We Now Have An Aldi!

Hurray, an Aldi supermarket just opened in the next town! Now, we can get rock bottom prices on milk, eggs, and produce. Well, I think so anyway. I will be checking prices against the new Super Walmart (two towns over) the next time we go for our monthly stock-up visit. And, yes I know that 1.99 price for milk won't last too long. But, for now, that sure beats the 3.69 a gallon our local Dominick's charges.

We didn't buy much on our first visit. I was surprised that the prices on their own brand canned goods were comparable in price to the discount price on name brands at Walmart. Again, I will be doing some price comparisons just to see who has the best deal. I am also leery of taste - if a name brand is the same cost as generic - of course I will take the name brand.

Aldi is small in comparison to other super markets in the area so it had a very limited selection. I didn't see any customer service desk - maybe I just missed it. I couldn't watch items being scanned because the screens were turned away from the customers - that really bugged me. Credit cards are not accepted - you can pay by debit card, check, or cold hard cash.

If you want a plastic bag at check out there is a charge. So I didn't mind bringing my own canvas totes for bagging. Actually that's a good habit to get into for all stores.

I over-heard a customer say "This Aldi is much more expensive than our Aldi". Hmmm, interesting. I wonder where that gal lives. And why does the chain think they can charge higher prices in a different town - because the store is new? - because they think the populous is more affluent?

Will Aldi be big competition against other stores in town? In my humble opinion - NO. The town has a nice Jewel, excellent butcher shop and fabulous bakery. I can see Jewel stocking less milk and eggs but otherwise they won't loose much business.

We will pop into Aldi whenever we are in the area just to pick up a few things. But when the town gets it's new CVS Pharmacy we will plan a shopping day once a week. I know how to play the drug store game so I am really looking forward to even better savings.

How lucky we are to be getting more shopping options. It's a good feeling to save more money as the cost of groceries keeps rising.

Happy Dance! Happy Dance!