| rev:text
| - I first visited this Aldi soon after it opened a few years ago, and was a bit put off by the lack of selection and some of their practices (see below). Recently, when my grocery bill doubled due to purchasing more fresh produce at Giant Eagle, I needed to find a way to cut some corners, so I decided to give Aldi a second chance. I'm glad I did, since it's grown on me, and my wallet is thanking me.
If you're new to Aldi, there are a few things you should know going in that will make your experience smoother and more pleasant. First, to get a shopping cart, put a quarter in the slot to the upper right of the handle, and when you return it and rehook it, it'll be returned to you. Second, make sure to bring your own bags (great for those of you who, like me, prefer reusable bags). Third, make sure to bring cash or a debit card, since they don't take regular credit cards. And fourth, know that their selection is somewhat limited (esp. for certain product types) and mostly consists of private label items--though I have purchased a few discounted national brand items here (Goldfish crackers, Jiffy cornbread mix, Mini Reese's cups, Jarritos soda).
The items that I prefer to pick up here are staples, such as milk, eggs, butter, flour, sugar, cooking oils, cheese, basic spices (check out the $1.99 vanilla extract!), all of which consistently sell for less than their counterparts (even for GE/Valu Time generic brands) at GE. There are also some off-brand imported items here that have been surprisingly good (in particular, I'd recommend the Austrian chocolate bars, the Torino cookies from the Netherlands, and the German whole grain mustard). In general, I've been pleased with the quality of the private label items I've bought at Aldi, with very few exceptions (the ice cream being one, due to its similarity to Breyer's--though the gelato is good). I've also been pleased with the quality of the chicken I've gotten from here (it's Tyson--I saw the boxes), including a broiler I picked up yesterday for $5 to make chicken stock. In terms of produce, the selection is indeed much more limited than GE, but they have a produce deal every week (e.g., $0.99/lb strawberries on Valentine's Day week), and even their normal prices are cheaper than GE's in most cases (e.g., $0.99 bag of spinach selling for $2.50 on sale at GE). I've generally been happy with the quality of the produce so far, despite that it takes me a week to consume produce since I live alone--though some items (e.g., yellow onions) have looked sketchy to the point that I abstained from buying them. If you're looking for a more extensive selection of inexpensive produce, try Stan's in the Strip District.
Because this store is a block away from the Market District, I like to hit both in one trip, which is very doable even without a car, and much more convenient than getting to Target, Trader Joe's, or Whole Foods. I typically stop at Aldi first, and then hit GE for things that I can't get there or for which I'm dissatisfied with the selection (produce, Greek yogurt, cereal, random items I need for recipes). Despite having fewer employees than the MD, the employees I've dealt with have been friendly and helpful, unlike most of the MD employees--esp. the checkers. I also hit the Dollar General, which I live a block away from, in a separate trip for specific items that sell for even cheaper there than at Aldi ($1 salad croutons, salad dressing, crackers, cookies, etc.). By shopping in this way, I've saved quite a lot of money, even without coupons.
If you're leery of Aldi, like I was at first, I'd encourage you to just try it out a few times and learn what products you like. Despite the preponderance of processed foods (which I try to minimize my consumption of), you can get many staple ingredients, as well as some decent fresh foods, here. Even by being selective concerning what you buy here, you'll save a significant amount of money.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)