Shopping at Aldis


 
S

Steve Petrone

TVWBB Diamond Member
So Aldis has a smaller footprint & easier and quicker. A few things I've tried that folks like:
Beer: Blue like blue moon, Amber Ale & the white label pilsner. US, Belgium & German products. All quite good. They have good structure and flavor.
Whole wheat tortilla
Cookies: fig bars, choc. marshmallow , peanut butter, creme filled
Dark chocolate
Almond milk
Canned beans
So far very good value. Good products.
 
Love Aldis, product is great, love the frozen fruit for nightly smoothies, and so much more. In connection to smoking, some of my favorite BB ribs to smoke are from Aldis, I also love their half pork shoulders for a quicker pork shoulder cook.
 
I've only shopped there once and that was to load up on blueberries when they had a ridiculous sale and I wanted to make a batch of blueberry port wine. We have one only two miles away. I may have to venture back.

@Michael Richards: are those ribs spares or baby backs?
 
JimK said:
I've only shopped there once and that was to load up on blueberries when they had a ridiculous sale and I wanted to make a batch of blueberry port wine. We have one only two miles away. I may have to venture back.

@Michael Richards: are those ribs spares or baby backs?
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I have seen them have both, (somethings they only have spares and other times they only have Baby Back), but I have only purchased the Baby Backs. I have not attempted spares yet... Both times I purchased them they were the more tender of any other that I have attempted so far. I have smoked Smithfields from Walmart and Hatfields from Giant (both higher priced) and I would choose Aldis over both of them every time.
 
We've had an ALDI here for a couple of years but I haven't shopped it yet. The last time I was in an ALDI was 2006 in Indianapolis and the store gave off a depressing warehouse vibe, and I've never felt the need to return. Maybe I'll pop in there one of these days.
 
Michael Richards said:
I have smoked Smithfields from Walmart and Hatfields from Giant (both higher priced) and I would choose Aldis over both of them every time.
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I found early on that the Smithfield ribs had a 'cured', almost ham-like taste to them. Really didn't like it at all.
 
They carry Wernesgruner, which is an outstanding German imported pilsner. It's great german beer at natty light prices. Unbelievable deal.

Their pork butts aren't that great because they're like 15% injection. Done side-by-side with a non-injected one from the cryovac, you can taste the difference. Some of the injections I can't taste, but theirs I could.

Overall, they are a very pleasant place to shop and I'll be continuing doing business there after all this is over.
 
They have all these weird store brands and it makes me feel like I've fallen into an alternate universe where those are the normal brands.
 
Dustin, my understanding is that it's nearly all house brands, there's very little that's "name branded" product. That's one of their selling points, along with minimalist warehousing type displays. In theory, it's all contributing to lower overhead.
 
When our 4 Son's were younger we used to shop there all the time. The " Stock Up Store" was a value.
Most of the store brands are a pretty close copy cat of major brands.
I've never bought meat ( besides lunch meat) from there, but my SIL swears by it.

Tim
 
I love ALDI. They cut costs by compromising on everything but quality, which is an approach i'm totally OK with. If you look at it from the perspective of building the most efficient grocery store possible, suddenly everything they do makes sense:
  • most products are private-label
    • ALDI is a private label powerhouse. They have >40 Million monthly customers in the US which means they are a big fish for suppliers who they have a direct relationship with. This gives several advantages:
      • They pay a lower price because they buy direct from suppliers rather than from distributors
      • They buy in BULK. i.e. instead of buying 10 units of 10 different brands, they can buy 100 units of private-label.
      • They have more control over supply chain which lets them keep less inventory. when inventory runs low of a staple product runs low, the suppliers will make more for them. This means smaller stores.
      • Control over supply chain lets them dictate quality/taste/packaging.
      • Customers don't pay the premium that comes along with buying a heavily marketed name brand.
  • packaging
    • products are placed on the shelves without being removed from their cardboard boxes.
    • this means they pay fewer employees to stock shelves. other grocery stores in my town have 1-2 people stocking good in each aisle pretty much every time I go in. ALDI usually has 3-4 employees working in the entire store.
    • they also get to put bar codes on every side of every product which means that cashiers can scan more quickly.
  • limited selection
    • having 3 kinds of jam instead of 20 means you can have a smaller store which means you can charge less for the goods you sell. ALDI stores are tiny compared to regular US supermarket. There are 4 short aisles rather than ~20 aisles that go on forever.
  • rotating selection
    • they have some 'limited time' buys. when they're able to get an especially good deal on a product, it shows up on the shelves. when it's gone it's gone. Sure, it's annoying that something you liked last time you were in the store might not be there next time but not carrying every product 100% of the time means that they're able to have a smaller store.
  • No frills shopping experiences
    • Customers don't get pampered, which means ALDI hires fewer people which means the products are cheaper:
      • customers bag their own groceries
      • customers bring their own bags
      • customers transport their own groceries to their cars.
      • customers deposit a quarter to check out a shopping cart. They don't get their $.25 back until they return their cart. This works well, as pretty much all customers return their carts and ALDI doesn't have to hire parking lot attendants.

If you must have 20 kinds of jam available or if there's something you're just really picky about, go somewhere else for those items. For me, that's beer. The beer selection at ALDI is not good so I go to a local liquor store that has good relationships with local distributors/breweries since they're able to get all kinds of hard to find goodies for me. For many people here, i suspect the thing they're picky about will probably be meat. You'll for sure have a better meat selection at your local butcher or upscale super market.

I used to go to a premium grocery store in town for all my groceries, but have shopped at ALDI pretty much exclusively the last several years. I eat just as well but pay 50-60% of what I used to
 
I get my blue cheese crumbles there, they are a bargain, and usually find a few more things before I get out of the door.
 
Colin W said:
I love ALDI. They cut costs by compromising on everything but quality, which is an approach i'm totally OK with. If you look at it from the perspective of building the most efficient grocery store possible, suddenly everything they do makes sense:
  • most products are private-label
    • ALDI is a private label powerhouse. They have >40 Million monthly customers in the US which means they are a big fish for suppliers who they have a direct relationship with. This gives several advantages:
      • They pay a lower price because they buy direct from suppliers rather than from distributors
      • They buy in BULK. i.e. instead of buying 10 units of 10 different brands, they can buy 100 units of private-label.
      • They have more control over supply chain which lets them keep less inventory. when inventory runs low of a staple product runs low, the suppliers will make more for them. This means smaller stores.
      • Control over supply chain lets them dictate quality/taste/packaging.
      • Customers don't pay the premium that comes along with buying a heavily marketed name brand.
  • packaging
    • products are placed on the shelves without being removed from their cardboard boxes.
    • this means they pay fewer employees to stock shelves. other grocery stores in my town have 1-2 people stocking good in each aisle pretty much every time I go in. ALDI usually has 3-4 employees working in the entire store.
    • they also get to put bar codes on every side of every product which means that cashiers can scan more quickly.
  • limited selection
    • having 3 kinds of jam instead of 20 means you can have a smaller store which means you can charge less for the goods you sell. ALDI stores are tiny compared to regular US supermarket. There are 4 short aisles rather than ~20 aisles that go on forever.
  • rotating selection
    • they have some 'limited time' buys. when they're able to get an especially good deal on a product, it shows up on the shelves. when it's gone it's gone. Sure, it's annoying that something you liked last time you were in the store might not be there next time but not carrying every product 100% of the time means that they're able to have a smaller store.
  • No frills shopping experiences
    • Customers don't get pampered, which means ALDI hires fewer people which means the products are cheaper:
      • customers bag their own groceries
      • customers bring their own bags
      • customers transport their own groceries to their cars.
      • customers deposit a quarter to check out a shopping cart. They don't get their $.25 back until they return their cart. This works well, as pretty much all customers return their carts and ALDI doesn't have to hire parking lot attendants.

If you must have 20 kinds of jam available or if there's something you're just really picky about, go somewhere else for those items. For me, that's beer. The beer selection at ALDI is not good so I go to a local liquor store that has good relationships with local distributors/breweries since they're able to get all kinds of hard to find goodies for me. For many people here, i suspect the thing they're picky about will probably be meat. You'll for sure have a better meat selection at your local butcher or upscale super market.

I used to go to a premium grocery store in town for all my groceries, but have shopped at ALDI pretty much exclusively the last several years. I eat just as well but pay 50-60% of what I used to
Click to expand...

Hmmmmmmmmm?

Chris?
 
I LOVE LOVE LOVE that Wernersgruner beer they sell at Aldi. Actually it's the only beer I will drink. I discovered the beer while in Germany on a train ride from Cologne to Schwerin. I bought some sandwiches on the train and it was the beer the steward had on the cart. I was hooked. I never found it again until I was in Aldi here in Rockford IL. Now I go there sometimes just for the beer LOL. I too do not like the pork at Aldi as it has a weird tinny taste from the injections in it. I have found the same issue with the ribs at Sam's and Costco so I just don't buy them there.
 
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