One of the girls I work with swears by Aldi. My knitting group all like and use Aldi. I’ve heard great things about Aldi. Just never been. (That is, until today.)
What really changed my mind is when my friend added me to a Facebook group about Aldi Nerds. And I kept seeing this awesome stuff they were buying. And I felt I needed to join in!
So, I made the trip to our local Aldi, about 15 minutes away… and here’s how it went!
Preparing to Shop at Aldi
To get started, I knew I needed my own bags. (You can also buy some bags there at Aldi as well if you don’t have any reusable ones.) I packed up a small cooler and a few reusables and started on my way.
I knew I needed a quarter for the carts, so I was prepared! But to my surprise, we got a cart pre-loaded with a quarter! We had been blessed by a “quarter angel”! (You technically get your quarter back after you use the cart, but I passed along the quarter to keep the quarter angel love going.)
Shopping in Aldi
Inside we went.
There was a sales ad directly by the door, so we got that and flipped through it quickly. (Took my ten-year-old so he could help me load and bag things – he’s actually an amazing helper.)
I had no direct list or plan. This was the first trip and I was flying by the seat of my pants!
The first thing that really hit me was there were little name brand things. It’s all their own brand. This may take some trial and error to see what things we like in their brands and what things we don’t.
We did manage to get some of the very popular peanut butter cookies (I know – so not healthy) and we did enjoy their taste! For 98 cents, I could have done a lot worse.
We also grabbed some strawberries. The strawberries were AMAZING. I did not have to throw one single strawberry out – there were no rotted ones. They also tasted so good and sweet!
Manchego cheese was available, and that’s my son’s favorite cheese so we grabbed it as well.
I made a “kid’s cheese plate” for my son for his school lunch: strawberries, manchego cheese, and protein balls. I also packed him some yogurt that I got at Aldi!
I also went down what the Facebook group lovingly calls “The Aisle of Shame (AOS)” which is non-food products or the Special Buy section. It was very picked over at my Aldi, but I did manage to get a set of under cabinet lights that have a remote control. I’d seen these on my group!
Checking Out at Aldi
There was a long line when I went to check out, but those cashiers were all over it! They immediately got assistance and soon there were 3 lines and they were moving fast! It was impressive.
She scanned our items and placed them in a cart that was already waiting.
Once you finish purchasing your items, there is an area at the front of the store where they encourage you to bag the items. It’s basically a big counter. So, we moved over there and put our things into our bags.
When we were leaving, I gave my cart with its quarter still in it to a family going in.
Overall First Impression of Aldi
I didn’t buy a ton of things on this first trip. I bought about $48 worth of things, but as we try their brands, I imagine we will go back. I’d definitely go back for their Special Buy section (what we joked as the AOS earlier), as it had some very neat things in it that I haven’t seen elsewhere.
And guess what?
You can use your Ibotta app at Aldi! Even better!
Do you shop at Aldi? Can you tell me what food I won’t be able to pass up?? What do you like to buy at Aldi? Let me know in the comments below!
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