Who has been to Aldi? There’s a new one near me on Newberry Road. My daughter came to visit last Sunday, and we decided to check it out since neither of us had ever been to one.
First, she had to put little Murphy in his “cage” since it was too hot to leave him in the car for any length of time. Who knew how long we might be? After chasing him around, he was secured and moaning to get back out.
The ride was short, less than two miles, and parking was no problem. We remembered bags and a quarter…for the cart, you know. Even though we had never been there, we had done our homework. I took a list but hardly used it. The first thing on it was bananas, and, big surprise, there were none with the explanation of a fungus that was making them difficult to get.
For a Sunday, there were quite a few people doing their shopping and all seemed to be intent and purposeful, not talkative. Unlike my grocery store of choice, no one smiled, moved out of the way, or said “excuse me” when warranted. No music played in the background. It was pretty solemn.
So back to my list, I did find sugar at a good price (for the hummingbirds), a nice-looking cantaloupe which was not on my list, some salad greens, a “cheap” jar of mayo, brand unknown, and a toy for Murphy, also not on my list. I’m used to dawdling and looking about when I grocery shop, but my daughter, like the other shoppers, was all business, and she was soon ready to check out. With one register open and a long line, I have to say the buggies sped right through, and then, I saw why. Bagging by the buyer was done at a counter at the front of the store.
As they say, when in Paree, we did the same so the check-out time was relatively quick. Outside, we could either take the buggy to the car and come back with it to regain our quarter or get our quarter back now and carry our bags. We opted to carry as there wasn’t a whole lot.
It was a different experience, not unpleasant though, and I plan to return for a better look with more time to browse. It’s so close that I can’t resist. And, yes, Murphy loved his squeaky toy.
