I don't always shop at Aldi, but when I do I buy more 'ooh I've never seen that' snacks than I should. I usually get cheese because I have a child who has expensive cheese tastes...the kind of cheese that sells for $8 per tiny block at the big store, but that I can get for around $4 at Aldi.
I love Aldi! I love how it is simple, there are rules (as you articulate so well!), the choices are limited but the options are all pretty good, and then there’s the random aisle of fun things in the middle.
(I got one of those Aldi branded quarter holders for my keys, otherwise I’d never have a quarter on me)
Shit, you fancy!! I am too lazy to find and bring a quarter so my approach is to put everything into my shopping bags, becoming increasingly overloaded as I go, while staring down the shoppers with carts with a look of envy. Eventually I get to the point where I have to put down my bag and then race around the store to find items and bring them back to the bag, like a bird making a nest. Not unhinged at all!
We just got a Lidl as well! I like it a lot, although I think Aldi will always have my heart. My kids LOVE Lidl because of the tiny shopping carts they have 😅 I am less enthused and more concerned about a personal injury lawsuit!
I love Aldi. They carry specific Christmas star cookies with sugar and chocolate that I can find no where else, and eagerly anticipate then appearing each November. Also surprisingly good for things like colouring books for kids and laundry staples?
My one time going to Aldi was when visiting my grandparents in Germany long long ago. But you inspired my to look it up and there are some not too far from me.
I LOVE ALDI!!! They’re building a new one literally a minute and a half from our apartment and I’m rather inclined to dance a jig at the grand opening 😂 There’s another one about 30 minutes from where we live, which is difficult to do with a high-energy toddler, but I always save money when I go there. SOON, my life will be so much easier (and cheaper).
Aldi is THE BEST. I live in a university town, which somehow translates to them continuously overstocking the meat section, so about half the time I get 50% off meat b/c it's about to expire. BUT, it's always "use by" OR "freeze by"...so my freezer stays well stocked. Then I don't feel so bad about enjoying the middle aisles.
I am! I like to go right when the store opens because the produce tends to sell out as the day goes on. Also, I usually buy meat at Costco, but Aldi will sometimes have nearing-expiration stuff half off, so I definitely cruise over to check on that first.
At our store there’s usually only one lane staffed by a person and a bunch of self checkouts, but they don’t trust us to scan bags so we have to ask the one cashier for them. Obviously, this is enough motivation to bring my own bags or find an empty box on the shelves instead.
Items we love: French onion dip, cookies and cream ice cream, Italian sweet cream coffee creamer, cinnamon brown sugar toaster pastries, frozen waffles, deli pickles.
The conventional frozen vegetables are okay but the organic ones are still cheaper than name brand in a grocery store and better quality.
In the aisle of shame, look for the red tags that say clearance. The seasonal food especially - they want it gone and the price reflects that.
I've long been an Aldi shopper, tho it originally was my late husband.
I generally go w/ my oldest child Chase (22 years old) and my autistic son D now (19 years old), so I take my son to the middle aisle while the oldest goes and gets our staples. I can distract D with the "weird stuff" and sometimes he wants something, which is just fine. Usually, he doesn't.
I always have a quarter in the van, but usually people leave one in the cart... we send the cart back, and retrieve the quarter. For the next time.
We get standard staples, but also there are "special" things we like getting at Aldi, like summer sausage.
I live in a good grocery store desert, so I happily drive an hour to an Aldi and I have a system so airtight - the bags, the packing, loading into the car, I don’t mind doing the shopping so much. I always treat myself to fun cheese or chocolate and there’s an ice cream store across the street so I indulge in a shake for the drive home. My kids who moved to the city have an Aldi within walking distance - can you imagine the luxury!?
I don't always shop at Aldi, but when I do I buy more 'ooh I've never seen that' snacks than I should. I usually get cheese because I have a child who has expensive cheese tastes...the kind of cheese that sells for $8 per tiny block at the big store, but that I can get for around $4 at Aldi.
I love Aldi! I love how it is simple, there are rules (as you articulate so well!), the choices are limited but the options are all pretty good, and then there’s the random aisle of fun things in the middle.
(I got one of those Aldi branded quarter holders for my keys, otherwise I’d never have a quarter on me)
Shit, you fancy!! I am too lazy to find and bring a quarter so my approach is to put everything into my shopping bags, becoming increasingly overloaded as I go, while staring down the shoppers with carts with a look of envy. Eventually I get to the point where I have to put down my bag and then race around the store to find items and bring them back to the bag, like a bird making a nest. Not unhinged at all!
Here in the UK we have Lidl as well as Aldi, “the middle of Lidl” and the “Aldi aisle of doom” have similarly random items… plastic trombone anyone?
We just got a Lidl as well! I like it a lot, although I think Aldi will always have my heart. My kids LOVE Lidl because of the tiny shopping carts they have 😅 I am less enthused and more concerned about a personal injury lawsuit!
I love Aldi. They carry specific Christmas star cookies with sugar and chocolate that I can find no where else, and eagerly anticipate then appearing each November. Also surprisingly good for things like colouring books for kids and laundry staples?
The Aisle of Shame! I love the Aisle of Shame!
Seriously, like half our kitchen supplies are from there. And a knockoff Roomba.
My one time going to Aldi was when visiting my grandparents in Germany long long ago. But you inspired my to look it up and there are some not too far from me.
I do want a raspberry Jaffa cake. In my country, Aldi enters their products into taste tests and routinely win.
I ADORE aldi and have for years. Always shop there and I promote them where ever I go :) cheers to a fellow aldi supporter!!
I LOVE ALDI!!! They’re building a new one literally a minute and a half from our apartment and I’m rather inclined to dance a jig at the grand opening 😂 There’s another one about 30 minutes from where we live, which is difficult to do with a high-energy toddler, but I always save money when I go there. SOON, my life will be so much easier (and cheaper).
Aldi is THE BEST. I live in a university town, which somehow translates to them continuously overstocking the meat section, so about half the time I get 50% off meat b/c it's about to expire. BUT, it's always "use by" OR "freeze by"...so my freezer stays well stocked. Then I don't feel so bad about enjoying the middle aisles.
I am! I like to go right when the store opens because the produce tends to sell out as the day goes on. Also, I usually buy meat at Costco, but Aldi will sometimes have nearing-expiration stuff half off, so I definitely cruise over to check on that first.
At our store there’s usually only one lane staffed by a person and a bunch of self checkouts, but they don’t trust us to scan bags so we have to ask the one cashier for them. Obviously, this is enough motivation to bring my own bags or find an empty box on the shelves instead.
Items we love: French onion dip, cookies and cream ice cream, Italian sweet cream coffee creamer, cinnamon brown sugar toaster pastries, frozen waffles, deli pickles.
The conventional frozen vegetables are okay but the organic ones are still cheaper than name brand in a grocery store and better quality.
In the aisle of shame, look for the red tags that say clearance. The seasonal food especially - they want it gone and the price reflects that.
I've long been an Aldi shopper, tho it originally was my late husband.
I generally go w/ my oldest child Chase (22 years old) and my autistic son D now (19 years old), so I take my son to the middle aisle while the oldest goes and gets our staples. I can distract D with the "weird stuff" and sometimes he wants something, which is just fine. Usually, he doesn't.
I always have a quarter in the van, but usually people leave one in the cart... we send the cart back, and retrieve the quarter. For the next time.
We get standard staples, but also there are "special" things we like getting at Aldi, like summer sausage.
I love buying holiday goodies there
I live in a good grocery store desert, so I happily drive an hour to an Aldi and I have a system so airtight - the bags, the packing, loading into the car, I don’t mind doing the shopping so much. I always treat myself to fun cheese or chocolate and there’s an ice cream store across the street so I indulge in a shake for the drive home. My kids who moved to the city have an Aldi within walking distance - can you imagine the luxury!?
This is hilarious! That middle aisle is so tempting!
I love Aldi's chocolate.
I call it "The Randomness Aisle"! 😅