Aldi Super Market

NoVA has some of the highest priced groceries in the country! I’ve tried shopping at Hariris Teeter, Safeway, Food Lion, and Walmart. However, shopping at Aldi has literally halved my grocery bill. This store has a terrific selection, (including organic and gluten free) of food, plus a fun aisle, that reminds me of Tuesday Morning. It’s filled with games, toys, kitchenware, rugs, etc, and changes weekly. The prices cannot be beat! They also recently started accepting credit cards, although I hope that doesn’t drive up the prices. Bring a quarter for the cart — one of their cost cutting measures is not hiring personnel to manage the carts. They will not bag your groceries, so either bring your own bags/​boxes, or purchase bags there. You will have to bag yourself after you pay.

I love this place for people on a budget. If you are going to eat the items that day, you are fine. However, with each day, you start to notice that their produce does not last like other stores. Also, if you do shop a sale price with a red tag on the wall, 99% of the time, you will not get the sale. Always check your receipt before you leave. If there is a sale and you want it, go on Wednesday or it will be sold out by Thursday.

I really like Aldi. The prices are very affordable compared to Shoppers or Food Lion and often even WalMart. Having a little one, we buy milk at least twice a week. The milk is usuallu between $ 2.98– $ 3.50; compared to $ 4.09 and higher at other stores.
Bring your own reuseable shopping bags amd a quarter for your shopping cart. No bad at all.

Coming from California, I’m spoiled by the bountiful fresh produce at very reasonable prices. Here in NOVA, I have been disappointed each and every time I go to a grocery store. I’m still in the search for anything similar to BERKELEY BOWL (east bay folks, you know what I’m talking about!).
At Aldi, the produce section was a joke! They carry all the typical fruits and veggies, but they were all wilted. Granted the prices are much less than Harris Teeter down the road, but if I’m going to pay for produce, I don’t want them all wilted! If you want anything out of the ordinary, don’t expect to find it here. They do carry some American brand name stuff, but a lot of the brands I did not recognize nor have I ever heard of. That’s fine, I’m willing to give them a try because the prices are very competitive compared to the major grocery chains. I would come back for other items than produce.
Tips
~ you gotta insert a quarter for the cart
~ cash or debit only… NO CREDIT ACCEPTED… I learned that the hard way after my credit card was denied
~ bring your own grocery bags, because they do not provide any

It was actually my very first time here. I like that everything is very inexpensive and they have a lot of stuff. The down size is that you have to pack your own groceries, they don’t take credit cards just debit or cash, they don’t have baby stuff, they don’t have cilantro and they don’t have 1% gallon of milk. Other than is pretty good. They just need another cashier. The one they have right now is pretty rude.

I don’t go to Aldi as much as I should these days. I used to shop at Aldi all the time when my wife and I were saving to buy a home and on a tighter budget. But when the HT opened up, I shifted my shopping to there because if you shop for the sale items you can get comparable or better quality for the same or maybe even slightly less. But Aldi is a viable shopping option if you need something and don’t want to wait for it to go on sale. And if you are on a budget, have to buy a set of specific items each week, and don’t mind buying store brands over name brands, then Aldi is for you.
Quick history lesson. Some reviews mention that Aldi is the parent company of Trader Joe’s. That’s somewhat true. Founded by the Brecht family in Germany, the two Brecht brothers split the business in 1960 over a dispute about selling cigarettes, and the two divisions are financially independent, while operating as the same brand. One brother runs Aldi Sud (South), which manages the Aldi stores in the south half of Germany, and retains the rights to use the Aldi name everywhere EXCEPT mainland western Europe. So the Aldi stores you see in the US are run by Aldi Sud. Aldi Nord (North), wanting to gain access to the US Market, bought Trader Joe’s in 1979.
Why the history lesson? Because comparisons between Aldi and Trader Joe’s aren’t really fair. They share some similarities — such as using primarily store brands — but Aldi doesn’t try to be an organic, environmentally-​friendly hippy dippy hipster store. Yet, many of their store brands are very good. The rule of thumb is that if it is a product that the Germans do well, it’s good. And Aldi operates just like their German counterparts. You have to use a quarter as a deposit for your shopping cart, bags (if you want them) are extra, and you typically bag your items yourself after purchase. Credit cards are not accepted, but debit cards are. (And, of course, straight cash HOMEY)
Every year I make a couple of meat/​cheese/​sweets holiday goody bags for family, and building them myself with product from Aldi is FAR cheaper than buying something out of the box, and with great quality. Lunch meats, sausages, cheeses, German pastries, all fantastic. Their dairy products are solid. Produce is a bit of a toss-​up, but what I saw this week was an improvement over what they had a few years back. They have box/​canned goods, frozen foods, cleaning supplies, etc. etc. Pretty much everything you need. My suggestion — try different things and see if you like them compared to your normal brand. If you do, you’ll find yourself saving a lot of money in the long run.
Just don’t forget to bring that quarter for your shopping cart!

It was a busy day while I shopped here. I go to the cashier so she could ring up my items. I swiped my debit card and I punched in my pin number on the keypad but I pressed the wrong number by mistake. As expected, the card declined so I swiped again. The cashier said «Your EBT card probably doesn’t have any money.» I hate being confrontational but I replied «It’s a PNC debit card you fucking bitch!». I payed for my items and left. As much as I love Aldi, I am not coming back to this location. I wish they open one up in Centreville or Fairfax. Only one can dream :(

For those of you who have never been to an Aldi’s — bring your quarter so you can use a shopping cart (you get it back at the end — it just helps them encourage people to bring the carts back to the front of the store).
Went here the first time about 2 weeks ago. It is definitely setup differently then most food stores, and it took me a while to figure out where stuff was. Overall I thought the prices were very good, service was quick, but variety of selection was a bit lacking. Maybe i just don’t know where everything is, but I don’t think this could totally replace other grocery stores for me. I will definitely be back though if I am in the area.

Even though they only carry mostly off brand (their brand) products, the quality is still great! Cheaper prices, clean store, great product!

Good prices, good value. But a strange operation. Seem to sell mostly items they can get on sale. You won’t find name brand items unless they got a special deal. So close outs of Hershey Valentines Day products are there a few days after Valentines Day. Also, they do not publish a telephone number for any stores. Probably so you can’t call and check on product availabilities. They are often out of basic items you need. The store in Woodbridge has been out of napkins for 2 weeks. So a good store for saving money, but don’t count on them to have the basics consistently. And you can’t call them to check before you drive there.

Aldi is a German supermarket chain and the corporate parent of Trader Joe’s (since the 1970s). If you think of Aldi as a budget Trader Joe’s you will have a pretty good idea of what you are getting.
The quality of products is similar to the mainstream supermarket version. I don’t eat much packaged prepared foods period, so I don’t buy many of them at Aldi, but I have tried the ramen noodles and the mac & cheese — to me, both tasted the same as the brand name versions. I have also had good luck with frozen food, powdered drinks, coffee, pasta, and canned tomatoes.
Milk, eggs, flour, sugar and similar staples — can’t beat the prices, BUT these things don’t cost much anyway. Definitely buy them if you are in Aldi, but probably not worth the gas to make a special stop.
Produce — cheap, but quality is a bit lower than Shoppers. I wouldn’t make a special stop for the produce.
HOWEVER anything that looks like they sell it in Germany — BUY IT. Chocolate, butter cookies, frozen strudel, pretzels, bratwurst, etc. are very, very nice. So oddly, I come to Aldi’s if I am throwing a party.
The seasonal housewares are also a lot of fun. I bought two camping tables here and I love them.

I had no idea Aldi ever ventured outside of Germany, but I am glad they did! If you are ever on a budget this is the place to do your grocery shopping!
Canned goods and non-​perishables are unbeatable and almost everything is just as good as the store brand stuff.
I would steer away from the produce, but everything else is game!
Make sure to bring your own bags and don’t freak out when the cashier throws stuff in your cart. You need to take your cart to the side and bag your groceries. Definitely a small price to pay for the lower prices!
Bring a quarter though, you will need to unlock your cart with it. If you don’t understand this, you will when you get there!

No Frills
This is a no frills low cost supermarket. But they have some good stuff.
This place has non-​budget imitation brands. Some of the stuff is like knock-​off brands. Instead of Red Bull, they have Red Thunder. They also have a substitute brand fro Monster Energy Drink too. It’s less than half the price, and it’s just as good. I’m serious about that too. It’s just as good. You can get just as much of a buzz off the knock-​off brand Red Thunder as you can from Red Bull.
When you wanted a McDonald’s hamburger, and your mom took you home and cooked a hamburger, put it in between two slices of white Wonder Bread and put some ketchup on it. It wasn’t anywhere near what you wanted. But not at this place. The cereals, the energy bars, etc. it’s all just as good as name brands. I haven’t tried to cola yet. Maybe I’ll try that next week.
Right when you walk in the door of most supermarkets is the fruits and vegetable section. For Aldi it’s the junk food section: candy, chips, pop corn, nuts, etc. An entire isle of junk food. They also have eggs, milk, cheese, popsicles, frijoles, plantains, tomatoes, knock-​off cereals, etc. They have a lot of different stuff for such a small store.
One of the ways they save is with the shopping carts. Giant has a dude whose job is to retrieve the shopping carts. At Aldi you have to put in a quarter to get a shopping cart, and you get your quarter back when you return it. Even if someone is too lazy to return their shopping cart, there will sure enough come along someone who will return it to get that quarter. So the shopping carts are all well organized in place without having to hire someone to do it. The last time we went in there, only one employee was visible working one cash register.
Long before this place opened we heard about it from a flight attendant who raved about the chocolate they sell in Germany. Precious agrees. Precious actually prefers Aldi’s chocolate to Godiva. Do you have any idea how much money this is going to save me as time goes by? The chocolate alone makes it worth an extra trip to this place.
Heads Up: The hours are not as convenient as other places. They open later and close earlier. Also, they only accept cash or debit card. They’re not allowed to tell the customer, but the credit card companies screw the vendors. They charge 3% for every transaction. Some take up to 30 days to pay. And they manipulate the market to prevent other methods of payment (like paying with an iPhone). So by not taking credit cards it saves just a little bit more and at the same time giving the finger to the credit card companies.
Anyway, unless you’re a snob, you’ll like this place. In some ways it’s a little less convenient, but you can save a few bucks. It adds up.

I’ve heard not to expect much by way of service, but I really didn’t find anything there I had to have. Yeah, their canned goods were extremely cheap. I dont tend to shop for processed foods, so I have no interest in their supply of snacks or frozen goods. When I found a cheese product and bananas to purchase, I waited in line for 9 minutes with a toddler. There was a single cashier and 4 people ahead of me. I finally got up there and was cheerful with the cashier. She wouldnt look up at me, and I had to ask her three times what she said while I was trying to pay. As it turns out, she was telling me they dont take charge cards. Since I didn’t have my pin # memorized (new card) I couldn’t purchase my 2 items.
Overall, rude service and lack of product are two reasons I won’t return to this store.

We shop here all the time. They ALWAYS have the cheapest price for milk and butter. Also, bananas are usually cheapest too, but frequently are too ripe.

I grew up with Aldi and even back then it always had that stigma that it was shopping for poor people. But I can assure you, this chain has come a long way.
Aldi is the one-​stop shop for the froogle shopper. They have everything that the competition carries, just not as much of it, meaning: one type of yellow mustard, one type of cheerios like cereal, one type of canned tuna, one type of gr beef etc.
Aldi products are no more loaded with preservatives than any other brand. Don’t let the simplicity of this concept fool you.
Shop with an open mind, and you may just surprise yourself. Just remember…
cash or debit only — no credit cards,
bring a quarter for your shopping cart,
bring bags or use the boxes they provide,
and don’t expect anybody to bag your stuff for you.
This is Europe’s largest grocer for a reason.

Duane S., you don’t want products which contain HFCS but your concerned about the texture of eggs you purchased from Aldi after you fried them?! OK, what, Canola?
I do agree with most folks that the milk prices are unbeatable and this isn’t the type of store you go to if you want a «complete» shopping experience.
Your at Aldi because your froogle, thrifty or cheap (like me) and you don’t mind burning $ 5 or $ 10 bucks worth of gas to save a buck or two on groceries hopping from store to store.
Plus side is Aldi is on my way to Shoppers :) Shop on fellow cheapo’s!

PROS: cheap. when you find something you want.
CONS: very small, doesn’t have a large selection of items.

The German Shopping Experience!
If you think this is going to be like a normal trip to Teeter or Giant — think again! You will be surprised on many levels, namely the super low prices, absences of name brands, paying to use a shopping cart, and having to provide your own bags. Of course, if you ever shopped at an Aldi in Germany, you are used to this.
This is the perfect store for the super-​bargain hunter. In this economy, you should give Aldi a try. Today I stocked up and bought a smaller cart load of groceries (including 2 gallons of milk, canned goods, produce, some meat, dry goods) for $ 50.00. I was shocked!
If you are expecting this to be Wegman’s or even Shopper’s think again. You can’t hold that against Aldi. For the most part, you can find pretty good quality food staples.
Oh, word to the wise, the Aldi brand «Lofthouse» sugar cookies (AKA: frosted crack) are almost identical to their overpriced cousins. You may want to go just for those…
Hints:
–have a quarter to get a cart, you get the quarter back
–bring a shopping bag with you. You can buy bigger plastic ones for .10 a piece, not to bad. All my stuff fit in 3
–super cheap ramen, cookies, best milk price in town
–go with lower expectations, this is a bargain grocery store
–have fun, try some cheap food, you might be pleasantly surprised!
–cry: the Manassas location doesn’t have beer or wine

I don’t really agree with Duane S.
This location is brand new and opened in mid December ’08 so everything is very clean and new, not that other locations are old and dirty.
Aldi and Giant were my two main grocery stores while on a tight budget while in college. While incredibly inexpensive, I always found their brands to be just as good if not better than some of the name brands offered at bigger grocery stores. I never had a problem with the eggs I bought and the milk is REALLY cheap there. The meats are high quality, but the produce isn’t always the best. Aldi (not this particular location) carries Wernesgrüner, which is one of my favorite beers. Be sure to try out some of their incredibly cheap chocolate which is delicious!
You have to remember at Aldi you aren’t paying for a label and the people who manufacture their food for them usually a big name brand like Kraft or General Mills etc.
Some things to remember:
— This also isn’t a one stop place, they carry about 80% of the items that you would need from a grocery store.
— The lines are longer because they under staff to save money, so be prepared to wait a bit in line. It always moves pretty quickly so don’t worry.
— Bring your own bags or you will have to buy theirs which are about 5 cents a piece
— Bring 25 cents to get a shopping cart which you will get back when you return it.
— They do not accept credit cards but they do accept debit cards. If you don’t have either or don’t want to use your debit card, bring cash.
Everything Aldi does is to save you money, and they do it very well. I approve.