Upon the building of the new Aldi in Mt. Juliet (just north of the interstate, not far from the new…read moreWalmart shopping center, I looked at the website, to determine the value of such a facility for quality and value. And for the most part, I am satisfied. There are some inconveniences, but they are all tolerable, and not worth making Aldi an intolerable place to shop, but overall, I like it, and will certainly return.
To begin the store is excellently clean, and well organized. The place is perfectly well lit, and all items are perfectly easy to find. Beyond this, the store does not suffer from the annoying (and intentional) habit, of putting basics, such as bread, produce, dairy, and meats at different ends of the store. All are practically lined up in the rear of the store, which is welcome.
Prices are very satisfactory; I examined prices of items including milk, eggs, soda, and frozen foods, and indeed found them similar, or even cheaper than Walmart. They rely heavily on store brands, leaving the customer with few nationally known, and almost devoid of premium items. This is understandable, and keeps prices down, as they don't have to raise the generic prices in order to subsidize costs of the national brands.
The merchandising is minimal, and many of the products rest on boxes of the same product, crates, or basic metal shelving. Pricing is very clear. The cart and checkout are moderately inconvenient, but they make sense for price purposes. Bring a quarter, as you put it into a slot for a refundable slot to unlock the cart, which you get back once you bring it back to the cart area. They charge for bags, but the costs are small, and they welcome bringing your own bags. They don't credit cards, per se. But debit cards with PINs are allowed, bypassing credit card charges which are normal built into prices.
I like it and will certainly go back.
