Before you GO to Aldi, here are some tips to make the trip go well.
1. Take a quarter with you. One of the ways that Aldi keeps their prices low is they don't pay out oodles of money to have employees chasing carts in the parking lot for rude people who won't return them to cart corrals. The carts are usually near the front (inside or outside) of the store, linked together by a clever little box where you insert a quarter and it releases the lock. Now....don't worry, when you put your groceries in your car and return the cart to the corral, you place the lock in the back and it releases your quarter. Sometimes a newly arrived shopper will give you THEIR quarter and take your cart for you :D.
2. Take bags with you. Another savings is not paying a teenager to bag your groceries for you. You bag your own. In this day and age where the recyclable/reusable bags are all the rage, you probably already have some. I have a TON of them. You can also buy bags at Aldi, too. It's 5 cents for a paper bag, 10 cents for a big sturdy plastic bag and $1.99 for a LARGE reusable fabric bag.
3. Get to know the manager of your store and find out when they stock things like bread, meats and produce so that you shop on a day when it's the freshest possible. (or for things like bread, they're only allowed to keep on the store floor for 5 days, so that 6th day they sell the bread left on the floor for .25 for .50 a loaf!) My local Aldi stocks their produce on Thursday mornings, so I try to shop on Thursday or Friday, if possible.
4. Prepare yourself to be blown away by their prices and not understanding how grocery stores can get away with what they charge for the same things!!! For example, I often buy the three pack of romaine hearts (I just adore romaine lettuce) for $1.69-$1.99 ($1.69 in the summer, $1.99 in the winter). My local big chain store sells them regularly for $3.99 for the same size package. AND...even if it goes on sale, it's still cheaper at Aldi. Don't even get me started on cereal!!!
5. Don't be afraid. Try the stuff. I know a lot of folks are scared on non-branded things. Don't be. My children PREFER Aldi stuff. I've had great coupons, matched with great sales and bought up a deal at a big chain, only to find that my kids prefer eating the Aldi version of the same food and snubbing the name brand stuff!
Okay, hope this makes your first (or your millionth trip) to Aldi a good one!
MORE TO COME!!!!
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I just like to tell you that I love Aldi. You can't beat the prices. I have found the same thing with me in name brand products. I also was told by one of my managers of Aldi that name brand company makes the products they sell but has to put the Aldi label on it, for selling it cheaper.
ReplyDeleteI would totally believe that! :) Thanks for commenting! :)
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