ALDI Grocery Store (Hickory, Lincolnton, Toast: buying, pricing, shoppers)

[cynwldkat]

I find it odd that so many people in our immediate neighborhood are skepitical of Aldi's. It's like someone told them something bad about it at one time or another and now they won't even venture into the store. We were new to the entire area so we checked out all the stores here. At first I was turned off with Aldi's as it is a different kind of store then I had been use to. It took a second trip with an open mind and the willingness to give it a chance. Now we are hooked!

[lumbollo]

^You didn't specify where you live, but in parts of Charlotte there is a mindset that simply won't shop at any place other than Harris Teeter. Aldi's could be giving away gold coins and they would still go to HT.

[cynwldkat]

Ha! That just might be it! I live near Albemarle, not to far from Charlotte. What is so funny is most of these people are on limited incomes too. If they only had any idea of how much $$$ they would save!! Not everything cost less but most things are a lot less.

[NCyank]

Originally Posted by lumbollo

^You didn't specify where you live, but in parts of Charlotte there is a mindset that simply won't shop at any place other than Harris Teeter. Aldi's could be giving away gold coins and they would still go to HT.

I find the same is true when doing any kind of bargain shopping, couponing, etc. Some folks don't want to appear like they 'need' to use coupons, buy generics or shop from the clearance racks and such. Well, I may not 'need' to do those things but I'm not too proud to save money where I can. I'm happy to shop at Aldi's to get a better price or drag my coupons all over HT when they have triples or super doubles. Folks can pay full price if they want...I just don't see the point.

[vindaloo]

Originally Posted by cynwldkat

Ha! That just might be it! I live near Albemarle, not to far from Charlotte. What is so funny is most of these people are on limited incomes too. If they only had any idea of how much $$$ they would save!! Not everything cost less but most things are a lot less.

The problem with ALDI is that they lack healthy or low fat foods. If they have the extremely lean turkey meat or a special on vegetables or fruits, my wife and I will use them. Otherwise, we use other sources. We use Walmart, Food Lion, and Harris Teeter (when they have specials). When I moved to the area, I thought groceries were really high, but I learned how to shop at the different grocers, depending on needs, and now do very well. There is a Fresh Market down the road that we use when we need someting European or a special dessert treat that might not be available at the others and World Market is quite a drive.

[lumbollo]

At least with the one I went to, they had a surprisingly large line of their fit and healthy food stuff. They also had soy milk, and I did see boneless skinless chicken breast at prices that were amazingly low. Below even costco.

[Jimsim]

Hi all... I stumbled across this forum as I was looking for a Aldie group. Hope you dont mind that I am from Virginia. I have found that I am not insane and that others apparently share the same enthusiasm I do for ALDI. One member stated that VA has no ALDI's. There are 3 within 8 miles of my house (Manassas/Woodbridge area). I will sum up my opinion for what it is worth. Clean - Easy - Cheap - Fast. ALDI is all about keeping it simple with a twist. The twist as someone else mentioned is the weekly deals they make on certain products "name or no name" that interest me. Their inventory is not so big as you get lost in a forest of simlar items. Do you really need an entire isle devoted to paper towels lol. I actually now know what is necessary and logical to buy from a food store. I buy their wine. I like it. Beer on the other hand is good but am a Bud Lite fan and would glady change over to something in that caliber. German or Belgum biers are good but I prefer them in the winter. Thanks for listening. PS ... I am slowly converting my wife who is a SFW and HT fan.

[jamrasc]

Love Aldi's...can't wait for the one to open in Lancaster so I won't have to travel to Rock Hill. And yes, they do have low fat/healthy options.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by vindaloo

The problem with ALDI is that they lack healthy or low fat foods. If they have the extremely lean turkey meat or a special on vegetables or fruits, my wife and I will use them. Otherwise, we use other sources. We use Walmart, Food Lion, and Harris Teeter (when they have specials). When I moved to the area, I thought groceries were really high, but I learned how to shop at the different grocers, depending on needs, and now do very well. There is a Fresh Market down the road that we use when we need someting European or a special dessert treat that might not be available at the others and World Market is quite a drive.

The ground turkey in the refrigerator case is 93/7. The 20 oz. package is $2.49.

[Jim Ignatowski]

I was in the Denver store again last night. I took a more critical look around and noticed there was less of a packaged dried fruit assortment than at the Lincolnton store. Other than that, the Denver store is a bit larger than the Lincolnton store (and brand new) the stores are about even in everything else. I am eating a bowl of the Millville Cinnamon Crunch and it tastes just like the General Mills Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
The poster that said Shop Aldi first, then finish your shopping elsewhere is correct.

BTW, did anyone notice the really cheap gas station prices in the same shopping center in Denver?