Aldi's Grocer

[desura]

Okay, so I went there for the first time the other day and I don't quite get it. Basically, I feel like Trader Joe's makes more sense in America. Aldi's seems like it carries over many German qualities unnecessarily to the states.

For instance, the whole thing about using a quarter to deposit for a cart. Yeah, it is efficient, but it also means that if you can't find a spare quarter you're not going to shop there. It might make sense in Germany where you have to pay like $20/hr for someone to grab carts, but here in the US you could just pay some kid min wage to do it.

Same applies I think to their not giving out plastic bags or taking credit cards. Seems like penny-pinching at the cost of sales. And since in the grocery business, if you're not making sales then you have rotting inventory, it would make sense I think to do these small things.

Otherwise...the prices don't seem that impressive. I don't exactly have prices memorized, but they seem about the same as any other grocer. A gallon of milk is still around $3. I dunno.

What's great about the place?

 

[Platypus]

there's nothing good about that place, they survive in ghetto, run-down areas where cash is king.

maybe if they're the only game in your area it might make sense, but there are dozens of amazing Mexican grocery stores with way better produce for way cheaper in my area.

 

[Train]

Haven't been to an Aldi's in years, but when I was a kid one opened across the street from me, in a pretty "bad" neighborhood. Probably one of the first in the USA

They didn't have the quarter to get a cart thing... so people would literally push the carts home, and usually left them in the front yard instead of pushing them back. They then became property of bums. Lol how many thousands of dollars did that Aldi lose right off the bat?

Next came a fenced-in loading area. Carts couldn't fit past the fences, but people could. So you had to pull up your car, load it, then pull away. As you can imagine, this is a recipe for fights. And if you came by yourself, you had to leave your cart there to go pull your car up. If you were white, lol, at least half your shit gone.

They had to hire a full time security guard. Some were badass who would tow your ass if you left your car in the loading area unattended. Others were scared for their lives, as they had no idea how to interact with ghetto culture.

 

[Train]

there's nothing good about that place, they survive in ghetto, run-down areas where cash is king.

maybe if they're the only game in your area it might make sense, but there are dozens of amazing Mexican grocery stores with way better produce for way cheaper in my area.

I never saw cash at my local Aldi, other than what my mom gave me. Food stamps and then later the govt. funded debit cards.

 

[SearchMaster]

They do have some store brand things that are less expensive than other places but you have to know what you're looking for. I've probably shopped there a half dozen times, and I always forget to bring the damn quarter and have to go back to the car, then I forget about the bag policy and have to pile the stuff in the trunk.

Ours is not in a ghetto at all. The produce has always looked horrible and I wouldn't do my primary shopping there but they do have some good deals. For example I'll buy few cases of bottled water there sometimes, I think it's like $2.29/case. While there are sales elsewhere that might beat that, it's a good every day price.

 

[JManInPhoenix]

The aldi's I have been in the US are all kind of dumpy.

Went to their sister store, Hofer, in Vienna and that was actually pretty nice.

 

[Kaido]

I got introduced to them in Michigan, when I was on a super-tight budget. They were a lifesaver. I've never really seen them outside of bad neighborhoods, but I've lived in some crummy places, so there's that

On the plus side, their store-brand stuff (cans, spices, etc.) are actually wicked good. There's one a few towns over across from my last apartment & I still stop in from time to time just because their stuff tastes good :thumbsup:

 

[desura]

Haven't been to an Aldi's in years, but when I was a kid one opened across the street from me, in a pretty "bad" neighborhood. Probably one of the first in the USA

They didn't have the quarter to get a cart thing... so people would literally push the carts home, and usually left them in the front yard instead of pushing them back. They then became property of bums. Lol how many thousands of dollars did that Aldi lose right off the bat?

Next came a fenced-in loading area. Carts couldn't fit past the fences, but people could. So you had to pull up your car, load it, then pull away. As you can imagine, this is a recipe for fights. And if you came by yourself, you had to leave your cart there to go pull your car up. If you were white, lol, at least half your shit gone.

They had to hire a full time security guard. Some were badass who would tow your ass if you left your car in the loading area unattended. Others were scared for their lives, as they had no idea how to interact with ghetto culture.

lol wtf. this is wow. where did you grow up?

 

[nickbits]

I didn't care for their selection of food items. Too much generic and heavily processed items. Went once and won't be going back. The quarter thing doesn't bother me and if is probably less annoying than having carts littered in the parking lot like at other stores. No bags is annoying and no credit cards is annoying.

 

[andylawcc]

i went into an Aldi once, it felt so depressed like I was in russia communist era.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

For instance, the whole thing about using a quarter to deposit for a cart. Yeah, it is efficient, but it also means that if you can't find a spare quarter you're not going to shop there. It might make sense in Germany where you have to pay like $20/hr for someone to grab carts, but here in the US you could just pay some kid min wage to do it.

In ghetto neighborhoods a quarter is not to prevent the need to hire a kid to round up carriages, it's to prevent the carriages from wandering away. Those kinds of areas people walk to the stores and walk home and have no problem taking the carriage home with them. The .25 cents doesn't sound like a deterrent, but it really is.

 

[desura]

I didn't care for their selection of food items. Too much generic and heavily processed items. Went once and won't be going back. The quarter thing doesn't bother me and if is probably less annoying than having carts littered in the parking lot like at other stores. No bags is annoying and no credit cards is annoying.

Yeah, I got that impression too. Lots of boxed/canned goods. You can't even buy like celery there.

Prices aren't significantly better than even Walmart to consider going there regularly.

Though one thing I bought was a quart of nonflavored yogurt for $1.80. I think the same thing would be around $3 elsewhere?

 

[twinrider1]

People don't shop at Aldi's on an impulse. They know the system, so they know to bring bags and a quarter with them.

 

[Ban Bot]

I liked the local Aldi when we lived in the Midwest. It was clean and organized. Yes, food was in boxes on pallets. Yes, no cart service, CC, or bags. But most of their common goods (potatoes, milk, cheese, eggs, peanut butter, etc) were an equal or better price than the local Kroger, IGA, or Walmart (the first two being stupid expensive). And for the "socially" conscious Aldi wages were about twice as high as the other stores for the same job. I find produce is hit and miss at grocery stores (some chain may have 1 location with great produce and another stinks) but the Aldi we went to had typically good quality produce.

 

[ProchargeMe]

I don't like Aldi because everything is the off-brand version of the good stuff. I've made 1 trip to Aldi ever and it's probably the last trip I take there.

 

[Red Storm]

People who shop at Trader Joe's don't shop at Aldi's. They serve different markets.

For what it's worth, the Aldi's closest to us is not in a bad neighborhood and their prices are very competitive, but they aren't close enough for me to shop there and I don't aim to get the cheapest priced stuff when it comes to certain foods like bread and milk.

 

[NoTine42]

I think Aldi's store strategy is to move or build right next to Walmarts and sell to people who look at the giant Walmart store and parking lot, then look at the efficient Aldi store and lot, and choose Aldi's. Especially when you only need a few items.

Around here, milk is generally the best price at Aldi so we regularly stop there.

 

[cbrsurfr]

I hate Aldi and refuse to shop there. Everytime I've gone, there are about 10-12 people in line (with FULL carts) and there's only 1 f*cking register open. Last time I put my shit back on the shelves and then tried to get out...the entrance is 1 way and all the registers are closed and blocked off. I just moved some shit out of the way and left and everyone looked at me like I was a criminal. lol

 

[Newell Steamer]

In NYC, there are actually lines (queues) to get into Trader Joes.

 

[NoTine42]

Aldi's held out against barcode scanners for the longest time, and they generally had the fastest checkout of any store since their cashiers had mad keypad skillz.

Aldi's finally relented, and I think the lines are a bit slower than they used to be.

 

[waggy]

I'm shocked so many refuse to shop at aldi's! they pay the people darn good ($14-18 something an hour at least the one around here is what they paid).

shocked people don't support the hard workers trying to earn a living wage.

 

[dank69]

Okay, so I went there for the first time the other day and I don't quite get it. Basically, I feel like Trader Joe's makes more sense in America. Aldi's seems like it carries over many German qualities unnecessarily to the states.

For instance, the whole thing about using a quarter to deposit for a cart. Yeah, it is efficient, but it also means that if you can't find a spare quarter you're not going to shop there. It might make sense in Germany where you have to pay like $20/hr for someone to grab carts, but here in the US you could just pay some kid min wage to do it.

Same applies I think to their not giving out plastic bags or taking credit cards. Seems like penny-pinching at the cost of sales. And since in the grocery business, if you're not making sales then you have rotting inventory, it would make sense I think to do these small things.

Otherwise...the prices don't seem that impressive. I don't exactly have prices memorized, but they seem about the same as any other grocer. A gallon of milk is still around $3. I dunno.

What's great about the place?

The quarter isn't to get you to bring the cart back to the store from the parking lot, it's to keep you from taking the cart back to your cardboard box.

 

[PottedMeat]

I think Aldi's store strategy is to move or build right next to Walmarts and sell to people who look at the giant Walmart store and parking lot, then look at the efficient Aldi store and lot, and choose Aldi's. Especially when you only need a few items.

Around here, milk is generally the best price at Aldi so we regularly stop there.

that's the way it is here. aldi may not have all the different types of veg & fruits but they're of higher quality and cheaper than the walmarts.

all the aldis here are ~4 years old - always clean. they don't have many employees but if there are too many people in line they open another checkout. there's always someone stocking stuff.

Yeah, it is efficient, but it also means that if you can't find a spare quarter you're not going to shop there.

lolwut? i'd rather put my stuff in their free boxes

 

[waggy]

that's the way it is here. aldi may not have all the different types of veg & fruits but they're of higher quality and cheaper than the walmarts.

all the aldis here are ~4 years old - always clean. they don't have many employees but if there are too many people in line they open another checkout. there's always someone stocking stuff.

you have a odd aldi's then. i been to a few and NOT one has a higher quality (somtimes cheaper) fruits and veggies.

half the time the stuff is just starting to go bad. sure its cheap but now worth it.

 

[Tweak155]

My wife's sister worked there for a while. $12/hr for a cashier / stock job. Crazy good pay for the duties and area.