9.22.2010

Making the case for Aldi - Part 1

Does your town have an Aldi yet?  It seems like they're popping up all over the country.  My local area went from having NO Aldi locations to having 3 within a relatively short distance!  Wow!  It's truly a sign of the times that a discount chain like Aldi is flourishing when many of the "big guys" are folding right and left. 

Have you given Aldi a try?

Shopping at Aldi is a unique experience.  First of all, it's a no-frills type setting.  There aren't beautiful displays or end caps.  Nope.  There are pallets stacked with freight.  There aren't multiple lanes with cashiers and baggers.  You have to put in a quarter to receive a shopping cart and you have to bring your own bags for groceries or purchase them.  You can read more about the Aldi difference here.

I researched the pricing of basic items at Aldi vs. our nearby Publix.  Here's what I found:
If you bought all of the above items at Aldi, you'd spend about $10.30.  If you purchased the name brand items at your local grocery store, you'd pay about $19.45.  Aldi is just half the price!

Please keep in mind that I LOVE Publix--I'm not knocking the chain.  Publix has fabulous sale prices, a great selection and the best customer service around.  And Aldi is great, but they don't have a wide variety of foods, so if you need more specialized items you have to pick them up elsewhere. 

The savings is pretty amazing, huh? 

This is Part 1 of a series about shopping at Aldi.  Check back next week for Part 2 where I'll be sharing price comparisons of baking staples.

Fellow Spartans, what's your take on Aldi?  I'd love to hear your opinions and experiences--I greatly appreciate your comments!




This post is purely motivated by my desire to share options for saving on your grocery bill--it's not endorsed or sponsored by Aldi in any way!

4 comments:

  1. We have an Aldi here in Greenville, but it's on the other side of town from me. I used to be really great about making two grocery lists..an aldi one and one for the things I couldn't get there. Then I would go while Ella was at Pre-School so that I only had one child with me while I'm bagging up my own stuff ;) Lately I have been unorganized and usually run into whatever store I'm near to grab stuff last minute!! Shame on me!!!! This was a great reminder of how much I saved. Even with a little drive, the savings were still worth it! I'm going to start my Aldi list back up!

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  2. Ok T-Dawg, you KNOW I love Aldi!!!
    If you want to save money, that's the place! Their Clancy products are fantasic! They are better (I think) than the regular brand name chips in any store. The tortilla blue chips and the fritos type corn chips are a great flavor, and a fraction of the cost of expensive chips. Their frozen foods are a great buy also at half the price of other grocery stores. Aldi also has "good things" in the fridge case. Great salsa, great varieties of cheeses, all at low prices. The only bad thing about singing Aldi's praises, is that a little known secret will get out, and people will over run the place!!!!

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  3. I love Aldi! Of course, like you, nothing can replace the greatest grocery store ever, (Publix) but it is great for general items. My favorite part of Aldi is the amazing deal on ground turkey.. $2.50 lb! I now use ground turkey in everything from tacos to lasagna. It is healthier, cheaper, and tastes great.

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  4. I love Aldi, but I also love Save-A-Lot and day-old bread stores but scratch and dents as well...I make a list of all the things I need and visit my local scratch and dents and the day-old bread store, marking off my list the things I find. My next stop is Save-A-Lot and mark more things off. When I travel to Brandon for something else--usually my monthly Sam's run, I go to Aldi's on the way and sometimes, I end up back at Aldi's because the prices are too high at Sam's...last but not least, when I finish my rounds and still have major items on m y grocery list--I visit Sweetbay or Publix, but by this time, I usually only have a couple of items left and it seems that it isn't worth the gas.

    This is how we have survived stretching our paychecks out over the summer and meeting all our bills at the same time.

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