Out of all the grocery stores in all of St. Louis to review, why in the world would I make my first review Aldi's? I mean, most people have only a faint or passing knowledge of Aldi, if they have any knowledge at all. And that knowledge is usually: This is the poor person grocery store.
Honestly, I can't really disagree with the stereotype of Aldi's. This IS the poor person grocery store. Let's face it, a store that sells loaves of bread for 60 cents doesn't exactly attract foodies. But allow me to amend the definition a tad. This is not ONLY the poor person grocery store, it is also the "save a couple bucks a week on staples if you're pinching pennies" grocery store.
I'll be honest, I'm a Schnucks guy. I don't have nearly enough dough to shop at Dierbergs (which my mom calls the 'supermarket for millionaires'...I don't dare to ask what she calls Whole Foods), and I'm a little too proud to elbow people for the last gallon of milk at Shop N Save. Schnucks allows me to save a couple dollars and retain my dignity. So where does Aldi come in? Well, if Whole Foods is a Benz, Dierbergs is a BMW, Schnucks is a Toyota, and Shop N Save is a Ford, then Aldi is the Yugo. Dirt cheap and zero-frills, but it usually gets you where you need to be.
A trip to Aldi's isn't just a shopping trip, it can be a mind-bending experience. I have to pay a deposit to use a cart? Is that food really as cheap as it says? Do they really only have 1 checkout clerk? Do they really only take cash, food stamps, or debit cards? Wait, not only do I have to pay for my own grocery bags, but also pack them myself? Is that smelly person actually buying 10 gallons of milk?
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, and (lord help us all) yes. If you've ever wondered "I wonder if they make a cheaper version of what I eat and I wonder if it's just as good?", then this is the place to find out. In most instances the answer is "good enough", but the more complex/better tasting the food, the worse it's going to taste.
The simple rule of thumb here is to stick to the basics. Milk, eggs, bread, butter, canned goods, simple frozen stuff. I'm not saying don't buy the knock off cupcakes, frozen "chicken breasts", or unripened fruit, but you're really on your own when you travel off the beaten path. Before you know it, you'll figure out what the ok stuff is, and save a couple bucks in the process.
To most people (sometimes including myself) Aldi is an afterthought...someplace that you drive by on the way to the "real" grocery store. I'll be honest, I wouldn't do 100% of my weekly grocery shopping here, but sometimes it's really hard to justify paying $3.50/gallon for milk at Schnucks when you can get the same thing for a buck less right down the street.
If your grocery budget is stretched thin from all the Whole Foods and Trader Joes stops, give Aldi a chance. Just don't look at it as a typical grocery store, more like a pop in/pop out type of place.
And no, you aren't on drugs. That can of peas really is 29 cents. read more