After months of thinking and talking about it, gathering information from my friends and questioning people about their grocery shopping habits, I’ve finally found the time to start writing my ode to Aldi.  Because I have so much to say about this little grocery store, I’ve decided to break it up into three parts (possibly more).  I want to start with the basics, like how to start shopping at Aldi when you’re used to shopping at more traditional grocery stores because that’s the most frequent question I hear when talking to others about grocery shopping at Aldi.  So, I’m going to start out with a short list for Aldi first timers with accompanying explanations for the store itself.

1. Bring a quarter if you want to use a shopping cart:
While the concept of grocery carts holding your quarter hostage for the duration of your shopping trip does come off as odd at first, there is good reason behind it.  Getting that small value back at the end of your shopping trip simply incentives people to put their cart away, instead of leaving it to roam around the parking lot, and eliminates the need and cost of cart corrals and staff to push the carts back into the store.  Everything that seems a little weird at first about Aldi is basically a cost saving technique that enables the store to, in turn, offer lower prices on the food it sells to their customer.

2. Bring your own shopping bags:
Again, Aldi eliminates the cost of plastic and paper bags completely.  They actually have heavy duty plastic shopping bags and old fashioned paper bags without handles available for purchase for mere pennies.  This is actually a pretty interesting concept as Chicago has recently imposed a plastic bag tax at all stores including grocery stores within the city to eliminate plastic bag use.  Aldi was the forerunner of this concept.  Other cities in states like Colorado have city ordinances banning the use of plastic bags at stores altogether.  This is maybe one of my favorite things about Aldi because the benefits are twofold: making people use fewer plastic bags and cutting costs for customers.  You can also reuse empty boxes that are provided by Aldi just as you would at Costco or Sam’s Club to carry your groceries out of the store.

3. Learn the layout of the store:
I have heard some people criticize the layout of the store, but if you think about it, it adheres to the traditional and strategic grocery store layout: milk and dairy in the very back of the store to encourage shopping through the other aisles when you’re running in for a gallon of milk.  I’d suggest just learning the layout of Aldi just like you would any other store you’ve never shopped at before.  The stores are also much smaller than most grocery stores, so it’s really not that difficult to navigate.  The way the food itself is displayed sometimes comes off as weird or off putting to new shoppers, but I just liken it to a Sam’s Club or Costco.  Aldi shelves are stocked the same way warehouse stores are – in the boxes they arrived in, stacked up.  This is another cost saving technique because it reduces the cost of staff stocking the shelves.  If you’ve ever shopped at Costco or Sam’s Club, it’s the same thing.  Get over it.

4. Use your existing shopping list for your first time shopping at Aldi:
I think this is my most important tip.  Disclaimer: Aldi will not have every single item you buy on your typical grocery shopping list.  You have to get used to this fact.  What Aldi does offer is insanely cheaper options for your most basic and regular shopping needs with occasional surprises from week to week.  One of my good friends used her existing grocery list for a family of six and bought whatever she found on the list from Aldi.  Some of the things she bought at Aldi replaced her family favorites, like Greek yogurt and tortilla chips, and other items she decided not change.  The bottom line is that you can buy a dozen eggs for less than .60 cents and a gallon of milk for around or under $1.50.  In 2017, that’s amazing.  Aldi will cut your weekly grocery bill down by allowing you to buy necessities for next to nothing.  The same goes for produce (which is always extremely fresh, by the way).  As a single person who likes to cook, I love being able to buy celery for under $1.00 that I need only a few stalks of for a particular recipe.  If I don’t end up eating the remainder, I don’t feel terrible throwing it away.  I buy all of my cheese at Aldi for recipes and for snacking and that saves me a ton of money.

5. Be prepared for fast and friendly customer service:
I suppose I can only speak for my local Aldi, but the store I go to has the friendliest staff who are also the worlds fastest check out clerks.  I don’t know if it’s a part of the Aldi culture at my particular store, or something that’s actually trained at each store, but sometimes I can’t get my debit card out of my wallet before the clerk is done scanning all of my items and that is invaluable to me.  Checking out at Aldi, even when there’s a line, is still faster than any self check out at a traditional grocery store.  If you had a problem finding anything during your shopping trip, the clerk will call someone on a radio and have them fetch the item for you and promptly bring it up to the register.  If you have a problem or are unsatisfied with anything you bought at Aldi, bring it back for a free replacement.  I’ve never experienced this personally, but have witnessed shoppers come in with an open package of food they had a problem with and the staff replaces the problem item with a new item with no questions asked and a genuine apology.

Aldi may not change your life, but it will change the way you grocery shop (for the better) and will also save you time and money.  I think Part II will be dedicated to those little surprises that can be found at Aldi from week to week.  If you’ve taken the time to read this article and have used any of my tips as an Aldi shopper, please leave comments below about your experience!  Feel free to also include questions you may have about shopping at Aldi that can be answered in subsequent blog posts.