Dear ALDI: I Was Wrong, and I’m Sorry

I’ll admit it. I used to be an ALDI hater.

As an advocate for healthy food and lover of organics, I couldn’t understand why anyone would want to shop at a place that displays their products in cardboard pallets instead of on actual, real-live shelves.

I couldn’t understand why a store would make you pay a quarter for a cart.

Where were the free samples? The yummy smells wafting from the bakery? The self-checkout lines? And for the love of preschoolers who have to pee, the BATHROOMS?

ALDI, I thought. Blech.

See, I’m a Trader Joe’s lover. I’m fully aware that both ALDI and TJ’s originate from the same embryo. I’m not a hater of German things, including their food stores. And, I own a Volkswagen. So there.

Yet, for the life of me, I just couldn’t figure out the ALDI appeal.

Then, I had a kid. And then, two years later, I quit my job.

And despite having one more mouth to feed, our food budget was cut drastically. No longer could I easily and breezily wade into our local super-duper market and “try” $5 artisans breads and $6 organic almond butters without a second thought. Goodbye disposable income; hello disposable diapers.

“Try ALDI,” a few of my friends said. “You’ll love it.”

Still, I resisted.

Then, one day, I happened to glance at the ALDI circular that appears in my mailbox each week.

I saw organic apples for $4 for a bag.

I pay upwards of $6-$7 for the same-size bag at our local supermarket.

“Ok,” I thought to myself. “I’ll just go get the apples and leave.”

I’m not gonna lie. I was somewhat nervous the first time I entered an ALDI. My tot, who was three at the time, was actually confused:

“Can I get a cookie there?” she asked, referring to the head-sized bakery cookies our local supermarket schleps to the kiddos.

“They don’t have cookies here.”

“What?!?”

“No cookies.”

“What?!?”

“They don’t have cookies here.”

Silence. Frown. Pout.

We arrived at the store, and were immediately confronted by the quarter-cart system. I felt, for lack of a better word, stupid.

“What are you doing, mama?” the tot chimed in.

“Good question,” I answered.

Upon entering the store, I was immediately overwhelmed. Although the store is small, you are instantly bombarded by rows and stacks and stacks and rows of products.

We tried to take in the first aisle, which was filled with chips, crackers and tons of processed food stuffs. Then, lo and behold, I discovered the section that’s filled with NUTS! We LOVE nuts, and I couldn’t believe the prices. Walnuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios, peanuts and dozens of trail mixes, all at $1-2 cheaper per pound than the “other” stores.

Meanwhile, E was pretending that the chain dangling from the cart was some sort of spaceship communication system: “Hello? Can you hear me?” she spoke into it. “I’m in outer space!”

Pretty much, yes.

Then, I saw that they have…organic milk? And yogurt? And kefir? In the cart.

And organic baby carrots? And lettuces? In the cart.

Whole wheat bread without those pesky yoga-mat fillers? In the cart. Organic honey? Grade-A 100% maple syrup, imported from Canada? Cart.

Organic frozen fruits and veggies? Yep, cart.

Organic pastas, pasta sauces, chicken and beef broths? You guessed it – in the cart.

So, my run to ALDI for a $4-and-change bag of apples turned into a $70-and-some shopping trip.

I packed my own groceries up (we are already fans of self-checkouts and reusable bags, so that wasn’t an issue), returned my cart, got my quarter back, and was instantly hooked. Sold. Sign me up for the ALDI fan club. Heck, maybe I’ll run for president.

These days, I spend most of my grocery money at ALDI and only run to the supermarket for organic meats and eggs. In a pinch, I have grabbed conventionally raised fresh meat from ALDI, but was never thrilled with the quality, so I typically avoid buying it there. I do often buy their “Simply Nature” deli meats, which are all-natural, uncured and nitrite-free.

If you’ve never shopped at ALDI, I encourage you to try it. If you’re confused as to wear to start, check out the blog Gimme Some Oven, where she’s posted a series of articles on what to buy at ALDI.

And that quarter-in-the-cart thing? They do it to keep costs down – if you return your cart to get your quarter back, that means they don’t have to pay someone else to do it. Smart. Very smart.

Are you an ALDI fan? Comment below and share your experiences!

photo credit: JeepersMedia via photopin cc