Dear God, What Is That THING?

Quick, name that movie quote!  Okay, here’s a hint:

I love The Princess Bride – and it’s available to check out for FREE at my local library.  So I can watch it over, and over, and over…

Perhaps today’s title is a bit extreme, but I wanted to get your attention.  Remember last Friday?  When I polled you about grocery shopping?  There was a reason for my inquisitiveness – I was putting together a segment for Fox 9′s Morning Buzz about shopping at ALDI.  And I wanted you, the reader, to be involved.  Because?  IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU.  Never forget that.

What Is ALDI? 

It’s a discount grocery store with over 1,000 stores in 31 states, including Minnesota.  They carry over 1,400 regularly stocked items, including meat and produce.  95% of their products are ALDI-specific store brands (in other words, ALDI generics).  They do carry “special buys” for name brands, and sell them until they run out.

ALDI generics are usually produced by the same suppliers that make the name brand products.  If you don’t like the product you’ve bought, ALDI will refund your money AND give you a replacement product.

To help reduce costs, ALDI charges 25 cents to release a shopping cart for you to use.  When you return the cart, you get your quarter back.  They do this to ensure carts don’t fly around the parking lot damaging cars, or get stolen.  ALDI charges for grocery bags as well, but with the “go green” movement, most people now carry their own reusable bags.

ALDI doesn’t accept credit cards, either.  There are additional charges to the stores allowing credit cards, so to keep costs down, ALDI only takes cash and/or debit cards.

The ALDI promise is that you’ll save up to 50% on your grocery shopping bill.

The stores also look different than regular grocery stores.  The products are stacked on self-display cartons and not actual shelves.  Pricing is located on large signs hanging over the items, and not on shelf stickers.  Plus, ALDI stores tend to be smaller – because they only carry their brands and not a huge selection of different name brands and store brands

The Shopper’s Experience

Some shoppers are turned off by the differences at ALDI, thinking these stores will be like their regular grocery store.  Go prepared – visit their website first, so you know what you’re getting. 

Also, shoppers have said that the fresh produce can be very hit or miss in quality and shelf life (moldy at the store, spoils quickly at home).  I recommend trying a few items at your local store to determine the quality for yourself, before stocking up.

Last, read the labels.  Some shoppers complained about the prevalence of high-fructose corn syrup in the packaged goods, others praised the gluten-free items available for less, still others pointed out that the products are the exact same things you’ll find under name brands.