Aldi

 

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” in the house 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 finally secured and already 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, a short one. 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 (4 pounds for $2.79, for the hummingbirds), a nice-looking cantaloupe ($2.29) which was not on my list, some salad greens ($3.29), a large “cheap” jar of low calorie mayo ($2.89), 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. Items at check-out are put back into your cart.

As they say, when in Paree, we bagged our own so the check-out time was relatively quick. I found I liked deciding what went where in the bagging department. 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.

As promised, I returned to Aldi on a weekday and had a much better experience. I have to rave about my hummus find, an Aldi brand with pumpkin seeds. It was all I ate for lunch for three days, so good, and at $2.98 a real bargain. The go-with was a find as well, sour dough thin-sliced onion bread which I toasted and then spread with the hummus, a perfect combination. I found several absolute bargains compared to what I pay at Publix. A dozen large eggs were $1.66, a quart of almond milk for $2.49 and a container of strawberries for $1.79, unbelievable.

And the customers seemed more at ease, not rushing to shop and not rude. In fact, because I had only a few items, a young man ahead of me offered to let me go first, but I declined since I was intent on soaking up the ambience of Aldi. There was one woman with a child who talked very loudly as I was making my rounds through the store. She seemed to be explaining all her purchases to her four year old, what she was going to make, how great it was going to be. I wasn’t sure what to make of her, but I scooted down another aisle and soon lost her. And as I was having trouble reaching for my hummus, another kind lady grabbed it for me without me even asking. “I’m a little taller than you,” she said.

Another unexpected surprise was seeing my neighbor doing some shopping. We had a great chat about her very talented daughter who just turned thirteen. She is a budding artist whom I have done my best to encourage with books and supplies. They will be celebrating her birthday late, in June, with tickets to Hamilton in NYC!

So, I think Aldi (or Aldi as I discovered they pronounce it in Germany where it originated) is in my future. Returning the cart for my quarter means no extra work to me as I always return my cart at Publix. I need those steps! 

Another surprise I discovered online is that Aldi guarantees your satisfaction or they will replace and refund, no questions asked. And for those in the know, holiday items show up in the store around six weeks in advance of the particular holiday.

The savings are pretty stupendous, and I’m sure I will make lots more discoveries. I have created an Aldi account online to receive an email of their new weekly ad on Wednesdays (a day before Publix). I’m thinking I will like Aldi, at least I will give it a shot. Publix seems to keep going up on their prices every time I go to the store, and BOGO items are not the deal they seem when the single item price has doubled. Maybe a little competition is good for the soul…as well as the wallet. And doesn’t the underdog always try harder?