All about Aldi: why shop here?

If you loathe weekly trips to the grocery store, you may be shopping at the wrong store. If you’ve never shopped at Aldi, it may be worth your time to take a trip there. Here’s why you might love this unique chain of stores.

Nationally known brands like Pillsbury, Totino’s Pizza and Nature Valley aren’t available here. Aldi distributes its own line of products similar to any supermarket’s “store brand”. Aldi offers produce, dairy and canned goods in addition to personal care and a limited selection of items for the home.

Because Aldi stores are intentionally small, it’s faster to shop every section of Aldi than a traditional grocery store. Aldi stores have no customer service desk to staff. Managers wait on customers if lines become too long. It’s not a challenge to find a parking space at Aldi – it has the convenience of a drugstore – although the prices are far more reasonable.

Want to save money at the grocery store, but not interested in clipping coupons? You’re in luck. While Aldi does create a weekly circular with discounts – in addition to marking down some items such as bread reaching the “sell by” date – no coupons are required to get a deal at Aldi. On the other hand, if you’re used to getting the Sunday paper, clipping your coupons and seeing the savings totals add up at the register, it may be an unpleasant shock to learn that Aldi doesn’t accept coupons.

If you’re fed up with stores requiring you to give up your information and carry a card just to shop there, welcome to Aldi. The store won’t try to sign you up for a “perks”, “customer care” or “points” program and while there are sales from week to week, their prices don’t seem to fluctuate as dramatically as the big box stores.

If you’re disgusted by litter, you’ll be relieved that Aldi takes action to reduce waste. Unlike traditional grocery stores, Aldi doesn’t automatically bag your groceries. Shoppers can bring bags from home. Cashiers here are the quickest at doing their job of any grocery store I've shopped. Aldi’s parking lots are a safer place to drive than most other grocery stores because carts are contained and aren't scattered everywhere. A special cart rental system – which costs a quarter deposit to rent a cart – gives shoppers an incentive to return their carts to receive their coins back after shopping.