Ironic, because the last time I went to an Aldi here in America is was a total rip-off.
Yeah the Aldi in my little town sucks. The produce is always in awful shape, their bread tastes awful, and if canned goods are cheaper, it’s usually because they are in a smaller size. It’s essentially just a dressed up Dollar General.
What kind of bread? The ones near me have over a dozen different kinds, including the sprouted 7 grain with organic ingredients and no enriched flours and that’s only like 3-4 a loaf. In my experience, their products were worse when they first came over decades ago, but now they are cheaper and have higher quality items - especially things like bread and chocolate. Their vegetables are like 25% of the cost of other grocery stores here and they’re great.
Care to elaborate? Was everything more expensive than competitors in you area or just certain things?
For me, the prices were comparable to Walmart but everything was lower quality, especially the produce.
They also just, don’t have as much stuff as Walmart lol. With Walmart+ same-day delivery, I haven’t gone grocery shopping in months.
The produce could be better, especially lettuce, but I have not had quality issues otherwise. A name brand is not synonymous with quality, and I find Aldi brands better than Walmart’s Great Value.
You also don’t have to deal with the massive store, crowds of unwashed masses, and lazy staff.
A high enough percentage of the stuff there was significantly more expensive than nearby grocery stores (idk about Walmart, I don’t shop there) that it was clear that even if some items were the same or cheaper price, to be thrifty I’d have to shop at a second store and I hate doing that unless I have to.
I like Aldi overseas. When I lived in Australia and Europe, it was my favorite grocery store, and it was cheap af, so I didn’t go in with a negative attitude or bad expectations, just to be clear. I was really disappointed though.
In my area, they either have generic brands that are cheap af but at least similar quality, regular name brands, or expensive imported stuff. Their name brands and their imported stuff are both more expensive, but particularly the imported stuff gives good quality and variety.
The fact is, in the states, aldi is not a one stop shop regardless. Their selection beyond staples is poor and sporadic. I see a ton of value going there first, getting what I can, and maybe snagging something interesting while I’m there. If I had to, I could live exclusively off aldi well enough, but it’d be a bit basic. I wish they’d expand a bit, but the niche they’re in right now is nice in its own right.
