There’s a new grocery store chain in my area called Aldi. I was really looking forward to this store moving into town because the prices are supposed to be very competitive and the products offered are supposed to be interesting and family friendly.
Those things sound good and sound like things that I need for my family. I do want to get the most groceries and household products for the least amount. If I can make fewer trips to fewer stores to get all my family needs, that’s a bonus too.
I was excited about Aldi, so I looked up where it was coming. My excitement dulled because it wasn’t coming very close, but it wasn’t so far that I wouldn’t entirely cross it off my list of shopping opportunities. What I learned about the store in my location search, was what turned me off from shopping at Aldi.
Aldi keeps costs low by having customers bag their own groceries. Customers have to supply their own bags or boxes to take their groceries home. In order to keep the parking lot clear, customers have to rent a shopping cart and return them to the store to get the fee back. These are small things, but to someone shopping with small children in tow, they’re big inconveniences.
Aldi is fighting to get shoppers in its stores by charging only 99 cents for a gallon of milk. That’s a great deal and might be worth it. I spent $1.67 for a gallon of milk at Super Walmart yesterday. Milk is more expensive at Costco, even though everything else is a more reasonable cost.
Am I willing to give up convenience for cheap milk? I might discover that I like Aldi and everything I think about it is wrong and it’s everything I want in a store.