Aldi’s Supermarket- The Real Deal? By Amy
Allen Clark
I remember as a child going to Aldi’s Supermarket with my mother
to get our groceries. My mom worked very hard for many years,
and deciding to stay home proved to be very difficult on our
family finances. Aldi’s Supermarket provided some relief to our
family’s grocery budget and it now provides relief to our own
family’s tight budget as well. I often tell my friends and
family that Aldi’s Supermarket is how I can afford to be a
stay-at-home mom. Although I say this jokingly, I do credit
Aldi’s a lot for allowing the room in our budget that we needed
for me to be home with my son.
My mom laughs at me praising Aldi’s at the top of my lungs
because as a child I was completely mortified and embarrassed
that our family had to shop there. I would pray that I would not
run into a classmate, ironically who was probably shopping there
for the same exact reason as our family, and felt such shame
that we could not shop at “normal” stores like other families.
Aldi’s is a very normal store, although it lacks many of the
frills of the traditional supermarkets. Aldi’s Supermarket is a
discount chain that specializes in food, beverages, sanitary
articles, and other inexpensive household items. They also offer
specials on more expensive products such as electric appliances
or computers.
Despite the growing amount of Aldi’s Supermarkets all over the
United States, Aldi’s actually originated in Germany and is
known as the German Wal-Mart. The history of Aldi’s is as
intriguing as their deals that they offer. The frugal ways of
Aldi’s actually came out of its post World War II beginnings in
1948 when customers at its first store in Essen Germany wanted
only the lowest priced staples. These stores were started by two
brothers, Theo & Karl Albrecht, and they named the store
Albrecht Discount. Albrecht Discount is now known as Aldi’s (for
short).
There are currently over 700 Aldi’s stores in 26 states in the
US, and over 5,000 stores internationally. All of their stores
offer the same simple type of floor plan. Each store is only
15,000 square feet, making them only one-tenth of the size of an
average Wal-Mart. Because they keep their store small, they keep
their assortment of products limited as well. While traditional
supermarkets carry approximately 40,000 products, Aldi’s only
stocks 1,200 of their most popular.
Aldi’s offers a “strictly no frills” approach to their store
which means that they do not decorate their aisles or fill
shelves. Items are placed on pallets, similar to those big
warehouse shops, and customers pick off of the pallets. Upon a
pallet being emptied, the employees bring out another pallet to
be bought from.
Aldi’s “no frills” approach translates into cutting anything
that wastes the store’s time or money. For example, Aldi’s does
not accept checks, credit cards, or coupons. You will also not
be receiving any free bags, a personal greeter, beautiful store
decorations, or see a lot of advertising for their stores.
Aldi’s does not offer a deli, a butcher shop, a bakery, or even
a listed phone number. You see, if they had a phone number, then
they would have to have someone answer the phone. That one extra
“frill” would cost Aldi’s time & money-and now you see how they
keep their costs so low!
Here are a few of my own hints for making your shopping
experience the best at Aldi’s.
•
No coupon clipping is needed
for your Aldi’s shopping
experience. Aldi’s sells, primarily, only off-brand merchandise
saving you some time on coupon cutting. Aldi’s carries only one
brand in one size in each of their product category. Just
because these products are considered “off-brand”, in actuality,
many of the private label products are made by well-known brand
manufacturers and are simply shipped in different packaging to
their stores.
•
Aldi’s only accepts cash, debit cards, and the electronic
benefits transfer cards (formerly known as food stamps).
•
The store offers a shopping
cart rental program. Basically, this means you will need to insert a quarter
into the cart to use it. Upon returning the cart, you will receive your
quarter back, but be sure to tuck a quarter in your purse before you go.
Nothing is more frustrating than having to wait in line for change so that
you can get your cart to start you shopping trip.
•
Bring your own grocery bags or
you can pay for their bags. Paper bags will cost you five cents a pop and
the plastic bags will run you ten cents. Along with bringing your own bags,
you will also need to bag your own groceries. The cashier will set the
groceries in your cart and then you are responsible for the bagging. Aldi’s provides a long counter where you can bag your
groceries. Also keep your eyes out for empty boxes because these
are perfect for storing groceries in your car and make carrying
your groceries easier.
•
Aldi’s offers a double guarantee on all of their products. If
you are dissatisfied with any of their products, they will
replace the product and refund your money too!
Did you know that Aldi’s owns the more upscale market, also an
American discount chain, Trader Joes? Both Aldi’s and Trader
Joes have experienced considerable growth in these past few
years.
So what exactly does the traditional Aldi’s customer look like?
Well, the traditionally the customer for limited assortment
grocers have been households making less than $35,000. This is
changing though especially since Aldi’s has recently introduced
a more upscale private label line called Grandessa. This line
includes many gourmet products from cheesecakes to stuffed
salmon. For the budget-minded shopper, this new addition can
pose a threat to your grocery budget, but for those looking to
indulge in the more expensive foods than this can be a welcome
addition to their grocery experience.
Whatever your income, taste, or budget is, Aldi’s Supermarket
shopping is a great way to cut back on your grocery bill- give
it a try! I think you will be pleasantly surprised with your new
and improved grocery budget as well as the quality of food that
you can purchase at this store.
