If you have never shopped at an Aldi, maybe this is the week to check it out and then invite me over for some tropical fruit smoothies, okay? :) First-timers, remember to bring a quarter (not 25 cents, but a quarter) for the refundable deposit on your cart and bring your own grocery bags. They take cash or debit card, but not credit card. Find an Aldi near you.
If it helps you appreciate Aldi a little more, read Wikipedia’s article about them and learn that Aldi is owned by the parent company that owns Trader Joe’s. Don’t forget Aldi’s double guarantee too, where you will get a replacement product AND a refund if you are not 100% satisfied.
If you don’t live near an Aldi, but can get your hands on an ad remember that Target and Walmart will price match equivalent produce items (if sold in the same quantity, packaging, etc.) and Walmart will price match generics if they carry a Great Value brand in the same size/quantity.
Your turn: Have you purchased other merchandise, besides food, from Aldi? (I have not yet) What did you think of the quality? (of course the double guarantee applies to non-food items too)
Produce
Bananas. $0.39/lb, which is their everyday regular price.
Avocados. $0.39 each. Yum! We love avocados around here.
Tomatoes. $0.99 for a 20-ounce pack ($0.80/lb)
Strawberries. $1.19 per pound.
Pineapple. $1.49 each.
Other Merchandise
I don’t typically mention Aldi’s other merchandise, but usually it doesn’t seem like a great price, but there a couple things this week worth pointing out.
Hanging baskets. These will be $6.99 each and are available starting Wednesday, June 2.
Summertime toys and swim suits. Last week there was a lot of conversation in the Target and Walmart shopping lists about the price for swimming pools. $9.99 for a small one and $19.99 for a 10′ x 6 ‘x 1.8′ pool seems reasonable to me. I haven’t priced off brand slip and slides, but I bet $7.99 is a good price. Finally, kid’s swimsuits for $4.99 and men’s swim trunks for $6.99. I bought swimsuits on clearance at Walmart last year in a few sizes ahead for each of my girls and paid almost $4.00 each, which makes me know this is a good price; there aren’t any fitting rooms so you’d have to be willing to buy one without trying it on.
About Carrie Rocha
I bought a swimsuit at Aldi for my 7 yo son at the end of summer last year and it seems to be comparable to a Target swimsuit in all aspects. They seemed to run big. =) Aldi is my favorite!
Holly – Thanks for the head’s up that they run big.
we ADORE Aldi! have gotten several non-grocery items there, including a 10′x10′ gazebo last year, which is still doing great this year, paid $100 for it plus the mosquito netting…pretty happy about that. I can also say that years ago, when I worked at Pillsbury (now owned by General Mills), I worked in the division that sold to Aldi…good stuff…GREAT prices! I often spend about $60/wk to feed my family of six…we eat LOTS of fresh produce and not much from boxes, so this is my version of couponing :).
I’ve been boycotting Aldi for ~3-4 years out of frustration…they NEVER had anything that was advertised. Didn’t seem to matter when I went…Sunday morning, Saturday night, Wednesday noon….I could NEVER find any advertised item that I went there to get, and I really mean NEVER. Perhaps it is just my store ( Richfield ). BTW, I am not prone to exaggeration…I really mean NEVER.
Working retail myself, I understand the occasional “we only got four of them” and I do not blame those who cannot control inventory….BUT…after countless fruitless trips for fruit, I gave up. Can anyone convince me it’s time to give them another chance?
In my store the sale items are always on the end – instead of mixed in where you would expect them to be.
In Menomonie WI they are always stocked up on the fruit.
We purchase other “non food” items at Aldi occasionally. Last summer we purchased a patio 2-person glider for about $70, which is still about perfect. We’ve also purchased pajamas for my 2 year old, which are “on par” with cotton Target ones of the same style. We did buy her a coat last year that when we got it home noticed one small piece of the velco was coming off, we took it back, no questions asked, and got a full refund. I will agree the flowers and sometimes “special” items are hard to get if you don’t go right at opening time the day they come out. However, I have not had this problem frequently and I go to Aldi about every other week.
Aldi’s quality has definitely improved in the last few years to where they are now comparable to most grocery stores. And I am a fussy eater when it comes to quality. Now they actually have some of my favorite things, like the three cheese pasta sauce which I think is the same that they sell at Trader Joe’s. I don’t buy a lot of non-food items, but what i have bought has been fine (space bags, storage totes). I’m always amazed when I go there how low my total cost is when they ring it up!
love this store!started going years ago in another state as there milk was $2 cheaper than anywhere else.had to return cottage cheese once and was given my $ back and another cottage cheese.only thing i find that doesnt taste that great is there pasta sauce(To me).Cedar lake rd store always seems to have there ad stuff!!great savings!