I think I'm becoming an Aldi's Junky

Carolina Q

They opened a store 2 miles from my house a couple of years ago. Unfamiliar with Aldi, I went there once, saw no brands I recognized and left. Bought nothing. My brother kept telling me I was wrong, that I really should give them a chance. So I finally came around and now I can't stay out of the place. Good food, dirt cheap. A few brand names, but mostly not. As many keep saying, probably the same items, made by the brand name companies. Anyway, I have been shopping there for almost everything lately and have yet to be dissatisfied. Saving a ton of money, everything is cheaper!! Even the checkout lines are faster! 

Took a gamble today on some frozen "pink salmon". US caught, wild salmon, but processed and packaged in China. 1 lb,, individually wrapped servings (assuming 4 oz ea, but I haven't opened the package yet) for $3.79!! Might be garbage, but for the price, I HAD to buy it.

What has your experience been with Aldi?

Focker

All good brother.
Welcome to the Aldi fan club.

Beef sticks, protein bars, nuts, jerky, milk, eggs, natural chicken, choice chucks, boneless lamb, gass fed ground, salmon you mentioned, good German authentic brats, sausages, cheeses, mozz balls for pies, avocados, squeezed oj, greek yogurt, brass dye cut pastas, the list goes on and on.

WeberWho

I'm an Aldi fan. They are more of a pre-grocery store stop. They don't always carry everything you need. One of the only downfalls I find is that the fresh fruit and vegetables don't stay as fresh as other grocery stores. No big deal if you eat them within a few days.

I just sat down and had Aldi chips and salsa.

Great prices if you're not a label whore. Aldi is all good in my hood! 

WeberWho

Focker said:

All good brother.
Welcome to the Aldi fan club.

Beef sticks, protein bars, nuts, jerky, milk, eggs, natural chicken, choice chucks, boneless lamb, gass fed ground, salmon you mentioned, good German authentic brats, sausages, cheeses, mozz balls for pies, avocados, squeezed oj, greek yogurt, brass dye cut pastas, the list goes on and on.

I don't think you can find mozzarella balls any cheaper. I hate when I have to buy them elsewhere 

stlcharcoal

I'll stop in there to load up on granola bars, cereal bars, and other snack foods for the kids.  It's cheaper than buying them at Costco.  They have some really good chips too.......those purple and orange Terra ones that are ~$7-8/bag everywhere else, they're like $2 at Aldi!

ElkhornHusker

We probably are close to 80% in buying everything at Aldi.

Dobie

Catch salmon in the US, ship them to China to process and ship back to the US to sell on the cheap I call BS. 
Theyre building one near me now, will check it out but I don't think Costco has anything to worry about. 

Carolina Q

Yeah, I'm a little confused about the US>China>US thing too. But like I said, I have yet to buy anything I didn't like. And stuff is cheap! I have to pay $2.50 in a  standard grocery store for a loaf of bread with a reasonable sodium content. Aldi has whole wheat low sodium bread for half that.

I don't shop at Costco so I can't compare. But Costco costs $55 just to get in the door, and they're 15 miles away, in the wrong direction. Aldi is 2 miles from my house, and on my way to everywhere I go.

I'll try the salmon soon.

saluki2007

Dobie said:

Catch salmon in the US, ship them to China to process and ship back to the US to sell on the cheap I call BS. 
Theyre building one near me now, will check it out but I don't think Costco has anything to worry about. 

There is one across the street from our Costco. Get to hit them both up. Love aldis cheeses. 

SaintJohnsEgger

Great prices on K-cCups which is our main reason for going there. My wife also buys bagels and veggies from them along with other stuff. I've bought several spices/rubs.

FYI - Aldi is a sister store to Trader Joe's. The parent company was started by two brothers who had a falling out and split the company into Aldi North (Trader Joe's) and Aldi South (Aldi).

fishlessman

most salmon is frozen at sea and processed in china, pretty much all the prepackaged frozen stuff in the supermarket is that stuff. i stop there regularly on my way home, its next to my bank and beer source the hams are top notch and really cheap, the grass fed beef is half the price of the local supermarkets, same with the eggs and milk. the racer candy bars are really snickers, the mayo with the strange namebrand is hellmanns.  veggies and fruits are good, the city next to me is puerto rico north, aldis seems to cater to that crowd with the fruits and veggies being fresh in my store. the bread though is really lacking. some sell really cheap wine but my store doesnt carry it for some reason, ive heard good things about the wine though. they carry hamburger dill pickles, would have mentioned it to ron but he doesnt like aldis

Ima_good_egg

We love aldis as well. The prices and quality can't be beat. 

Carolina Q

@fishlessman, do they sell grass fed beef other than ground beef? That's all I've ever seen at my store. A steak would be nice.

What's wrong with their bread? I like the fact that it has less sodium than the standard offerings elsewhere, not to mention that it's half price. I saw the familiar looking mayo label and wondered if it was a Hellmann's clone. Also saw the hamburger dills yesterday. Didn't buy though. But I did think of @RRP.  

As for wine, no wine or liquor in grocery stores in CT. I think I saw some beer there, but I almost never drink beer.

Florida Grillin Girl

I have Aldi's about a mile away. It's always crowded and they never have enough registers open. I do suck it up and go there to buy chips and crackers there before any party. They are dirt cheap, compared to Publix.

JethroVA

Love Aldis quality and prices.  Great tomatoes right now.  Love how quick and easy it is to get in and out.  I prefer bagging my own groceries so that it makes unloading much more efficient.  Agree with the comment above that it's a great pre-grocery stop before hitting Kroger. 

fishlessman

i think its just the ground thats grass fed, most of the steaks are choice cut.  the bread is all white and maybe because of the salt being lower it tastes like cardboard to me. i dont eat much bread but when i do theres alot of fresh baked places around me to choose from. i might buy those pickles just to try them but mostly just use relish on burgers

saluki2007

I don't drink much wine, but my wife does.  She is no wine snob (she enjoys drinking the big ****, Rex Goliath), but she doesn't like the cheap stuff at Aldis.  The beers are ok.

fishlessman

i dont think the mayo is a clone, i think it is hellmans

Carolina Q

fishlessman said:

i think its just the ground thats grass fed, most of the steaks are choice cut.  the bread is all white and maybe because of the salt being lower it tastes like cardboard to me. i dont eat much bread but when i do theres alot of fresh baked places around me to choose from. i might buy those pickles just to try them but mostly just use relish on burgers

Thanks. I just buy the whole wheat. Haven't tried white. 

Another favorite is the asparagus. $1.99 a pound. I take it out of the sealed bag and into a flower vase with some water. Makes a nice "arrangement" while I eat my way through it.

JethroVA

for $1.49 they have partially cooked baguettes that you bake for 8 minutes and it's great.  My family really like the pre-formed burgers.

gamason

Good for milk and eggs and cheese and some canned goods. I may be a snob, but I don't trust the meat, and the fresh veggies look awful at the one by me. Might just be my store though.

fishlessman

gamason said:

Good for milk and eggs and cheese and some canned goods. I may be a snob, but I don't trust the meat, and the fresh veggies look awful at the one by me. Might just be my store though.

get their ham and double smoke it, its seasonal at aldis but its an incredible ham

Carolina Q

gamason said:

Good for milk and eggs and cheese and some canned goods. I may be a snob, but I don't trust the meat, and the fresh veggies look awful at the one by me. Might just be my store though.

Good for far more than that. I"ve had good luck with most of the veggies I've tried. The broccoli was a bit limp, but the scallions, asparagus, green bell peppers, red and gold potatoes, Brussels sprouts, zucchini, onions, organic cherry (grape?) tomatoes and baby bella mushrooms have all been good so far.

If you like dried beans, 2 lb bags for about the same $ as a 1 lb bag elsewhere. Pinto, great northern and black beans are all I have seen. Heard they have lentils too, but haven't seen them.

Why don't you trust the meat? I've been eating their split chicken breasts and chicken thighs lately and have been pleased. Bought a whole pork loin a couple of weeks ago and cut it into 1-1 1/2" chops. Delicious.

I haven't seen it in the store, but I got all excited when I read somewhere that they sell Deutsche Kuche pumpernickel bread, imported from Germany. Until I looked up the nutritional info. One slice has nearly 400 mg of sodium!! About 4 times what I usually have. Too bad - LOVE pumpernickel!

Carolina Q

fishlessman said:

get their ham and double smoke it, its seasonal at aldis but its an incredible ham

I miss (sodi)ham.  

fishlessman

Carolina Q said:

fishlessman said:

get their ham and double smoke it, its seasonal at aldis but its an incredible ham

I miss (sodi)ham.  

it freezes really well, just use a tiny bit in the colcannon irish potatoes and use the salt free butter tiny bits here and there with those veggies now and then.

Eggcelsior

SaintJohnsEgger said:

Great prices on K-cCups which is our main reason for going there. My wife also buys bagels and veggies from them along with other stuff. I've bought several spices/rubs.

FYI - Aldi is a sister store to Trader Joe's. The parent company was started by two brothers who had a falling out and split the company into Aldi North (Trader Joe's) and Aldi South (Aldi).

Didn't realize this! I was about to state that TJ is a California-based company and Aldi is German, but looking it up, it appears that the brothers split Aldi in the 60s or 70s into Aldi Nord and Aldi Sud. Trader Joe's was bought by the brother that owned/ran Aldi Nord in the late 70s. It is a subsidiary of Aldi Nord and the only one in the U.S., whereas Aldi stores in the U.S. are Aldi Sud, a wholly separate company from TJ/Aldi Nord. 

GATraveller

They just opened an Aldi's within 2 miles of my house and I've yet to go inside.  Guess I need to give it a go.  Thanks!

michigan_jason

I have been buying their hams as others have said as well as their scallops. I have bought scallops from Eastern Market in Detroit, whole foods, sams, costco, and others. Aldi has not disappointed me in this regard. 

Photo Egg

Carolina Q said:

gamason said:

Good for milk and eggs and cheese and some canned goods. I may be a snob, but I don't trust the meat, and the fresh veggies look awful at the one by me. Might just be my store though.

Why don't you trust the meat? I've been eating their split chicken breasts and chicken thighs lately and have been pleased. Bought a whole pork loin a couple of weeks ago and cut it into 1-1 1/2" chops. Delicious.

Picked up 3 types of meat at Aldi a few weeks ago. I really liked the sealed packages and it was as good as any normal grocery store stuff. And they did have some cuts that were not normally found at the big chains.

michigan_jason

Also, my wife bought a couple pork shoulders at Aldi, they tasted just like anything from anywhere else. Aldi has my personal thumbs up! Not to mention my wife made a deal with the store manager and she picks up all the food that is close to expiration and takes it to the local church for the homeless. Big thumbs up to Aldi!

Carolina Q

GATraveller said:

They just opened an Aldi's within 2 miles of my house and I've yet to go inside.  Guess I need to give it a go.  Thanks!

Same here. Two miles, two years. Probably a good year before I went just to look... No brand names? No thanks. Another year before I went back. And actually bought something! Now, I go there first, then to my regular store if ALDI didn't have what I wanted. Or if I know they won't.