There are two new Aldi stores opening in the Green Bay area soon – Ashwaubenon and De Pere, so I wanted to take some time to explain some tips and tricks for shopping there. It’s a bit different from other grocery stores. But it shows in the savings you’ll get on your receipt! I don’t get there as often as I’d like now, so I can’t wait for these two new locations! I’m by no means an expert, but I’ve learned a lot from my times there.
Tip # 1 – Grab Your Quarter
You will need a quarter to use a shopping cart. I know some get annoyed by this, but from a cost savings from not needing employees for that, I’ll take it! You put the quarter in to get a cart and get one back when you return the cart.
Tip #2 – Grab Your Reusable Bags
Another way that Aldi saves its overhead costs and then gives the savings to us as customers is bags. This is common practice in some places in our country, just not here in Wisconsin. So grab some reusable shopping bags or even the plastic/paper ones that you normally recycle after shopping at other stores. If you forget some, you can purchase them there. There are also boxes to pack your items in (similar to Sam’s and Costco) that are leftover from the food items.
Tip #3 – Pack Your Own Food
The checkout people at Aldi are crazy fast. Seriously. Faster than anyone else you’ll see at the checkout! They whip the food in quickly and then you’ll put your cart around in the place of the one they just filled. You’ll need to take your items over to the counter they provide to pack them up. Again use your reusable bags or the empty boxes they have there.
Tip #4 – Try Their Brand
I’m only a name brand snob on a few items at the grocery store. I’ve never been one to shy away from store brands. The Aldi brand of food is really, really good! We’ve tried almost everything – canned veggies, chicken broth, applesauce, chips, crackers – even their wine and beer! We haven’t been disappointed yet. I stock up on all my pantry staples there. And some of their “fit” brands and organic brands are really healthy too ingredient wise compared to other options. I use a lot of their items when I eat low-carb. They also have a large gluten free selection.
Tip #5 – Produce is a must!
A lot of people’s first experience with Aldi was because they saw their ads for cheap produce. It is reasonable and good! They have a huge selection and lots of seasonal items too. I really recommend shopping this part of their store often!
So as you try Aldi for the first time in the coming weeks (at least I’m guessing you are because you’re reading this) I hope it goes well! It is definitely different than other stores but hopefully these tips help and you see the difference on your receipt too!