and I am always amazed at how low the amount is when I check out. Got used to bagging my own groceries in Tokyo, and their bags are tough enough to reuse.
Not a lot of brand selection, but it is a great store for my purposes, because I do not buy much processed food these days.

Mostly canned and packaged food. Nothing fresh. Maybe we'll give it another try.

I shop at Publix (grandson works there), Sav-a-Lot, Aldi's, and Costco - entirely depending on how much money I have and what is on sale. Since pretty much all processed foods are not in my low-carb diet, my purchases are pretty basic.

I went to Aldi a few times and a lot of goods seemed to be unhealthy knockoffs of US brands.

I like Trader Joe's, but...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2659038/How-IKEA-Siemens-Aldi-profited-enormously-slave-labour-former-communist-East-German-study-shows.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldi

And some of those miles are on I275, downtown Tampa. So - not likely to try it.
Anyway, I shop mostly at Publix, Costco, and Sav-A-Lot, maybe once a month at Aldi. I mostly buy produce and meat because of the low carb thing, so I don't buy many "brands".

dish soap. Great selection on cheeses. Just great. They do carry a variety of brands on some items but not so many brands as some other stores.

On the other hand, we rely on the quality. It is rare that a Trader Joe's product is less than what we like.

is taking your life in your own hands.

If it is corn chips, since it is cooked, Country of Origin Labeling doesn't apply. A very large percentage of organic white, yellow and blue tortilla chips are from corn grown in Mexico and is certified by Mexico. It is not inspected again since the US accepts Mexican certification and since it is cooked, you have no idea it comes from Mexico.

If it is raw produce, it is labeled but not so for processed products even though the corn is 98% of the product. All the Mexican organic certified corn is grown south of El Paso near Chihuahua. Doesn't matter what store sells it.

Just three years ago I can't remember ever seeing any organics but now they have them. I buy canned tomatoes to store in the cupboard from there-organic and cheaper than any of the generics I can find in my area. They also have a lower calorie line called Fit and Active, which my kid loves. And they now have a gluten free line.

The key with Aldi is to go online and check the sale ad, then take a look around. If they don't have the product talk to the manager.

They bought it a few years ago

There are two Aldis, separate companies formed by the brothers. Aldi Nord owns Trader Joe's, while Aldi Sud owns the Aldi chain.

I'll have to ask my wife if she knows the difference. Thanks for the heads-up!

I hadn't heard that.

I haven't been there, but thought TJ was more about organic and small regional sourced goods than bargain basement prices.

It isn't locally sourced at all. Some of their stuff is organic, but not all.

But they're really good to their employees, compared to other stores.

http://www.whatsgoodattraderjoes.com/

I save approx 50% on my grocery bill. Their brands are as good or better than our major supermarket brands, except for coffee, which for some reason really sucks.

BYO shopping bags or purchase reusable bags for ten cents.

their coffee is the one thing i just can not get used to

before aldi's i did not think about "bags"...i have plastic shopping bags that are over 20 years old....imagine how many "bags" i have not used up (wasted) in that period

I was only there on a brief visit -- I would have liked to have had more time to get to know the concept (I'm easily amused and I have supermarket cards in my dog's name for markets from sea to shining sea).

sick when I see people too damn lazy to wheel their shopping carts to a safe place and leave it out in the lot. The wind blows these carts into your vehicle.

I'm in Roanoke Va. and it just announced yesterday that an ALDIs was coming to town.
We do shop at ALDIs when we are in Sebring Fl. and there products are very good, and, good prices.

Look forward to checking the store out after it's built. I was begging Costco for years to put a store here. Was very disappointed when they decided against it. Won't step foot in the 3 Walmarts we have.

The only time I've seen more than 6 cars in the lot is on opening day and Thanksgiving eve. I hate fruits and veggies that are prepackaged so you can't tell if the bottom is rotten. I'm annoyed at the cart thing. When their newspaper ads come out I always look at them to see what kind of gym wear, home furnishings or electronics they're cluttering their tiny store up with. When they first opened I did due diligence and compared their prices with those of the Hannaford's half a mile down the road and there wasn't much difference. I suppose if this was the only place to shop in the area it might be popular, but as it stands they're wasting a very nice building. The Hannaford's parking lot is always packed.

If they had located it away from a major grocery store rather than almost next door they might have been more successful. There are zero stores in the western part of town and an empty IGA they could have taken over, but instead they chose to practically abut their main competition. It seems whoever they hired to survey the market did a lousy job. I'll be very surprised if they are still there a couple of years from now.

shouldn't even be compared. It might be good if you wanted some particular
item, in bulk, and didn't care about the off-brand you have never heard of.

That said, I don't even think TJ's or WFs are "full service" - they have some
great items - but you have to also go to a regular grocery to get everything
you need.

Was about ten years ago. It took me 20 minutes to shop, but about 45 to check out. They only had one cashier for 15 people in line!

The chain bought out all of the Bottom Dollar Food stores here in PA with the intention of turning *some* of them into Aldi's and the rest into...vacant stores. Some of the Bottom Dollar locations are in lower-income neighborhoods that could now lose their only grocery store. I suspect that the Bottom Dollar in my town is soon to become a vacant storefront, as there's already an Aldi's a few miles away. This was our only food market located in a walkable downtown area, accessible to senior citizens and others who may not drive.

The selection in both the stores near us is limited...although it's the only grocery store I know that seemingly randomly sells cheap home goods including overstuffed chairs and lawn furniture.

In fairness the limited selection here (within Milw metro) is similar to what also occurs in modest supermarkets out in rural WI small towns not near Walmarts (as was Dave's Piggly Wiggly in Jefferson WI).

In general, we treat Aldi as something more like a convenient store,, and as there is one on the SO's route home, sometimes buy milk there.

AND I hate that you have to buy almost all of it in pre-packaged bags.

Plus the cart rental can be a pain, it's hard to find things, and you have to pay a surcharge to use a credit card which MORE than wipes out any cashback you might have w/ the card.

I am a recent convert and I am in love.

The employees are amazingly kind and helpful. And the prices? FANTASTIC!!

down by Oak Creek...better prices, better products, employee owned...or whatever the commercial is.

When I was teaching, I used to do more shopping at the little Sendik's (once upon a time a small Kohl's) in 'tosa, imo the local store that does best with produce quality and prices (except for expensive collard). I really don't think it's necessary to oil tomatoes to make them shine or lemon-juice dip root veggies to keep carrots and beets bright but it remains the only store within a few miles that regularly carries crinkly leaf spinach...which is great for breakfast crust-less quiche.

They do not keep popular items in stock well, the prices are RIDICULOUS and I think Dan Quayle works there. :/



Their soups are tasty, though so I end up there for lunch a lot this time of year.

There was one that went in in Elmbrook and it failed in a spectacular way.

The little store on North Ave in 'tosa is well suited to it's neighborhood; although pricey it is popular.

One not too far from here. Looking forward to checking it out.

They built a brand new store near me when my kids were babies. It was kind of the place where the smells and the quality of some of the food really made me hate being poor.
That store eventually went out of business, taken over by Goodwill, which was great for the community.
They came back several years ago to a nearby town. I stopped in one day because I needed milk, and I was greatly surprised. The milk was hormone free and about a buck cheaper than I usually paid. This inspired me to go back. We do at least half of our shopping there (great for basics and organic foods) and the rest of it at the nearest large chain store (one nice thing about the St. Louis area, the two big grocery chains are union).

The cart thing is actually kind of funny. If you are going into the store and someone is heading back to the store with their cart, you can give them a quarter and save them the trip. It can be a fun way to joke around with people.

I enjoy bagging my own groceries!

when I lived in the StL area.I would have to go to Dierbergs after leaving Aldis to get other stuff I needed,then quit going to Aldi's altogether after a while.

85 miles away, but Aldi's is only 5 miles away. I'd trade them in a minute.

refused to step foot in it. Then bargain-hunting got the best of me, and I go there for imported chocolate bars!).

However, they sort of make up for it as starting pay for a cashier is >$12/hr.

Just sayin.

You are supposed to grab a box or two or three that are almost or all empty so after checkout you just throw your crap in the box.

cheese, toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning products, toothpaste, etc. And I really like their random household things, although often it's just more useless crap that people seriously don't "need'. Sometimes there is an occasional nugget, but how much 'stuff' do we really need?

I like the shopping cart thing, it really prevents them from being left around the neighborhood or used as carts for the homeless population. Shopping carts cost hundreds of dollars, and each one that gets stolen increases the overhead costs of the markets. Keeping them in the market with a coin assures they remain clean and in good condition as well, always a bonus.

And bagging your own groceries with your own bags is extremely practical and cuts down massively on waste and pollution. They're a European chain, yes, and their practices could contribute much needed changes to the common US methods of grocery shopping and commerce, and even in terms of diet and eating habits.

Did they divest and I didn't hear about it? Aldi is their downmarket brand.

Also, you should try the Buford Hwy Farmer's Market at 285/Buford. Much easier to navigate and a huge selection of international foods. Lovely produce, quite reasonable. Bakery, fish, meats, cafeteria, etc.

They have *everything*!

as YDKFM but I do love both.

Yeah, local food is where it's at.

.... for those unfamiliar, these are generally smaller stores than the typical supermarket and the selection is definitely not wide.

You will see few familiar brand names here. Most items are packaged using one the the store's brands. But the good news is the products themselves are not second rate. In fact, I've gotten products that were superior to the name-brand competition as often as I've gotten inferior products.

My biggest complaint would be that things I'm used to buying is the large economy size, toilet paper for example, are not packaged that way at Aldi. So, I cannot get a good deal on those types of products as they only sell smaller sizes.

And not to forget, the prices here range from really good to really, really good.

finally got my college kid to shop at one
he was shocked at what he saved.

I still shop at Meijers (union and great produce section) for what I can't get at Aldi or Big Lots, but Aldi has good quality of a lot of things. Their hams are great and cheap (many meals there!), and I love their yogurt and butter. They are my go-to store, especially for baking items and coffee. Best place for nuts.

I shop there often and see all the athletes, the international students and recently the Greeks shopping there. (Some of the frats like hitting up the wine/beer section and also buy up all the fruit punch before a big party while the sororities tend to buy the fruit, the organic salad mixes and the yogurt in bulk.)

I know some of the kids and they'll stop and talk while we're all shopping. A few of the sorority girls were talking about how they'd just purchased a few crock pots and were planning on starting a "cleaner eating" regimen instead of eating in the dining halls. One of the girls said her mother had never been in an Aldi until she took her to stock up for their room.

Never been inside. I'd rather shop at the locally owned chain 150 yards further away. Great organic produce, meats and breads. It may cost a little more but I know the money stays in the area and the country.

us and since we have to be in that town a couple times a month we do shop there.

We really like the produce at our store, the baking products are great and we like a lot of their snacks. Chocolate candy is a bargain. We seldom buy meat but have gotten frozen chicken fried steak that is very good. Some of the specials they have are random so if we like something we stock up.

We have gotten burned a couple of times but that happens in our local Piggy Wiggy too.

Their staples are a good value, but the produce is not well-managed. I often find truly rotten (moldy) fruit and vegetables there, and have had a number of blunt conversations with the store manager in the location closest to us.

One of their biggest issues is staffing in order to keep up with all of the stock rotation demands. ALL of their hiring is managed at the corporate office, even for a part-time cashier. It can take upwards of three months to get someone new on board. The local manager told me just two days ago that he has two employees he'd like to dismiss but needs to keep the "warm body" because he has NO authority to replace them on his own. It's utterly moronic as an HR policy, but corporate insists on total control. This manager is not a kid, but rather has more than twenty-five years experience with other chains. He's ready to leave because of their iron-fisted policies.

We have neither Aldi nor Wegman's around here, but I wish we had Wegman's.....
http://www.wegmans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CampaignLanding?storeId=10052&catalogId=10002&langId=-1&clear=true&partNumber=CAMPAIGN_45795

And Trader Joe's. LOVE Wegman's (and miss it when on the road), but I started shopping at Aldi in September (there's been one near me for ages). I keep a running list on my fridge for staples I buy at each store. (FTR Wegman's is about 5 miles from me, TJ's about 10, and Aldi about 2).

I don't buy everything there, but since I had to do a lot of holiday baking, they were very good for baking goods (flour, sugar, etc) and have excellent prices on spices. An off brand jar of nutmeg was .99 at Aldi's and a name brand jar of nutmeg was $4.99 at Wegman's (half the size). Aldi does have a small selection, but if you know how to shop there it can save you a lot of $$$. If you're not picky about name brands that is.

I actually have to do a run there today. I'm serving chili nachos at a party tonight, and most of the ingredients can be bought there--- chips, dried beans (cooking now so I already had them), meat, canned tomatoes, etc.

...rocks. I grew up in Rochester NY, but have been away from there since the mid 70s. I shop there whenever I am visiting, and I wish they would come out to Illinois.

I have a TJoe's 0.7 miles away, and am probably there 3 times a week. If there was also a Wegman's nearby, I'd be sitting pretty.

What else is there to say...

Rochester, Pittsford and Canandaigua are all within striking distance.

Danny lives near Canandaigua so....
Plus the Pittsford store is the best !!!

There's really nothing quite like a Wegman's shopping experience.

The fact that they play equitably with their employees and community goes a long way as well...

I'll be headed to Wegman's for our weekly shopping list here in a couple of hours!

When I moved 450 miles away 9 years ago - I ended up picking my apartment based upon proximity to a 'taste' of home.

And - I have quite a few friends that are now in Corporate in Gates. Literally started bagging/cashiering when they were 15, went through college, grad school - and have never left Wegmans.

I'll pass. We have two in town. I walked in once to grab something real quick for dinner on the way home. I walked out empty handed once I realized that none of the produce or meats were fresh. If I wanted prepackaged crap, I'd shop at Walmart (haven't been in a WM in 7 years).

Publix is my favorite grocery store. Fresh food, good selection, and happy employees.

It's slightly different from the regular grocery stores but you get used to it (and always remember to bring a quarter for a cart after a while)

I can buy organic dairy alternatives for the same price or cheaper than the non organic at a large chain store. Rice that hasn't been treated with radiation is still less than 1$/lb! and don't get me started on the real maple syrup (LESS THAN 4 DOLLARS OMG)

Well, except for a $3 poinsettia.

It seemed to be a lot of prepackaged junk to me.

I do buy prepackaged junk at TJ's (in addition to staples), but it seems that the quality is a lot higher and the ingredient labels are a lot smaller. TJ's is also vegetarian/vegan friendly in terms of available products.

Both are very good stores with friendly employees.

How are the workers treated and paid?

Is this one more Euro import that treats Euro workers well and then move to America to join the exploitation (as in Deutsche Telecom and Ikea and Audi)? Or will it treat Americans trying to unionize fairly and not hire anti-unionization law firms?

I was not impressed and many of the food items looked questionable to me.

but not for meat or produce. The joke in the family is that their onions were used in a softball game before being put in the bins.

Really crappy selection of food in my experience.

The two times we bought produce there, it turned out to be rotten when we opened it the next day.

I'm sick of Wal-Mart .

Aside from my complaints of paying a quarter for the use of the cart, bringing my own bags and packing my own groceries, I do not like the food. What little produce they carry is of poor quality, the bread is regularly stale and 90% of every thing they sell is processed or frozen.

I have one near me and I normally do not buy produce or bread there. For things like baking goods (flour, sugar, etc), dried beans (can't beat $.59 a bag), spices, etc they are great.

I don't buy enough there to justify the use of a cart. I use the boxes that are being discarded as a shopping basket. I already bring my own grocery bags about 90% of the time so it is habit to me.

I don't find the savings to be such that it is worth all the hoop jumping I have to go through. I like having a bagger pack my groceries and having them in the cart by the time I'm done paying for them. I do not like rummaging through my purse for a quarter as I don't usually carry any cash and Aldis cart corral does not accept bank cards. It annoys me that I can't buy a fresh unfrozen chicken or ground burger. For me shopping there is just not worth the aggravation. Guess I'm just getting old and cranky

Some of it depends on the store itself.

The selection is poor. All the canned things have preservatives in them even though a similar thing at trader joes will not have preservatives. I've looked at the produce but never bought any because I can find better at other stores.
After going there a few times and leaving almost empty handed each time, I no longer intend to go there again.
I go to trader joes almost weekly even though it's in a different neighborhood and I have to schlep the stuff on the subway.

I've never seen one

As soon as the money flows, I'm back at Kroger.

When money is tight, Aldi is where I go for staples such as
bread, milk, hams, salads, cheeses and snacks. THEN I go to Big Lots,
THEN I go to Kroger for brand name products and a larger
produce choice.

When money is flowing, I go to Big Lots, THEN Kroger, THEN
local, upscale produce markets.

I won't buy chicken products (except for the chicken salads)
at Aldi. My kids are grossed out by their "nuggets".

Is delicious. Don't shop there often as it's not conveniently located and I'm usually too lazy to go to more than one place for groceries (that one place is Giant) but if I'm in the neighborhood I treat myself to a container of chicken salad.

But I will go there just to get it, if I'm in the mood.

but most of the stuff there is cheap and nasty.
It has been prolly 15 years since I was in one,did they change for the better?

The stores are all newer and very clean. They have several lines of house brands such as Millville and Fit & Active and others. And many of those are virtually the same as name brand counterparts for much better prices. For example, there are Weight Watchers ice cream bars that are vanilla ice cream swirled with either orange or berry sherbet that are sold in the major stores at $7.99 for a box of six bars. Under the Fit & Active brand at Aldi, the exact same bars are sold for $2.99/box. Light balsamic vinaigrette that's virtually the same as the Paul Newman brand sells for less than $2 and veggie straws that cost $2.50 on sale at Jewel sell for $1.79 at Aldi. Some things I like more than others, but I can't say that I've ever gotten.......or even seen.......anything there that was "nasty".

but my kid refused to eat the store brand ravioli way back,he would eat anything.I tried a bite and it was quite nasty,think that's the last time I went there.Glad to hear its gotten better.

and no, I don't like Aldis either. I much prefer Trader Joes, Wegmans, and a local ethnic grocery store named Global.

Edit to add: from their store locator, there are Aldis in Northern VA, and one in DC, too.

years ago for a United Way Agency for the visually impaired. We did lots of outreach programs in the county including a bit of G.town. Was in DC many years, now on the VA side, planning to relocate.

Yes, the selection is limited, but for staples, they can't be beat. Except eggs. They don't carry extra-large eggs. But for the things they do carry, their prices are significantly better. I like a number of their "Fit & Active" brand items, too. I've never gotten a bad piece of meat there (have a couple of pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the crockpot even as I type this) and the only issue that I've had with their produce is that things like potatos and onions come in bags that are too large for my needs. But the produce that I have gotten there has been fine and where I live, their prices on things like baby asparagus ($1.99 - $2.29 all the time) and cranberries (69¢ per bag as opposed to $1.99 elsewhere) are great. The thing with the carts is no big deal for me and it helps to keep the prices low. Oh, and the stores around here are always spotlessly clean.

I still need to shop at the "regular" markets in the area, but Aldi has significantly helped my grocery budget and I'm glad that we have them pretty much all over the place in the Chicago western burbs.

They deserve some support!

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/07/20/market-basket-warehouse-supervisor-fired-according-protest-organizer/GP6CcpuPSvUwglQTXfw6XL/story.html

Or did something go tragically wrong there?

I was looking through the thread for someone to mention the chain which only has stores in the northeast. Market Basket can't be beat for price, selection, and quality.
I would shop at TJs more often if they were located closer to me because I like some of their special items and sometimes don't feel like being in a huge market.
There is an Aldi in my area that I've been meaning to check out. Now I'm even more curious about it.

cheap lunchmeat and low quality cheese.

They do have some factory "fresh" veggies, but 95% of their stock is prepackaged factory food.

The good thing is that their condiments are relatively cheap and they do stock what can be considered "high quality" made in Germany foods.

But for the most part, most of their stuff is very unhealthy (but cheap and filling).

I shop there when I'm in brokesville sometimes. I'd hit a good local ethnic (latino or eastern european) grocery before I'd shop at Aldi's (when my bankroll is up).

Whole Foods or Trader Joe's, just Costco. I think One of those chains would do well in Anchorage, give Fred Meyer and Carr's Safeway some competition.

The store near me is small but clean and well stocked. The produce there is generally very good with excellent prices. The general food items are the Aldi brand for the most part, but I usually don't by packaged foods.

the other one they have in Europe not sure if in the states is Lidl.

Cheap, cheerful and full of good bargains.

Just remember to bring a quarter and lots of bags with you when you go.

But to me, the best grocery store in the world is Publix.

Trader Joes is hit and miss but I like that many products keep changing - there's always new stuff

In fact, it doesn't have the same stuff as Trader Joe's. However, I've been there a few times and it is a pretty good store. You just get off brands and have to really know what you're buying. Seems like all the canned stuff comes from Indiana. Reasonable pricing on things for the most part.

You never know if the item you bought last week will be there this week.. if you can deal with that and aren't addicted to name brands you will get some good buys.

...though I did turn up an article that said they were going to build one about 200 miles away.

I think I can wait.

I can't eat most of what they sell. A pity, the prices are good.

I'm on a very limited budget for four people, and there's no way to stretch it and be able to shop at other stores. We have Harris Teeter, Super Walmart (three!), Just Save, Sav-A-Lot and one other local owned store I can't remember the name of.* It's Lowe's. Duh.* Oh, and the local equivalent of Whole Foods. There are Trader Joe's and Whole Foods about 25-35 miles away, but I can't afford to go there. We also have a BJ's, which is pretty useless for me, as the selection sucks. Unless you want a TV.

I do look at sales ads, and know basic prices at a couple of stores, but most things we buy from Aldi. I don't buy boxed/premade meals, just basic ingredients, meats, fresh veggies, canned goods. I can't justify spending $1.09 per can for veggies, when I can get some just as good -- and with less salt -- for .49 at Aldi.

Our store has fresh and frozen meats, more organic and gluten-free stuff every time I'm in there, and the best prices on cheese, milk, butter, sour cream and stuff like that, which we use a lot of. Aldi's fresh pizzas are awesome, and don't cost any more than frozen. And they're big.

We get big bags of rice and sugar, specialty oils and some spices that Aldi doesn't carry, and other odd and end things usually from Wal Mart, since my son works there and some things come under the employee discount. Frozen foods I sometimes get from Dollar Tree, but usually from Just Save, since our Aldi mostly has those steam-in bags, or stuff with mushrooms.

I Love this place been shopping here for years, some people don't like it because of the selection i say to each it's own, however be warned that this will be the norm in the near future. Wegmen's 200 dollars half a basket, ALDI 200 dollars basket and a half you do the math.

Starting cashiers make almost $13/hr at the Aldi near me. Beginning mgrs make over $25/hr. But the Aldi business model is the kicker...each store is designed run with about 5 TOTAL employees. The cashiers and mgrs also take care of stocking, cart wrangling, customer service, etc. That is why they can sell so cheap. No bags, no bag-boys, no shelf-stockers. Totally minimalist, German efficiency. Also, don't expect name brands, as many others have pointed out. Aldi sells mostly its own stuff, plus a few added goodies. Produce is catch-as-catch-can, and much of it close to expire already (IOW, great for tonight's dinner, but don't plan on keeping in the fridge for very long).

And the store managers are technically not real managers since they can't hire or fire and they do all the jobs of the regular employees but work way more hours and get no overtime pay since they are listed as management. The District Managers are technically the real managers who do all the hiring, firing and ordering of goods for all the stores under them. So Aldi's basically saves money by using a loophole by calling someone a manager when they are not and getting more hours of work out of them.

There seems to be a "Now Hiring: Managers $25/hr starting salary" sign outside the Aldi near us every couple of months. If it's such a great job, you'd think they'd keep managers longer. I think the "managers" are no different than "managers" at Target or Walmart. They're just regular employees classified as manager to avoid overtime pay. Part of the business model, as I said. Minimal staff.

They have a great gluten free baking mix, as well as pasta and bread including burrito wraps which are as good or better than the high priced health store and supermarket brands. Their GF crackers and snacks are also very good as well.

The produce section is generally best (and affordable) for the basics onions, potatoes, mushrooms and various types of fruit--I always check the specials. What you won't get here are fresh greens except for packaged lettuces and spinach and fresh corn on the cob. Usually I don't like pre-packaged vegetables but I've never gone wrong with their peppers and zucchini.

You can't beat their prices on eggs, milk and cheeses. They have a nice goat cheese log which is about a buck cheaper than the same size cheese in my local Shoprite.

I like their German coffee (a bit pricy compared to their regular brand and some supermarket brands but well worth it IMHO). Occasionally they'll have some special ethnic foods--they had some Indian sauces a few months ago--the korma was so good I went back and bought a whole bag full!

What trips me up is the sometimes great stuff they have in their household goods department. I once went in there for potatoes and ended up with a hammock--it was a steal!

Our old store was dingy, had a weird smell and didn't have lots to offer, though I usually purchased my staples there. Our new one is fantastic-lots of organic, gluten free, international stuff, etc. The wine selection isn't awful and the price is good. Is it the best wine? No, but it's not bad. I have purchased meat that was actually better than the local grocery chains. And the cheese selection is always nice.

I don't buy much by way of canned goods, except for the canned tomatoes. (Yep, organic and cheaper than most of the generics around my town.) I do buy the spaghetti sauce sometimes, along with olive oil and some nice olives recently.

Like I said-it's a crapshoot. You have to go to the store to look. Some areas seem to have better items and produce than others. And for the record: I'm in West Central Missouri in a university town of about 25,000 an hour east of KC. Aldi is loved by the college kids, especially the athletes who buy the Fit and Active brand. (For that matter, my daughter loves that brand too and will eat anything with that label on it.)

One of the grocery stores I go to frequently is unionized, and the other is employee owned.

I shop there at least 2 times a week. Everything is so fresh and organic.