Last weekend, I shopped at ALDI grocery stores for the first time but for sure not my last! Let me tell you why YOU need to shop at ALDI if you don’t already. Here are my top 5 reasons plus a $25 gift card giveaway for ALDI stores! (this is a sponsored conversation provided by ALDI. All opinions are my own.)
I had the honor to be invited to the ALDI headquarters in Batavia, Illinois the other weekend. I had a ridiculously good time! I met some new blog friends and ate some a LOT of yummy food. How cute are we, standing near the checkout in the ALDI store we visited?
I also had the privilege of getting an inisde look at an ALDI store. We don’t have ALDI stores in California. YET. I have some huge news – in the near future, there will be ALDI grocery stores in Southern California!! You have no idea how excited this makes me!
I’ve struggled to find grocery stores near me that have lower prices but also have high quality. Usually if the store has lower prices, things are unorganized or the produce is terrible or the overall selection is bad. Not ALDI. I have not one thing bad to say about this grocery store. None. And that’s the honest truth. No sugar coating here. I love this store! Let me tell you why. Here are my Top 5 reasons to shop at ALDI stores…
#1 – This is number one for a reason – you will save $$$.
There are so many ways to save money at ALDI! First of all, their prices are crazy low. We’re talking $1.99 for milk, people! It’s never under $3.00 at the grocery store I’ve been shopping at! The way they’re able to lower their costs is by:
- ALDI exclusive brand products are often manufactured by national brands and taste just like regional brands but they’re much cheaper! Win-win for sure.
- When you start your shopping experience, you place a quarter in the cart machine to remove a cart to use. When you return your cart, you get your quarter back. This saves YOU money because ALDI doesn’t have to hire someone to pick up carts in the parking lot. Very smart.
- You bag your own groceries. Not only does this save on plastic bag waste, but it saves YOU money because ALDI doesn’t have to hire an employee to bag your groceries. Not sure about you, but I like to bag my own groceries. I can put items where I want them in the bags.
- They also use a handy dandy pallet system (seen in my pictures below) that hold many items in one box. This makes it easier for the employees to place items on the shelves instead of individually placing one item at a time on the shelf. Again, this saves YOU money because ALDI is hiring less employees to stock their shelves!
It’s the “little” things like the cart system, self bagging, and pallet system that saves them money, and they roll that savings into their prices, making them cheaper for you and me.
If you haven’t been inside one of their stores yet, I encourage you to find one near you and go in just to see the prices on their products! It’s unreal. The cheese for example, look at those prices!
And chocolate. Oh, the chocolate…
#2 – Convenience.
Have you ever walked inside a Walmart and been totally overwhelmed due to the sheer size of the store? It’s hard to find what you’re looking for. ALDI stores are compact and easy to navigate. They have all the products you could want with the prices easy to find.
Don’t have an ALDI store nearby? Well, they’ll be adding 650 stores to 32 states in the next five years!
#3 – Better for you products.
This is another big one, guys. ALDI is known for their healthier products. While they still sell the yummy stuff like the world’s best chocolate (no, really. It’s the best), their products are more natural than most.
By the end of 2015, ALL of their products will have NO hydrogenated oils, MSG’s or certified synthetic colors. Period. Many of their products already fall into these guidelines, which is great for people who have sensitivities to products containing these things, or for those that just want to avoid them.
They have some great quality produce that they get fresh every day from regional growers, as well.
They also have these really great Specially Selected items that are a hit. One of the bloggers that toured the store with me said how amazing those cherries are below and how you can’t find them anywhere else. It’s a foodie’s dream section!
#4 – Quick, pleasant shopping experience & check out.
Going along with number two, it’s important (for me, at least) to have a quick shopping experience. I’m often dragging along at least two of my kids to the store with me, sometimes all four – so my grocery trip needs to be fast. It’s always a plus if it’s pleasant, too!
One thing that really struck me when I visited ALDI, was how quiet and serene the store was. I’m sure that sounds hokey, but it’s the truth! (and yes, there were kids in the store!) I think the reason is that you can find the products you want quickly and check out fast.
Cool fact #1 – ALDI has these super long barcodes on the back of their packaging so it will scan no matter what position. I’m a total nerd but I thought they were pretty awesome.
Cool fact #2 – The ALDI employees have these cool little seats that are ergonomically designed so they’re able to scan the groceries with ease and swiftness. In and out in minutes!
#5 – The Double Guarantee!
ALDI is known for their product satisfaction guarantee: 100% satisfaction or they’ll replace the product AND refund the money! Both. Not one or the other – both. That’s some serious confidence in what they sell. And from what I’m told, this guarantee rarely gets tested. 🙂
Thank you ALDI, for letting me tour the store and get an inside peak into the Test Kitchens. More on the Test Kitchen fun to come! Stay tuned…
So great meeting you Jen! We had a great time didn’t we? I hope those ALDI stores come quick to southern CA, you need them!
I like when Aldi has good produce sales.
I love Aldi! That’s where I get most of my pantry staples.
Their prices seem very reasonable when I have shopped were my son lives. We just got one close to us a few months ago. I haven’t gotten in the habit of going there yet. I need too though.
Thanks for the chance to win.
They have reasonable prices for the pantry staples.
we live in mid-Michigan and have shopped Aldi since they opened here. It’s always my first stop.
Aldi is where I do 90% of our shopping. I love it for the great products, orices and ease of shopping! Huge fan!
Great prices!
They have great prices & a huge selection
I like to shop at ALDI for the great price and products.
We have an Aldi close by. We shop there often for good prices and good value
Aldi does have good prices, but weekly sale prices at other grocery stores can be comparable. Also, I always try to look closely at Aldi’s fruit to make sure it’s not molding as that can regularly be the case
I LOVE there refrigerated pizzas! Seriously the best!!! Better than any take out!!!
The prices are what drives me to shop at Aldi stores. They can’t be beat!
Actually, I’ve never shopped at ALDI, but plan to very soon! Would love to have the gift card for the first time! Thanks for a great giveaway.
I like to shop Aldi because of the low prices and quick checkout.
I would love to shop there to save some money and for that yummy looking cheese and chocolate
I love to shop at Aldi because of the prices, especially on the produce!
I shop Aldis every week. The prices are great!!!
I love shopping at Aldi for my pantry staples because you just simply cannot beat the prices.
The prices!
It’s so funny to read about Aldi in different countries! I usually shop at Aldi in its birth country Germany 😉 I just had to go and check out the US website – super weird not recognizing the store brand names!! 🙂
Ooh, I hope we get an ALDI in San Francisco! It sounds awesome! Thanks for the fun post, Jen 🙂
I like to shop at Aldi’s because it’s convenient and their food is of great quality. I also love their special buys!
I love to shop at ALDI because I can save so much money on groceries!
I love their prices!
love their prices!
I like to shop there because I can save more money than at other grocery stores and still get great products..
My sister-in-law loves Aldi. I will have to check it out!
I like to shop there because their frozen shrimp is tasty yet inexpensive.
I love to shop at Aldi because of the good prices they have.
I like to shop at Aldi because the great prices and customer service.
thank you
Aldi is my FAVORITE store. When I moved states and lost my Aldi I cried about it all the time and they built one right next door to me a few months later. Never been happier at a grand opening in my life.
I love Aldi because the prices are so low!
What’s not to love about Aldi? Great prices, awesome selection of produce, unique packaged and refrigerated goods, and the occasional brand name steal. Employees are always really friendly, too.
I love the produce, spices, and bread selection!
I love their variety of products, that they bring in new and intreasting things to try and their prices!
I LOVE Aldi too! We just moved to an area with Aldi a year ago and I’ve been able to shave $15 per week off of the groceries for our family of 4!!
I love that their food isn’t only inexpensive, but good tasting too!
I really enjoy going to Aldi. I try to get all my pantry basics there as well as a lot of vegetables and fruits too.
I love shopping at aldis because they have great products at great prices.
Low prices? Check. Great selection? Check. In and out in under an hour? Check!
I haven’t shopped at an Aldi store yet. They just finished building one that is within 20 minutes from my house so I can check them out. Looks awesome!
I love aldi because they carry gluten-free, organic and non-gmo products at prices that I can afford. I love that I can fill my cart with healthy fruits, veggies, meats, etc. and walk out of the store for under $100.
I love shopping there because of the selection of food.
Their gluten free line!
I like to shop at ALDI because they have great prices!
Great news! As of March 2016, all U.S. Aldi stores accept credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express.