Aldi Grocery Stores: "It's on the next truck."

 Hey everyone!

Well, this bitch of a winter has really put a damper on my road trips in search of Bargains and Binges. But trips to Aldi grocery stores are a fairly regular occurrence for me, regardless of the weather. So I'm reporting my latest trip there, and revealing how Aldi is an essential component of the "Bargains" part of my lifestyle. I shop mostly at the Aldi store in Janesville, Wis., but have also shopped at the Madison West store (by Watts Road and Highway M), and the one in Monroe.

The Aldi store in Janesville, WI

For those who aren't familiar with Aldi, they are owned by a German company, which also owns the Trader Joe's grocery chain. Which is sort of an odd combination since TJ's is an upscale grocer, while Aldi is a discount, no frills operation. In fact, if you haven't shopped at Aldi, you may be in for a little culture shock. First, you pay 25 cents to use a shopping cart, and get the quarter back when you return the cart to the queue outside the store. You must bring your own bag(s), selection of items is limited, most brands are Aldi's own "house brands," and availability of items is sporadic (for example, they might have cashew halves one week, but not the next). And then there is the checkout process, which is a little unusual, typically involving the "shopping cart swap" at the end in which you get the cart of the person in front of you and surrender your own. It's a little unnerving until you realize that your new shopping cart has a quarter in it, too, that you will get back!

I have found that people either like Aldi or they don't, there is almost no middle ground. But I like it. I personally like the idea that there aren't 27 varieties of olives. There are just olives. Or there aren't olives if they are out of them that week ... another reason why some people don't care for Aldi. They are dependent on a single truck for all their groceries. And if this week's truck didn't happen to have olives on it, you're shit out of luck. Which brings me to the title of this entry. The staff at Aldi, at least the Janesville store, has this little annoying phrase they use if you ask about something they are out of. The phrase is: "No we don't have it, but it will be on the next truck." Do they think I am going to camp out at Aldi and wait for the next truck or something? Like, when the next semi backs into the delivery bay, I am going to run up and say, "Hey, Mr. Truck Driver, do you have olives on the truck? You do? Well, thank God, because I have been camped out for the last three days here in my car, and I sure do stink something awful." So anyway, I've learned simply not to ask. If I don't see olives on the shelves, I just buy them at Woodman's or some other grocery store.

And that is pretty standard, actually. It's virtually impossible to do all one's shopping at Aldi, particularly if you're fond of a certain brand of something. Because virtually everything at Aldi is their own brand. I have found many of their items just as good -- virtually indistinguishable -- from the equivalent name brand. I find this true of cookies, crackers, cereals, chips, canned goods, and more. But there are exceptions, and you just have to go by trial and error.

This binary form of shopping -- where I typically have to complete shopping at another store -- doesn't bother me because a) I don't have a real job and therefore I can get in and out of stores when they aren't busy; and b) the Woodman's in Janesville is practically across the street from Aldi anyway. But I know this is a deterrent for many. The plus side is that Aldi's prices simply can't be beat. Their motto, "We don't price match because that would mean raising our prices" is pretty much on the money.

So here's a look at my most recent trip to Aldi, and how the prices compare to Woodman's, which next to Aldi is about the lowest priced grocer around:

As you can see, Aldi kicked Woodman's ass on nearly everything, with the exception of the bread. Eggs were also pretty close. The biggest bargain was on the rump roast, and the cashews were a steal, also. (Has anyone noticed that nuts -- not counting peanuts -- have gotten insanely expensive lately?)

So anyway, that's my report on Aldi. Feel free to chime in with your positive (and negative) experiences with Aldi. I will say that one thing I don't have much success with at Aldi is fresh produce. Some of it looks questionable, and their bulk packaging does not allow for single-item purchases of many items, like apples, oranges, and so forth, something which is pretty much essential for a single-person household (which I am).

Here's hoping for warmer weather that will bring new B&B adventures!

Bruce