Keeping down grocery costs (Minnetonka, Brooklyn Center: 2013, brokers, how much)

[Cruz Azul Guy]

So I just recently discovered Aldi and it amazes me how much we're able to save on groceries compared to buying at Cub, Target, Lunds, Kowalskis. Yes they do sell a few inferior products here and there (don't go near the breakfast cereal, blech), but for the basic staples there is nothing close from a price standpoint. I'm wondering why more people don't shop there? Are people choosing to shop at Cub because they're getting sucked in by the gas discount? I really don't get it. If we shop at Aldi for a whole year I'm estimating our annual grocery savings to be a few thousand dollars.

[mr roboto]

We tried it for a while. A lot of their stuff is inferior. We eat mostly fresh foods (not packaged stuff) and the quality difference was enough to negate the price difference.

But I haven't been there in a few years so maybe it changed.

[Cruz Azul Guy]

That was also our impression several years ago but in the last few months of shopping there we have been very satisfied with the freshness and quality of their meat and produce. Their selection seems to have improved as well. I don't remember being able to get fresh pineapple, avocado, plantain, etc. but it's all there now.

[TxTnVtMn]

I live in an area of Minnetonka that is a bit of a 'grocery store desert.' Given that I prefer not to drive more than 10 minutes to grocery shop, we have no easy access to a Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, HyVee, full-size Lunds & Byerlys (we have the Glen Lake neighborhood store that is good for last minute or mid-week needs), or a Kowalski's.

I shop at Cub by default. I find the stores to be the epitome of complacency, perhaps the "good enough and not too spendy" mentality that might have characterized the Upper Midwest of old (I can only imagine this because I grew up out of region and moved here in 2013). Long story short, I would drop Cub in an instant if there were a more proximate option. My dream scenario is for HyVee to redevelop one of the shopping centers at Hwy 7 and County 101 in order to crush the Cub. Unfortunately I doubt we will ever get a HyVee in Minnetonka given the city's tight approach to development and HyVee's preference to build new.

What I will say in Cub's favor is that I do shop with high confidence that I am paying fair and in some cases discount prices without too much sacrifice in product selection or quality. I do draw the line at Cub's deli, which is a total joke. At Lunds & Byerlys, on the other hand, it is feast or famine: you are either getting a massive deal on the BOGOs, or getting overcharged on most other items.

I went into a Kowalski's for the first time just the other day and was blown away - I loved the vibe and specialty product selection. I am sure it is expensive, but I do wish one was a little closer just for the meats and cheeses.

[1stpontiac]

We switched to Aldi's a few years ago. I'll admit I was skeptical, but I'd say we save something like 30% on our food bills there. We've been pretty pleased with the produce quality. Some of the meats are a little odd, but we mostly just use frozen chicken, shrimp, hamburger, so things like steaks and roasts aren't a big deal. The basics are fine. We've come to enjoy the quirks and changes too...I look in the cupboard and find some unusual pasta or something and know that its just one of the things that rotates through and we might not see it for a while again.

There are always a few things we need that Aldi's doesn't carry, but we've got enough kids that we are at Target weekly anyways, so can fill in the gaps there.

[Simple Living]

Originally Posted by mr roboto

We tried it for a while. A lot of their stuff is inferior. We eat mostly fresh foods (not packaged stuff) and the quality difference was enough to negate the price difference.

But I haven't been there in a few years so maybe it changed.

Your comment used to be true, but not anymore. Try it again. It's changed dramatically. Their produce is excellent quality with incredibly reasonable prices... if you're okay with produce from Mexico and other third world countries where DDT is legally allowed to be used. It's not legal in the U.S. but the U.S. produces DDT and sells it to these countries who, in turn, grow their food with it and then sell that food to the U.S. But Aldi's organic produce is fantastic. If you buy non-organic, just wash thoroughly to be safe.

FYI: The best time to go to Aldi is first thing in the morning when they open. That's when all the produce is fresh, having just come in off the truck a few hours earlier. Also, when you go in the morning, you get your produce before everyone comes in and puts their grubby hands on it, bruising it, tossing it around, and is all around disrespectful and nasty to it.

If you come at night... good luck. And wash whatever you buy V.E.R.Y. well!

Source: Me. I used to work there.

Aldi's milk is actually Kemp's Select with an Aldi label on it. The Kemp's truck delivers it. Much of the bread is from Sara Lee. The beef is okay but I would avoid the chicken unless you're comfortable with Tyson's practices because all the chicken is from Tyson.

Their chocolate is legendary and award winning. It's from Germany and we had German folks (tourists and residents) come in and buy $200 - $300 of it at a time.

The majority of the cereal, as someone said, is crap. But much of the food is name brand stuff with Aldi labels, packed inside very cheap tins and boxes.

I don't know what's up with their ice cream. It definitely doesn't agree with me and I've not had that problem with any other store's/brand's ice cream. I haven't figured that one out but I definitely avoid it.

My personal favorite items at Aldi are the Evaporated Milk and the Sweetened Condensed Milk. I buy the E.M two cases at a time! I use them in my coffee and tea. They're definitely my biggest and most favorite splurge item of all time. Their Evaporated Milk is only 69 cents a can, as opposed to $1 more at Cub. (Plus, it tastes better than even Carnation Evap. Milk!) And the Sweetened Condensed Milk is only $1.39 a can. That's at least another $1 savings per can.

Quite a bit of their cultural products are shipped directly from their country of origin. Especially the German food items, which are outstanding. This is something that may have changed but I know it at least used to be true because ad items were periodically late because they were held up at customs or the international shipper was running late.

[Drewcifer]

The Restaurant Depot in Brooklyn Center is open to the public. They sell food at wholesale prices and in quantities aimed at restaurants, but if you strategize it and use your freezer you can make it work. A center cut pork loin is $25, it is what they make pork chops out of. There are usually 23 pork chops in a loin so you are looking at around $1 a pork chop. I get a 40 lb case of chicken wings a couple times a year, that runs about $80 a case. Don't buy them around the Super Bowl, they become much more expensive then (that lasts about a month. Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce is a steal at $12 a gallon.

I am a head chef so I know what stuff costs wholesale. Restaurant Depot is cheaper than Sysco or US Foods (because they don't have delivery trucks and staff to take orders). Some of their stuff isn't that good - I avoid their oil and am skeptical of their produce. Most of it isn't foodie grade, but most of it is perfectly acceptable and some of it is really good. Their meat is the same packer brands you have been eating at decent neighborhood restaurants all your life and is better than Cub. Their bittersweet chocolate is the same we used when I was a cook at Heartland. Their plastic wrap is miles better than any that is sold in grocery stores.

[Simple Living]

Originally Posted by Drewcifer

The Restaurant Depot in Brooklyn Center is open to the public. They sell food at wholesale prices and in quantities aimed at restaurants, but if you strategize it and use your freezer you can make it work. A center cut pork loin is $25, it is what they make pork chops out of. There are usually 23 pork chops in a loin so you are looking at around $1 a pork chop. I get a 40 lb case of chicken wings a couple times a year, that runs about $80 a case. Don't buy them around the Super Bowl, they become much more expensive then (that lasts about a month. Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce is a steal at $12 a gallon.

I am a head chef so I know what stuff costs wholesale. Restaurant Depot is cheaper than Sysco or US Foods (because they don't have delivery trucks and staff to take orders). Some of their stuff isn't that good - I avoid their oil and am skeptical of their produce. Most of it isn't foodie grade, but most of it is perfectly acceptable and some of it is really good. Their meat is the same packer brands you have been eating at decent neighborhood restaurants all your life and is better than Cub. Their bittersweet chocolate is the same we used when I was a cook at Heartland. Their plastic wrap is miles better than any that is sold in grocery stores.

I will definitely be checking this place out. Do you happen to know where they source their meat?

[Drewcifer]

Originally Posted by Simple Living

I will definitely be checking this place out. Do you happen to know where they source their meat?

They source it from food brokers which is the distribution tier above wholesale. So you are looking at big producers like IBP, Swift, Gold'n'Plump. They are the same producers US Foods uses so it is the same sort of stuff you would get at restaurants like Red Cow, Chino Latino, the Lowry, etc. It wouldn't be "foodie cool" but it is solid, reliable product.

[Simple Living]

Originally Posted by Drewcifer

They source it from food brokers which is the distribution tier above wholesale. So you are looking at big producers like IBP, Swift, Gold'n'Plump. They are the same producers US Foods uses so it is the same sort of stuff you would get at restaurants like Red Cow, Chino Latino, the Lowry, etc. It wouldn't be "foodie cool" but it is solid, reliable product.

As long as it's not Tyson when it comes to chicken, I'll give it a try. Tyson. :::shudder:::