I went to Aldi today to get a few things. I discovered they had raised the price on dry milk again! 3 or 4 months ago it was $8.99 then they raised it to $9.99 and now they've raised it to $12.99 which is only $0.66 cents less then Wal-mart (Wal-mart has it for $13.65). Aldi's regular gallon of skim milk is $3.59, which Wal-mart has for the same price.

The frozen vegetables like frozen corn, medley blend, and stir fry is the same price of around $0.99. The bread at Wal-Mart is $1.17 per loaf for the cheap generic, Aldi's is $0.89. I however expect Aldi to raise the bread price soon.

The prices at Aldi are ridiculous. Aldi use to be the cheapest place in town but now they aren't. They aren't even that competitive in their prices anymore. When I have to bring my own bags, sack my own groceries, and rent a cart, and pay prices equal to those at Wal-Mart, where am I going to do my grocery shopping? It's a matter of principal, I don't like to be ripped off. I feel like I'm getting the shaft when I goto Aldi anymore.

What really sucks is I like the people who work there. Hopefully Aldi will get the hint when they start losing customers. There's a lot of people who will continue to go there but I won't be one.

~Prices seem to be going up everywhere. I've noticed that Aldi prices fluctuate quite a bit. What's $1.59 this month could easily be .99 next month. Even with rising prices I would STILL shop at Aldi on principal because, who suffers if you take your business to Walmart? Not only the Aldi employees(who, around here, start at $11.50 an hour) but also the Walmart employees, who watch Walmart execs get the financial benefit of squeezing out the competition while labor's stuck working for $7 hour. I LIKE bringing my own bags because I sewed them myself, I LIKE putting a quarter deposit in the cart because they're always up in front of the store neat and tidy and not blowing around the parking lot and I'd rather see a cashier make 11.50 an hour and bag my own groceries than to see 40 year old women humiliated into bagging my stuff at Walmart for $7 an hour(I know this because they wanted to hire me and I wouldn't take such low pay). Ok, I'm done ranting. (And TOTALLY not ranting at you. Walmart's hiring practices make me sooooo mad!)Just thought I'd put a different perspective out there.~

I am with nuisance. I will do the extra work than give Walmart my hard earned $$$. Plus less chance of IMPULSE buys at Aldi's. I only shop walmart if I can get it for free or pennies otherwise they are not getting my $$$.

I too was at Aldi today and noticed the price of powdered milk! In all fairness, a lot of other items prices have not gone up. For instance, jars of applesauce .89, chips .99, cashew halves 2.29, cheddar crackers .99 to name a few items I buy on a regular basis. Bread and dairy price are going to fluctuate with the market. Aldi and all other grocery stores have a right to make a profit. Check out this thread that was posted earlier this month about the prices of powdered milk. http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88664&highlight=powdered

I just say that I am surprised that an Aldis employee makes so much!

I plan to shop there on Friday so hopefully I will find some good deals!

I've noticed Aldi price going up. Sometimes, I can get things cheaper at the regular grocery store on sale. I still by most of my can goods at aldi.

Dh & I actually went to Aldi today for the first time in months. I didn't used to shop there because they only take cash or debit...we only recently got a debit card and I never carry cash.

Milk was $3.08 for a gallon of skim. It's $2.89 at the commissary... and I know I use more than 20c worth of gas driving all the way out there lol. But I did notice the staples, stuff I used to shop Aldi for all the time...flour, cooking oil, sugar, etc. They are all the same or more than I pay at the commissary.

I know I can get chicken quarters cheaper at Aldi (59c/lb) than I can anywhere else. Canned veggies/potatoes...even the commissary can't beat 39c/can. There are a few things I wouldn't buy there, like Dog food. Their produce section has gotten A LOT better than it used to be. They have a lot more variety in some things than they used to.

I do not shop at Walmart, so I don't know how their prices compare. I don't like them, I don't like their business practices, I don't like how they treat their employees, the staff is usually unhelpful/untrained, and the regular WM (not so much the new super WMs) are dark, overcrowded with displays, and not a very pleasant experience for the shopper.

Nope. I'll bring my bags & my quarter and shop at Aldi over Walmart any day of the week :)

Honestly the prices are up everywhere, but Aldis IS still the best deal. Milk is up and will continue to go up, regular and powdered, it's a combination of the rise in feed prices (ethanol corn contracts put the price WAY UP THERE), higher fuel prices AND the fact that China is becoming much more of a consumer of dairy, a lot of our whey products are being shipped there (along with a LARGE amount of hay which they're willing to pay to package and ship overseas, which is DEVASTATING the livestock producers and owners).

I won't shop at Walmart for different reasons that others (you're in AMERICA, read the signs in ENGLISH!)

And at our Aldis I always find someone coming out with a cart and give them my quarter for it just to have the positive human contact and tell them to have a nice day :)

kj

I will always get produce cheaper at Aldi's, like green peppers and potatoes, lettuce, tomatoes, fruit, etc and they just started getting black beans for 39c a can! Can't beat their prices around here except for when I go get bread at the day old bread store.

I'm glad I have many more choices than walmart but even if they were the only store nearby I wouldn't shop there. Ours hired illegals to work at night and got a write-up in the newspaper because they were caught.

Aldi is still the cheapest here. I buy their milk, eggs, butter, canned goods, cottage cheese, regular block cheese if I need to, (I still rather have Cabot) baking supplies, kitty litter, trash bags all kinds of things.

One more thing Aldi is only 1 mile away from my house. It is also very clean compared to a discount food outlet that we have across town. I don't care how cheap they are dirty is just not right in a food store.

Now i know why my walmart stock has never moved for the 6 years i have owned it. As a matter of fact last week it was lower. But seems to have recovered a little thank god some of you are still shopping there. I dont really know much about how much walmart pays employees. I know most seem very courteious and seem happy to be at work. I would think the lady you described humilated by being 40 and working at the cashier. why dont she move to ALDI. They dont have a contract on her. Some of them must enjoy the 7 bucks a hour or at least the job. I have thought about a job as a greeter at walmart but never went ahead with it. I also dont have much experience with ALDI. I am going to look at directions on how far out of my way the store is , since i know on a trip to birmingham in next week or so i will go past the street it is on. Someone mentioned FRozen salmon steaks. that might be a great find for me.

I shopped at Aldi for awhile when I thought we were too poor to afford better, but I decided I'll never be that poor. I put up with the junk food, processed meat, dented cans, and produce just sitting out on a table and a less than clean store -- because I thought we were too poor to afford better.

Then my husband had a stroke. I was told I couldn't leave him at home alone, but I needed to go to the store. So I took him with me. He was standing at the end of the checkout stand with the cart. The checker was throwing cans down the conveyer belt and they were missing the cart and hitting my husband. He became upset and the checker said it was his fault for not having the cart in the right place. She then told me to take my husband and leave or she would call the police. I'm not sure why -- he wasn't doing anything wrong. She was the one throwing cans at a man who had just come home from the hospital. I demanded to speak to the manager -- she said she was the manager. She had been the only person in the store every time I had gone in. My concern was for my husband so we just left. I wrote a letter to corporate -- no response.

So I have never darkened the door of Aldi since. I will never be that poor and I feel sorry for people who feel that because they are poor they have no other choice.

Wow what an awful experience! I have been lucky that my Aldi has friendly employees. I don't shop there because I'm poor, I shop there so I don't become poor. The money I save from not shopping at Kroger or Biggs has really added up. Granted the prices on some things did go up but many of the other items are still very cheap. When I did grocery shopping at Kroger it would cost me $200. At Aldi I have never spent more that $90.

I shopped at Aldi for awhile when I thought we were too poor to afford better, but I decided I'll never be that poor. I put up with the junk food, processed meat, dented cans, and produce just sitting out on a table and a less than clean store -- because I thought we were too poor to afford better.

Then my husband had a stroke. I was told I couldn't leave him at home alone, but I needed to go to the store. So I took him with me. He was standing at the end of the checkout stand with the cart. The checker was throwing cans down the conveyer belt and they were missing the cart and hitting my husband. He became upset and the checker said it was his fault for not having the cart in the right place. She then told me to take my husband and leave or she would call the police. I'm not sure why -- he wasn't doing anything wrong. She was the one throwing cans at a man who had just come home from the hospital. I demanded to speak to the manager -- she said she was the manager. She had been the only person in the store every time I had gone in. My concern was for my husband so we just left. I wrote a letter to corporate -- no response.

So I have never darkened the door of Aldi since. I will never be that poor and I feel sorry for people who feel that because they are poor they have no other choice.

Wow, I'm sorry you had such a horrible experience. It sounds like a personnel issue more than an Aldi one. I used to avoid Aldi too, but ours recently got a major overhaul. Now it's clean, neat, and well-lit. They also have a greater variety of products to offer.

So no need to feel sorry for anyone here. I don't shop there because I have no other choice. It's just one of many stops in my quest to get more for less :)

i wish i had an aldi's near me. the only thing that sounds similar is big lots but its a little out of the way.

I shop at both Wal-Mart and Aldi, for different things, and there are aggravations with both.

I have to say the milk is much cheaper at Aldi than at our particular Wal-Mart. Here it's well over $4 a gallon at W-M.

And the shopping crowd at Aldi is much friendlier, laid-back and more helpful to each other. It's like a little community of people who have discovered something special and want to keep it pleasant. I even saw someone help out with a stranger's bill at Aldi, when they ran a little short. I just can't imagine that happening at Wal-Mart. There's a lot of rushing around, pushing in front of other people, often just plain rudeness. The senior citizens I see at Aldi would never make it at the Wal-Mart! OTOH, there are some name-brand things they don't have equivalents for at Aldi, that I get at Wal-Mart if they're not on sale anywhere else.

That cashier/manager deserved to be fired. You should of went to the local newspaper or tv station. I cant think how embarrassed and helpless your husband must of felt. I am so sorry.

Thank you Denny. I wish I had approached the media on this one. But I was very tired, worried about dh and not thinking terrible clearly at the time.

Now, Yankee Mom -- This was more than just a "personnel" issue -- it reflects the philosophy of the corporate culture of Aldi, which may also be seen in other areas of the store.

When I said I felt sorry for people who felt trapped into shopping at Aldi I wasn't talking specifically about people here -- my world is much larger than this forum. I was talking about the people in the poorest neighborhood in my city who have no grocery store as well as seniors and others on "fixed incomes." If you want to shop at Aldi, that's your business, but you really do have a choice. Thre are people who feel trapped into eating junk food because they believe they can't afford better. We are now beginning to realize as a nation that it doesn't just matter that we eat, but what we eat is also important. Many people are paying for years of poor nutrition with numerous health problems. You may see Aldi as a solution to eating on a budget, but I see Aldi as part of a much larger social problem.

I fail to see how One person and One Aldi is indicative of the entire corporate culture of Aldi. Aldi stretches far beyond the US, as they are a German-based company. I see Walmart as more of a problem in our society than Aldi.

But that is where we can agree to disagree :)

It's not just one person in one store. Since as far as I know nothing was ever done after the incident was reported to corporate, all I can conclude is that the behavior is considered acceptable. The quality (or lack of it) of the food sold in the stores seems to be fairly consistent. Caring about profit more than people is not something Aldi seems to even try to hide. One person running a store by herself consistently seems to me to show that they care even less for their employees than for their customers.

BTW I don't shop at WalMart either.

The cycle of poverty > poor diet > poor health > poverty in this country must be broken. It contributes to many of the social ills we hear about every night on the news and many issues currently before Congress. But to break the cycle we must first admit that it exists.

genieb, I agree with what you are saying. When an Aldi first opened up in our area I was so excited because I was feeding my family cheaply and had extra money for other stuff. I see that as part of my young uneducated life, because I was filling my family up on overprocessed foods. I do go there a couple times a year now for sugar, flour and some other basic pantry items, but it isn't a store that I can feed my family from because it doesn't have a selection of foods high in nutritional value.

I like Walmart's White Cloud diapers (size 4). They seem like the best deal and they don't leak like the Target brand. Does Aldi carry diapers? Any other good substitute? This is really the only thing I NEED from Walmart.

Thank you JustPeachy.

This is not the first time I've come across the Aldi food = junk argument. It's just not true. Good grief, they carry nonfat/lowfat milk, cottage cheese and yogurt. They have real maple syrup, brown rice and soy milk. Whole wheat bread, whole wheat crackers, oatmeal, shredded wheat, fresh produce at good prices, plenty of frozen and canned vegetables and fruits. If someone goes in there and buys nothing but cheap soda and corn chips, it's not Aldi's fault.

hmm.

I don't shop at either. The Aldi is 1/2 a state away, not cost effective. Walmart ticks me off almost everytime I go in, so I don't.

Judi

This is not the first time I've come across the Aldi food = junk argument. It's just not true. Good grief, they carry nonfat/lowfat milk, cottage cheese and yogurt. They have real maple syrup, brown rice and soy milk. Whole wheat bread, whole wheat crackers, oatmeal, shredded wheat, fresh produce at good prices, plenty of frozen and canned vegetables and fruits. If someone goes in there and buys nothing but cheap soda and corn chips, it's not Aldi's fault.

I agree. I like them a whole lot better now that they have their "Fit" brands of foods.

This is not the first time I've come across the Aldi food = junk argument. It's just not true. Good grief, they carry nonfat/lowfat milk, cottage cheese and yogurt. They have real maple syrup, brown rice and soy milk. Whole wheat bread, whole wheat crackers, oatmeal, shredded wheat, fresh produce at good prices, plenty of frozen and canned vegetables and fruits. If someone goes in there and buys nothing but cheap soda and corn chips, it's not Aldi's fault.


I totally agree with this. We don't buy pop, chips, and fatty processed foods. You can buy those foods just about anywhere. We eat plenty of low fat dairy, whole grains, and vegetables. Fresh veggies are good, but frozen are just fine, too. Aldis can be a great place to shop if you choose wisely.

I've always found the food quality at Aldi to be great. I'm a very health conscious eater. Aldi's bags of frozen vegetables taste better to me, then those that cost double at Kroger and JayC. Aldi's can vegetables are priced at $0.39 which is about 10 cents cheaper then Walmarts. I don't like buying can vegetables though because I don't like the waste. But it's a good buy.

I have stopped buying dry milk from Aldi. My budget for food is $20 per week. I couldn't spend $12.99 on any given week just for milk, even though it usually lasted two weeks. I'd only had $7.00 left to buy food. So I've had to adapt.

I've began getting a small box of milk that makes 8 quarts from Walmart for $5.10. It should last me a week or week and a half. I've really cut down on my milk consumption. I use to drink about 5 gallons a week. Now by tampering off the amount of dry milk I mix with water. I'm able to consume less milk and a lot more water. Due to this, I've lost about 10 lbs simply by consuming less calories from milk.

I'm sure when less people buy Aldi's powered milk, they'll probably lower the price to get rid of it. I'll make sure to stock up then.

I would love to see a list of your recipes. 20 dollars a week for food. I once again got to assume you have the killed side of beef, 40 chickens, 5 rabbits and a guinea pig in the freezer. stocked pantry and ready for winter.

You know, it gets really old to keep seeing the same doubting Thomas posts over & over again.

One thing, never ASSUME anything.
Two, the previous poster is ONE person. It is not unbelievable that one person can live on $20/week.

aldi shopper here as well.... our store is neat, clean and the employees are very friendly.

I just have to add my two cents here. As the wife of a grocery store manager, believe me when I say that the stores are paying more for the items they are selling to us. They are in business to make a profit and to satisfy their owners and shareholders. Unfortunately, that means rising prices to all of us. I personally shop at Save a Lot, Aldis, Walmart and Giant Eagle depending on the prices of items, sales, coupons and sometimes convenience. At times I have been treated poorly in each of these stores and other times have had a wonderful shopping experience. Managers and store resources are only human and they have good and bad days just like the rest of us. While I agree there is no excuse for rudeness or ill treatment, unfortunately it does happen and many times the managers hands are tied as to what they can and can not do. I have seen my hubby called every name in the book, physically threatened and harrassed by customers who do not like the prices of items or who try to bring back meat that they purchased a year ago. I have seen him go to the mat to try to fire a poor employee, only to be told by upper management that it is not possible due to labor laws, etc. It really is a double edge sword. The best I can offer is to watch your prices, keep a price book and shop the coupons, loss leaders and the like to keep your costs as low as possible. If you are treated badly in a store, let the manager know but also write a letter to the corporate office and clearly state your expectations to resolve the issue. dont think that an employee will be fired for an infraction but do let management know about the issue. With enough complaints, action can often be taken. OK, I am off the soapbox now. This is just my humble opinion so thanks for listening. Happy shopping everybody

I am sorry if my post seem to be considered doubting. i would wish you would characterize them as amazed. ANd a request for knowledge for recipes that i might then apply to my life. I am very new and just trying to absorb so much knowledge. Up until this month. I normally tried to set a budget for 10 dollar a day and found that challengeing. It is just a search for new information. i am sorry for my ignorant questions and poorly worded posts.

I have an Aldi store near me and it's lovely and clean and they carry a lot of good healthy food too, my favourite store though is Netto (i don't know if you have them in the USA) but you can buy branded goods at low prices. I haven't got a Walmart near me but they bought out ASDA which i also shop at as they are slighty cheaper then most other supermarkets.

MM

xx

Hi guys, great thread!!! We have both here...I've shopped both...yup rising times as well as prices at both!!! As for the nutritional value of it all....well that depends on the person throwing it in the cart hahaha!!! Denny, I can tell you are new to this and your astonishment certainly is appreciated!!! Keep on reading for super ideas as we all have so much to share!!! Our Aldi's here is fair, the 2 employees (hehe) are very nice....the store isn't too bad overall ....if anything the way it is merchandised gives the idea of low budget but then again isn't that what we go in there for ....as far as the products I'd rate them on par for the money you are spending!!!! So all in all it is a give and take.....as for Walmart, well Walmarrt is Walmart hahaha!! You win some you lose some!!!!!!!!!!!! You all have some super points, take care, Katy

I am sorry if my post seem to be considered doubting. i would wish you would characterize them as amazed. ANd a request for knowledge for recipes that i might then apply to my life. I am very new and just trying to absorb so much knowledge. Up until this month. I normally tried to set a budget for 10 dollar a day and found that challengeing. It is just a search for new information. i am sorry for my ignorant questions and poorly worded posts.

Check out my blog posts this summer. I kept a detailed list of what I bought as well as my menus. http://www.villageblogger.com/YankeeMom/

You may have to register to be able to view the posts though.

This is not the first time I've come across the Aldi food = junk argument. It's just not true. Good grief, they carry nonfat/lowfat milk, cottage cheese and yogurt. They have real maple syrup, brown rice and soy milk. Whole wheat bread, whole wheat crackers, oatmeal, shredded wheat, fresh produce at good prices, plenty of frozen and canned vegetables and fruits. If someone goes in there and buys nothing but cheap soda and corn chips, it's not Aldi's fault.

Ditto Ditto Ditto


genieb, I think your experience is atypical of Aldi's philosophy and I'm sorry corporate hasn't acknowledged your letter. Maybe you should send another one. I've shopped at Aldi's for over 15 years in various locations and never encountered such rude behavior.

As to why the stores have been receiving overhauls and the quality of food has improved, they are applying more of their German philosophies to the US market. They are also using what's been successful with Trader Joe's (which they own) and applying it to their US business practices. Bagging your own groceries, paying for carts, store size and having limited access in and out of the store are practices they've followed in Germany since day one.

thanks for allowing me to read up on your blogs. I enjoyed the reading. is your DH still in the military, get hurt, or did he retire? I know it aint really any of my business.

I once again got to assume you have the killed side of beef, 40 chickens, 5 rabbits and a guinea pig in the freezer stocked pantry and ready for winter.

... LOL, Denny ... guinea pig? Does that taste like chicken? Sorry ... just got me chucklin !!!


~ ~ ~


I'm sorry, "Genie", that you had a bad experience at Aldi's. I live less than 1 mile from an Aldi store and have NEVER had a problem even remotely similar, nor have I ever encountered anything similar in any store I've ever been in. I'm such a witch (or something that rhymes with witch), that I would have DARED the rude cashier to call the police, because I would have made such a loud stink in the store, the cops would have heard me from the donut shop where they were sitting when they got the call from dispatch about the 'disturbance' at the Aldi's store.

Our Aldi store is clean, well stocked, personnel is more than helpful. In fact, we were shopping there this evening picking up a few things for next week's lunches and stuff. I'm going to miss it when we move to Alabama because then we'll have a 50-mile drive to Aldi.

I guess we are lucky, we have a clean Aldi with polite and smiling workers.... it might be that they are paid more than the average grocery worker. I notice once they are working there they tend to stay. Actually, truth be told, I have seldom had a rude check out person no matter what store I have gone to.

I live about a mile from Aldi, less than a mile from the big chain groceries, and a mile from Walmart(let's hear it for living in town! :) ) I tend to shop at Aldi for basics for my family. I shop at the upscale chain for some of the extras (like my favored Greek yogurt) and the loss leaders. Walmart gets a tiny bit of my business, but mostly because they carry tall size jeans in my size :D. I am also about 10 miles from Save a Lot, which I shop at occasionally when I am in the area. I love the meat at this particular Save a Lot. It seems to be very reasonably priced.

The basics from Aldi for me are Potatoes, Rice, Cheese, veggies, hotdogs, butter, and some meats. I tend to buy their Fit and Active brand and prefer to spend a little more and buy their Brown Rice or healthier alternatives. I do find some of their prepared meals to be a nice alternative and still very frugal. I try to not get caught up in too many of the prepared foods and instead buy the basics. I do find some of their prepared foods to be good. Since I have teenage children who are picky, having a few alternatives on hand for meals they don't like is good for everyone. I buy the Spaghetti O's, Ravioli, Frozen Burritos, Frozen Pizza, and canned soups. We usually try one of a new product and see if we like them. If we like them, we buy more. I don't tend to buy the name brands of these products it was only since shopping at Aldi that I needed to accomodate a teenager's palate.

I noticed the prices went up, but I have noticed that EVERYWHERE. I appreciate Aldi prices when I go else where and see their prices. Sometimes the grocery store is even 2X the price I get at Aldi. I recently got a membership for Sam's Club and was surprised to see that the cost of many items bulk was more than buying them at Aldi.

I am sorry some folks have bad experiences. I have almost always had good experiences, when I have had bad experiences the worker has made them right.


Barb C

I love our Aldis the prices are cheaper than other stores for the most part. I shop there because I want to not because I have to. The employees are very friendly and the store is always clean. It also helps us save money so our kids can go to private school that we pay out of pocket for and I see a lot of other parents who do the same. It cost a lot to feed a family these days and Aldis lets us do it for a fraction of the price!

I will always choose Aldi over Wal Mart. Their prices are still lower here, not to mention I love being able to complete a big shop in less than half an hour! With 2 kids, that's invaluable.

Not to mention our closest WM is not a Super, so there's limited grocery selection.

This is not the first time I've come across the Aldi food = junk argument. It's just not true. Good grief, they carry nonfat/lowfat milk, cottage cheese and yogurt. They have real maple syrup, brown rice and soy milk. Whole wheat bread, whole wheat crackers, oatmeal, shredded wheat, fresh produce at good prices, plenty of frozen and canned vegetables and fruits. If someone goes in there and buys nothing but cheap soda and corn chips, it's not Aldi's fault.

I agree. I shop there mostly for the dairy items, as they are priced less than the regular grocery stores. I also love the fact that it is smaller, so less time spent shopping and less impulse buying.