Has Anyone Tried Aldi?

We have new Aldi in my neighborhood and I bought a couple of bags of food on opening weekend to try it out. My review is pretty mixed. I "sampled" a cross section of items, from boxed goods to dairy products to frozen foods. I thought the two cheeses I bought were sub-par, and the orange juice tasted like cough syrup. (I have no idea how that can even happen!) The chocolate covered shortbread cookies were so bad my pre-school daughter would not even finish it. I think Aldi's strength is in the fresh fruits and vegetables, which were fine and very inexpensive. I also had two fabulous frozen dinners. I think it's just a matter of trying items over time and avoiding the ones you don't like.

Aldi's is a good store, but I personally can't get all of my shopping done there. I think it is a great store to go in, get everything that you can get, and then supplement at the other stores.

Their payment system is also a little differently. My sister couldn't use her check card there because they didn't recognize her bank (even though she uses TCF), but they do accept checks, so that works well.

In case no one told you, bring a quarter for a cart (you get it back when you return the cart) and bring your own paper/plastic bags. You can buy some for .05 and .10 each, but if your trying to save money, bring your own.

I've been using aldi for a while. It's always my first stop, and then I finish my shopping by going to Cub or Rainbow (which ever has the better deal that week). I get my veggies, canned fruits, cheeses, yogurt, milk and eggs, Pizza, shrimp, sometimes meat from there all the time.

I also will pick up their version of lipton sides, pasta syrup ect. There are some things I still prefer to buy name brand (soups for cooking ect) but that's just my personal choice. I've never really tried thiers. I find it's really good for a lot of the basic stuff. They do have very reasonable priced things like paper plates, kleenex and TP. Every week they have things they call "Special Purchases" and sometimes those are name brands you can find at other stores, only a little cheaper.

Hi Ann!

I have never been to Aldi's, but am thinking about it! We live in Champlin. Does anyone know anything about the Champlin location??? What are there delivery dates?

I am presuming that you are over on the West/ SouthWest side of the cities? I am on the NW side of the cities.

There is a great place in Anoka called Mike's Discount Foods. (I think there are three locations around the TwinCities.) It is good. They deliver every day.
Obviously look through everything prior to purchasing. Most of it is overstock (from what ever Rainbow has on sale that week, Mike's has the same except less expensive). They also have random loads of a variety of items. I have found that there is little savings on the milk, eggs, and frozen foods. The other foods have a significant savings. LOVE the produce section too.
It looks like a little hole in the wall store, but it has saved us THOUSANDS of dollars in the past few years (literally).
If you purchase $50 or more in one trip, they give a 10% discount for the entire purchase. They also have a Senior day (I think it's Wednesday...).
They take Cash, EBT, Credit, or Debit cards.
Also, if you purchase something there, and there is something wrong with it, they will refund your money. :)
Personal preference though!
Hope this helps!
We are trying to do the debt- reduction plan as well!!!

Blessings,
G. H

Our family loves Aldi. We are too on a debt reduction plan. We stock up on the frozen selections, salsa, tortilla chips, canned fruits and vegetables. They have also gone on to include some "gourmet" foods in their selections; which I have tasted and some are just delicious! I can't say I have tried the ketchup, but almost everything I have tried was pretty great, and has saved us a lot of money! You can can get twice the food than you would get at a Rainbow or Super Target. I do enjoy the fresh produce at the latter stores a bit better though.

It doesn't quite have the selection of Rainbow and Target but the prices are cheaper and the food doesn't taste any different. Personally, I wouldn't do my major shopping there, but it is great for stocking up on non-perishables or a quick trip for items like milk and bread.
You should definitely try it yourself- some people DO get most of their shopping done there. It's all personal preference.

I've been to Aldi. Haven't gotten too much there, but I really like their milk prices. I've also bought the pound packages of ground turkey. DH got some of their generic "doritos" the last time we were there and he seemed to like them... as they're gone already. LOL My only "issue" is that they don't take checks or (my) debit card, so I have to have cash and that's not something I usually have.

M.

It's definately for someone trying to save money. We stopped there for ketchup once because I didn't want to swing into cub/rainbow just for Heinz Ketchup. It was horrible tasting. It litrally tasted like tomato paste. That turned me off and I won't go again. To me, it was more of a waste of money because I couldn't use up that nasty ketchup and it went to waste anyway.

Hi
I come from the UK where we have Aldi so I have been using it for years both there and here. I love their produce and I think it is better then Cub, but not as good as supertarget. The Minnetonka delivery days are Mon, Wed, Fri so those are the days to go and get produce as it goes fast. I buy canned goods, , bread and chips from there - you can't beat their prices. Some of the goods like mac and cheese is actually made by places like kraft,they just package it for Aldi.

My best friends mom shops there quite a bit. I have only bee there a couple of times. You can't really get all of your food there, so you will probablly end up at the grocery store too. She told me that you don't want to buy meat there and if you are buying produce that Saturday is the best day to go because they aren't open on Sunday and usually sell the produce even cheaper to get rid of it. You also have to provide your own bags, so if you are buying a bunch of things don't forget! For us, what I would buy is not worth the gas money to drive over there. It's worth a trip over there to see if you like it or not, just thought I would give you a heads up.

hey Ann ... great question. I too love Aldi's for things like non-perishables and cheeses tho a small collection. I've just gotten into (again) my own yogurt and YoChee (Yogurt Cheese) making and almost always use only nonfat powdered milk for just about everything cuz I don't drink it maybe ... I use it in cooking, sauces, smoothies, etc.

Aldi's, as far as I know is a German Company that has been around for a long time and is still expanding internationally. I've never had a problem in trusting German made products. Of course their produce doesn't come from Germany or so I am assuming and some of it is par with and even better than the more expensive competitors. Given their selection, I've not had any difficulty with their produce section lately.

Like other ladies have mentioned here, I go to Aldi's first and for what I can't find there, I go to Rainbow or Cub.

I must admit that I also shop at Restaurant Depot for QUANTITY needs: spices, cheese blocks, dairy, juices, vinegars, blah blah blah... but this is like a Sam's club only geared to Food and Food Service accessories. And the only reason I use this 'club' is because I cook for Loaves and Fishes to feed between 300 and 900 people at a time. I do pick up some items for my own use and then move on to Aldi's for the rest for my 'many meals' as I call them. I have 3 1/2 hours to prepare from scratch with a staff of volunteers and one hour to serve. I love it.

I don't know that I've said anything useful here but Aldi's is always my first stop when I'm NOT feeding hundreds at one time.

Also, for anyone reading this ... for fun, should you want information about making and using yogurt and yogurt cheese to replace cream cheese, sour cream, creme fillings, mayonnaise, dips, etc. let me know ... it is so fun and the cheese mixtures freeze beautifully so that you can stock up and have something wonderfully in a hurry ... yummm, a YoChee Alfredo Sauce, and artichoke spinach dip ... possibilities are unlimited ... and the healthiest we can eat.

Bon Appetit ...

Aldi's is great, alot of their food does taste just as good as the pricier store brands are. But remember these are regular store brands from over seas. Yes normal paper like Toilet, paper towels, napkins, paper plates can be found here. Its got everything a normal store does but scaled down. Be careful when produce shopping though,if you produce shop during a produce delivery you get the best stuff most of the time. and if you wait you see alot more spoilage on some things. If you hvae 150 for 2 weeks you can definatly overfill your grocery cart easily. Specially if you shop to what you need over what the kids really want you to get. We shop there even though we dont really need to anymore.It may be cheaper, but you still get alot for your money

I've been doing the majority of my shopping at ALDI for over a year. I once figured out how much I save every week vs. going to Cub - $70 a week! I have 4 kids and we go through the staples pretty quickly so it's great to be able to save money on bread, milk, fruit and veggies - all of it. There are some things I can't buy there, like wheat tortillas, wheat buns, etc. There are some things I won't buy there like the dishwasher detergent or shampoo/conditioner. Overall, I'm very happy with the selection, quality and price! Good Luck :)

Aldi's is definatly cheaper than any other store...especially when it comes to milk! I always get my milk at Aldi's since skim milk is about $2.59 a gallon. Some things arent good (like the cheaper sliced cheese...but the "less cheap" one is good), but other things are even better than the expensive brands (like the canned veggies!). I always go to Aldis now and stick up on whatever they have and then finish my grocery shopping at Cub. Good luck!

My husband loves Aldi. He went to buy fresh fruit and veggies there last week and bought four bags full for $45.00. Great deal. I don't love it so much. I had cash one day and decided to stop in, but then realized I was like a dollar short and tried to use my debit card which did not work and they don't take checks. I ended up having to make a second stop to get the last thing on my list, and I hate making more stops than I need to with a two and three year old in tow. I'd rather pay a little more and make one stop than save a buck and stop twice. I love super target because I used my target card to earn cash for our schools, but I pay it off every month. It takes a bit of disapline to plan for the bill when it comes, but the interest rate is huge so I make sure I keep track of my purchases there so I can pay it off every time. I've had the card since last August and never had a problem. I also buy the brands with the boxed tops for education when they are on sale so that I can send in the box tops to school as well. Every little bit helps! I am of course a public school teachers' wife, and have three kids with one in the mpls public school system. We cut coupons, keep track of the sales, and try to purchase the target or cub brands when then are less expensive, and are all for saving every chance we get.