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Old 04-26-2010, 08:59 PM
 
Location: Down the road a bit
556 posts, read 1,555,886 times
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Hey CD folks! Has anyone shopped at one of the new ALDI discount grocers in Fort Worth? Not sure they're for me, afraid it's all processed foods. I'd really like to hear what you think!
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Old 04-26-2010, 09:36 PM
 
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
165 posts, read 394,799 times
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My son and I shopped a couple of weeks ago for the first time at the Aldi Store on River Oaks Blvd. near Ridgmar Mall. Nice, clean store but limited in selection and stocked with Aldi's proprietary brand products. Prices were on the low side of average comparable to a well-known mega retailer. You should bring your own bags. My son bought some ribs for grilling and a needed paper bag was a few cents. (6?) Aldi, I believe, is German-based but local outlets are set up for local markets and tastes. They had decent fruit and vegetables as well and I didn't see any more processed foods than found at most supermarkets. Although I doubt they will put any larger competitors out of business, they can give conveniece stores a lot of competition because the limited selection also means less time looking for things, their prices are much lower than conveniece stores, and check out time was rapid and smooth. (except for the bag buying feature) Best to check out Aldi's sale's flyers that come out weekly-they do have some specials priced below competitors. Hope this objective feedback is helpful.
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Old 04-27-2010, 08:23 AM
 
37,315 posts, read 59,487,504 times
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most of their vegetables were wrapped in plastic and trays--so you could not pick/choose individual pieces of yellow squash for example

have been there twice--bought some meat (pork chops and sirloin stk--thought both were good)--did get pkg of squash, some store-brand Chex mix (not so good)
all in all--not where I would choose to shop but their meat looked good--don't know where they have it packaged because there is not butcher shop in store unless it is behind doors someplace...think they bring meat in pre-pkg but it looked very fresh...

remember only two registers at store on Precinct Line/Harwood in Hurst where I went--sometimes slow/awkward check-out because people don't always bring their shopping bags--sometimes they load stuff back in carts and take out to car and have boxes there I guess...
sometimes they need to buy a bag if they did not bring enough...
aisles are narrow--
enter store at one door only-and have to wind around through aisle --can't cut across to different area or choose other aisles as you can in most stores...
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Old 04-27-2010, 09:35 AM
 
Location: Fort Worth, TX
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Walked in...walked out. It was a new version of Jewel T.
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Old 04-27-2010, 10:31 AM
 
Location: Down the road a bit
556 posts, read 1,555,886 times
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Thanks for the info, guys! I love this board, good folks!

It sounds like the store is what I expect -- boy, I would not like finding pre-packaged fresh veggies, both for quality and quantity. I guess what I'd like to find is a discount store that is more Central Market. And I guess I already have that by using local farm stands......but no good meat markets around.

Loves2Read, thanks so much for the info about just two registers and having to follow a one-way path through the store. Oh dear! I'm not up for an amusement park experience at the grocer!
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Old 04-27-2010, 10:47 AM
 
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people who go into the store for first time clump at the front--and baskets are located outside the store in the pay-for racks--so if you go into the store with just a bag cause you are only going to get one or tow things--you can find your way blocked by people who are pushing a cart and stopping to shop--

it is NOT good layout design but the store is small and there is not the opportunity or desire I guess to have the larger footprint needed to present this store like other grocery stores

the two times I went there were 3 or 4 couples (mainly older than me and I am 60+) who were basically dithering because they were checking prices/items and because there is nothing that is LIKE what they know--they had no frame of reference--
they were not buying any of those things from what I could see--because front of the store has lot of chocolate and other snack type items--but they were just LOOKING--and creating an obstacle course--
hard to move three shopping carts around when there is only room for one and two people...

poor design IMO that is deliberate result of smaller physical plant/tighter aisles

I liked their meat--not large selection for fresh meat but it looked good and was pretty well-trimmed for fat so you did not have lot of waste--price was ok
so I would go there for meat but other stuff was take it or leave it
supposedly their private chocolate is good value for money
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Old 04-28-2010, 02:21 PM
 
Location: Edmond, OK
4,030 posts, read 10,712,276 times
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Yes, Aldi is a German store chain, and they sell predominately only their own store brands, and the descriptions the previous posters gave were dead on acurate. We have one not far from us, but I've only been in it once. My kids were leaving to visit Germany on a school trip and their teacher, a German native, told us that we should go there to find international calling cards. So I thought I would buy my groceries while I was there. Long story short, the only thing I bought was the use of a shopping cart, which I put exactly nothing into. They didn't even have the calling cards I went for. I won't go back.
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Old 04-28-2010, 08:40 PM
 
37,315 posts, read 59,487,504 times
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Jewel T is a good description--or small town Handy Andy if you have been in Texas long enough to know those...
I was kind of surprised that even though the store by me is a month or so old--it just looked like it was dated--
poorly lighted, narrow aisles--just not that welcoming
and the check-out is really the pits...almost as bad as do-it-yourself at Kroger

and I don't think there is beer there--or wine--from what I remember...
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Old 04-28-2010, 09:20 PM
 
367 posts, read 813,803 times
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I used to shop at Aldi twenty years ago in Missouri -at the time, it was a place you'd go to basically get staple canned foods and boxed goods (veggies, tomato sauce, and rice - their brand of rice vermacelli was pretty good,). I was VERY poor at the time, and Aldi was the cheapest there was.

For what it is, it's fine, but other stores - like Dollar General, even - have come along to compete in their low-cost, off-brand space.
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Old 04-28-2010, 10:10 PM
 
48 posts, read 122,514 times
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I just can't associate "off brands" shipped all the way from Germany, especially meats and vegetables and not want to vomit, let alone eat any of it! If this is stuff that even Germany doesn't want to eat then I don't want to eat it either, I don't care how many pennies for every dollar I would have saved. Gross!
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