Aldi

[HungryChris]

I went to my local Aldi this morning. I got 2 pkg of baby backs @ $1.99 pp, a watermelon, @$3.49 each and a few other items. But... they now have a permit application for selling beer and wine posted, which caught my attention. I was just wondering if they stock any interesting items in that category. Burman beer, perhaps?

HC

[Toliver]

I got a advertising flyer in the mail from Aldi's. I'm so on top of things I didn't even know there was one in town!

I see in the flyer the previously mentioned dehydrator and to my surprise, Porterhouse steaks advertised for $6.99/lb.  Zoinks! 

Guess I'll have to meander over this week to see it all for myself...

[rotuts]

@Toliver  

 

love to hear your review. Pics are always nice.

[Mysstwalker]

I guess I am lucky, the two Aldis I shop at are awesome, clean, well stocked, big selection, and so far, I havent tried anything there that we havent liked. My daughter shops at one in California that opened in March and she drags her friends with her to show them how much she saves lol.

[Toliver]

I visited my local Aldi after I got off work last night. 

I was floored, dumbfounded and just plain flummoxed to find out that this new Aldi was in the same shopping center as a SUPER WALMART.   

Really? 

I wonder who the marketing genius was at Aldi who thought opening a new location in that shopping center was such a brilliant idea? Instead of calling this store "Aldi" they should rename it "Edsel" for all the good it will do.

Here are the pics I took during my visit (sorry that they are not nice cleanly-focused images...they were taken with my iPod ):

Below, the new and shiny building with oodles of parking...because everyone else is parked over at the Super Walmart.  

 

Here are the quarter-for-a-cart carts. I was expecting more of a rail thing like you see at airports, but it's quick to use.

Nuts on the left, crackers, and then chocolate on the right. Wine on the left a little further down.

The produce didn't look anemic or old and had mostly reasonable prices.

An poorly focused picture of juices, deli meats, cheese, hummus with packages of chicken in its own mini case at the far end.

The Porterhouse which was on sale...technically, they were called "T-Bones" since the filet portion wasn't very large. The meat was cryovac'd and I thought the thickness was good. It had a "Sell by" date of Aug. 3rd which I thought was good.

Below, this is the opposite corner of the store from the entrance. Frozen meats, foods, veggies, etc, on the right along with milk, eggs, etc. That's an employee walking away with a clipboard who was checking inventory. The employees were all supremely nice and helpful.

Below, the checkout registers. Only Register 1 was open and I thought the cashier was rather diminutive but saw, when I went to check out, she was sitting in a chair! Really?

As mentioned by others, the check-out is odd. You can provide your own grocery bags, or buy from them paper bags for 10 cents or plastic bags for 15 cents. The checked items get put into a cart next to the cashier and your now-empty cart swaps with that cart and becomes the cashier's new cart. You move "your" filled cart over to a large shelf against the windows where you bag your own groceries. Then when you leave the store you take your bags out of the cart and push the cart back into the line of carts, connect the orange thingy on the handle to the previous cart and a quarter pops out which is now yours. Ta-da!

It was a nice, new clean store with no discernible odor. The employees were practically begging people to come back for more shopping. It's no wonder since all of their potential customers are busy shopping at the SUPER WALMART IN THE SAME SHOPPING CENTER. Doy! and Doh!

I thought prices were good to great on some items. They certainly beat Walmart on many grocery items. They did carry some common name brands of goods but most of what they sold was their own "knock-off" brand of popular items. I bought a bag of their faux Cheetos and will post in the snacking thread how they taste.

I did see the 19.99 dehydrator on sale but passed on it since I'd owned a dehydrator before that has the same plastic trays (hard brittle plastic) and didn't like them then and wouldn't like them now. And of course, it was an Aldi house brand so I have no idea about it in regards to quality or how it works.

I'd go back to shop there but it won't be very regularly. It's on the complete opposite side of town from where I live and I don't get to that side of town very often.

 

edited to add that there were four aisles in the store (which I didn't show in my pics). The entire store was similar in size to my local Trader Joe's store.

Edited July 22, 2016 by Toliver (log)

[rotuts]

thanks for the pic.

 

looks a lot like mine

 

id not worry about The Wall.

 

real estate must be affordable there.

 

less is better re the check out.

 

did you get the steak ?

 

 

[HungryChris]

The Aldi nearest to me is across the way from a super Wallyworld too. The prices will take care of things, in time. Would you rather pay $5.49 for a small watermelon or $3.49 for a bigger one? There are many things in Wally's that just are not that cheap, plus it is often a real pain to go in. Often, the smallest package at Wally's  is huge, say chicken wings at Wally's often are in packages of a dozen at $3.29 pp, and I can get a package of 6 at $1.99 pp at Aldi. The smaller package, alone will win me over, but the lower price just frosts the cake.

HC

[Martin Fisher]

Store looks quite a bit bigger than the stores here — but that's no surprise.

[rotuts]

based on the front view, which is more or less the width of the store

 

it about the same size as mine.

 

if you go to one that's bigger

 

consider a Front View Shot

 

out of curiosity.

[Martin Fisher]

Store looks much longer.

Fridge/freezer as well as the produce area are definitely larger.

No special 'organic produce' section in our stores.

 

ETA: Oh, and no wine section in grocery stores in this God forsaken, hell-hole of a state!!!

Edited July 22, 2016 by DiggingDogFarm (log)

[Toliver]

56 minutes ago, rotuts said:

based on the front view, which is more or less the width of the store

 

it about the same size as mine.

 

if you go to one that's bigger

 

consider a Front View Shot

 

out of curiosity.

The opening picture of the exterior was looking at the side of the store. If I had stood in front of the other side (to the left of what you see in the picture) it would have shown the width.

[Toliver]

1 hour ago, rotuts said:

did you get the steak ?

Yep, but it may be a while before it gets eaten since it's so ding dang hot here right now. The oven/stove isn't going to be turned on until cooler weather prevails.

[Mysstwalker]

My Aldis is less than a block away from Walmart, and it is always busy. I think ours is a tad smaller than where you went but its always sparkling clean and well-stocked. Especially on a day where I have had enough of people and hate to think of having to go to Walmart, I know I can go to Aldi's and have a nice calm shopping experience instead of being surrounded by a surplus of rude and stupid.

[DianaB]

We have Aldi in England but judging by your pictures our's tend to be much smaller.  We don't shop there often but we do take advantage of their free delivery on cases of wine.  On the rare occasions do visit a store we are more likely to come away with plants than groceries.  We have an Olive tree (miniature of course, this is North Yorkshire) that has made it through two winters so far, from Aldi in exchange for £10 as I recall.  We've also picked up bits and pieces of kitchenware, a first silicone spatula came from Aldi as I recall.

 

I received a letter from one of my ex students some years ago, he wanted to tell me he had just been made regional Director for Aldi.  In conversation later he explained that at that time staff in the stores were expected to memorise all prices, this pre-dated bar codes, also employees were expected to undertake any task required be it cleaning, checking out, shelf filling or whatever.  That applied also to the store Manager.  They were well paid in comparison to other supermarkets' staff

 

More recently I came across a short film about the beginnings of Aldi in Germany.  This YouTube link includes an abbreviated version (skip to 4 minutes in for the Aldi part).  This is the French version, I'm sure the German will also be on YouTube.  If anyone wants a translation I will happily produce it via PM.

 

I can't find the full version anywhere.  I do recall that everything is dictated to store staff to promote efficiency, including exactly how the Manager must arrange his desk - stapler Xcm from front right edge etc.  

 

The founding brothers shunned publicity, at least one has died since the programme was made.  I found a photo of them but as they seemed to do all they could to maintain privacy it seems wrong to paste it here.

 

Aldi has been a huge success in England in the past few years.  Since the financial crisis of 2008 they have upped their advertising and taken a large part of a market once the domain of a very small number of competitors.  They are present in France too but I'm not sure their growth their has been so notable.

 

 

 

[rotuts]

@DianaB  

 

thank you for the vid.

 

out of curiosity, how do wine prices compare at Aldi vs any other large retailer in your area ?

 

do they have their own labels  ( TJ's does ) ?

 

is their selection  " reasonable "  i.e. you can find a decent table wine  there fairly priced  and maybe wines a bit better for simple girds ?

 

probably not to many Latour '49 's

 

do they sell distilled sprints ?  if so , how do their prices compare ?

 

thanks

[DianaB]

22 hours ago, rotuts said:

@DianaB  

 

thank you for the vid.

 

out of curiosity, how do wine prices compare at Aldi vs any other large retailer in your area ?

 

do they have their own labels  ( TJ's does ) ?

 

is their selection  " reasonable "  i.e. you can find a decent table wine  there fairly priced  and maybe wines a bit better for simple girds ?

 

probably not to many Latour '49 's

 

do they sell distilled sprints ?  if so , how do their prices compare ?

 

thanks

 

Aldi has grown in popularity enormously here since the financial crises beginning 2008, their impact on the competition (mainly Waitrose, Sainsbury, Tesco and Asda, the latter Wallmart owned) has been such that each of the established chains has used advertising to promote its own 'no frills' range.  

 

The last few Christmas periods have seen hard sell from Aldi.  One year they promoted a 'three bird roast' for around the price of a decent free range chicken at our local farm shop.

 

I'll have to go and check out the labels, from memory they do not sell the brands already established, stressing rather that their own stuff is as good and better value.  I don't think there is an Aldi brand as such, tins and packets carry names that may or may not be familiar to shoppers of other German supermarkets, I suspect not.  Perhaps Aldi doesn't want to brand individual goods, rather a low priced shopping experience overall.

 

I will visit and update this if I am wrong in respect of brands.  I'll take a few pics if I can.  Last time I attempted to take a photo in a UK supermarket (undecided over a purchase, I was going to text the pic to my husband for his advice) I was obliged to leave the store due potential terrorist activity.  This is not a joke! 

 

We we buy bottom end wines and champagne from Aldi, they deliver for free and this fills a gap if visits to France have been limited and stocks are low.  Any wine in the UK is more expensive than France due to the amount of tax applied.

 

At certain times in the year Aldi will stock known wines, they sell spirits all year round but again I will need to check in respect of brands.  Their £11.00 a bottle Champagne is fine.  We buy Sauvignon Blanc or Merlot at around £3.80 a bottle, I like the Sauvignon particularly, would be fine I'm sure for MR.

 

Not yet found the Latour section, you can see the wines on offer here.  https://www.aldi.co.uk/wines/c/wines

 

I'll report further after visiting the local store, provided I'm not incarcerated for espionage.... 

[rotuts]

thank you for your extensive report.

 

I love the Nuts and NonEdible Bolts of Markets.

 

in the  [former sic ] USofA  they don't mind pics at all of their stores.

 

thank you for the wine ref.

 

if it were up to me

 

id have a very old Zinfandel for the red  and as fine a Chablis as i could afford for the white.

 

Ive noted this wine :

 

 

Yikes !

 

 

so that's bout 10 bucks a bot. ?

 

some time ago  TJ;s here had to Chablis :  one for 8.99 and the second one for 12.99

 

were indeed from le France and very nice

 

TJ's French Connection for some reason  has withered on the vine

 

Rats !

[blue_dolphin]

@rotuts, I know you were asking @DianaB about the UK Aldi selections but you can see some of the US wine offerings here on the Aldi website.  I don't see any labels I recognize there.

But if you click on the "Handpicked Wine just for California" link, there are quite a few well known brands.  No prices.  Apparently I will have to go to the store and report back.

[rotuts]

Rats

 

Aldi in my area, as far as I can tell, indeed the one I might go to

 

does not sell wine

 

[Porthos]

@blue_dolphin Since I have to go to 2 stores close to the Aldi store in my area I will check the price on the Crimson Roots Zin available here in California as a "research project". Crimson Roots is a label I have never heard of. I need to go to Total Wines soon so I will check to see if they have it also and compare prices.  (I'm a sucker for big Zins, don't know if this one would qualify)

[DianaB]

Many thanks @rotuts, I'd completely forgotten about Zinfandel, drank it often years ago before I moved to France. Over there it can be difficult (less so now) to find anything except French wine.  We did once find some extremely nice, very aged Rioja in a bargain bin.  It was around £1 a bottle, needless to say we bought all they had. 

 

[rotuts]

@Porthos  

 

Im very much a ZinHead

 

back in the day, Ridge / lytton springs / Ravenswood  < 10 a bottle

 

aged in the basement.

 

the last few bottle were 20 + years old.

 

I was unable to continue this

 

but it was the very best investment ive ever made

 

started in 1975   a carefully selected case here, 2 there  etc.

 

food to match !

[rotuts]

yes certain " grande sang de Toto " mimic Zinfandels

 

consider PM'ing

 

@Franci    

 

she know the European name for this grape

 

""  happy cooking ""

[Porthos]

My FIL is a longtime member of the Orange County Wine society. At Aldi The Crimson Roots was $10. When I see see my FIL tomorrow I will ask him his take on CR In.

[Tere]

1 hour ago, rotuts said:

yes certain " grande sang de Toto " mimic Zinfandels

 

consider PM'ing

 

@Franci    

 

she know the European name for this grape

 

""  happy cooking ""

 

Torres obliges: http://www.torres.es/en/wines/sangre-de-toro - Garnacha and Carinena (with squiggle). I would hazard that could be the Spanish name for Grenache and Carignan.

 

@DianaB was there a maximum distance for the free delivery out of interest?

 

I've found the odd interesting bin end in Aldi and they often do Tokaji for cheap at Christmas.

 

You guys nearly got the Ludlow Aldi pics due to train failure meaning I was stuck at Ludlow station for a while but the train started moving as I remembered to head there and take pics. The branding and store layout look pretty similar to rotuts' pics although on a smaller scale.