Aldi (Rochester, Marshall, Mahtomedi: how much, buying, college)

[ozzie679]

They are building a new Aldi in Waite Park (St Cloud). If anybody has been to one, are they a good value? Do they carry a good variety? Are they clean and spacious....etc.

[fromupthere]

There's one in Rochester. I haven't shopped there so I don't know about the value. You pay to use the shopping cart but you can your money back when you return the cart - sort of like strollers at the mall. I think you also have to pay for your bags. I heard some people in Rochester saying the one here at least doesn't take debit cards for Wells-Fargo and another bank. They do seem busy a lot though so they must not be a bad place to shop.

[MNNative]

Disclaimer: I have yet to actually visit an Aldi so my info is all from talking with others who have shopped there.

From what I've heard, you do need to pay for your bags (but I believe you can just bring your own instead) and everyone I know makes it a point to pay with cash when they shop there. I've heard that they can be good economically, however they aren't like a regular grocery chain that has the same stuff all the time. They can have something at one point and then once they're out they may not carry that item for a while or ever again. If you're the type of consumer who gets the same stuff all the time and likes to do so at one place, Aldi can be a bit confusing for regular shopping in that regard. If you do a lot of comparison shopping and really seek out your best bargains, then utilizing Aldi before your other shopping could be worth it to you.

[golfgal]

We have an Aldi here. I have been in there once. Yes you have to 'rent' your cart and either buy or bring bags. Much of what they have is generic and you aren't guaranteed to find the same thing each time you go there. I know some people that buy things like salad dressing, soups, etc. and they do save money. I don't know what they taste like though. Our store, from what I remember was clean enough, it isn't very large though.

[nick is rulz]

Its really the only store I will shop anymore.

Both my girlfriend and I hate grocery shopping but we dont mind Aldi because its significantly smaller than most other grocery stores. The quality of the items they sell is as good (and sometimes better) than name brand products. The only thing I wasnt a fan of was their breaded shrimp because it tasted like there was 3 times more breading than shrimp.

90% of the items they carry they continue to carry, although some of the items are name branded on discount. Go there sometime with $20 and just pick up staple foods. I think you'll be amazed at how much food you can get. On average we spend about $60-$70 for 5 bags of groceries every other week.

[asitshouldbe]

They sell a generic of the major brand for almost every product in the store. If you pick up a product and think, this looks just like Campbell's, it is. Most major brands sell a (generic). It is actually the name brand product labeled under the generic name. The funny thing is people think all the food is generic, its not. The magarine that looks exactly like Land o Lakes but is named different, guess what? It is the same product with different labeling. My aunt is a manager at Aldis and told me about the not so generic, generics.

[K-Luv]

Aldi is a discount store for food. Think of it in terms of Marshall's or TJ Maxx. The foods are not necessarily generics, just most of them are produced by smaller, regional processors from other parts of the country. Some stuff will just be overstock, while others are items that other stores don't want on their shelves for one reason or another. That doesn't mean the stuff is bad by any means.

Another thing is that, depending on location, they can either be okay or downright ghetto.

[taysantanamama]

I have shopped at the one in Mahtomedi a few times, I would get a few gallons of skim milk and freeze them(will only work for skim, and we go thru milk like crazy)and also great for cereals, snacks, propel, ice cream treats, baking staples, and I have had really good luck with fruits there. I have bought bread though that had a too chemically taste, and have a thing against discount meats and anything canned, but that is just me. All in all, I have been satisfied. BYOB(bags)which is a concept I follow anyway, so no worries for me.

[MPLSKATHY]

I have an Aldi less than a mile from my house. I went in all excited to check it out and left without buying much. I didn't recognize any of the brand names of food. I did buy some Era that was a good price but I normally buy Tide and they didn't carry Tide. When I got to the register and couldn't use my Visa and had to pay for bags, I was glad I didn't find a lot to buy. It's too far our of the norm for me.

[akronbball]

Aldi reminds me of other European grocery stores I have been, but is definitely different than store in the US. I did occasionally shop there in college to save some money, but they will not have the selection or variety of a full size grocery store. If you have extra free time and can go to more than one grocery store to get everything you need than it’s a good way to save some money. You are allowed to bring your own bags or I’ve seen people just have boxes in their car that they can put all their groceries.