Aldi

[kbjesq]

48 minutes ago, rotuts said:

@kbjesq  

 

 go back ut stream and you will see my pics and further comments down stream.

Thank you, very interesting and the photos are a nice addition. I've not purchased the Aldi's mayonnaise, but on your recommendation, I'll try it. If I need mayo, I usually make it fresh but the other household residents here are Hellmans users. Made a mistake a brought home some "Duke's" brand once. I thought that I'd never hear the end of it 

[KikiAnn]

8 minutes ago, kbjesq said:

 

Very valid point. I've noticed that many cashiers are passive aggressive when checking your purchased items and throwing them into the cart (for you to bag later at the long counter). 

I solved this problem by nicely telling each cashier, before I place one item on the conveyor belt, that I've carefully selected all of these items and if they are damaged or manhandled during the checkout process, I will stop right there and request a refund and a consultation with the manager. 

Surprisingly, not only does my preemptive strike work, but I've actually been offered help with packing up my purchases. 

I believe that the majority of Florida residents are very old people. This could explain the special treatment at the checkout? I don't know, it's just a theory 

 

 

It's a valid theory. I have a certain way to pack the cart during the store run. A certain way of unpacking for The Tossing Of The Items. Otherwise, the lovely loaf of bread mentioned upstream is likely to be crushed by canned goods. Eggs are the only careful handling I see.

[AlaMoi]

those pix don't look anything like the local Aldi here.  apparently we're in Dumpsville.....

[rotuts]

clearly Aldi is minimally staffed.  while I was there there was only the check out clerk

 

there may have been someone in the storage area maybe not.  It was not a high traffic time

 

there was a line.  4 people or so.  and I felt sorry for the C.O.C. that she had to apologize to each person for the line

 

everyone was friendly so it didn't matter.  

 

if the store were the larger version that i think is in the Chicago Vids and the lines were as long as I think they might be  

 

what a nightmare for everyone.

[rotuts]

I found this on Aldi's :

 

https://prezi.com/iiszz3d-dt72/aldis-franchise/

 

I was tryiing to find out if Aldi's is franchised a la MacDonalds.  some stores owned by the company  some leased by franchisee  with

 

delivery of food from a BigMamaAldi regional depot  

 

hard to say  from the above   but it does list store size.

 

chicago has to be different  as least the vids Ive seen

[kbjesq]

@rotuts maybe you have solved the mystery. If some stores are owned by franchisees that could account for the wildly differing experiences of shoppers around the country 

[Deryn]

The Aldi you explored, rotuts, definitely seems much more appealing, neat and clean than I recall the ones I tried were. I will definitely try them out again when I go back down south. I am not likely to linger long in the mayo aisle but if they have good sriracha (I think I spied a case in one of your pictures) that may entice me.

[rotuts]

I can't imagine the chain 'making' their own stuff.  TJ's does ih some instances

 

its from major places that either sell them the same stuff which they rebrand or change it slightly 'just in case'

 

in in terms of Hellman's, results tomorrow.

 

but their brand is never on the shelf next to an Hellmans brand.

 

some major store chains have their house brand very close to the original so its a bit easier to tell.

 

 

[rotuts]

Here is aldi career's :

 

http://aldiuscareers.com/opportunities/

 

no mention of franchices

[kayb]

@rotuts, when you shop at Kroger all the time and use your loyalty card, they'll periodically send you coupons tailored to your buying habits. I got one the other day for a free jar of Hellman's! 

 

@KikiAnn, I've read somewhere that they will often offer appliances and other household goods -- sometimes seasonal -- at deep discounts. Overstocks, perhaps? A friend bought a gas grill for about $100 less than the local big-box was offering it.

 

 

[rotuts]

Ive never been to Kroger's   i doubt they have them in my area.

 

 

@kayb

 

a free jar of Hellman's! 

 

thats probably worth 3.99 - 4.99   for the Casual Shopper.   1.99 to me, the Seasonal Sleuth.

 

nice

[kayb]

1 minute ago, rotuts said:

Ive never been to Kroger's   i doubt they have them in my area.

 

 

@kayb

 

a free jar of Hellman's! 

 

thats probably worth 3.99 - 4.99   for the Casual Shopper.   1.99 to me, the Seasonal Sleuth.

 

nice

@rotuts, I was grocery shopping today and saw they had it on sale for $1.99. So I picked up a couple more jars, just for good measure. In addition to my free jar, I had coupons for 75 cents off and $1 off. Kroger knows I love me some Hellman's! And I am supplied with mayo for a while.

 

 

[kbjesq]

1 hour ago, rotuts said:

Here is aldi career's :

 

http://aldiuscareers.com/opportunities/

 

no mention of franchices

Oh well, the mystery continues! It's probably going to be super busy on Saturday, but if possible, I'll try to take interior photos of my local store. It's really quite nice, clean, and organized 

 

I've actually never paid the 0.25 for a cart because someone in the parking lot always offers me theirs when they have finished with it. I do the same; it seems to be customary to "give" the next shopper your cart. At least around here, as I'm learning from this thread, all Aldi's are NOT created equal! 

[kbjesq]

The "regular" price for Hellmans at the "regular" grocery store here (Publix) is currently $6.09 per jar. They make a big deal about their "bogo" sales -  they are having one this week in fact.  Even with bogo, however, that's still over $3 each

I'm going to get some of the Aldi's mayo this weekend and force my spouse to participate in a blind taste test!

[Tere]

I am still highly amused by the trolley discussion

 

One of the things I always do in a pop in is look in the middle two aisles for non food bargains. In the UK that can be great for kitchenalia or tools, also great for gardening gloves and wet weather gear. I will keep a sharp eye out for that food mixer / processor. I have never seen the need but if it is 60 quid....

[Tere]

Oh, the other thing that was fantastic at Christmas was their mixed luxury nuts. So fresh, so tasty. I might buy 20 next year and vacuum pack or split into jars. Really very good.

[kbjesq]

57 minutes ago, Tere said:

Oh, the other thing that was fantastic at Christmas was their mixed luxury nuts. So fresh, so tasty. I might buy 20 next year and vacuum pack or split into jars. Really very good.

The Aldi's here sells those mixed luxury nuts year round, my spouse eats more than his fair share.

I like to keep nuts in the freezer if storing for an extended period of time, for fear the oils will turn rancid. 

@Tere -  when you say trolley, is this the cart on wheels that you push around the store to hold your purchases? Here in Florida, I would call this a shopping cart? Or did I miss something else that's humorous. I'm really enjoying this thread. It's been fun (and eye-opening) 

[cyalexa]

@KikiAnn thanks, I'll watch for the blender!

[cyalexa]

@rotuts  I don't think it's Hellman's but it is definitely better chilled than at room temp. I have purchased the "boneless beef ribs" and find them well marbled and tender after braising. I think they are chuck but the way they are cut it is impossible to be sure. Served them to a cattleman (many of them here in OK) and he said, "that is some tender cow". If you are lucky you will find short dated beef marked half off. 

 

[Tere]

Yeah, shopping trolley is probably shopping cart in American English. The thing with four wheels you push round the store.

[HungryChris]

42 minutes ago, Tere said:

Yeah, shopping trolley is probably shopping cart in American English. The thing with four wheels you push round the store.

Not sure where I got that from, James Herriot books or the BBC, but it didn't slow me down at all. The simple concept of putting a deposit on the "trolley" (as well as not giving out plastic bags) is just great. I was first introduced to that in Italy, along with the practice of requiring one to put on plastic gloves before handling produce. Watching person after person, rifle bare handedly, through every head of lettuce in a bin and throwing the rejects aside, as if worthless, now really catches my eye, here in the U.S. and makes me wonder how much waste could be avoided by a change in policy. It also makes me wonder how many people have already handled, and thrown aside, that same head of lettuce I am looking at. I find myself going more and more to the items that have been sealed up to minimize the issue.     

HC

Edited March 24, 2016 by HungryChris (log)

[rotuts]

@Tere   

 

pics of the GB Aldi would be nice.

 

@cyalexa  

 

next trip Ill look into the beef ribs.   they didn't have much meat ( beef ) at my Aldi  but they did have some cuts $ 2 off so that they would move.   I saw nothing wrong with

 

their beef     ....    if you know your Cuts.

 

PS:  they did have a couple of Chuck Roasts that looked very good :  marbling etc.  they were cut a bit oddly :  the best looking one

 

was about 2 - 3 " thick, about 4 " on one side, and about 5 " long.  sort of like a thick steak.

 

had I been in a beef mood I would have gotten that   ( 3.98 lbs ) and the beef rib meat  ( 4. 98 lbs )

Edited March 24, 2016 by rotuts (log)

[Tere]

Sure, it might be a while till I go in though. It's not a regular stop for me and it's 25 miles away. I will pop in if I am passing though.

 

The layout and use of stacked boxes looks very very similar to your pictures basically.

[blue_dolphin]

No Aldis in my immediate area yet though they have just entered the competitive So Cal grocery arena, opening their first 8 stores today. All in the Inland Empire area, east of Los Angeles.  I'll be interested to see how they do and how much and how rapidly they expand.  This LA Times article says they have plans for 45 stores in the area.

 

19 hours ago, kbjesq said:

For elderly, the experience can be quite frantic. She needs someone to help unload the cart (speed is of the essence - those checkers fly through the process) and afterward, I help pack

 

Ditto to @kbjesq's observation.  Aldi opened in the northern NY town where I grew up in 1999 and my mom liked to go and look for deals, especially on the non-food items but stopped as she got older.  If it was busy, the whole check-out and bagging circus, followed by extra walking across an icy parking lot to get her quarter back was too much for her - and that lady who grew up during the depression was most certainly going to get her quarter back!  

[KikiAnn]

16 hours ago, kayb said:

 

I've read somewhere that they will often offer appliances and other household goods -- sometimes seasonal -- at deep discounts. Overstocks, perhaps? A friend bought a gas grill for about $100 less than the local big-box was offering it.

 

 

 

Since the blender, I've started keeping an eye on the Ambiano branded small kitchen appliances offered. I've seen a copycat Fry Daddy, for example. If I thought my Vitamix might break someday (!) I would stash an $80 Ambiano blender in my closet to replace it. They went quite fast. At my Aldi's, some shoppers wouldn't recognize it for what it was, but those like me certainly did.