Single Guy’s Kitchen

Today I went to ALDI in Cary NC. This was my second trip to ALDI and I recommend everyone to check it out. The best way I can describe ALDI is a cross between a grocery store and a warehouse club. They pretty much only sell food items but they are very heavy on discount items and they have some great house brands.

The store is kept in good condition, cleaner than most grocery stores. Not a lot of fresh food, but they have great deals on packaged and canned stuff.

They have some really great deals although you probably won’t be able to find your whole week’s shopping list here. Today I went in looking for ziploc bags and vegetable oil and here is what I bought:

• Sour Patch Kids (candy) - big bag - $1.79
• Shells & Cheese - Knockoff brand of Velveeta Shells - $1.29
• Vegetable oil - 48 oz house brand - $2.29
• Baby Rays BBQ sauce - 28 oz - $1.59

I think the Baby Rays sauce was a great deal, a huge bottle at only $1.59. I really like Baby Rays sauce and would normally expect to pay 3x for this size in a normal grocery store. This particular item was one of the things they have on the first aisle that are seasonal or hot promotions I think, and not something they regularly stock.

ALDI does things a lot different from other stores. In my opionion, most of their differences are good.

To start with, you’ll notice that shopping carts aren’t free. You have to deposit a quarter in order to “unlock” a shopping cart. Upon returning the cart to the rack, you get your quarter back. This discourages people from leaving the carts sitting out in the parking lot, as customers return the carts. Great idea! They also don’t give you grocery bags, you can bring your own if you want them. ALDI focuses on efficiency and cost savings all around. They only accept cash and debit cards for payment.

Here is an intro article to shopping at ALDI.