3 ms·

I never understood Aldi. Maybe I've just got a bad Aldi, but I was the opposite of amazed when one opened near me. I don't know what people are raving about.

I never understood Aldi. Maybe I've just got a bad Aldi, but I was the opposite of amazed when one opened near me. I don't know what people are raving about. Yeah, it's cheap... and it's cheap. Not bad or anything, but the hype seems odd to me. Whereas Trader Joe's is relatively inexpensive in contrast with the competition, and the quality is really good. I've really taken a liking to Grocery Outlet, which is a grocery store chain where a lot of overstock and discontinued items end up, but it's far better then 99 Cents Only. Their wine selection is pretty good as well. I find a lot of the same stuff there I used to buy at Von's and Ralph's for a significant amount less. These days I'm shopping primarily between Grocery Outlet and Trader Joe's, and sometimes at Sprouts.

realityking 5y ago
> And they just so happened to be under the same parent company as Aldi, strangely enough. Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd are different companies. They were founded by brothers and operate largely independent from each other https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldi https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldi
- ravenstine 5y ago
  How confusing!
deaddodo 5y ago
We have an Aldi's near me, and I have the exact same feeling. It's small, they don't have a ton of what I'm looking for and it feels like an EconoMart. So yeah, it's cheap in both vectors. That's fine, but not what I'm looking for.
jmyeet 5y ago
Here's how I think of Aldi's: it's like real-life loot boxes. I mean you don't actually get a mystery box but for a lot of people they go to the store not knowing what there'll be and I think a lot of people like that. It's like gambling in a way. This seems to really appeal to some people. I'm not one of them however.
kashura 5y ago
Aldi definitely varies by area, in my experience. We have 2 Aldis in our area and one was nicer than the other. Than they remodeled the older one and now they are comparable. I have every possible grocery chain around me and I still choose Aldi. Sure the selection is smaller and mostly non brand names, but that's why I go there. $50 can get you a variety of produce and meats, while $50 at a place like Publix gets you barely anything.

realityking 5y ago

> And they just so happened to be under the same parent company as Aldi, strangely enough. Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd are different companies. They were founded by brothers and operate largely independent from each other https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldi https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldi

ravenstine 5y ago
How confusing!

deaddodo 5y ago

We have an Aldi's near me, and I have the exact same feeling. It's small, they don't have a ton of what I'm looking for and it feels like an EconoMart. So yeah, it's cheap in both vectors. That's fine, but not what I'm looking for.

jmyeet 5y ago

Here's how I think of Aldi's: it's like real-life loot boxes. I mean you don't actually get a mystery box but for a lot of people they go to the store not knowing what there'll be and I think a lot of people like that. It's like gambling in a way. This seems to really appeal to some people. I'm not one of them however.

kashura 5y ago

Aldi definitely varies by area, in my experience. We have 2 Aldis in our area and one was nicer than the other. Than they remodeled the older one and now they are comparable. I have every possible grocery chain around me and I still choose Aldi. Sure the selection is smaller and mostly non brand names, but that's why I go there. $50 can get you a variety of produce and meats, while $50 at a place like Publix gets you barely anything.