Aldi is "shockingly cheaper" than Walmart?

[DrPizza]

They put an aldi's near me a year or so ago, and I decided to try it out. Won't be doing that again. I don't mind their lack of selection or no-name off label products (it's expected), but it's a big pain in the ass to shop there: you have to put quarters to get a shopping cart (I don't carry change anymore, so that's a pain), you don't get shopping bags, they don't bag the groceries, they have so few checkout lines it takes forever, and they don't even take credit cards (so no 6% grocery cash back from Amex).

Saving a few bucks is not worth the hassle IMO. If I was really trying to scrape every penny I'd consider Aldi, but I'll pay a few extra bucks to be able to use credit cards, get shopping carts, get grocery bags, get customer service, not have to wait in lines etc.

Very well written ... I can understand very clearly why you prefer not to shop there. All of your points are valid and to think of it ... it is sort of a pain to shop at Aldi because of your points. I guess we've made the decision that we will overcome them and when you see the savings realized over going to the store across the street it really adds up. I just did a rough calculation and I think I spend about $1,300 a year there so the savings isn't really all that much.

Historically, profit margins at groceries typically range from 1 to 2 percent. However, natural, organic and gourmet food markets can enjoy higher averages from 3.5 to 6 percent. I wonder what Aldi's is? I did a little research and came up with estimates as high as 4-5%.

No, his points are not valid. To say, "I'm not shopping where groceries are 20% cheaper, because I want 6% cash back" is stupid. And, OMG, keeping some change - just a quarter - in your ashtray of your car is really that difficult? That's an incredibly petty complaint. Bagging (boxing actually) my own stuff takes up a whole minute and a half, maybe 2 minutes of my life. Oh woe is me. But, compared to Walmart, at least in my area, I have to say that it takes more time to go through a Walmart checkout than it does to go through an Aldi's checkout, including the time to bag or box your own groceries.

 

[brianmanahan]

The schnitzel and pretzels they get once or twice a year, sure. The rest of the frozen food is junk.

dude, i live on their fit & active frozen dinners

seriously those things are the majority of my at-home meals

 

[ElFenix]

they opened an aldi near me and everyone continues to shop at HEB. went there on a saturday afternoon and aldi had about 10 cars in the parking lot. yeah, i know, it's the size of a very large convenience store so its not really possible to spend much time in there, but still.

just too much of a hassle to need to go to 2 grocery stores to complete a shopping trip. if i'm going to a store that isn't full-featured i'm much more likely to go to sprouts than aldi.

 

[mizzou]

Not a huge fan. I make enough money that I can spend a bit on variety of my food (which doesn't take a whole lot). I had some good friends of mine who did most of their shopping at Aldi's. It's quite depressing to look at the contents of their cupboard and refrigerator

I feel like I'm walking through a small storehouse of a refugee camp lol

 

[manimal]

I do a staggered rotation with aldi for a big bunch of stuff they have great prices on. Some stuff is ridiculous how cheap

 

[Cerb]

they opened an aldi near me and everyone continues to shop at HEB. went there on a saturday afternoon and aldi had about 10 cars in the parking lot. yeah, i know, it's the size of a very large convenience store so its not really possible to spend much time in there, but still.

just too much of a hassle to need to go to 2 grocery stores to complete a shopping trip. if i'm going to a store that isn't full-featured i'm much more likely to go to sprouts than aldi.

I go different places different days. If I need to stop in Aldi for milk or butter, I'll get whatever else I'm low on they always carry and that's good, like onions, celery, carrots, etc.., and see if the seasonal goodies have changed. If I need something else, I might stop in Kroger, or Publix, or somewhere else, and get other things while I'm there. I don't go on sizable shopping trips, unless I'm cooking for visiting family, merely detours on the way home from work.

I would say milk, onions, celery, and bell peppers likely account for a majority of items continuously purchased from Aldi's. If I'm out of onions, I basically have to stick to eggs and cereal .

 

[Carson Dyle]

milk, onions, celery, and bell peppers likely account for a majority of items continuously purchased from Aldi's. If I'm out of onions, I basically have to stick to eggs and cereal.

Funny. I mentioned onions, celery, peppers (and bananas) as just about the only items I buy from Walmart's produce department. It's just hard to screw them up, easy to tell if they're fresh, and usually attractively priced. Most of the rest of their produce is either overpriced or it looks it traveled from Mongolia by caravan to get there.

 

[Dude111]

If you have an Aldi's near you, is this true?

Aldi's used to be a GREAT PLACE to get GOOD FOOD.... Now they are letting the govt ruin thier food also!!!! (Lower sodium,lower sugar.... Tastes like crap)

I still like PASTA RINGS from there but who knows how much longer those will last

 

[Carson Dyle]

just too much of a hassle to need to go to 2 grocery stores to complete a shopping trip. if i'm going to a store that isn't full-featured i'm much more likely to go to sprouts than aldi.

I do it all the time. I hit Sprouts for produce and bulk items, some meats, then Albertons for meat, fish and sale items, then Walmart for most everything else, including any toiletries, cleaning supplies and paper products. I'll then also hit King Soopers (Kroger) for sale items, usually on another day. It's all within a two mile radius, so the travel is negligible.

 

[marvdmartian]

Shockingly cheaper? Not really, as Walmart has their own store brand. Plus, they'll price match any item in the Aldi's ad that I show them, if they have a similar product. Including produce.
Add to that that the Super Walmart is ~3 miles away, and the Aldi's is at least 10 miles away, and guess who gets my business?

 

[Elixer]

Happen to stop in a Aldi today, and they have big signs that you can now pay with credit cards.

This is all fine and well, but, I also noticed that the prices have gone up, and it don't seem to be a coincidence that most everything has gone up 3-5% from last week.

Too bad they don't give you a discount if you pay with cash/debit card.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Never even heard of Aldi. What makes Walmart appealing is not so much the prices, but the availability. Kinda the same idea with Tim Horton's, it's not super high end gourmet coffee or anything, but they're everywhere.

 

[flexy]

Aldi, Lidl etc. are large German super-low price discounters. They're more common in, guess, Europe. As far as I know they've overtaken in the UK as the best rated cheap grocery discounters already and they're also (fortunately!) everywhere here in Spain and elsewhere.
I only knew one Aldi near Chicago in the US and it was quite crappy so I can't say about the quality of Aldi in the states in general.

What's good about Aldi (at least here in Europe) is that they are a discounter who constantly has high quality but cheap, store/off-brand etc. stuff which also often gets the best ratings in consumer tests.

They also have seasonal stuff (like Lidl etc.) where you can sometimes get good deals on the weirdest stuff, ranging from PCs to mattresses, bikes, home theater systems, plants, whatever etc. but you need to be quick because that stuff is only available for a short time. There is even an entire line of ALDI PCs and Notebooks, their brand "Medion" which are actually decent.

I heard that once Walmart tried to establish itself in the European (German?) market but couldn't compete with the many ultra-cheap grocery discounters here.

Yeah, no friendly service, no help bagging and "go grab a card-box box from the pile to carry your stuff"...sounds like ALDI to me

 

[Sonikku]

The Aldi's here in Watertown gets hammered on a daily basis. One time a cashier told me that whatever I do, never shop there on the 3rd of each month. It's like Aldi D Day or something.

 

[MajinCry]

Never been to Aldi, now that I think about it. Got a local Lidl, though; if you want biscuits, they can't be beat. Got a whole bloody section dedicated tae 'em.

Not that I'm complaining, mind. I like me Rich Tea's.

 

[lxskllr]

I'm having an Aldi shepherd's pie for dinner tonight. It's from Canuckistan.

 

[JEDI]

Pretty good place to shop especially for prepared foods.

One issue to keep in mind is that they mainly sell Aldi-branded (or at least Aldi-exclusive) products and while most are decent quality there are exceptions, for example I don't care for the mayo or ketchup they carry.

meh.. if I'm buying house brand, I'm buying Costco/kirkland

 

[JEDI]

If you have an Aldi's near you, is this true?

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/rapidly-expanding-grocery-chain-shockingly-210251979.html

"With the exception of the milk and eggs, which usually are cheaper at Aldi, every single item was cheaper at Aldi than Wal-Mart," Kelly wrote on her blog. "Every penny adds up."

huh?

 

[lxskllr]

Oh, and regarding Walmart... The prices at my store are chronically mismarked. It's usually only 10s of cents, and I'm never absolutely sure, so I don't say anything. I'm also not inclined to throw sand in the gears, and make a not very pleasant experience even worse.

Today, I went in for some oil, and saw some interesting turkey jerky on clearance for $2.50. I get out to the car, and find they charged me $3.50. I'd be losing money if I went in to contest it, and even if I caught it at the register, it would have been a pita. Walmart just sucks. The only thing good about it, is it's .25 miles from my house :^S

 

[Sonikku]

Oh, and regarding Walmart... The prices at my store are chronically mismarked. It's usually only 10s of cents, and I'm never absolutely sure, so I don't say anything. I'm also not inclined to throw sand in the gears, and make a not very pleasant experience even worse.

Today, I went in for some oil, and saw some interesting turkey jerky on clearance for $2.50. I get out to the car, and find they charged me $3.50. I'd be losing money if I went in to contest it, and even if I caught it at the register, it would have been a pita. Walmart just sucks. The only thing good about it, is it's .25 miles from my house :^S

They probably figure that if you catch it and fight it, they just refund the measly dollar and if you don't catch it then it's pure gravy. If only one out of five consumers buying it for the sign price actually catches it then it can generate a great deal of revenue as a whole.

 

[Oceanas]

"With the exception of the milk and eggs, which usually are cheaper at Aldi, every single item was cheaper at Aldi than Wal-Mart," Kelly wrote on her blog. "Every penny adds up."

huh?

If you click through to the blog that Yahoo took this quote from, there is an item by item comparison of prices for what was purchased from both Aldi and Walmart. The milk and eggs were cheaper at Walmart during the comparison, but the blogger was saying that normally Aldi is cheaper.

 

[JEDI]

Yeah, no friendly service, no help bagging and "go grab a card-box box from the pile to carry your stuff"...sounds like ALDI to me

I wonder how much cheaper Costco would be if they made you box your own items?
(instead of a 2nd employee at each register boxing your items.)

 

[JEDI]

The Aldi's here in Watertown gets hammered on a daily basis. One time a cashier told me that whatever I do, never shop there on the 3rd of each month. It's like Aldi D Day or something.

welfare checks arrive!

 

[Subyman]

Walmart is a rip off, I never go there.

 

[Elixer]

I wonder how much cheaper Costco would be if they made you box your own items?
(instead of a 2nd employee at each register boxing your items.)

Actually, the 2nd person there is to make sure you, or the cashier, don't steal stuff.
As in, the cashier has a friend come by, and they "forget" to scan items...

That is really common in Walmart.