just really no crime here.

 

I love Aldi.  I love not having to decide between brands so much, and I love that we can eat much more produce.  I love that the store is small.  Last week, I thought I was going to need DH to do the grocery shopping, so I drew him a map of Aldi and marked on it where he should buy everything.  I was actually bummed that he didn't end up going after all.

 

I have two complaints about Aldi.  One is that I've had a disproportionate number of jars not pop when opening, in comparison to jars from the bigger grocery store.  Now, it could just be that they get unsealed in handling around here, which is entirely possible, but I don't know.  I'm super squeamish about jars that don't pop.  And two, most of their produce has been fine, but berries -- we just know we need to eat them within a day or so of buying them because they won't last.  But those are small issues.  For the money they save me and and the fun random cool stuff, like interesting cheeses, I'll deal with a few little issues.

[kirstenhill]

Ours is well stocked most of the time, though will sometimes randomly be out of one item I need...like last time, there were no kidney beans.  Two times ago there was no Parmesan cheese.  I do find there are certain bad times to shop though in terms of produce stock -- Sunday night near closing time is pretty bad because the store I shop at is super busy all weekend, but they won't get a new truck of produce until sometime Monday.

 

I live in an urban area and my closest store has a security guard, as do many stores nearby.  Suburb Aldi a bit further away doesn't have one.  I also frequently get asked by random people in the parking lot if they can return my cart for me to keep the quarter for themselves.  Every now and then I say yes, but most of the time I blow them off.  This Aldi is near a transit hub, so I think people have figured out they can bum enough quarters in a short period of time to get a bus/train fair. 

[Miss Tick]

I'm such a sucker for those limit signs. If I need 2 dozen eggs, but the limit is 4, I'll stand there trying to decide if I need 4 now.

 

I have no problems resisting The Dollar Store, but if they ever open a "Limit For Store" I'm in trouble!

 

No security guard. Usually produce is reasonably stocked. Bananas are always cheap, but the rest varies.

[Lady Florida.]

Mine is always well stocked. The only thing they quickly run out of is the Special of the Week or whatever it's called. That's usually some type of meat. When mine first opened, the produce selection was limited and went bad quickly. About a year after the opened something changed. They have much more, including some local produce, and it lasts more than a day (seriously at first some things would start to rot the next day).

 

No security guard. They sell wine, including German wines. I think they sell beer but I've never really noticed since neither of us drink beer. I just figure if they sell wine they probably sell beer.

[Laura Corin]

 

 

No security guard. They sell wine, including German wines. I think they sell beer but I've never really noticed since neither of us drink beer. I just figure if they sell wine they probably sell beer.

 

Our one sells wine, cider, beer and spirits.  Good gin.

 

Small town - no security guard.  But none of the shops have visible security guards.

Edited May 6, 2016 by Laura Corin

[happi duck]

I'm jealous over these well stocked Aldis.

I'm jealous over these crime-free Aldis!

;)

[happi duck]

Our one sells wine, cider, beer and spirits. Good gin.

 

Small town - no security guard. But none of the shops have visible security guards.

I've been considering trying gin. I would have never thought to check Aldi!

[Guest]

I like Aldi but ours is so busy and crowded. I feel like I'm always in the way. And some checkers THROW my groceries into the cart. That frosts my cookie!!

[Laura Corin]

I like Aldi but ours is so busy and crowded. I feel like I'm always in the way. And some checkers THROW my groceries into the cart. That frosts my cookie!!

Checkers here just scan and leave on the counter. I'm the one throwing stuff into the trolley.

[TX Native]

I try to go on the afternoon of the truck delivery days or the following morning. The only time they were out of enough things to make me rework my meal plans was a Monday morning. I never go on Mondays now. Usually the produce is well stocked and fresh if I go within a day of truck delivery, but I can't always guarantee they'll have everything I buy there regularly in the produce section. . One week, strawberries. The next week no strawberries. One week they were out if celery. I shop at Aldi's in combo with another larger store nearby. I get most things at Aldi 1st. Any odd and end items not regularly stocked or the one or two random items that are temporarily out of stock are bought at the bigger store. Our Aldi's is clean, has great customer service, the lines move fast, and no guard.

[abcmommy]

Our Aldi is awesome.  

 

I don't really believe that Aldi is more expensive than Target in some areas.