Seasoned Aldi shopper here, and annoyingly proud of it! Cannot recommend Aldi enough to people (see below for my Aldi overview). This location is only 5 minutes from us which is nice, but it's definitely smaller than the nicer suburban stand-alone buildings. I heard this was one of the first locations in MN: it is in located in a strip mall, so spacing is a little tight. They just remodeled in 2017, and expanded slightly, but we found selection is still not as great as other stores. That's the only reason I'm deducting a star. Otherwise the staff is always incredibly warm, HELPFUL, and patient which makes for a nice shopping experience (let's face it, we all would rather be doing something else, so every little bit counts!).
Why I love Aldi:
- INEXPENSIVE! That is reason enough to make the switch, folks. Seriously, your monthly bills will thank you. This is a common theme as you continue below.
- Fast! I'm always amazed at how quickly I'm in and out of the store. I try to time my visits on off-peak hours, but even when I end up going at 2pm on a Saturday, I still get through a long line within 5 minutes with people in front of me and shopping carts full. They build their store around that concept (multiple bar codes on each product for fast checkout at the cashier).
- Quality. At first I was really skeptical of Aldi because of the prices. But I must say, I'm amazed at their produce and now meat. Consistently good, if not great.
- Organics: The amount of organic options is surprising for a small grocery store. They are making a point to switch to mostly organics and "natural" in their products in the coming years. They already have a big line of gluten-free products.
- Cheese: Such a great variety of cheeses, including specialty cheeses that are on par with anything you would get at Whole Foods, at half the price (if not more).
- Pizzas: We've succumbed to looking in their freezer section every week for their specialty frozen pizzas! Great variety (always changing) and nice to have even for parties or quick bites.j
Paper products: The toilet paper matches the quality of Charmin at 60% of the price.
- Misc: They always have seasonal shopping items, whether it be home and power tools, fitness gear (I've actually bought quality socks and undergarments that are better than Under Armour!), cooking utensils, gardening tools and supplies, holiday decorations.... It's always changing week to week, so you have to check the ads and be quick, but you can find really inexpensive alternatives to name brand items that match the quality. read more