ALDI

My wife and I stopped into Aldi for the first time and I didn’t quite know what to expect. I knew they did a lot of their own brands, that you had to bring your own bags or buy their paper or plastic bags and that you put a quarter in the handle of the shopping cart to release it from the other carts (you get the quarter back when you drop off the cart). But other than that, I didn’t know too much.
On our first visit we picked up a few things, enough to fill one paper bag, and spent about $ 30. From what we’ve tried so far, I can tell you that the chocolate bars are awesome — they’re from Austria. I also like the Dark Roast Blend ground coffee — I just had some this morning.
From what little I’ve learned of Aldi, they’re based in Germany and follow a European style shopping experience (explaining the shopping cart situation and supplying your own bags). They tend to have one brand for all of their products, mostly their own house brand vs. the typical national names. The products tend to come in just one size (like sour cream, cans of beans, etc.)
We thought the prices were really good on most things we checked out. The store itself is small, maybe a little larger than a CVS but way smaller than a full-​fledge grocery store. They do have fresh produce, milk, eggs, bread, etc. in addition to canned goods, meats and frozen items.
My wife and I both thought it would be a good place to go if you were planning a party — they have a lot of selection of heat & eat hors d’oeuvres, cheeses and crackers. They also have a decent selection of organic and/​or gluten-​free items.
They *do not* accept manufacturer’s coupons.
You *can* get additional cash back from debit card purchases like you can at other places (other grocery stores, Target, Walmart, etc.)
If you forget your own reusable shopping bags it’s not the end of the world. A full size paper bag is only $.06 and a plastic bag is only $.10.

I shop at Aldi’s all the time
It might be their brand name on most of the items but it tastes the same and it’s half the price of the leading brand
Too bad that they don’t except credit cards, only Cash, Debit Cards and Food Stamps

I’ve visited the MacArthur location a few times before this one opened up and now I love this one since it’s closer or more convenient for me. The store is clean, well stocked, and the prices are very good. You just have to put up with the fact that there are usually only a couple cashiers working, but it’s because I think they are responsible for a lot of other tasks besides just ringing things up. You do have to buy your own bags (10 cents each) and bag them yourself but it’s not a big deal. During the summer I was in here at least 2 times a week buying strawberries and blueberries because they were priced cheaper than any other grocery stores, even beating out Wal-​Mart. And the brands of the fruits were usually the same as the ones in the other stores. There are also many other store brand items but they do carry national brands but not as much. Eggs and milk are cheaper here than most places too. But they do not take credit cards, only cash and debit cards.