What you need to know before going to Aldi

Aldi is a discount grocery store that you need to be shopping at!  Aldi claims their prices to beup to 50% lower than competing grocery stores. Aldi keeps things simple to keep costs down.  There are not extra services like a florist, dry cleaner, bakery, pharmacy, or bank on-site.  Staff doesn’t take time to face shelves with products or building fancy displays, products are set out in the cardboard boxes they arrive to the store in.  Aldi carries their own brands (and a few select name brands) and claim their product to be the best so there is no need to carry competitors.  The store is a bit different than the traditional grocery store though so there are a few things you should know before your first trip.

1.  Shop here first

Especially your first few trips, hit up Aldi before your full grocery store.  Aldi carries the essentials and staple items but if you are looking for an uncommon piece of produce (say ginger or julienne carrots) or a specific cut of meat they may not have it on hand.  I probably get 80-90% of my shopping done at Aldi depending on my meal plan for the week.

2. You’ll need a quarter 

Carts cost 25 cents to rent.  You put a quarter in the front of the cart to unlock it from a row of carts.  Get your quarter back after you return it.  This keeps workers inside the store instead of retrieving carts from the parking lot.

3. You’ll need your own bags

If you forget your bags you can purchase them for five to twenty-five cents a piece.  But there are often cardboard boxes that are available from deliveries that you can have for free.

  4. Traffic Flow

Most of the stores I have been in have aisles two carts wide.  It’s enough room that you can pass someone that is stopped but if you turn around and come back the opposite direction the people coming  down the aisle will need to move so you can get through.  Not a big deal if the store is empty but if you go on a weekend or evening, chances are it will be busy.  I find it easiest to just loop back around if I forget something.

5. Produce

The produce is sometimes hit or miss.  The majority of time I can find what I’m looking for but there are times that you’ll need to dig for the good stuff or skip it all together.  The cost of produce is considerably less than regular grocery stores but I wouldn’t make a trip to Aldi for produce specifically since I may not necessarily find what I need.

6.  The Wine

The wine selection is surprisingly good! (If your state liquor laws allow alcohol sales in grocery stores) There is a decent variety and prices in Missouri range from $3-12 a bottle.

7. Gluten Free Options

I am gluten free so I love shopping at Aldi for “junk food”.  Aldi carries packaged foods in gluten free versions but just because a food is gluten free, that doesn’t mean it is healthy.  Like anyone I want to indulge sometimes too!  My favorites are the gluten free pretzels, brownie mix, and boxed macaroni.

8. Aldi Finds

There are a couple of aisles that contain amazing deals on things that you probably don’t need but the price is so fantastic that you are going to buy it anyway.  Last year I joked that I could have done all of my Christmas shopping in one aisle they had for gifts because they really had something for everyone.  The items are there for about two weeks before new inventory comes in so if there is something you love, you better snag it while you are there!

9. Make a List

Along with household goods Aldi also gets in seasonal foods and will carry new items for a few weeks at a time.  It’s everything from fancy cheeses, sangria, broccoli dinosaurs, and frozen chicken burgers.  Without a list it can be easy to throw all of the new things you’ve never seen into your cart!

10. You’ll bag your own groceries

Cashiers start checking as soon as you load the belt and place your groceries into an empty cart.  If you have a kiddo in the front of your cart most cashiers will wait for you to finish loading so you don’t have to switch your kid from your original cart to the new one but my experience is that it depends on who is working.  There are shelves just before the exits that you can organize and pack your groceries. I actually prefer doing it myself instead of having 27 bags with two items in each!

Shopping at Aldi will take a little bit extra time, especially the first few trips as you familiarize yourself with the store.  We typically save 30-50% off our grocery bill by shopping at Aldi so it is worth our while but if we are in a hurry and only have time for one stop we may have to go to the neighborhood grocery store instead. If you are looking to save some money give it a try!