Friday, July 11

My Aldi Experience.....

Kacie over at Sense To Save loves Aldi's grocery store....she is always mentioning the great deals she find there.Near us, an Aldi's is just a few towns over...so I decided to pop in and see what it was all about. I was in an Aldi store many, many years ago with a friend....and recently heard that the Aldi's not too far from me just did a remodel..so I thought never a better time than now to see what it is all about.

If you are not familiar with Aldi's they carriy many private label products...they do have a few name brand items throughout the store...but most items are not brands you would recognize. They Do Not accept coupons, and they do not have weekly sale circulars like most grocery stores do. They believe in low prices for quality products at Incredible values everyday!

I first headed to get my shopping cart from the cart center...(It cost 25 cents to borrow the cart while shopping) Which I kind of like the idea...then no shopping cart will ever hit and ding your car!!! I proceed inside.....very clean, organized, bright. Most everything is kept in the shipping boxes...and stacked high to the ceiling. Not to worry...they do cut the top few boxes in half so you can access the products. There are about 8 isles in the store...and it is jam packed with tons of products..from cereal to meats.

Some items I find are a bit pricey...others are very reasonably priced. And some items although they are reasonably priced I prefer a name brand product. We are a Heinz ketchup, Hellman's Mayo, and Strohmann Wheat Bread family!!

I did end up purchasing a few items......
-Gallon of milk $3.59
-1 lb. butter $1.99
-2 cans Mandarin Oranges .45 cents ea.
-Taco seasoning packet .39 cents
-Moo Tubes (squeezable yogurt for Little Man) $1.99
-Cheddar Cheese (8 oz.) $1.99
-Devils Food Cookies .99 cents
-Celery 1.49
-Bananas $1.03 (.44 a lb.)
-Applesauce cups (4 ct.) .89 cents
-Sour Cream .99 cents
-Salsa (24 oz. jar) $1.49
-Plum Tomatoes $1.89

Total was $19.46

I find that they have very reasonable produce, but I feel no better than Produce Junction where I get most of my produce usually. I am a huge on sale with coupon type of shopper..so for me Aldi's just does not seem to be that great of an idea for me to stop in. I find that there meat is a little pricey....and being that they do not have a butcher shopon location makes me a little nervous too. As for paper products, cereal, health and beauty aids...etc. I find that I can beat there price and have a name brand product as well. Aldi's may be perfect for you...maybe you are not interested in looking for sales, using coupons, and going to a few different stores to get the best bargains..but for me Aldi's is just not the right fit for our family.

5 comments:

Kacie said...

I'm glad you tried it out! That's what matters.

In our area, there isn't a great place to get produce, aside from the Farmer's Market (as far as I know).

Also, I'm not really interested in playing the coupon game for my main groceries--just my drugstore needs.

So for the reasons Aldi doesn't work for you, that's why it works for me, I guess. :)

Thanks for the link!

Miss Mommy said...

My aunt is not into the coupon thing either...she thinks I am crazy for being bothered with them...LOL LOL She is an Aldi lover as well...she likes to just go in get what she needs and then she is on her way...she likes one stop shopping!!

And the great thing about it is that we are all findinf great deals in our own ways:-)

Niki Jolene said...

Yeah, everyone shops for different things too, so it works for some while it doesnt for others.

We were brand loyal when we start shopping there but over time we tried their brands for lots of products and found we liked them just as much or event better! Their version of A1 is delish!

:)

Andrea @ Mommy Snacks.net said...

I'm with you on Aldi's too. Luckily, there is one right across from the Meijer I always shop at. So, if by chance, some of my essentials are not on sale (milk, eggs, some produce) the week I need them, I'll hop over to Aldi's. Actually, I usually get a lot of what you picked up...funny, huh?! But, I'm like you - there's so much you can get at the regular store with coupons and cheaper.

Meghan said...

I am anti Produce Junction.
I so can't stand them.
It creeps me out everytime I go in there.
Ick!