Aldi & Wegman's

Calamity Jane

Well-Known Member
Two new supermarkets that I've never heard of and will be introduced to my geographic location are opening soon near my house. If you've got any insight into either or both, I'd love to hear about it. I love food shopping and cooking - it's just my thing - I can literally spend a good hour or so in a supermarket and not mind at all, so any helpful comments would be appreciated.
 

AppleCori

Well-Known Member
I have lived in several states that had an Aldi (including currently) and I can tell you it is the cheapest place for groceries that I have been to. They don't stock name-brand items, only their store brand, but in most cases the quality is comparable, of the items I have bought.

One thing don't think is as good as the name-brand is their fruit cocktail. That's all I can think of at this moment.

I love their frozen veggies with teriyaki sauce. Around here, a bad costs about $3. I keep it on hand for emergency meals. I add some meat and it is an easy dinner when pressed for time.

I have found the fresh produce to be good in most stores, and good quality.

It is a discount, no-frills place. You need to bring your own bags or boxes to put your groceries in ( or you can purchase paper bags there at the check-out counter). You need to bring a quarter to put in the slot to unlock a cart. You get a quarter back when you put the cart away. They put the scanned items in a cart, and you bag them yourself.

It is a very small store.

About a decade ago, I lived in the Northeast and had access to a Wegmans. It is a huge store with a lot of exciting products, and their store brand is very good. You will love browsing there and trying new things. At the time I shopped at one, it was comparable in price to most major non-discount grocery chains.

I recall the seafood being pretty fresh.

They had a fresh sub sandwich shop in it which I think is better than most chain sub shops. It was always busy.

I don't know if anything has changed since I have been in one.

Basically, they are two diametrically opposed places, but both good for different things.
 

ksm

Well-Known Member
I do weekly shopping at Aldi's. I by most of my basic shopping there.

Things I buy at Aldi's and like better than Krogers or Walmart

Their bread...esp oat bran bread and multi grain bread

Tortilla chips

Coconut oil, solid and liquid

Salsa

Dried cranberries

Walnuts

Oyster crackers

Brownie mix

Canned mandarin oranges

White albacore tuna

Canned chicken breasts chunks

Their refrigerated pizzas... Exp Mexican or plain cheese.

I don't usually buy my fresh meat there, I usually stock up when Krogers has a good sale.

Plus I buy things like sugar, flour, eggs, milk, cheese, margarine, onions, potatoes, carrots, etc. I don't usually buy apples or bananas, as I only want a couple, and they come in larhpger amounts. Batteries, dish soap, paper plates, napkins.

I buy strawberries, blueberries, pineapple. Lol...most all my weekly grocery items!

Ksm
 

susiestar

Roll With It
Aldi is AMAZING! It will cut your grocery bill substantially! They carry healthy food too, not just junk. Lots of their food is better than the "gourmet" stuff sold at other grocery stores. Their frozen cheesecake is wonderful. You can buy whole cheesecakes or packs with just 2 slices. My dad always keeps a few of the 2 slice packs int he freezer for "emergencies". I guess you never know when a cheesecake emergency will hit. LOL!

Seriously, the prices at Aldi are seriously astounding. The quality of the food is as good or even better than the other grocery stores. We shop at Aldi first and then if we still need a few items or there are things that Aldi doesn't carry, we go to Walmart or the other stores in our town. My grocery budget was cut in half by doing this. I have a teenage boy in the house!

Their version of Velveeta is usually around $3.99-$4.29. The name brand runs $6.99 to $7.99. The other stores have their store brand at $5.29-$5.99. We cannot taste any difference and there is no difference in how it cooks.

That is the only product I remember the price of offhand, and only because I just priced it for a math problem I helped a friend's kid with. The numbers stuck in my head. I was making queso for hubby at the time.

They have a version of goldfish crackers that are shaped like penguins. We like the penguins better because they taste more like cheddar cheese and are not as salty. They are also cheaper. They do carry goldfish crackers also.

They have some awesome chocolates. I LOVE LOVE LOVE their $2.99 dark chocolate covered caramels with sea salt. They also have bars of chocolate right as you go in that are great for eating and baking - and vastly cheaper than other stores. They carry some name brand items, but it varies seasonally. Though they seem to always have Werthers caramels and Hersheys chocolate. I would not EVER buy Hersheys there when I could buy their dark chocolate. I like dark choc better and theirs is quite good for the price.

They will have great prices on cheese and dairy products and eggs and breads and produce. Also on baking stuff. When they came into our town they upset the Walmart people quite a lot. Walmart had sugar at $3 a bag and Aldi came in at less than half that. They had eggs at 1/3 of Walmart's price, and milk and cream at about 1/2 of Walmart's price. Walmart had the lowest prices until that point, outside of sales, and Aldi changed that dynamic.

Aldi's does sell bags. You can buy either paper or really nice plastic bags. I always buy the plastic bags, they are about 6 cents each, I think. I use them for everything around the house. They are really sturdy and super handy. THey last a really long time and are reusable. They also sell freezer bags that work pretty well. If you don't want to buy bags, you can get boxes for free. You can take them from the shelves as you shop or they have a bin where they put them and you can grab them.

The carts do take a quarter, but you get it back when you put the cart back. It keeps the carts from being left loose in the parking lot. Where I live if you are searching for change for a cart, someone will usually just give you their cart for free or give you a quarter. It happens all the time here. Not sure it will in bigger cities, but this is OK and it does around here and even in OKC/Tulsa. We are strange like that.

It is TOTALLY worth going to Aldi's and trying anything that looks interesting. Their house brand items all come with a guarantee so if you don't like it, return it and you are not out anything.
 

ksm

Well-Known Member
I also like the fact that they have a good supply of gluten free products. And even food that you might wonder if it is gluten free, is clearly marked!

I used to fix a meal for a kids church group...and we had one child with a severe allergy to gluten. It was so helpful to know that the tortilla chips, salsa and other items were clearly marked gluten free. At other stores, I would have to read labels, and then not be sure!

Their snack cakes are just as good as Little Debbie's at about half the price.

I bought a skillet with a Ceramic non stick finish...still using it.

They have house hold items that change every few weeks... I have been happy with those items too. I think paper sacks are 6cents and plastic sacks are .10. These are larger, reusable ones than the Walmart sacks...

Ksm
 

Lil

Well-Known Member
I completely agree on Aldi. Jabber and I shop there every week. If nothing else, for the Greek yogurt. Neither of us have ever been a fan of Greek yogurt, but theirs is the BEST. It's literally the only thing we eat for breakfast Monday-Friday; vanilla Greek yogurt with Kashi cereal mixed in. Unfortunately, they discontinued their store brand that was comparable to Kashi cereal. Wish they'd bring it back. Their Savoritz brand of crackers are equal to any name brand. We actually like their "Trisket" rosemary and olive oil, more! We prefer their almond milk to Silk. It's thinner and more "milk-like".

They have a line of lower-calorie products called Fit and Active, that are great! Their frozen veg. are great. We buy coffee creamer, sugar, flour, etc., there. Really, the only thing I find somewhat iffy is the fresh produce - which can be a bit ripe so that you have to eat it promptly. Otherwise, I'd buy pretty much anything they sell.

Our local store has started selling all sorts of odd seasonal items in addition to food. Right now they have lots of camping stuff; tents and bbq tools and portable grills. They have patio sets and rain barrels and last week had a composter! They have a number of bathroom accessories and bins and such. I was joking with a lady the other day that it's starting to crowd out the food. Good quality though. Last year I replaced my patio furniture cushions with ones bought there. I paid $11 each for the high-back chair cushions - the exact same ones were $30 at Walmart. I also have a fruit / banana basket and a magnifying mirror that mounts on the wall, from there. So...yeah. Worth looking at that stuff, you never know what you'll find.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
I love the prices and buy some fruits and vegetsbles there. The only problem I have is that I basically dont buy items with saturated fats or much sodium and there are few healthy optipns, if you are into that. For people who eat a regular diet, Aldis is great.

I never heard of Wegmans. Can somebody please tell me what that is? Thanks!
 

Lil

Well-Known Member
The only problem I have is that I basically dont buy items with saturated fats or much sodium and there are few healthy optipns, if you are into that.

When was the last time you went? They are getting better all the time with that! Really, every time I go it seems they've added some healthy option. I'm sure all stores don't progress at the same rate though. But if you haven't looked in a while, worth giving it another shot.
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
I still go and buy many things. Why not? Prices are great. And they are getting better!

I buy there as often as I can. Its a wonderful, clean store and our Aldis is pretty big!
 

GoingNorth

Crazy Cat Lady
I first encountered Aldi's in Germany; the company's home country. Imagine my surprise when I came back stateside and found them in Chicago!

With Aldi's it really depends on the store: the one nearest us in Chicago, and the one in Rhinelander were both awful: dirty, lousy produce, etc.

I also disagree as to quality of some of Aldi's house brands, something that I notied in Germany as well.

There is an Aldi's close to me here in suburban Milwaukee, which while spotless, still has the issues with overripe produce and low quality canned and frozen goods, etc.

Some of their baked goods and specialty items are decent, though.

I have heard that Aldi's is going all-organic, but haven't confirmed the rumor.
 

Calamity Jane

Well-Known Member
SWOT,

Wegmans is part of a large supermarket chain, and they're coming to my part of NJ. They're building it in town, and right now, it looks like a giant cement Rahway State Prison from the outside, but I'm sure when it's done, it'll be fine. It's huge, and there's a clocktower, so I'm thinking it's going to look like a very big country store, but I have no idea. Someone told me that Wegmans is always on the "Best Places to Work" list.
 

RN0441

100% better than I was but not at 100% yet
Aldi's is great and there is one real close to our home.

Their cheese is awesome. Milk, OJ, best ice cream sandwiches and ice cream cones ever!

We do not buy our meat there.

Love their oat bran bread too! Love their coffee pods.

Sometimes they do have brand names also of certain items but not cosistently (at least the one by us).

I also do not buy their produce because the quantities are too large. I also heard they are going all-organic.

Trader Joe's is also owned by the same company.

We don't shop there all the time only because that means 2 stores instead of one and it's just us two now but definitely lots of yummy things!
 

BusynMember

Well-Known Member
I love Trader Joes and always go when in Illinois. We have none near where I live. I wish we did. The variety and prices cant be beat.
 

GoingNorth

Crazy Cat Lady
There's a TJ's in the far Northwestern Milwaukee suburbs. I'm thinking of taking a trip out there sometime this week.

It's a long drive by surface roads so I haven't been in months.
 

KTMom91

Well-Known Member
We have Trader Joe's, but not Aldi's or Wegmans. I watched a documentary on Food Network, I think it was, about Wegmans. It looks like an amazing place!

We got a Sprouts about a year ago. I love Sprouts.
 

GoingNorth

Crazy Cat Lady
SWOT, I double checked because i had heard rumors while I was still up North about one opening in Steven's Point, but apparently that never came to pass.

There is one in Brookfield, one in Whitefish Bay (both Milwaukee suburbs), and one in Madison.
 
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