What do you think of Aldi?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know about Aldi's because we don't have one in the city, but we never use store grocery bags anymore. They are bad for the environment.

Do you mean DC? There is an Aldi in NE, near Bladensburg (Arboretum area).

[Anonymous]

Love it! and if you are money conscious you will too! just bring a quarter. You can get a huge full cart of groceries for $80...I can do grocery shopping for like $30 there. Good meats too.

[Anonymous]

They have BIscoff cookies there and Biscoff spread...yum.

[Anonymous]

I really like Aldi's. I've bought meat there and it was just as good as Walmart's. Exercise equipment, pillows, toys, pots, pans, cheeses, milk,produce, all good. Their bananas do ripen quickly, but if you keep your receipt, they will replace them and give your money back. BTW, their bananas are at least 25 cents cheaper, and there's no carts in their lot to bang up your car or move out of the way to park. I actually love Aldi's and Publix.

[Anonymous]

This is good to know. I have never shopped there and stayed away because I thought the food quality was not that great. Good to know. I will definitely check it out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aldi is originally a German budget grocery store. THat's where the deposit your quarter thing comes in. Common in all stores in Germany, most of northern Europe. It's a 1 Euro charge there, but you get it back when you return the cart.

THey have great bargains/deals on a lot of items, and do tend to stock a lot of German food items, so seasonal. You can't do all shopping there, but many items are VERY cheap. THey're chocoalte, btw, is great.

Do they have Kinder chocolates there?

They have the Kinder chocolates at World Market and Rodman's.

[Anonymous]

I shop at the one in Hyattsville and have actually become quite fond of it. It's like a bizarro world Trader Joe's! Same small store, same off brand goods, same unique/odd selection of items - but sooo cheap, more run down, and fwiw that one at least has a definite lower socioeconomic clientele. Produce is so affordable - it makes me happy to see fresh veggies at such an accessible price point for everyone. Seriously, I get out of there with a full cart for under $30. It is INSANE. I spend $30 at Yes! Organic with, like, three items.

[Anonymous]

They are opening one opposite the Beltsville Costco.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I shop at the one in Hyattsville and have actually become quite fond of it. It's like a bizarro world Trader Joe's! Same small store, same off brand goods, same unique/odd selection of items - but sooo cheap, more run down, and fwiw that one at least has a definite lower socioeconomic clientele. Produce is so affordable - it makes me happy to see fresh veggies at such an accessible price point for everyone. Seriously, I get out of there with a full cart for under $30. It is INSANE. I spend $30 at Yes! Organic with, like, three items.

Me too - and I shop at the same one in Hyattsville. I used to be concerned about "quality of food", but when I started reading labels, I learned the majority of items were the same ingredients as Giant. You know what got me back in there a couple of months ago? The canned coffee. I buy folgers for home because it's cheap and I have a half cup in the am while getting ready for work, but it's not very good. A friend told me about the coffee in the red can for 5.00. And ya know what, that coffee has some flavor ooomph, much better than folgers/ maxwell house. I buy honey, cereal, crackers, cheese blocks, sugar, flour, bags of onions and organic fruit. About 50.00 per week. I easily save 30.00 per week.

[Anonymous]

Honestly I love Aldi. Sometimes I love it more than Trader Joes or Publix. The prices are incredible, but truthfully, so is the quality.

Definitely it's not like a whole foods shopping experience. It is very bare bones. But since I have cut my grocery bills in half, it's totally worth it. Plus there are little surprises here and there. The chocolate, yogurt, German goods, and Some (let me emphasize some) of the frozen foods are better than you'd find at any grocery chain. If it looks like something you've seen at trader joes, it IS something you have seen at trader joes. Their produce could be better quality, but i would rather pay 89 cents for a pint of blackberries (this week's Aldi price) than 3.99 for a slightly better looking berry at whole foods (sorry for slamming them, but I shop there quite a bit too). Their milk is ridiculously cheap and quite good. The meat is great too. The deli meat is incredible. And they sell great cheese. They also have Brie, Edam, asiago, goat, and Stilton cheese for cheaper than TJs. The jam is beyond delicious.

Downers- their bread is only okay in my opinion (their sliced lunch bread is great though), and you must be careful with their frozen foods as some is not great and very unhealthy. But I feel that is the case with almost every super market. I'm talking about frozen prepared foods, not their terrific frozen green beans, peas, etc.

I think in Aldi you get great value for your money. I honestly try to only shop there, and it has helped a ton in keeping us in budget. And while the clientele is often downmarket (for the low prices), their stores are heavily monitored by the police (always a police cruiser there at bladensberg

[Anonymous]

(cut off!)

Road location).

I would absolutely check it out. By the way, they don't really manufacture their own foods- they just repackage stuff from elsewhere. So you are actually often buying name brands but they say mama cozzi or fit and active, etc.

And pretty much anything labeled fit and active and deutchekuche is incredible.

[Anonymous]

The quarters for the shopping cart also tend to keep the homeless from taking the carts for their belongings.

They do have shopping bags, but you have to buy them. Or you can bring your own reusable bags.

They are geared towards the low end costs. They do not carry national brands, only their local brands. They don't stock "shelves" but put cases of goods out in stacks and the cases serve as shelves. The whole store designed to cut costs and overhead so that they can sell groceries for less. If you want the low end prices, you cope with the cost-cutting measures.

[Anonymous]

Where is Aldi?? Is it in DC? Or just the burbs?

[Anonymous]

I shop at Aldi in Langley park. There is one in DC too. They now carry organic food - cheese incl. Kerry gold cheese, yogurt, apples, banana's, pasta, diced tomato in cans, cherry tomato. Their organic line tastes great and for other stuff I prefer to buy the unprocessed variety and they last for ages - longer than TJ

[Anonymous]

I love Aldi. I easy shop for my family of four for $65ish a week and then if need be, run to Giant for stuff they don't sell like coconut milk or something specific.