Grocery stores

blondie42107 · June 2015

We live in the middle of three smaller cities (think center of a triangle) and each are about the same distance from us. One of the cities is apparently getting an Aldi's. Coworkers have made some mixed comments. Does anyone have one and shop at it? What is your go-to grocery store?

englishtrish1 · June 2015

I grew up in England and was thrilled when Aldi came to the states. There are pluses and minuses of course

Plus
Super cheap
Great frozen stuff inc fish
Milk is at least $1-2 less per gallon
Awesome giant pizzas for around $5 that you take home and fix yourself
Lots of European chocolate
Great European beers
They belong to same company as Trader Joes

Cons
Have to have a quarter for the shopping cart
No free grocery bags
All own brand stuff

bridejl · June 2015

Our go-to is Pick N Save, but our area does have Aldi's. I wouldn't personally purchase perishables there, but I have family that shops there for their canned/boxed goods. They also have good bags of chips at a good price (popular at our family parties).

jessica490 · June 2015

We have Aldi's around us but honestly I never shop there....for some reason I just can't get into trusting their food. I wouldn't mind buying some of their snacks/drinks and things if we really had no other choice but I just can't trust their fruits/veggies and meats. They also don't carry a huge selection of products so you would probably end up going to another store anyway. That's my judgment about that.

On another note my sister shops there all the time and has no complaints. But she also goes to Price Chopper next door

Our go to is Shoprite. They have good prices (love the can-can sale) and a good selection. This store is mainly in the North East, not sure where you live. Of course Stop and Shop has the best selection of everything but their prices are always too high for us.

bcarb · June 2015

LOVE Aldi's. I shop there weekly. I get mainly produce and eggs, milk, frozen chicken, paper plates, canned veggies etc there. And not sure why you wouldnt want to get pershiables there, I have found they have the best fruit and veggies for dirt cheap compared to the big name grocery store across the street. I go to our local Hy Vee to get all the other stuff I dont get at Aldi, some things need to be name brand for me (i.e ranch) but for the most part, you can get pretty much anything and everything there. Sure you have to bring your own quarter, but just keep an Aldi quarter in the car and you have to bag your own groceries, but I perfer it. The teenagers who bag my groceries at Hyvee are terrible.

als1982 · June 2015

We have Aldi here, but I've never bought there. Right now, I'm loving Sprouts, a chain new to the area. It's like Whole Foods but MM. They have great sales, and pretty frequently BOGO deals. Otherwise, I mostly shop at Price Chopper and ocassionally, Hen House, which are regional, I believe. For stock up items, I go to Costco. They don't have BJ's where I live.

simplyelise · June 2015

I have an Aldi, but it's on the other side of town from our place. It's close to work though, so I occasionally stop by there. I dislike that it's always busy and the way it's set up with the rows causes me anxiety. I always feel like I'm not going fast enough for the people behind me. But the biggest reason I don't shop there every week is just variety. They don't have a ton of variety, so it is definitely cheap, but if I can't get everything I need in one trip to a store, it's a big minus for me.

My go-to store is Gerbes (Kroger brand) and I love their variety and their prices. We have meat at ever dinner and enjoy cooking elaborate dishes, and DH eats a lot, but we're still able to spend only $340/month on groceries and paper goods. They have great sales and you get fuel points for every dollar spent (unlike HyVee's useless-to-me fuel saver program). I usually get a full tank of gas a month for at least $.40/gallon discount.

We've been off walmart for 2 years now and I will never go back. I do wish we had a costco here, but I'm glad we already have so many options.

Xstatic3333 · June 2015

englishtrish1 said:

I grew up in England and was thrilled when Aldi came to the states. There are pluses and minuses of course Plus Super cheap Great frozen stuff inc fish Milk is at least $1-2 less per gallon Awesome giant pizzas for around $5 that you take home and fix yourself Lots of European chocolate Great European beers They belong to same company as Trader Joes Cons Have to have a quarter for the shopping cart No free grocery bags All own brand stuff

There is an Aldi near us but it doesn't have any of these pros except "super cheap." It honestly just feels kind of dirty and doesn't have a lot of the types of food we tend to buy. I was bummed!

Our go-to store is probably WF. I know that statement could start a riot on a MM board, but we've honestly found that many of the things we buy a lot of (tofu, organic produce when not insane to do so, tasty bread that my H will not complain about, in-season fruit) are cheaper or comparable there to our local chain, Shaws. Tofu is a huge one; it tends to be over a dollar cheaper a package at WF. I know shopping organic isn't everyone's cup of tea around here, and that's totally fine, but if you are choosing organic some of the time then the mainstream stores just mark everything up way too much. Best choice of course is a farmer's market, especially since for us local>organic by a long shot. Even with shopping at WF and buying organic much of the time, I think we keep our grocery budget quite reasonable ($60 a normal week, $75 if we need to stock up on any staples). I am not so fanatical about the organic stuff that I'll pay $3 for an avocado, however, and I try to only buy produce that is in-season.

Sometimes I also do Trader Joe's. I like it for busy weeks when I need some freezer meals ready to go, and it's extremely cheap, but the produce quality sucks. It does work well in the summer as a backup to our CSA.

Mustard76 · June 2015

We have an Aldi, but don't shop there. Only for a couple reasons. I can't get everything there; I don't want to go multiple places, and they don't take credit cards. We're not debit card users and NEVER have cash. Those two things make it just inconvenient enough that I go elsewhere.

FirstMate06 · June 2015

We have an Aldi about 5 mins from home but I've only been there once. Ours is tiny and the selection is so small that we always ended up having to go to another store anyway. Also I wasn't really a fan of the atmosphere, our location was kinda dim and crowded and it just felt yucky to me. They do have pretty good MM deals though.

My go-to place is usually Price Chopper but sometimes if I'm already out (and being lazy) I'll shop at Target instead out of convenience. I used to shop at Hannaford primarily but after price comparing I've found that Price Chopper always has the best prices and coupons. They offer a fuel discount at Sunoco as a reward as well.

TravelJunkie1234 · June 2015

I was so excited to find that there was an Aldi's near me because I had heard awesome things about them online. Unfortunately our store doesn't seem to have a lot of good veggies (seems to be fairly common in our neck of the woods--even the big stores like Kroger & Costco have veggies that look "blah") and while I did try a few of their snacks like chips and crackers I felt like they were all super salty and I wasn't thrilled with the ingredient lists that I saw. We do try to eat a whole foods/plant based diet with limited processed foods, so maybe that is why I couldn't find much for us. Or maybe out store is just not quite as good as the ones near my friends, IDK.

Currently I shop at Whole Foods for produce, dairy and bulk items like beans/rice (actually comparable in price to local grocery stores with much better quality--as long as I don't buy anything super fancy I end up spending maybe $10 more than at any of the other grocery stores near me) and Kroger for anything else we need. I also love Trader Joe's but don't go there often enough because it's all the way across town.

They did recently open up a Sprouts Market nearby, so that will probably become my new main grocery store. Back in CO I used to shop there all the time and loved that it was sort of like Whole Foods but with Trader Joe prices!

blondie42107 · June 2015

I frequent Kroger a lot. The closest WF is a good hour and a half away. No Costco nearby either, just Sams Club. Maybe I'll check Aldi's out when it opens.

csuave · June 2015

Aldi is a short walk from my office and is my go to grocery store for basics. It is clean and neat and I actually prefer to use reusable grocery bags.
We do grocery shopping just in time so I usually go a few times a week and just buy what we need for the next couple of days. I regularly buy bananas, broccoli, onions, salad mix, tomatoes, fresh berries much cheaper than at the other grocery stores. Produce needs to be checked but unless it is a bad day/shipment they are usually good. For example I wanted kiwis and there were only a few left and they looked miserable but most other times kiwis are fine.
Dry goods and baking goods are great. Generic Cheerios and wheat thins taste like the real brands. I think their instant oatmeal is good to and at half the price it is a no brainer. We also have had frozen fish and chicken, turkey bacon, little bacon wrapped filet mignons (in a convenient, healthier 4oz serving size), flavored pork loin, and we love these frozen bacon wrapped turkey filets that come 4 to a box but are only offered from time to time. When I see those we stock up on several boxes since we don't know when they will be back. Paper plates, cleaning wipes and Kleenex are good too.

The big drawbacks are they don't have everything so you may need to go to another store and they are smaller and can run out of food when demand is very high. I went shortly before Easter and there was like no food in the entire store. I seriously walked out with only 1 or 2 things from my list.

bcarb · June 2015

I am surprised on how many people dont like Aldi. I dont mind making two trips becuase the other store is across the street (literally) and I can do an Aldi run in 15 minutes. It has saved us a ton of money though, especially in the fruit and veggie department(I eat 4-5 servings a fruit a day and can eat a whole watermelong in 2-3 days)

Xstatic3333 · June 2015

bcarb said:
I am surprised on how many people dont like Aldi. I dont mind making two trips becuase the other store is across the street (literally) and I can do an Aldi run in 15 minutes. It has saved us a ton of money though, especially in the fruit and veggie department(I eat 4-5 servings a fruit a day and can eat a whole watermelong in 2-3 days)

I think my particular Aldi just kind of sucks. I would give another one a try. It sounds smaller than some others, and definitely no European beer and chocolate...

FirstMate06 · June 2015

Xstatic3333 said:

I am surprised on how many people dont like Aldi. I dont mind making two trips becuase the other store is across the street (literally) and I can do an Aldi run in 15 minutes. It has saved us a ton of money though, especially in the fruit and veggie department(I eat 4-5 servings a fruit a day and can eat a whole watermelong in 2-3 days)
I think my particular Aldi just kind of sucks. I would give another one a try. It sounds smaller than some others, and definitely no European beer and chocolate...

Same with mine! Ours has barely any fresh produce either. It is mostly freezer items and shelves of dry goods. Now I kinda want them to upgrade ours...

TravelJunkie1234 · June 2015

FirstMate06 said:

Xstatic3333 said:

I am surprised on how many people dont like Aldi. I dont mind making two trips becuase the other store is across the street (literally) and I can do an Aldi run in 15 minutes. It has saved us a ton of money though, especially in the fruit and veggie department(I eat 4-5 servings a fruit a day and can eat a whole watermelong in 2-3 days)
I think my particular Aldi just kind of sucks. I would give another one a try. It sounds smaller than some others, and definitely no European beer and chocolate...

Same with mine! Ours has barely any fresh produce either. It is mostly freezer items and shelves of dry goods. Now I kinda want them to upgrade ours...

Yeah, I also think ours is just small/not as good as others because I have friends who absolutely love their local Aldi's. Although tbh with the exception of WF (which is about 25 minutes away), most of the grocery stores around me are underwhelming. I remember looking it up awhile ago and we technically live in a food desert, so I shouldn't be too surprised.

I'd be willing to try another Aldi's if it was conveniently located.

vlagrl29 · June 2015

we go to sun fresh and sprouts. Just got a good amount of produce at sprouts today for $8

Xstatic3333 · June 2015

Sprouts sounds great! I want one :-)

AprilZ81 · June 2015

We have an Aldi and it has become my first stop for groceries due to the low cost. I keep a quarter in my cup holder in the car and reusable shopping bags in my trunk so I'm always ready if I need to make a stop. Those are the two main "negatives" that most people experience.

I can usually get about 90% of my grocery/paper goods items here without a problem. I was slow to trust their meat, but their low prices won me over. We eat their meat now and it is fine, probably not super high quality, but tastes good to me.

Their off brand cereal is less than $2, chips about $1.50 a bag, bagged lettuce is around $2, and flour and sugar is always super cheap. My favorite products are their take and bake pizzas and their frozen chicken.

Once I get everything I can there I usually go to Meijer (like Target and Walmart) to get the remaining items on my list. I usually go there for frozen lunches, soda and toiletries and maybe the random ingredient that Aldi didn't have.

I started making the effort to make multiple stops when I got laid off and I will continue to do this when I go back to work. I can routinely fill a cart with produce, meat and staple items and spent about $60/70 instead of the $100-$130 it would cost me at a traditional grocery store.

brij2006 · June 2015

We love Aldis! I shop there once a month to stock up on things that I can freeze. Like lunch meat, cheeses, frozen pizzas, french fries, and fish fillets (love that they're cheap and individually frozen). Their produce is pretty good at ours, but I do watch it because things may be cheap but they're smaller sized than other stores. I also get all of our non-perishables there.

Pretty much, I make one huge list once of month of things we need to stock up on. I go there first and cross them off my list. Anything I can't get there, I go to Walmart and Kroger to get afterward.

And I love that I pretty much always walk out of there with a cart full and don't spend over $100.

dragonstarjk · June 2015

I have never heard of Aldi's or most of these other places....

We only have three places to shop for groceries--Walmart, Ridleys (used to be Safeway) or Albertsons. My go to place is Albertsons. It does tend to be more expensive than Walmart, but it is worth it to me because it is clean and the selection is really good, especially for organic or ethnic ingredients. They also just have really nice staff there and the whole shopping experience is worth the $20-30 extra I probably spend every month.

Walmart is just a nightmare because everybody goes there, and Ridley's is small and cramped.

hoffse · June 2015

Xstatic3333 said:

I am surprised on how many people dont like Aldi. I dont mind making two trips becuase the other store is across the street (literally) and I can do an Aldi run in 15 minutes. It has saved us a ton of money though, especially in the fruit and veggie department(I eat 4-5 servings a fruit a day and can eat a whole watermelong in 2-3 days)
I think my particular Aldi just kind of sucks. I would give another one a try. It sounds smaller than some others, and definitely no European beer and chocolate...

Yeah ours is like this. It's also dirty. I mean, the floors are visibly dirty. I can't bring myself to buy perishables from there for that reason. I know it's illogical since vegetables do in fact grow in dirt, but still. The veggies in ours always look sort of sad/wilted and combined with the dirt factor... just can't do it.

The Aldi's near my parents' house, however, is great. I think it's one of those stores that is hit or miss based on management.

We live less than a mile from a Publix, and we frequently walk there from our house. It's kind of overpriced but it's a nice shopping experience. We shop at Costco for everything we can and tend to fill in the gaps through the Publix. We ultimately buy so little at a traditional grocery store (maybe $20/week?) that I don't mind paying a small premium to shop at a place that is so convenient for us.

lifeonthehill · June 2015

Never heard of it. I am so cheap I would probably use it for quite a bit.

We use Hannafords. Which I think is a Maine thing. The only other grocery store near by is walmart. We avoid it like the plague so busy and dirty.

vlagrl29 · June 2015

Xstatic3333 said:

Sprouts sounds great! I want one :-)

Their produce is so good!! Looks much better than at the normal grocery stores plus it's cheaper because they run great sales on it.

Xstatic3333 · June 2015

There's another great chain, Wegman's, that I used to live near. It may be a little bit like sprouts-WF quality yet somehow very cheap. Great seafood too, and rated very highly for sustainability. I hope they spread to my new state soon!

blondie42107 · June 2015

I'm sure my area has plenty of grocery stores but there have been a good handful of stores mentioned that are not around me. I think the Kroger family is the most popular since they have many other store names under them.

sugarygoodness · June 2015

I shop at Aldi's all the time. I sometimes have to shop at another store, but I can usually get everything I need. Mine has a lot of organic and gluten free options. The fish selection could improve, but the meat selection is quite good. I like their greek yogurt, orange juice, almond milk, egg beaters, eggs, cheeses, butter, etc. Mine also sometimes has la croix sparkling water and they have a ton of wines (some are rated quite well).

simplyelise · June 2015

We just got a Lucky's a couple years ago, and it's absolutely amazing for affordable and local produce and fruit, along with a good bulk seed/flours/coffees/nuts section and a large, fresh deli. But, it's still more expensive than Gerbes/Kroger and the only non-perishables is has are organic and expensive.

When we're debt-free, we'll probably work Lucky's into our shopping. And it's pretty close to Gerbes, so we could still do 1 trip out.

Erikan73 · June 2015

Like another PP said, you have to pay a quarter for your shopping cart, but you get it back when you return your shopping cart to the cart bin. You do need to bring your own bags, but then you don't have to recycle or fill up your trash with lots of plastic bags. With produce, you do need to pay attention to it as you pick it up. They tend to get their things as they are already ripe compared to regular stores that get things a little before they are rip. So produce may not last as long when bought from Aldi's. Their brand food is good. But it is hit and miss like with any food item. You'll like some things and you'll probably decide not to buy other things again. When you start shopping there, I recommend just buying enough of an item for a single meal to try the item. This way if you don't like it, you're not stuck with a bunch of it. Some of their weekly specials are really great, including their non food deals. My mom shops there as her primary store. One of my co-workers shops there for all their produce. I don't shop there as much because I have a small mom/pop grocery store that is more convenient for me that has comparable pricing.

blondie42107 · June 2015

Thanks! The grocery cart deposit doesn't bother me and I already bring my own reusable totes and bags to the store or farmers market.

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