South Side Aldi's in the news again (Pittsburgh: home, buy)

[Jrn14]

Do you think the Aldi will have a negative effect on the SSW complex? They seem to have more boutique type stores will businesses be reluctant to move in there with an Aldi around the corner (not talking about safety just image), I guess it's kind of a rendundant question when there is a GoodWill right on the corner.

What is the deal with the proposed LA Fitness in the old Joe Beth Booksellers building.

[greg42]

Originally Posted by chielgirl

When I shop at Aldi Nord, there's Trader Joe items on the rack.

Yeah, but the Aldi stores in the US are owned by Aldi Sud.

There was a good writeup on Trader Joe's recently in Fortune magazine. Although people like to bring up this continuity and look for items which appear the same, the reality is Trader Joe's is not technically owned or run by Aldi Nord but instead owned by a separate family trust set up by Theo Albrecht (also the key owner of Aldi Nord, hence the connections) and is operated in its own separate hands-off way.

[chielgirl]

Originally Posted by jay5835

What are the best things to buy at Aldi's? I've only been to one once, with a friend, and I didn't need anything. I didn't see anything I recognized. Is the stuff they sell from China?

Let's see... it's a German store. Why would you think they sell Chinese products?

Their chocolates are good, as are their coffees. Choceur is a very nice chocolate.
They have veggie burgers in the freezer section.

I'd recommend that you look around if you're interested in what they carry.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldi
Aldi's German operations currently consist of Aldi Nord's 35 individual regional companies with about 2,500 stores in Western, Northern and Eastern Germany, and Aldi Süd's 31 regional companies with 1,600 stores in Western and Southern Germany. Internationally, Aldi Nord operates in Denmark, France, the Benelux countries, the Iberian peninsula and Poland, while Aldi Süd operates in countries including the United States, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Greece, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia (operating as Hofer in Austria and Slovenia) and Australia. According to a survey conducted in 2002 by the German market research institute Forsa, 95% of blue-collar workers, 88% of white-collar workers, 84% of public servants and 80% of self-employed Germans shop at Aldi.

Aldi has good weekly sales items. You can see what's on sale on their website: http://www.aldifoods.com/index_ENU_HTML.htm

Aside from the TJ stuff in Nord, the shelves are stocked pretty much the same in Nord & Sud.
Although there is local stuff in each country. For example, I'll buy some stroop waffles in Aldi Nederlands this week; and salted licorice (yum)

[BrianTH]

I think the reason why ALDI has such broad appeal in Europe is that it turns out that when it comes to most staple grocery items, even relatively wealthy people don't really care about name-brands and choice, as long as the quality is acceptable and prices are low. I don't really see why that model can't work in the United States, and I don't think it will be a problem for an otherwise high-end retail area.

[greg42]

It really doesn't do much good to describe what you find in German Aldi stores when talking about the ones here in the US, as the US ones are tailored mainly to what sells in the US. Food is of course sourced all over the world, not necessarily a good thing. (Just watch Food Inc. as I did recently. Should scare the crap out of you.) So yeah, some of the food in Aldi is sourced from China, as are typically the handful of hard goods they sell in there. True of most other supermarkets as well. I assume that's nearly as true in Europe as it is in the US, but I'm not 100% certain of that.

You do have to be beyond the concept of brand names to shop in either Aldi or Trader Joe's for the most part, though. While the products aren't the same (with TJ being much more upscale; Aldi is bargain basement here) the concept of having most of the store (upwards of 80%, maybe 90%) be private label, aka store brand, doesn't appeal to everyone. A lot of people are stuck on their favorite brands or favorite type of something which may not be available in a restricted selection store like Aldi.

In my one or two visits I personally did not find Aldi to be compelling enough to add yet another stop to my grocery buying. There's also not one that's particularly convenient; if it were right on the way somewhere maybe it would be different. But there generally seemed to be a lot of lowest common denominator equivalents to typical American processed food in there, which isn't what I'm interested in.

[mckeesport_alum]

Originally Posted by Milan S.

Aldi's will make a fortune at that South Side location. People can't wait until it is built. Why should Giant Eagle be the only game in town? Aldi's will be smack dab in the middle of a high-density area full of senior citizens and college students. Many won't even need a car! And after paying those high rents across the street, those people will appreciate Aldi's lower prices.

Don't forget they are converting the old Goodwill corporate building into apartments as well. Any grocery store will clean up in that location.

[rhondee]

Aldi's quality is pretty good. Like Chielgirl said their chocolate is imported German chocolate and is much better and can buy it cheaper than you can buy Hershey's here. It's a no brainer IMO.
They also have marzipan stollen, pumpernickel bread, wafernussen, rote cole and other great German foods. But since I'm German/American I appreciate these items, whereas others may not be that into German food like I am.

[chielgirl]

I found the comment about store brands to be funny.
My aunt worked at Heinz and I was able to shop at the Heinz outlet.
Heinz made Shop 'n Save store brand and many other labels.

Store brands are frequently made by the local major food manufacturers.

[rhondee]

Originally Posted by chielgirl

I found the comment about store brands to be funny.
My aunt worked at Heinz and I was able to shop at the Heinz outlet.
Heinz made Shop 'n Save store brand and many other labels.

Store brands are frequently made by the local major food manufacturers.

I agree. I saw a show a few years ago on the food network about Aldi's and many of the Aldi brands are national brands that are supplied to Aldi's, just " re-badged "under the Aldi's name.
The risk is buying an unknown or untried product, but Aldi's does offer a money back guarantee if you don't like it.

[chielgirl]

Originally Posted by rhondee

I agree. I saw a show a few years ago on the food network about Aldi's and many of the Aldi brands are national brands that are supplied to Aldi's, just " re-badged "under the Aldi's name.
The risk is buying an unknown or untried product, but Aldi's does offer a money back guarantee if you don't like it.

I love grocery stores.
I travel almost every weekend and was in the Netherlands and Belgium over the last few days.

I picked up some Mustard Soup at Albert Heijn in the Netherlands.
Of course, I'm adventurous in both food and travel; I understand that most people aren't.

I bought a case of stroop waffles at Aldi; several types of Dutch cookies for the office and to send to the States.
My car was filled with goodies from that part of the world; I've only emptied half of my car from my shopping madness.
I'm the personal grocery shopper for many people in my office, as well.

I like trying the best of all worlds.