Image via WikipediaA couple of days before I had my little scare, I had made the decision to try to get back on the "eating right" bandwagon. One of the things that I wanted to do was to eat more fresh food, particularly fruit and salads. The only problem is that all of those things are just so darn expensive at traditional grocery stores. A while back, my wife had told me an Aldi store that had been open for a little while on the other side of Bowie. I had been in the store once before and noticed that it was a bare bones operation with fairly low prices. They do not carry name brands, but rather less expensive, for lack of a better term, off brands.
I decided to go online to see if Aldi's had any fruit on sale in their circular. They had a few of my favorite items on sale, so I decided to drop by on the way home from work to pick up a few things. Even though I had been in the store before, it was my first time buying anything, When I say it is a bare bone, no frills operation, I mean it.
First, they have a cart control system. It requires that you place a quarter deposit to get a cart. When you return the cart to the cart corral, you get your quarter back. Inside of the Aldi's store, they have a sign that says "You only pay for what you take home." They mean it. If you need a bag, they do charge you a few pennies for one.
On my first actual shopping trip to Aldi's, I did not have a bag with me so I had to buy one from them. I purchased a whole cantaloupe, a pound of strawberries, a bunch of bananas, six plums, and six nectarines. My total purchase price was a little more than $8. I was hooked.
I made my second trip to Aldi's during the 4th of July weekend. Once again, I went there with the intention of picking up a few pieces of fruit. I left the store with two pounds of strawberries, a pint of blueberries, a bunch of bananas, and two bacon wrapped tenderloins. My total bill was only $10.
I figure that my total tab at a traditional supermarket may have been close to double that. If you care about name brands or a shopping experience, Aldi's may not be for you. On the other hand, if you want to save a little bit of money, then if you have an Aldi's near you, check them out.
My wife and her mother like to go to Aldi to stock up on canned goods. I think they also stop by fairly often to get some other things, but I don't know what they may be.
ReplyDeleteOn a somewhat related note, I had one of my more memorable experiences at an Aldi Regional Distribution Center in Springfield, OH back during my trucking adventures. For when I went to check in with the dock foreman, she happened to be one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. Adding all the more to my shock was that all of the workers around were right up there with her when it came to looks.
Furthermore, when I mentioned how beautiful they all were, she laughed and thanked me for the compliment! For I cannot even start to remember how many times I have run across some babe who couldn't tell the difference between a compliment and a come-on, and it has always been a thrill to me to run across one who could.
No, I really don't think it was an hallucination, but it was certainly not something that I had ever seen before, nor after. Besides, if it had of been something my mind had conjured up, wouldn't they have been wearing bikinis (or less) instead of thermal coveralls and hardhats?
i have shopped at them, and like the style. but the closest one to us is 100 miles away
ReplyDeleteI am a big fan of Aldi's. I have never been unsatisfied with what I buy,you can't beat the fresh fruit prices. I try a few different things in cans to see how they go over at home. The Bakery stuff is wonderful as is all of the frozen section. Shrimp is so reasonable there I can't pass it up. Great Saving Store!!
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