ALDI
 

What the heck happened to this place? When I was growing up, ALDI was the place where poor people went to purchase poor-people food.

Now, ALDI is the place where just about everyone goes to get high-quality groceries for reasonable prices. It's crazy. I'm not even sure the uber poor shop there any longer. Everything is organic and the meats and cheeses are outstanding. Hell, they don't even sell bologna. How did such a massive transition occur?

I hate it. They just opened one up near me, but I'll go to HEB til I die vs this place.

First of all you have to pay for carts with quarters. I don't trust their generics compared to HEB (Texas's equivalent to Hy-Vee, no affiliation). They have knock off beer... knock off Samuel Adams and Shiner Bock...wtf. Just not my thing.

I've wondered the same thing though I can tell you the Aldi in Waldo is shit. When I was leaving some dude was trying to sell me a knife LMAO

Aldi is okay as long as you aren’t buying essentials, just stuff like chips, coffee and other bagged/can goods.

I tried their milk and produce twice and both times it went to shit after 2 days regardless of ripeness or expiration date.

Trader Joe's synergy

And my local had bologna the last time I was in there.

Their staples haven't changed much, and they are still hella cheap on dairy, and whatever produce they have in their flyer that week. But they have added some more upscale items on a fairly haphazard basis [euphemism 'seasonal values']. There's plenty I'll find at one Aldis I don't see at another, let alone my family being able to find it across the state when I mention it to them.

Cheese is excellent. German sausage, spaetzle, chocolate, and premium cookies are all very good.

My wife is obsessed with Aldi. We don’t buy our meat from there. Everything else tastes fine though.

They are in the middle of remodeling ours. It’s supposed to close for five weeks. My wife is super pissed about it.

I have had good luck with the 2% milk. We are not big milk drinkers mostly for cooking so its there near or at expiration date yet still isnt sour. Maybe your fridge isnt cold enough.

They have the freshest eggs and a large is still a large. The fruit is so so I kinda stay away from it. If you like German foods its excellent probably because its a German owned company. ALDI is the largest Grocery in Germany I have read. If you like Braunschweiger get there brand its excellent. Frozen fries ice creams are good. Lot of stuff is good there and some stuff is just bla after a few trips you know what to get.

Very worth it. In my experience, most all of the renovation efforts are to make space for the higher quality stuff.

Of particular personal interest, the renovated stores have a dried fruit and nut section on par with Trader Joes [bulk cashews, pecans, walnuts, . . . dried apricot, cherry, cranberry, . . . all sorts of trail mix and snack mix, etc]

Good bit of expansion in packaged deli meat, specialty cheeses, organic produce, . . . a flower section, as well.

HEB is the best grocery store that I've ever been in

Every time that I go in one it seems closer and closer to a regular grocery store

That's pretty much their aim.

Other retailers caught on to how much money Walmart was making off the grocery side and they want a piece of it.

It's why Amazon bought out Whole Foods and Aldi's is trying to go bigger.

IIRC Trader Joe’s and U.S. Aldi are owned by the two quarreling sons of the European Aldi company.

I don't shop at Aldi's. A few years ago my parents bought me a steak for my birthday (We're simple folks) and I put it in the freezer.

It had turned brown, IN THE FREEZER, within two days.

That's the first, only, and hopefully last time I ever see that happen.

Call me a meat hipster, but I buy most of my meat at a butcher. I don't trust supermarket mass produced shit.

Then go grab a box from the shelf you amateur
Have you actually tried it? I bet it's not bad.
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Yeah! I only want the beef that is injected with fake red coloring!
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They sell these kettle cooked cracked pepper chips that are excellent for like $1.79 a bag.

Just an FYI where I work we make coffee creamer, soy milk, and almond milk for both HEB and Aldi's store brand (as well as most every other grocery chain).

Its the EXACT same thing with a different label on it.

You are welcome.

Mamma Coziiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

Cheese, Butter (not that fake margarine crap) and Eggs are the best deals at ALDI. I pretty much stay away from the produce unless I plan on using it the day I buy it. Just got some Chicken breasts there that were not frozen and were over a $1 per pound less than HYVEE. You have to pick and choose what you buy but some good deals can be had.

This post is so confusing in so many ways...

Though stores work hard to mask them, a savvy shopper can usually find evidence of where a generic comes from, relative to a name brand.

Usually your best bet is to find the fine print to see where it's packaged or bottled.

[Just a ferinstance totally made up out of thin air but illustrative, but if you see a 'generic' soda that is 'bottled in Atlanta GA,' it's a good bet that the Coca Cola Corp is involved somewhere]

they could sell organic pussy and CP would figure out a complaint to present.

their 1.49 bunch of broccoli is solid.

I got turned on to their Momma Cozis pizzas here. Still a little surprised their nicer ones are 3.99 and 4.99 though.

It just doesn't hold a candle to the organic pussy I can find a ACME Grocery and Pussy Outlet..

We love Aldi. Their prices are mostly better than anywhere else around here and their food is mostly good. We do the bulk of our grocery shopping there. We still do go to Dillons and Walmart for a few other items. Not sure why someone had issues with the milk. We never have issues with their milk. The produce is okay for the most part but it can be hit and miss. They always seem to be out of bananas or they're green. You can find some good apples but occasionally they are bland. Same with oranges. Peaches have always been awful, hard and not very sweet. Still, many other fresh fruits and veggies have been great. We have 2 stores here and we use them both. They recently remodeled the one out by Wannamaker. It is nice, more open and modern looking. But I think they had to cut out some items to do this. I have even recently started drinking their coffee (grounds in a bag) and their cappuccino K-cups. I would highly recommend them if you're on a budget and still want quality.

The Truth About Aldi's Really Low Prices
 

https://youtu.be/RD8bai4hNBw

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ALDI has really made a big push in the US in the last 7-8 years and it appears to be paying off for them.

I’ve switched primarily to Aldis for 90% of all my groceries. Had a few sketchy produce items. Everything I’ve gotten, I’ve been happy with.

My wife is German. She loves it. Aldi is the only store that Walmart is afraid of.

Their quality has gotten much better. We are selective in what we buy.

Bottom line = $100 at Walmart is maybe coupla bags...Aldi a whole cart.

Who knew Aldi had good whiskey?

https://amp.usatoday.com/amp/697272002

They've set up a pretty decent distribution network and everything.

I'd probably shop there if it weren't a 30 mile round trip.

Really? I thought they added quite a bit more stuff in the new Aldi....I know they have more breads and quite a bit more "seasonal" stuff. I do think their frozen section has gotten smaller, but moved to more organic and vegetarian items....

Wow, just the opposite. Nearby Aldis in all 4 directions. Closest less than 2 miles away, none more than 4 1/2 miles away.

i could walk to aldi's from home if i wanted to. i am actually stoked for this saturdays specials.

mccormicks seasonings: cajun and montreal steak... gonna grab up about 10 MS seasonings as it's as rare a sighting as a jayhawk in australia. my brother brought me two shakers last may and am out already.

australians and aldi are like americans and black friday. they will throw punches if they don't get that retro jukebox that was advertised. :D

My Aldi in Shawnee, KS just reopened after being closed for 5 weeks. What an amazing transition. Wider aisles, all LED lighting, all sections have signage for what's where. All in all a much better experience.

What started the quarrel? One brother wanted to sell cigarettes in their stores and the other didn't. That split it into two entities of Aldi, each run by a brother. The brother that's over the US operation bought Trader Joe's in the early 1980's and has done well with that. I doubt either brother is involved in day-to-day operations since they have to be very old now, if they're even alive.

Aldi’s is only for the upper crust.

I really don't know why they haven't expanded out here.

We don't go to Aldi's very often but probably should. If nothing else, I'd save a shit ton of cash on their knock off Red Bull.

I've always had excellent dairy products from Aldi. There's a dairy code on all milk sold in the US. It's a code like xx-xxx (29-162 is Roberts/Hiland in KC) that's printed on the container. These codes are also on butter, cottage cheese and other fresh dairy products.

In the KC area Walmart's Great Value and Target's Market Pantry (both private label) come from the Hiland dairy in KC. Aldi milk in the KC area comes from Dean's Foods dairy. They highlight "Dairy Pure" products. No antibiotics, no rBST. I think Hiland does the same thing without the catchy marketing slogan.

Here's the website to put in the code from your dairy containers:

http://whereismymilkfrom.com/

I used this both times (each at a different location) when my milk was bad despite having 10 days left until expiration.
I’m wondering if Aldi’s milk sits longer on the shelf before it gets to the store compared to Walmart, HyVee etc and that’s why it it’s hit or miss?

I’m not shitting on them bc I’ve gotten some great canned goods and packaged stuff, but I have had a bad experience with the essentials like meat, milk and produce.

That's curious. Maybe it's the milk supplier in your area, but it shouldn't be specific to Aldi. There are only a handful of dairies that supply milk to all retailers. Milk shouldn't go bad that quick, even if it's not handled properly. I've often used milk (Aldi and Walmart) beyond the date on the container and it's still fine.

My Gladstone ALDI milk comes up Pet O'Fallon in Illinois.

Half&Half is Prairie Farms Dairy also East Illinois.

I recall when I was younger the stench of the bums that used to sit in front and shop at that place. Apparently they've now found their niche, though. They have some decent stuff. Trying to be like trader joes I think.

Yeah, there's not much there that I've found i want to get. HEB for basically all my shopping.

Great things at aldi:

Frozen Spaetzle
Bratwurst from Germany.
Specially Selected cheese particularly: Butterkase, Smoked Gouda, Edam, and aged white chedder.
German Chocolate
'European collection' cookies
Cook House taco simmer sauce
Cook House enchilada sauce

I remember buying some Garlic Parm wing sauce the list time I went to an Aldi's.

It smelled weird and looked like a disease. I did not use the sauce.

you don't pay anything for using the cart

Yeah, what a silly thing to whine about.

How dare they make sure people don't abandon their carts like lazy assholes, so they can bash into vehicles.

Nearest to me is double that round trip

I still go when im that way

Saves them paying a cart guy too.

I hate going through the Lake Winnebageo speedtrap, so I generally don't go much.

That is because Aldi is the parent company of Trader Joe's.

I didn't use to be a fan, but since the redo company wide I do most of my shopping there. There are some things you can't find there but no big deal I have other markets to pick up those things. I tend to shop at two/three places anyway each week. I have found their sauces/marinades are great as well as some of the specialty spice blends. The pre seasoned/marinaded meats are good and a quick fix to grab and grill on a busy day.

They use to sell really good computers during the holidays about 15 years ago.

I miss the yellow wall of food.

That's the worst. I've been lucky enough to not get caught there yet. But I've lost track of how many people that I know that are not so lucky

One of my friends nearly lost their license because they apparently thought the town doesn't speed trap there every single day.

Aldi isn’t even the grocery chain that Wal-Mart fears most.

My wife likes Aldi and Trader Joes, affiliated for their organic stuff. She also goes crazy at Fresh Thyme now, and it does seem to be pretty great produce there...

They are terrified of Amazon owning Whole Foods.

Understand.

The information is dated. The report was pre-amazon. Amazon is definitely feared. There is a bit that couldn't be mailed though.

The funny thing is that Whole Foods sells, under the guise of unique and healthy, is the same fresh produce that you can buy at Walmart. What a joke. Product recalls are a real eyeopener regarding food sources. Whole foods buys from the same people as Walmart.

Branding is good, even if its 100% bullshit.

Amazon doesn't particularly care too much about the actual Whole Foods stores themselves as much as they did about the distribution chain they had.

They want to control the entire delivery process and shut Walmart out of the grocery business by making groceries comparable in price while having fast delivery vs slogging through a store filled with Jethro's.

Walmart is ****ed long term in this game for 2 reasons.

First, they have an ungodly amount of physical stores where the upkeep is going to be a crusher. Maintenance, theft, asset protection, workers salaries/benefits, utilities, real estate costs, remodeling costs etc really adds up fast with how many stores they operate.

They also had the benefit of being by far the #1 grocer and they absolutely used this to their advantage. They got sweetheart deals from food distributors for being the biggest bulk buyer and they were able to **** farmers in the ass by completely dictating whatever they felt like paying for a load.

With a crowded market, food sources have more options at hand and can tell Walmart to eat a sack of cocks with better flexibility.

Basically rising store upkeep costs and slimming profit margins on food is hurting them and they're going to be in for a massive hurt if Trump and China expand the tariff pissing match.

I don't care about all of that. I have an Aldi, Sprouts, HyVee, Price Chopper and Walmart within 4 miles. Great specials every week. Pick and choose.

You make many valid points. I don't know enough about Trader Joe's as I left the business about ten years ago after being in grocery retail management. I left after Wally World had taken it's toll on the biz. A friend of mine who'd left the industry after college said to just wait out the storm

He basically said that specialty retail will never go away and probably eventually make a comeback. It did. It's a lesson that Aldi, Price Chopper/Hen House, HyVee, Target, Winco, HEB, Safeway, Kroger, and a few others either knew or learned. Kmart decided to merge with Sears and go into the real estate market, and mall mart has a bad rep and can't trick people with a 1000 dollars a month in discretionary spending to shop there unless they're in a rural market. I wouldn't be all too surprised if CVS, and Walgreens start doing a better job of expanding their food services

scored me some mccormick seasonings, stubbs bbq sauces, sweet baby rays bbq sauce, four slabs of pork ribs (didn't know they sold slabs, but i do now), american mustard, and bratwurst packs :thumb:

Man, Sweet Baby Ray's has so much corn syrup in it it's like BBQ sauce flavored pancake syrup.

Stubbs is good stuff. Closest thing to Gates and Sons that isn't Gates.

So you and Clay share a shitty grocery store in beautiful Waldo? The Nigro family (Dick) has certainly done well with tenants like Firestone, CVS and Aldi as the neighborhood lost almost all other viable tenants.

Aldi is basically a private label grocery store that sells the produce and meat that is bought (passed on by other grocery chains) at regional auctions. What HyVee, Hen House, wouldn't buy and what Price Chopper passes on Aldi Buys. Sorts through it, packages it, and sells it in their stores.

I buy very little there but they do have great prices on St Louis ribs and butt roasts sometimes. I buy flour tortillas for parties there as they are 1/2 what the grocery store sells and just as good. Frozen cod, and most seafood, is great there too

They are also stepping up on quality and their guaranty proves it. " ALDI offers a Double Guarantee where we will gladly replace the product AND refund your money."

I have been buying Bryant's and Rural King in IN recently. SBR and Kraft are the same shit and I do mean shit.

Stubbs isn't my fav. but not bad and fair priced.

Grocery used to be a low mark up business and now it's all about steering you to merchandise that they can Keystone.

The use of data from their customers has certainly changed the way people look at buying groceries but Kroger and all it's brands make them the 800LB Gorilla in the room.

ranking nationally : Number of employees
3 Kroger 443,000

Grocery used to be a low mark up business and now it's all about steering you to merchandise that they can Keystone.

The use of data from their customers has certainly changed the way people look at buying groceries but Kroger and all it's brands make them the 800LB Gorilla in the room.

ranking nationally : Number of employees
3 Kroger 443,000

Like less than 1% net profit. I remember the chart that I was given at Food Barn that showed the average costs of doing business for a grocer at that time. I stay away from the member cards. And most of the places that use them

I like to just go to a place and get what's on my list. I don't like being swayed by the card savings. If something that I'm going to purchase is marked down that's great. I recall the first place that I went to that had the cards when they first came out a lady swiped hers and her name appeared in the screen where they show the prices and the total. I was like that's safe

I also remember was working for a contractor while we were dealing with Safeway and one of their employees mentioned quietly that she shopped at two other places in the area. The company knew that half of their employees didn't set foot in their stores anymore. Another time a cashier was arguing with me about their stores gas saver card. I asked what company they got their gas from. Of course she didn't know and I was like then it makes no sense for me to buy certain items to save on gas where I'm not sure if it's worth getting

Thanks for the tip. I didn't know that about Kroger. I'll be looking into that about them

Really kind of curious how that's measured. No way losses are that stable across stores. And no way stores with high losses stay open just balance out more profitable ones.

It's an old figure. It's probably not that anymore. The industry has changed immensely over all of these years. It was a union shop and so it could've been propaganda, but I had heard it across the industry at the time. But it could've been collusion too. It difficult to be able to get real, raw, and accurate numbers

i have had both brands before and agree with you. stubbs i like on the meats, but i will save the sweet baby rays for the baked beans. (only got one bottle of SBR, and four of stubbs)

i only got both as there aren't that many good bbq sauces here down under.

one day soon ima gonna just make my own. did once before, turned out great, but didn't write down my ingredients :cuss: :D

Member cards are great. Digital Coupons!

Although my real name is not Cooper Barrett, all my rewards card for Grocery stores are in that name.