I live in southern California and my local news recently made a big deal about Aldi coming to the area. If all goes well, they will move into the l.a. area, which is tricky to sustain. L.A. has shot down, so to speak, fresh and easy, and Haggen. The latter lasted less than 2 years because it was nothing special. How is this grocery chain different?
It is strange to me that thy would make a big deal out of an Aldi store, since it is one of the more frowned upon grocery stores over here in the UK, where I live. For as long as I can remember, if you openly shopped at aldi, your teenage peers would have something negative to say about it. But I can say the deals are amazing. You won't get quality food, but you will get bulk food for great prices.
Aldi does do well, once people get used to the layout, brands and way of shopping. It is more of a warehouse atmosphere, but the quality of items is high and the prices are low. In addition it owns Trader Joe's and uses the same suppliers I believe, and as that is a popular store, most people will trust the brand.
Provided you don't have any food allergies, Aldi is good. Unfortunately it seems that most of their products that are pre packaged are ones I can't eat. It's a shame because the prices are pretty good but they don't seem to cater at all to people with allergies like other supermarkets do. Their fruit and vegetables tend to be good quality for low prices though so that's definitely a bonus. Here, they do something called Aldi SuperSix which is a selection of 6 fruits and vegetables that are slashed in price for each week. It's a handy way to get some cheaper healthy food!
I wouldn't say I'm a huge fan of Aldi, but it's by no means the worst store out there. I think it's adequate, all things considered. When I used to visit it in the UK, I would always struggle to get everything I wanted there, and ended up still having to go to my regular supermarkets. It also carries a lot of European brands that most people won't be familiar with. That's my take on the UK versions, they may be different in the US IDK I'm willing to bet it'll be bigger and better there.
I beg to differ about not getting quality food. While some things might be a bit lower in quality than name brand items, I find them quite comparable to other store brands. I also find their produce to be quite good, and much cheaper. Milk, eggs, bread, all the same as anywhere else, but far cheaper. I can't get all my shopping done at Aldi, but I save a lot of money when I shop there. That allows me to purchase more at the other stores or to splurge on brand name stuff in some cases or to just put the savings in my pocket.
I like Aldi even though I do not buy everything there. You can find some really good deals and the quality is pretty good. You can find snacks, baking supplies, milk, bread, eggs, cheese, fruits, veggies, spices, and some of their boxed foods that are good. I do not buy a lot of their canned goods because I have not liked the ones I have tried, but they do have canned veggies that are a good price. I usually just buy frozen veggies though. They do carry some name brand items and they are reasonable sometimes. Their sales are pretty good and they have meat at good prices too.
Actually, @Zyni....I don't think anyone disputes the quality of Aldi products! I think that's one of the things that people actually agree on. I remember when I used to buy a few odds and sorts there, even the beauty products used to create a real buzz around the UK. There was one particular face cream that used to fly off the shelves the minute it landed. I don't remember the name of it, because I never used it because I have my own go-to stuff. Aldi stuff is renowned for being of good quality, yet light on the pocket for sure. I just wish there was a whole lot more choice.
That's what I was looking for. The newslady would make people guess the prices and they were extremely low (e.g. bacon wrapped steak filet for less than $4). Then I realized that none of those brands were familiar to me.
That's the thing @jneanz, many of the items not being familiar can throw off anyone. Whether we like it or not, most of us are truly creatures of habit and tend to stick with the same brands that we know and love. It takes a lot for many people to swap over to something else they've not tried before. I know for a fact that those European brands are good, but even I struggle to go with them.
You're absolutely right. When fresh and easy was here, we were not only exposed to their brand but other U.K. labels and even regional foods like Cajun. I guess I just don't want to get too comfortable then have to say goodbye...again.
When I say quality, I am not talking about taste. I am talking about the actual quality of the food as far as your health. You won't find a vegan range or anything like that in Aldi. Their items are very cheap, and as a brand they are not looked upon fondly. But if crappy foods are your thing, for the most part, Aldi is fabulous for buying in bulk for minimal price.
