Aldi shoppers--questions

lishie

I know several of you shop at Aldi and have been happy with it.

Ours just opened, and I bought some produce, and I'm wondering if my bad experience is just a fluke involving the grand opening.

My bananas almost all had brown spots, the strawberry cartons contained some moldy berries, and several of the lemons in the package were covered in a greenish fuzz. None of this was apparent when I bought them, but I saw it when I got home and went to use them.

Have you seen this?

How are their eggs and milk? Would you recommend buying them there?

I'm going to give them another try, especially since it's so close to my house, but I know to be a little more careful with my purchase.

ak111

I am very careful with the produce I get from there because I have gotten some bad stuff in the past.  I don't normally buy their bananas because of the way they are packaged.  As long as I examine the produce as best as I can in the store and plan to use it pretty quickly, I have been good lately.  I just bought blueberries, strawberries, kiwis, cucumbers, lettuce, and avocados there last night and they all look good.  I have bought their milk and eggs and haven't had a problem with either.  I get all my cereal there and also like their frozen vegetables and frozen fish (we eat their salmon probably once per week).  They are good for cheese (blocks and shredded) too.  I also bought a baby pool, squirt gun, and slip and slide there last night...they suck me in with that kind of stuff! 

northhillsbride

I've never had a problem with their bananas, so that's weird....

Eggs and milk have been fine.

Just inspect all and check expiration dates! I've also bought yogurt, cheese, frozen items, juices, breads, cerelas, snacks... all good. I haven't tried the meats - that weirds me out more than the fresh produce!

Misc: electric kettle, toys, dog food, paper products and sponges, baby wipes and diaper, candy....

Temp752290812504671

I was going to email you about the opening! My parents went to the official grand opening last week and got a tour of the buildings. They were impressed, I don't know if I can go though it is way too weird.

lala5507

I've just started shopping there a few weeks ago.  The 3 times I have been there the produce has looked better than my local giant eagle.  I have been pretty impressed so far. But with that being said, I think every grocery store has a bad day.   I've seen some nasty produce at Giant Eagle before but most of the time it's good.        

rona118

I hear so many good things about but anytime I go there..... not impressed. Maybe it is the one by me or something.

gwennythepooh

I've started shopping there on a more regular basis and overall like it. My thoughts are:

Produce - inspect very carefully. The refrigerated salads seem okay (Sean likes it) and the fruits/veggies are good. I feel like the strawberries I've bought sometimes turn a little fast, but that's been my only complaint.

Dairy/Eggs - haven't tried the eggs (we use egg whites more than anything and I can get them cheap at Sams Club). Milk has been fine and cheese is good, too. We love the cheese sticks for lunches and I like that the fancier cheese are cheap.

Dry goods - we haven't had a problem at all with dry goods (cereals, crackers, chips, cookies, etc). I'm hopelessly addicted to their pita crackers!

Baked goods - their hamburger/hot dog buns are dirt cheap (59 cents this week!) and are comparable to others. I think their wheat bread is okay - but not my favorite. Other baked items have been fine.

Frozen stuff - so far everything has been good. We've done everything from frozen pizza to popcorn shrimp to breakfast stuff. Their waffles/french toast sticks are great:)

I haven't tried the paper products random stuff, yet, but wouldn't be opposed to it. I find my Aldi list getting bigger each week and my GE list getting smaller as I just like the stuff we're getting and the prices are so reasonable. Just make sure you have your debit card or cash - I forgot my card in the car one time and had to run out as they don't do credit cards or checks!

lishie

I learned the debit/cash thing.  I use my AmEx for everything.  And was shocked when they said they didn't take it.  My order was only $20 so I had cash for it, but otherwise I'd have done the walk of shame home.  I did know to bring reusable bags and a quarter. I was proud of myself on that front

MandyMilller

I only go there if I see something special in the flyer (and normally it's not a food item). I have terrible luck with their produce. Even when it looks ok in store, it seems to turn too quickly. It's not a good deal to me when you have to throw half of it away!

valkaz

I shop there about 90% of the time for my groceries. We've never really had an issue with produce, but then I try to inspect things really well before I buy them. I swear to you that I've never had a bad cantaloupe, and we buy them all the time. I also bought corn on the cob this week thinking there was no way it would be good - but we had it last night and it was pretty sweet. I seriously don't believe that their stuff turns bad faster than Giant Eagle. That's what Giant Eagle wants you to think.

 

It's better to go earlier in the day because they have a better selection available. I definitely get better produce when I go on Sunday mornings versus after work in the evenings.

 

We buy eggs and milk there all the time, and the milk is hormone-free. I buy ground meat, ground chicken, pork chops, and ham there - and it's all been good. I also occasionally buy chicken there, and it's been fine too.

 

Their ice cream is awesome.

Temp752290812504671

rona118:

I hear so many good things about but anytime I go there..... not impressed. Maybe it is the one by me or something.

 

Nope I feel the same way. Plus, I think they smell although my husband says it is the cardboard boxes.

leiann2003

I shop there often and have never really had any problems. Some of the stuff we buy includes: milk, eggs, cereal, frozen items, produce & canned goods. I've never bought any meat there, but I'm not opposed to it. I usually remember a quarter, but almost always forget my bags!

AmandaJLewis

kris356:

rona118:

I hear so many good things about but anytime I go there..... not impressed. Maybe it is the one by me or something.

 

Nope I feel the same way. Plus, I think they smell although my husband says it is the cardboard boxes.

I am such a food snob I have never been inside one. 

MaryM

I shop there often and never have had problems.

 Just bought a watermelon from Costco and it was rotted inside and also some bell peppers from GE and same thing recently. So maybe it's not the place you shop at, but can happen anywhere?

Temp752290812504671

AmandaJLewis:

kris356:

rona118:

I hear so many good things about but anytime I go there..... not impressed. Maybe it is the one by me or something.

 

Nope I feel the same way. Plus, I think they smell although my husband says it is the cardboard boxes.

I am such a food snob I have never been inside one. 

We can be food snobs together.

AmandaJLewis

kris356:

We can be food snobs together.

We have been on the food snob bandwagon together for a while (crockpot chicken ) it is always nice to have company

lishie

Amanda, had it not opened a 3 minute walk from my house I doubt I would have tried it, but I so hate going to the overpriced market district by me due to its crowds that I'm excited for any option to avoid it.  Nothing wrong with food snobbery. 

Jefsnickerdodle

lishie:

I know several of you shop at Aldi and have been happy with it.

Ours just opened, and I bought some produce, and I'm wondering if my bad experience is just a fluke involving the grand opening.

My bananas almost all had brown spots, the strawberry cartons contained some moldy berries, and several of the lemons in the package were covered in a greenish fuzz. None of this was apparent when I bought them, but I saw it when I got home and went to use them.

Have you seen this?

How are their eggs and milk? Would you recommend buying them there?

I'm going to give them another try, especially since it's so close to my house, but I know to be a little more careful with my purchase.

I am not a fan. There is one very close to us too and one night when we just wanted to do some wraps, I went there beacause everyone was always posting about how much they like it for the produce. I was not impressed. None of it was chilled, just sitting out on crates nothing chilled. the lettuce was wilty and the tomatoes were in 2 backs of weird plastic from Mexico and they were all hard although bright red... It's not like it was January, I am sure they coulda sourced some tomatoes from at least the US at that point...

Jefsnickerdodle

kris356:

AmandaJLewis:

kris356:

rona118:

I hear so many good things about but anytime I go there..... not impressed. Maybe it is the one by me or something.

Nope I feel the same way. Plus, I think they smell although my husband says it is the cardboard boxes.

I am such a food snob I have never been inside one. 

We can be food snobs together.

Can I come too?

 went to Aldi's once and haven't been back...

 I do go to bottom doller, but still don't buy anything generic except milk eggs and butter and stick to GE for all my meat and any produce I don't need or want to use like that day ( except bananas)

DomerJenC

I actually like my aldi, (baldwin store) but the one in robinson I haven't liked as much.  The produce is very good compared to other places I frequent (trader joes, GE market district).  I'm pretty convinced that they get their produce from the same people as TJ's, actually.  The stores are connected.  I feel like produce is good for everyone or bad for everyone at the same time - like all the produce that came from FL to Pgh sucked one week, for example.  

A trick for berries: when you soak them in water, add a couple of splashes of vinegar.  That'll kill the mold spores and give you better shelf life.

 Other things I like:

- ranch dressing

- produce, esp the organic lettuce in the cold case

- the eggs are cheap (and fine) but I have an obsession w/ pasture raised chickens so they don't work for me.  Plus there is a bible verse printed on the inside of the carton which REALLY doesn't work for me.  But they are just as good as any other conventional egg you get.

- the 100% whole wheat wide pan bread is really fluffy.  I kind of don't like it for myself, but my kids love it b/c I can make PB&J "sushi" with it by squishing the pieces flat and rolling them up.  it's pretty amazing that it's 100% WW

 - the cheese is cheap, but it's not the greatest quality (has that rubbery texture) but tastes/keeps fine.  if you are used to "good" cheese you won't like it.

-  I totally get sucked in by the weekly crap they rotate through.  I got the slip'n'slide, too. :P

egpitt22

I think we all know I'm a big Aldi lover   I wanted to add that their whole wheat bread has no HFCS, which is hard to find sometimes!  we buy that often, as well as the whole wheat sandwich thins.

sarahandtim

I had no idea how to get a cart, that I needed to bring my own bags and that it was debit/cash only. I felt like a huge moron. Haha! I was surprised at how much lower their prices on produce were from Giant Eagle though - especially strawberries.

Temp520258500005569

I've had several horrible experiences at Aldi. I am a fan of Bottom Dollar if you're looking for a cheaper market.

Does Aldi sell their bananas in plastic bags still? I've found that no matter where I buy bananas, if they're in plastic bags they tend to get softer/brown more quickly.