ALDI

I am sorely disappointed in Aldi, at first I thought it was a pleasure. I have been to numerous stores, and I become more disalusioned. I have gone to the aldi in Lake Worth 3 TIMES asking for the chicken breast on sale. I have yet to find the items that are on sale.

Wow the local European experience in FL. Yes I’ll take it since I’m not going for a vacation for a few months.
Aldi which is a German store will give you a European experience for sure. You will not be getting shopping bags for free just like much of Europe. You will be paying 25 cents for a shopping cart just like you pay 25 cents for ketchup in a fast food restaurant in Europe. We can be comparing and contrasting all day but the big picture is that Aldi is worth to take a look at. They have great chocolates from Germany which I plan to get next time since we love having international chocolates at our house. They had ridiculously cheap cleaning products which I didn’t buy but I wouldn’t mind trying the brands which I have never heard of to compare the products of U.S.
Overall I liked going there to feel like I was in European store such as Penny Market or something similar. It’s nothing fancy so don’t have high expectations!

Very much of a bargain basement feel and I definitely wouldn’t expect to complete an entire shopping list here… However I understand that their organic selection is expanding so it’s definitely worth stopping in if in the area. Found organic crackers, kale, canned beans and almond milk during my quick walk through and the prices can’t be beat. The cashier was very friendly, especially as I didn’t realize they don’t accept credit cards. I will stop in again to further check out their organic products. Be sure to bring reusable shopping bags as they don’t bag your groceries either (which isn’t a bad thing, this will motivate me to not forget them in the car as I usually do).

I like Aldi’s very much. YES, most of the products are names we never heard of. Aldi’s guarantees their products to be just as good if not better than the name brand it looks like. For example, Burhmann’s mayo is EXACTLY like Hellmanns. I usually get my family’s snacks and many products we use. Not everything is perfect, but for the most part, things are fine… cheese, eggs, milk, OJ, frozen products, frozen fruit for smoothies, etc.

I got excited and joyful, when an Aldi Grocery Store opened in Delray! The concept of keeping prices low is exactly the same as in Germany and many grocery stores there work on the following principles to save money and that way keep the prices for the consumer low:
1. BRING A QUARTER with you to «rent» a shopping cart and unplug it outside at the entrance from all the other carts, which are connected by short chains to one another.
Don’t worry though, you will get your quarter back when you are done shopping by plugging the cart’s chain back into the lot.
Why do they do that? You will think twice of leaving your cart randomly in the parking lot after you packed your groceries in the car and stores won’t have to hire more employees (that YOU pay for) to clean up the parking lot from all of the carts standing around. Instead you yourself put it right back to the entrance :)
2. BRING YOUR OWN BAGS or buy heavy duty reusable big plastic bags or fabric totes at the cashier stand.
We all know, that those thin plastic bags are incredibly bad for the environment and stores like publix, winndixie, walgreens, walmart — you name it — always provide you with an abundance of «free» shopping bags and even double stag the bags to put your heavier groceries in.
While you might think, those bags are free, they are not! The prices of the groceries in the store, your purchase them from will cost automatically more than those stores, who don’t offer this service.
And be honest, you guys. You do have a cabinet stuffed full of empty thin plastic bags in your home… Am I right?!
3. PACK UP YOUR GROCERIES YOURSELF. No cashier or helper there will do this for you.
Just like step 1 and 2 this is common practice in any store in Germany and honestly, I was surprised when coming to the USA first, that someone would start packing my items in a ton of small plastic bags. I prefer organizing and stacking my food myself so things won’t get squished and then do it in reusable bags instead, too.
4. Many big name grocery stores carry brand products and then also have their own «house brand» such as Publix and those are slightly cheaper than the brand products.
At Aldi most products there are generic versions of the big name brands in here the US and you might have never heard of the «non brands» at that store, but they are just the same quality and ingredients and often even the same taste as the big name brands.
We all know, that the consumer pays extra just for the brand name, whether it be clothing, technology or FOOD!
So don’t be scared to try out their products, you might have not heard about.
Try it out and be surprised, when you see that the cost of your food, including fresh produce has reduced to half of what you are used to pay for
:)

I was very interested to check out Aldi when a family member mentioned they arrived to town. I’ve spent alot of time in Germany over the years, and have really come to appreciate the high quality meat, cheese, chocolates, and other delicacies you can typically find at most German supermarkets.
The US version of Aldi? This place resembles a cut rate, no frills supermarket more than anything. Most of the products were from US brands that I’ve never heard of, and alot of their items seemed to have crappy artifical ingredients and/​or preservatives. Also, with the exception of some bratwurst, there was nary a German made meat or cheese product in the house. Disappointing!
On the positive side, they did have some very good German made chocolate in stock and most items seemed to be pretty cheap. If you know your prices and comparison shop, you can definitely save a buck or two here. That said, you can get comparable deals on name brand stuff at Walmart and Target (+5% off with a Target red card) so I’m not sure why you’d need to go out of your way to shop at Aldi.
Anyway, if maximizing the food budget is your primary goal and you don’t mind no frills items, I would definitely recommend giving Aldi a look.

Produce is not fresh I just moved to delray from boynton and I use to go to farmer market in Boca produce here is horrible

Don’t know how we ever got by before Aldi came along. There are hit and miss items here, but mostly hits, and the prices are better than anywhere else. We love the place!
Their business model is VERY smart. They’ve designed many ways to keep their prices low, and the model works. Some of the ways they save you money: They don’t have a phone number. They don’t want to tie up employees with phone calls. Also, if you want to use a shopping cart, you’ll need to rent one for a quarter. You’ve got to take the cart back to the store to get your quarter back, which eliminates the expense having employees to recover carts from the parking lot. You can watch a video on the model on Youtube:

Aldi has the best snacks. Their chocolate bars are the best. I normally buy Lindt when there is no Aldi store available, but if I can find an Aldi, I buy Roch Moser.

Nothing fancy here, but really good prices on produce which is great for me. Lots of great deals to be had storewide, it’s a bit out of my way otherwise I’d visit more often!

Meh, I guess I have been spoiled with the fresh produce at the Boy’s Farmer’s Market that my standards have gotten a bit higher than I thought. Aldi’s is okay… I mean, they have alot of non-​brands that I’ve never heard of before.
It’s not for me, I mean, I do shop at Wal-​Mart and Target… but I could not find a single thing I was familiar with at Aldi’s (I’m not kidding).

First thought had after walking in was «odd». You see items that are familiar because of the packaging but they have different names. Everything is a generic version of the familiar items. Anyways, I usually walk straight to the produce section because you can find some awesome deals. They have the shopping carts where you put in a quarter to un-​attach it from the other carts. Totally reminds me of the grocery stores in NY. Also, you need to bring your own shopping bags. (I love this concept)

MUCH CHEAPER THAN WALMART. example 8 oz cream cheese 1.19 walmart 1.90.
milk 2.85 a gallon. 3 pd tube margerine 2.00. etc etc etc. bring you own cash, or debit card, food stamps. and bags. this is a generic store but the savings are amazing last week a pt of blueberries was 1.65. wow. the beat walmart on 95% of there stock and you save a lot.
imagine what you save over publics. not a sevice store you have to help yourself

My friends have been talking about Aldi and I wanted to see what the deal was myself. My husband and I decided to make a grocery trip one week instead of to Publix or Target. Well, I am glad I did my research before hand and that my friends filled me in on what you’re supposed to do (as if there is proper etiquette for shopping at a grocery store… lol)
*Bring a quarter for the shopping cart. At first I was like… really? But after I read the website, it made a whole lot of «cents» see what I did there? *boom crash* Seriously, it is one of the ways they are able to offer lower prices. They minimize shopping cart theft or damage. Because you put that quarter in, psychologically it eats at you while you are shopping… that cart has my quarter… must return cart… must get quarter back…
Anyhow, its not a big deal. I do have a problem with those toilets that require payment. Just kidding, none in there, but I hear if you visit overseas they do.
*Bring your own reusable shopping bags. This was not a big deal at all for me since I have been hoarding/​collecting them since I lived in LA and where it is pretty much mandatory out there for fear of looking like a tree chopping, landfill using shopper. It is nice that they do this. If you don’t happen to bring enough bags, they will sell you plastic ones or the reusable ones.
*Don’t put your cart away just yet! This is how it goes — you unload your cart and even before you are finished, the cashier, who I swear is training for the Cashier Olympics, zipped all your groceries into another waiting cart at the end of the counter. When you are done with your cart, do not attempt to put your cart back as I have tried, you will get a prompt reminder from the cashier that you are supposed to leave it at the end of the counter when you move your filled cart, so an empty one is waiting for the next customer. Fun fact — the website says that they put barcodes on every side of a product so the cashier can scan the items quickly, saving time, therefore, saving money.
*THEY DO NOT TAKE CREDIT CARDS — Yes, if you are just short of cash this week and need to use credit cards, don’t bother shopping here. They only accept cash and debit cards. They don’t accept checks because that takes too long and wastes time and money.
*You bag your own groceries — Now this was an interesting idea. Though in most stores nowadays I bag my own groceries anyway because Mr. Bagboy has senior citizens to assist out to their car. I’m youngish and able. No problem for me!
Once you have your cart load of food ready that the cashier just filled up again, you take your cart and bags to the long counter at the back of the store and proceed to bag everything yourself. That gets you out of the way (no slowpokes here) so they can service more customers. Again, this is another way they save money, by not hiring baggers.
Overall, Aldi is a great place to save a lot of money. To give you an idea of the savings. They sold a loaf of white bread for $.50, a box of mac and cheese for $.39. A petit bacon wrapped filet for $ 2.99 and it goes on. The most expensive thing we bought was a box of kitchen trash bags for $ 4.69 for 100.
If you are a brand-​whore, you probably won’t like shopping here. It is all their brand generic stuff, which is great if you really don’t care and usually buy the Publix brand or Target brand of things. This is yet another way they save you money. Like other reviewers said, it is considerably smaller than regular grocery stores. Smaller =less items = faster turnover = less spoilage/​expiration. You should really try it out if you are in the mood to save money. If you do, don’t forget your quarter!

I started shopping at the Deerfield Aldi’s about a year after it opened. Even from Delray, the once-​a-​month drive was worth the time and gas. But when my neighborhood Albertson’s closed and was replaced by an Aldi’s, I was in heaven. You really just have to see the prices to believe them. Aldi’s hits you with the cookies and snacks when you enter, but if you can resist some of that (and I’m not saying you should because the nuts, crackers and other treats are delicious), you will get to the produce where you’ll find extremely low-​cost healthy food. Aldi’s doesn’t carry organics, but I don’t buy everything organic, and am happy to get onions, lemons, broccoli, mushrooms and other items there.
Aldi takes a bit of getting used to, but that is time well spent. I have found some favorite items there, and buy many household staples there such as milk, half & half, eggs, cereal, and cheese as well as pasta sauces and pasta. I also buy most our condiments there: salsa, mustard, cocktail sauce, sour cream, pickles, mayonnaise and so on. The quality is excellent, and I love not having to pay for advertising that comprises part of the cost of name brand products. Also, Aldi carries interesting German items such as spaetzle which made according to the package recipe has become a family favorite at our house.
Some things to know before you go: Aldi carries many fewer products than you’ll see in a regular grocery store. Nearly everything is private label (house brands). You need a quarter in order to dislodge a grocery cart for use, but will get it back when you return the cart, and must pay for bags or bring your own. Aldi’s does not take credit cards, and you have to bag your own groceries. Finally, the hours are somewhat limited by traditional grocery standards – the Delray Aldi doesn’t open until 9 a.m., for example, so it’s not a place I can run into before work to pick something up. These things don’t bother me because the cost savings are so amazing.

Aldis is really a budgeter’s dream, like previous reviewers have stated, you can’t get everything on your list here, or might not want to, but it’s great for pantry staples, even better than Wal-​Mart. I got canned tomato sauce today for 29cents. Yeah really. The produce is fresh and they have an abundance if rotating snacks, everyone at my house has a different favorite.
Aldis is owned by a German company that also owns traders joes, so I am hoping to see them down in s fla soon too!

ALDI, or as I call it Generic Brand Haven, is an awesome new market in town. If you’re stuck on buying names like Kraft, Pillsbury, and Lay’s steer clear, but if you like paying half the price for comparable products, then Aldi is your place. The store houses essentials like bread, milk, and eggs, but there is a ton more stuff. I really like their look-​a-​like, knock off snacks like the blue corn tortilla chips (less than $ 2 a bag). I’m also a fan of the other goods I’ve tried like the canned veggies, cooking spray, chicken broth, and dry pasta. Come to think of it, I have yet to buy anything there that has sucked. They have toiletries and random household items, but I’ve yet to try any of those things. There’s cheap wine too (think 2 Buck Chuck varieties).
A few things you may find strange, but you’ll get over them when you see your receipt:
1. You have to put a quarter ($.25) deposit to use a shopping cart
2. Grocery bags cost money so bring your own reusables, plastics, baskets, etc
3. You bag your own groceries– the world’s fastest cashiers will scan your stuff, toss it back in your cart and then you shuffle off to the side and bag your own stuff. (there are counters to do this at)
4. NO CREDIT CARDS. They accept cash, debit, and food stamps. No coupons either.
The store is immaculate, organized, and a true pleasure to shop at. ALDI stores originated in Germany (could explain the impeccable layout), expanded through the US and are popping up all over down here in South Florida. It’s no surprise though– the prices and quality offered by Aldi = AWESOME VALUE.
You really just gotta go there, take a stroll around, & see what they’ve got. You’ll be impressed.
Team Aldi!
(1 star short of a perfect review because I can’t always get EVERYTHING I need on my grocery list there)