What items should one get at Aldi?

[Tenacious E]

I'm guessing it's just whatever needed to be culled that week. Regardless, I'll never buy meat there again.

Have you gone more than once? It was quite the experience driving there in a 1999 Jeep Cherokee with original shocks. We stayed on the Atlantic side and it was very rocky so we didn't really go in the water there. We did go swimming on the Caribbean side and it was very tranquil. I enjoyed it but I am not sure I need to do it twice.

 

[yescyam]

Following. Never been in one, but the one in Sioux City just opened up last week. Wife (no pic) was gonna check it out on Sunday, but the parking lot was packed so she didn't attempt it.

 

[bdg8]

Never the Aldi brands, but once in a while they have great name brand meat products, like some prosciutto, Nathan's hot dogs, and the phenomenal ribs I smoked (and shared a pic of on here) were Hormel ones from Aldi.

Other than that, I like all their dairy products, eggs, salads, and fruits and avocados. They also have a keto friendly bread that I use.

That is the advantageous things Aldi and Costco have. They do not carry a national brand unless they get it at a price that is a value for consumers

Costco kicked Coke out temporarily several years ago when they could not agree on price.

 

[Tenacious E]

That is the advantageous things Aldi and Costco have. They do not carry a national brand unless they get it at a price that is a value for consumers

Costco kicked Coke out temporarily several years ago when they could not agree on price.

The power that Costco and Sam's have in squeezing suppliers is really quite amazing and beneficial for consumers. They do the level best to choke out profit margins for the suppliers, and sell those same suppliers' name brand products as Kirkland/Member's Mark.

 

[IACub]

Have you gone more than once? It was quite the experience driving there in a 1999 Jeep Cherokee with original shocks. We stayed on the Atlantic side and it was very rocky so we didn't really go in the water there. We did go swimming on the Caribbean side and it was very tranquil. I enjoyed it but I am not sure I need to do it twice.

LOL, not even once, I'm just talking about Aldi in general!

 

[Derekd3408]

We buy a lot of our stuff there.

Fruit
Veggies
Cheese (sliced and shredded)
Salmon
Garlic flatbreads
Chicken
Eggs
Carne Asada
Milk
Pasta
Pasta sauce

My wife has a list of things she gets every Monday and its about half price at Aldis. We used to avoid it because we thought it was only for poors, but I've been very happy with the quality of most items. Some stuff is pretty terrible though.

 

[hawkeyeandy]

Trivia: We’ve had an Aldi’s in Burlington since the early 70’s. I went decades without seeing another, until they started sprouting up all over a few years ago.

I did some poking around, and it turns out Burlington Iowa was their first U.S. location.

This is the Aldi where I conducted my "secret shoplifter" favor for the regional supervisor who was my 3-year roommate at U of I.

 

[hawkeyez]

We buy a lot of our stuff there.

Fruit
Veggies
Cheese (sliced and shredded)
Salmon
Garlic flatbreads
Chicken
Eggs
Carne Asada
Milk
Pasta
Pasta sauce

My wife has a list of things she gets every Monday and its about half price at Aldis. We used to avoid it because we thought it was only for poors, but I've been very happy with the quality of most items. Some stuff is pretty terrible though.

 

[TarponSpringsNole]

I regularly purchase half n half (1.55/quart), peanut butter (1.15), coffee, chicken wings, canned tomatoes, salad dressing and pasta.
Great savings and very good quality.

 

[Menace Sockeyes]

I haven’t been very often, but I believe their cereal, oatmeal, etc prices are pretty good.

Trivia: We’ve had an Aldi’s in Burlington since the early 70’s. I went decades without seeing another, until they started sprouting up all over a few years ago.

I did some poking around, and it turns out Burlington Iowa was their first U.S. location. I would love to know how that decision was made.

Ask and ye shall receive. The connection was Benner Tea Co. and Giant Grocery's conversion in Iowa City. The Iowa City location actually failed, but not before a successful launch in Burlington, and then Des Moines and parts of Illinois and Missouri. Really interesting piece of history detailed in this article, complete with pictures of the first ever Aldi ads in America, printed in the Iowa City Press-Citizen...

The Forgotten Story of Aldi's U.S. Debut

How a future-focused supermarket executive attracted Aldi to Iowa City and crafted “the first new merchandising idea since the supermarket

www.winsightgrocerybusiness.com

 

[QChawks]

These are like crack

 

[Brian_Fantana]

We have a new one by our house and also do a lot of the basic shopping there. They don't have some of the spices/sauces my wife likes and outside of their ground beef and chicken, the meat selection can be spotty. That said, the prices compared to Lunds is ridiculous.

Only thing that is a bit annoying to me is they rarely have more than one checkout open so can be a bit slow checking out.

 

[orod741]

Everything but fresh meat really. Their sausage and bacon is ok and the kids eat the hotdogs. As others have said, dairy and produce are great along with eggs and bread. I like their El Milagro tortilla chips in the brown paper bags over any other brands from any stores. The random crap isle also has some good stuff. I bought a knock off insta pot there a couple years ago that i uses quite often. Also found some xmas shopping deals there including puzzles and a hotwheels track for the kids.

 

[bdg8]

The power that Costco and Sam's have in squeezing suppliers is really quite amazing and beneficial for consumers. They do the level best to choke out profit margins for the suppliers, and sell those same suppliers' name brand products as Kirkland/Member's Mark.

And the private label items are more profitable for them than national brands

 

[HugeEddie]

I buy lots of stuff there. Usually avoid meats, might buy ground turkey. Eggs, milk, veggies and fruits, bread, canned goods, chips, wine, cheese,etc. I probably save 30% or so vs other stores. They are a German company, so have good German food.

 

[THE_DEVIL]

Aldis has a very reasonably priced healthy bread selection.
Avocados are to kill for at a great price
You have to look for it but they have a lot of organic/non gmo products.
Cheese prices are decent

 

[On Iowa]

I usually go there knowing I'm not going to get everything on my list there. For what I can get there, it's a good value and acceptable quality. For canned goods, dry goods, some produce (I inspect produce pretty thoroughly) and dairy, it's great. For meat, I would pass. Cheese is great. As long as I go there knowing that I'm still stopping at Fareway or Hy Vee, I'm not disappointed.

 

[tarheelbybirth]

Bread, milk, and eggs alone make it worthwhile - WAAAY cheaper. Unlike some here, the meat selection at ours is good though for anything special I'd go to Costco - truthfully their prices on meat aren't necessarily better than you get at a grocery store. We like some of their Mama Cozzi's stuff - especially the frozen pizzas. The Simply Nature brand is pretty good - and "organic" and GMO-free. Watch the produce...it is generally riper that what you get elsewhere and can go bad if you don't use it quickly. We've gotten strawberries there that didn't last the week. Avoid name-brand offerings....rarely cheaper than a regular grocery store.

 

[Menace Sockeyes]

Bread, milk, and eggs alone make it worthwhile - WAAAY cheaper. Unlike some here, the meat selection at ours is good though for anything special I'd go to Costco - truthfully their prices on meat aren't necessarily better than you get at a grocery store. We like some of their Mama Cozzi's stuff - especially the frozen pizzas. The Simply Nature brand is pretty good - and "organic" and GMO-free. Watch the produce...it is generally riper that what you get elsewhere and can go bad if you don't use it quickly. We've gotten strawberries there that didn't last the week. Avoid name-brand offerings....rarely cheaper than a regular grocery store.

Mama Cozzi's stuffed crust and cauliflower crust are both worth buying.

 

[BGHAWK]

Wine

Winking Owl approximately $2.84

 

[ping72]

Mama Cozzi's stuffed crust and cauliflower crust are both worth buying.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that unless it’s free, a cauliflower crust pizza is not worth buying. 🤢

 

[Tenacious E]

Aldis has a very reasonably priced healthy bread selection.
Avocados are to kill for at a great price
You have to look for it but they have a lot of organic/non gmo products.
Cheese prices are decent

Thanks Lute.

 

[joelbc1]

Joel did you ever get your fence put in?

Nope...reassessing the scope...hellsbells, to replace the fence is the price of a new car! Serious money....I’m going to “patch” a couple of sections...and maybe replace on side with vinyl...still thinking, though.

 

[hawkeyez]

If any of you like the Samoas Girl Scout cookies (Purple box), Aldi has a 100% legit knockoff for about $1.19.

 

[StormHawk42]

Dairy for sure. Notably, cheese and cream. Bulk chicken breasts. Chicken broth, pasta, snacks like off brand crackers or cookies.

They have good stuff for charcuterie.

Surprised at so many people saying produce. When we’ve gotten fruit there, it’s usually a day away from going moldy.

 

[ConvenientParking]

Dairy for sure. Notably, cheese and cream. Bulk chicken breasts. Chicken broth, pasta, snacks like off brand crackers or cookies.

They have good stuff for charcuterie.

Surprised at so many people saying produce. When we’ve gotten fruit there, it’s usually a day away from going moldy.

I guess I almost never get fruit besides a bag of apples. For produce, I get these regularly from ALDI with no problems: romaine lettuce, onions (all kinds), peppers, potatoes, carrots, celery, tomatoes, cabbage, squashes

 

[Rifler]

Don't shop at Aldi, however I've recently heard a lot of good things about them,.. Just don't have time to grocery shop at multiple locations...

 

[joelbc1]

Don't shop at Aldi, however I've recently heard a lot of good things about them,.. Just don't have time to grocery shop at multiple locations...

I’d stay away if I were you rifled. Shopping at Aldi will change you into a Euro liberal before you know what hit you!

 

[Rifler]

I’d stay away if I were you rifler. Shopping at Aldi will change you into a Euro liberal before you know what hit you!

Probably right,.. Might start watching the Hallmark channel and voting Democrat,... shudddddder

 

[BABiscuit]

Tip, for your first time, go at a non-peak time. The aisles are not setup for browsing. You get your shit and move on.

In addition to their shredded and sliced cheese, some of the artisan cheese is good. Their brioche hamburger buns are awesome.

I priced out 50 staples from Hyvee and Aldi and it was about 78% cheaper to buy those 50 items from Aldi.

 

[anon_ddojbbh8q7xrt]

Keto bread

 

[Car-go]

Their split top chicken breasts are amazing. Monster honkers and cheap per lb. smoke up very well

 

[Tenacious E]

Their split top chicken breasts are amazing. Monster honkers and cheap per lb. smoke up very well

Are those from chickens that die of old age?

 

[Rifler]

So is Aldi's a bring your own bags and fill them yourself sort of place?...

 

[Jedhawk77]

So is Aldi's a bring your own bags and fill them yourself sort of place?...

Bring your own bag or grab yourself a box from the shelves.

Someone earlier was talking down the pizza but I think Mama Cozzi rising crust is a half priced version of the Digiourno. It's not quite as good but damn close. Also to the ketchup snob I feel like the Burman version is just like Heinz.

Many of these have already been mentioned.
Bread/especially the sourdough
Eggs
Cheese-sliced and chunk
Caramel Delight Girl Scout knock offs
fruits/veggies
seasoned French fries and tots
French onion dip

 

[tarheelbybirth]

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that unless it’s free, a cauliflower crust pizza is not worth buying. 🤢

Don't knock it til you try it. I will say I prefer the Costco offering but the Mama Cizzo's are not bad.

 

[tarheelbybirth]

So is Aldi's a bring your own bags and fill them yourself sort of place?...

Bring your own bags and rent your shopping cart. But they do offer curbside service now.

 

[hexumhawk]

Best Bets:
Fruit/Veggies
Snacks - chips
Milk/Eggs
Beverages (Wine/beer)

OK:
Bread/ Cereal
Dairy
Frozen Goods

Not Good (Usually)
Meat

 

[ConvenientParking]

So is Aldi's a bring your own bags and fill them yourself sort of place?...

That's where a lot of the savings come (not because they're selling fake food). They don't pay a small army to keep shelves stocked and items nicely displayed. When a box of canned soup is empty, next box is opened. The don't bag groceries or corral carts either. Very low service, very low prices.

 

[Hendy hawk]

The only bad things I see about Aldi foods is they have swung to far to cheaper non food items(in my opinion) and their staffing is low and there has to be 6-8 persons in a line before they open a second register.
otherwise I like shopping there