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Aldi Will Open 800 Stores in the Coming Years—Here’s What to Know
Aldi also has some other great qualities: their selection of cheese is solid, they have affordable, award-winning wines, and they even sell fun seasonal items in theirAldi Findssection. So while I’m not a total Aldi hater, I just can’t shop there on a regular basis.
Shopping at Aldi gives me anxiety. Before you grab your axes, pitchforks and branded quarter holders, let me explain: the few times I’ve shopped there, I’ve always felt completely unprepared for the experience.
For starters, I never carry quarters to feed into their shopping cart carousel. In the past, I’ve had to search under the seat of my car for spare change or cruise the parking lot like a vulture to ask shoppers loading groceries if I could use their cart. You’d think that I’d remember this and bring some change with me, but since I shop at Aldi so infrequently, I forget 100% of the time—and always end up feeling like a quarter-less creep.
Another Aldi downside is that the store (at least where I live) is always chaotic and crowded. Aldi can keep their prices so low because their stores are much smaller than other grocery stores and they display their produce and products in the containers they arrive in rather than stocking them on the shelves. While I can respect the sound financial reasoning, the random crates and boxes scattered throughout the aisles make the store look like it’s constantly losing a game of Jenga.
And it’s not even really the messiness that bothers me—it’s that the chaos overstimulates my brain and turns it into mush. While other shoppers seem to inherently know how to navigate the system, I feel like I’m making constant laps around the store and losing a scavenger hunt. The last time I was there, I walked away with items I didn’t even need because I was so overwhelmed that I think my brain just said “grab the hot dogs, wine and cantaloupe and get out of here ASAP.”
And let me tell you: The shoppers at Aldi meanbusiness. They will not wait for you to decide if you really need that box of crackers or give you time to thoroughly scan a nutrition label. They’re there to get in and get out, not for the pleasant shopping experience or to bebop along to grocery music (BECAUSE THERE’S NONE PLAYING … skipping music so they don’t have to pay licensing fees is another way Aldi saves money, according to acompany press release). In fact, they will hit you in the back of the ankle with their cart and steal that last package of zoodles you were eying if you don’t grab them fast enough (thisactuallyhappened to me the last time I shopped there).
10 Underrated Groceries to Buy at Aldi, According to a Food Writer
Come December when the seasonal sparkling wine and truffles hit Aldi shelves, I’ll set a reminder to pack a quarter or two, go to the store during off-peak hours and take a few deep breaths before I enter—after all, chocolate and discounted bubbly are always worth it.
The Best Time to Shop at Aldi
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