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I’m afraid I don’t understand the hype.

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A new grocery chain opened its first store in Maine last month and the hysteria was off the charts.

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I’d never shopped in an Aldi before and had no idea what to expect, but everyone was raving about how much money you could save so after waiting a few weeks for the craziness to die down…

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(Actual picture of how happy people were to shop there.)

The husband and I drove to Portland to check it out.

Marketed as a discount grocery, I expected no frills and that’s exactly what I got.

This was a brand new store…but the first thing I noticed when we walked in was how dirty and disorganized it was. Apparently their cost cutting measures include a lack of brooms and dust pans and employees to operate them.

Starting with produce, which was stacked haphazardly in it’s original shipping boxes, I was hard put to find a banana, apple, pepper, tomato or cucumber that wasn’t heavily bruised, browned and looked ready to toss.

There was no deli, no bakery and no seafood counter. No frills, for sure.

There was also no rhyme or reason to product placement… cheap fake flowered wreaths were next to the mayonnaise. Plastic outdoor thermometers were next to the crackers. And did I mention you have to “rent” a shopping cart? They’re out front where you pay a quarter to unlock one and get your money back when you return it.

I was unaware that 95% of the products are their own versions and not brand name. Having been burned one too many times with tasteless substitutes I had no desire to fill a cart with mystery cereal or soup.

We walked out of there with nothing. And it’s a good thing, because there were only two registers open with no DIY kiosks and the lines to check out were insane.

I seriously doubt I’ll ever go back, so if you’re an Aldi shopper? Please tell me what I’m missing, because I don’t understand the allure.

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74 thoughts on “I’m afraid I don’t understand the hype.”

  2. I’m with you. They put one very near the grocery story we shop at (utterly screwing the parking lot/entering-exiting situation) and I’m not a fan. The appeal is lost on me, too. Plus, if you find something you DO like, there’s no guarantee it’ll be there next time you shop. Annoying.

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  6. Weird. Over here Aldi is famously clean, well-stocked and well organised. They do require a pound to unlock the trolleys – which you get back when you return it – but so does everyone else here. Too many people just walk home with them otherwise. Too many of them in the bottom of the canals. I can tell you two things from over here with any degree of personal knowledge 1. The fruit and veg is fresh and sound and 2. they do a very passable own-brand malt whisky. Clearly a different beast in America. Shame. Over here they have forced all the big chains to lower their prices a little in order to compete. Over there, I guess, you just cross it off your shopping list 😊

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      1. No whisky? Well I’d definitely give them a miss 😜IMHO life would be made considerably more tolerable without the prospect of any supermarket visit. A necessity these days, but lord how I hate them.

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      3. Over here Aldi is filled with young, affluent couples and all you can hear is the men saying ‘Oh darling, look at this…’ like they’ve never seen a chocolate bar before.

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      8. This line of conversation echoes what I’ve heard before. There is one Aldi near me and I hear it sounds like the one Rivergirl describes. I’ve never been in it. And I’ve heard it is a totally different experience in Europe. I’ve never been in a European Aldi, either. But I’ve been in a Lidl store in France and it was pretty nice. And had plenty of wine.

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    2. And they have some good wine-Winking Owl for merlot which is really good. I am not a connoisseur of liquor and wines but I believe it has won a few awards. The only drawback is Down South, you can’t buy wine on Sunday until after church, I believe. So, buy early in the week!

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  7. There are no Aldis in Canada and there are no plans to open one. Loblaws has a No Frills option with a big yellow banner and typically the prices are better than at the big box supercenters or private grocers or supermarkets. But, the No Frills are franchised and not all are created equal. There are some I frequent semi-regularily and others I avoid completely. But the same can be said for Walmarts…

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    1. Unfortunately the Wal Mart here carries the nut and fruit bird seed we like at the lowest price so I do shop there. It’s alright for cleaning supplies and paper products but I never buy their meat, produce or deli. It’s questionable at best.

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  8. Rats for you! I don’t go to our Aldi because you know I don’t grocery shop at all 🙂 but friends who do add it to the round of stores they go to. There are items they hope to find at their Aldi on a regular basis that are cheaper, like if you cook frequently with canned tomatoes, then buy a whole bunch there, and while you’re there you might be surprised by what else you find. I think the surprise is half the fun. I have friends who wear a bunch of fun Aldi merchandise and follow social media feeds titled stuff like Aldi Addictions to get ideas on what’s coming. I agree you can’t count on it if you have to have certain items this week in your cart. I can’t post a photo here, but I have a fav of a couple dressed in their Aldi gear, and they look hilarious. They’re owning the look though, so truly are spectacular.

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    1. Maybe I’m getting old. Soon I’ll be standing on the porch, yelling get off my lawn. 😉
      I’m all for quirk, but this store was just dirty and disorganized… with bruised fruit. Not much to fall in love with there.

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  10. We have an Aldi about 20 minutes away, which for us is normal since we live 20 minutes from everything. I’ve never been there, but my grandsons and I had quite the discussion over whether it was “Aldi” or (as I argued) “Aldies”. I didn’t win the argument but I kept arguing anyway. Sounds like I’m not missing anything.

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    1. Most of the IGAs in Maine were taken over by Hannaford and became bigger better stores…. the few that are left actually aren’t that bad. During Covid they were literally the only ones who had toilet paper on the shelves. Go figure.

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  12. I find Aldi food for some stuff. But I couldn’t get a week’s shopping there. I like their cold meats and the razors for men are excellent and long lasting.pisturizing cream and stuff like that is good and reasonably priced.

    Some if their own brand is fine – others not.

    What convinced me is that they are big in Germany. And Germans don’t do anything not of decent quality.

    (That said, I think I prefer Lidl … sssshhh!)

    🤫😉

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  13. Sounds like the old Cost Plus markets. Basically cheap wares from Asia sold on wooden shipping crates and with a sawdust floor. It was fun to shop but there were no fresh edibles! Most of the staff were hippies who smelled like pot and weren’t the best salespeople! When they finally expanded beyond San Francisco there was a lot of excitement but of course they changed.

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  15. The one in my town is clean and orderly and has multiple self-checkouts. I appreciate the fact that there are no shopping carts in the parking lot (since everyone returns them to get their quarter back) — it makes parking easier and prevents damage to cars from stray carts. I don’t do all my shopping there, but for the things I do buy, Aldi’s prices are lower than elsewhere, which means something to an old lady on a fixed income.

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  16. Odd, our Aldi’s in Florida is good quality-fruits, vegetables, seafood, German week specials. We don’t buy much meat there but our diet has changed for the better since my hip problems and the husband medical treatment. People are generally nice, and they have some good gardening specials. The only troubling thing is that in some areas the quarter doesn’t work on the carts. I went today after my cortisone shot for the hip which hurt a tad and the Aldi’s was right on the radar. Good experience.

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      2. Barely any fruits/veggies at the 2 that I’ve bee to here in Da LBC. The salad veggies looked like good deals but I wasn’t in the mkt for them that day. And gardening stuff? Never seen that at an Aldi.

        There are usually a couple carts left by people so that you don’t need a quarter.

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      3. We have a huge gardening community in many parts of Florida. At one store, oh, that is a Save-a-lot, you can go in and tell them you don’t have a quarter and they give you the cart. Usually the customers just pass on the carts and the quarters. They have like a cult like following for their specials in Florida. Sounds different in other areas.

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  17. LOL… i had the exact same experience and response at my first Aldi! The one that I went too took a hood year to turn into a halfway decent store. The “nicer” one is just that… nicer… but still has a very “disaster at a TJ Maxx” feel. That said, some products are good and prices are great when you find those items. For me, the 1 consistent thing is a really good selection of cheeses.

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  19. We primarily shop at Giant, but I do find discounts on eggs, dairy, meat, bread & produce at Aldi. Any way to save a buck here and there in this economy works for us. I do also occasionally pick things up at Wiess & Wegmans too. The Aldis in our area are nice with ample self check outs.

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  21. We have a few Aldis here, and people in general do love them. My MIL raves about Aldi’s. It’s not my kind of store, as it’s generally too limited on products.

    However, a few months ago I needed ingredients (ground meat, lots of veggies) to make our dog food, and I didn’t want to venture to Costco; it really is a lot cheaper, and Peanut and Biscuit had zero complaints about their food.

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  23. I have been Aldi quite a few times. But after so many years not being in one, I hope to go in fairly often again.

    The layout you describe and uncleanliness does not happen at my store. (I am in the UK.) And after not being in some years and going back again, I found everything easily. I am not a brand shopper. But when I was last there some years ago, I remember some cereals I bought, I would not buy again. And there was a time after some months shopping, that the fruit wasn’t good as it was. I observed at my last shop some fruit and that seamt alright. But I could not vouch for the other fruit and veg because I was on with a list and only getting a few things. Which those, I will get again. But I am not going to be able to get everything from there. So, I will have to use supermarket still. Or somewhere.

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