Jingle Aldi Way

   Let me just say first that I am not being compensated for this post; it is purely my opinion and experience.  Okay, now that I've got that out of the way let me get on my outsidethesoapbox.  This will be more useful to my friends that have an Aldi store nearby, but you could also use this information to find a discount store in your area.

  I heard about Aldi's at least a decade ago.  The ladies at work and my mother-in-law shopped there and told me about the great prices.  At the time, I had my preferred supermarket and didn't feel like going across town (not that it is really that far) just to say a few cents on eggs. 

   One day my Mom and I were on our way back from an appointment and we stopped in to pick up a few things.  I was surprised by the prices on fresh fruits and vegetables and they weren't old ones about to be pitched.  I bought a few things and was pleased with the quality. 

  This month I did actual weekly food shopping there.  If you are brand particular it may be difficult to find every item on your list, but I was able to get our necessities.  I actually liked shopping in the smaller store since navigating the megamarts can take so long to just get a few things.

  I had an impression that it was cheaper because it was not as nice as the regular supermarket.  Then I read an article indicating that it was not due to inferior items but that they had lower overhead.  It is similar to the warehouse clubs but without having to buy huge quantities. Plus there is no membership fee to shop there.  There is no on site bakery, fish or meat department.  They only take debit cards or cash.  This was an adjustment for me as I tend to charge my groceries.

  You bring your own bags.  This does make a little work for the shopper, but it is probably better for the environment anyway.  One of the reasons for savings that surprised me was that colored packaging costs more.  By only printing a few colors on the box it made the item cost less.  Well, I'm not eating the package anyway!  Plus being an "outside the box" person I tend to steer away from heavily processed foods.  They have plenty of that at Aldis, but so does my usual supermarket.  Another way they keep costs down is to have you put a quarter in the cart so they don't have to pay an employee to corral the carts. 

   I am most satisfied with their fresh produce and frozen wild caught fish. I was able to purchase enough items on my last visit to make a week's worth of meals and at half the price of my usual store.  By using this option that will give me a little more jingle in my pocket and who doesn't want that during the holiday season?