I am a long-time lurker here and have read, time and time again, the great benefits of Aldi. I recently moved and now live close to an Aldi store, and today I decided to do my shopping there.
For reference, my normal method of grocery shopping is the Walmart grocery pickup service.
During my trip to Aldi today I purchased a variety of fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy products and pantry staples.
While shopping I felt like I was getting a good deal. I noticed several items that seemed, at a glance, to be cheaper. I came home and told my husband all about my savings, and how I got all of this for only that much.
However, as I put my groceries away I started to feel like I hadn't actually spent that much less than usual, and for my money I had actually come home with less than usual (as Aldi did not carry several items I planned to purchase, like lasagna noodles and Italian sausage, which store employees told me they just plain don't carry on their shelves). I wondered: how much would this have been if I had purchased it in my usual grocery order?
So, I went over my receipt and added each item to my grocery list in my Walmart app. Along the way I noticed several items that were definitely cheaper at Aldi - but then several that were definitely cheaper at Walmart. For most items I purchased, the prices at these stores were within 10 cents of one another.
The money factor: I was surprised - and honestly very disappointed - to find that my shopping trip would have been cheaper at Walmart by a couple of bucks.
The time factor: It took me about 45 minutes at Aldi to shop, check out and bag my groceries. And I did not get all the items that I needed - I will need to pick up some things elsewhere that Aldi did not carry. Normally it takes me about 10 minutes to compile and place my Walmart order, and about 5 minutes from arrival to departure at pickup time. I know others may not feel this way, but for me time was definitely an important factor.
The happiness factor: Frankly, felt frustrated several times at Aldi. There were several points where other customers were blocking the narrow aisles, much of the produce appeared to be in bad shape (some had visible mold), and the store seemed to be organized poorly. While the behavior of other customers is definitely not the store's fault, the way the store is organized seems to really exacerbate a lot of what frustrated me - like eggs being located in an area where only one person can access them at a time. To be fair, I have also had unpleasant experiences shopping inside a Walmart store, but the pickup service eliminates that. Either way, I left Aldi feeling tired and annoyed.
At the end of the day, I'm honestly pretty disappointed. After hearing so much about Aldi in this sub I thought this was going to be a game-changer for me, and make a big difference in my grocery budget, but obviously it was not. There are certainly factors that will sway this one way or another - for example, I was not purchasing organic produce, and that's one of the things that is consistently brought up here, so maybe pricing on organic produce is different enough to tip the scales toward Aldi. However, at least for my own shopping habits and goals, Aldi was a dud.
Regardless of the end result, I am happy that I tried Aldi out - I've always wondered about how much better it is, and now I know (even if the answer isn't what I'd hoped). Now I don't have to wonder.
If you haven't tried Aldi and are wondering about it, I would recommend trying it at least once - as I mentioned there WERE items that were cheaper, and if you're someone who needs a lot of items in that category, it could certainly be cheaper for you. On the other hand, if you're currently an Aldi shopper and are even the least bit unhappy with it, I recommend comparing it to something else. You might be surprised.
August 04, 2017 at 08:05PM
