ALDI grocery stores

[cptjohnstone]

Originally Posted by bigbobftworth

Aldi is not a franchise group, it is a very large chain and they do have money. About half their locations are leased. The way most big retail and grocery stores operate is as follows:

1. Store is built as a lease from a developer

No money out of pocket from Aldi

2. The product is below average and their own brand but packaged by an indepedent company that puts Aldi's Store brand labels on the merchandise and shipped to the stores, with an invoice that must be paid out in 30 days.

Again no money out of pocket

3. Aldi's and other companies including Wal-Mart operate this way. The only real expense is labor.

Many stores can be opened with very little expense to the operator. But it does not take long if an operators cash flow is very low or even negative to have a great impact on an operators ability to keep stores open. Oh many brands and operators will have like a 3 to 5 year plan to build stores, market share and advertising. But when things are bad, a chain will pull the plug on new markets very fast. Easier to just pay rent and sell off its real estate assets than to keep operating stores.

Wal-Mart like them or hate them is a force and the largest grocery store chain. I prefer Central Market or even Fiesta. They both have the best produce selections in town.

I love Aldi's. I am in the meat business and think their selection is great.
I found Veal Parimagion (sp? it is late) and they do not have the brands that Target and Wal Mart have. I had a $10 off coupon and bought a steam mop for $30. Lemons I paid $.33 at Wal Mart were $.25 at Aldi's. As i posted in another thread, they will give WM a run for their money

Fiesta is great also, they have like 30X eithic (sp?) stuff 3 scothes

[Black Sedan]

I went by in a pinch a month ago because it was convenient on my errands that day when I needed some eggs, OJ, half and half and milk. I left without eggs. I didn't really feel like carrying more than that.

From what I saw, I would never be able to get out of there with everything I needed. Nothing was very organized, the product was all jumbled together. The place was crowded with people that I'd rather not smell.

Everything Steve67 noted is correct, except in my evaluation they had more of what looked to be whatever they could cart in on pallets in bulk, not necessarily one brand of everything you'd be looking for. The lack of bags was funny, and the lady looked at me oddly when she warned me they didn't take credit cards, and I asked if they would accept cash.

I'll keep my Tom Thumb & Central Market and, the local*neighborhood shop. If you have a local neighborhood independent grocer, support them. They are rare these days.

Wal-mart is a completely off my list for a myriad of reasons, chiefly their anti-union efforts, labor practices, & the big bait and switch from preferring "Made in the USA" to mass importing of chinese goods. Wal-mart forced suppliers to move operations overseas or lose their business, after years of selling their brand as anathema to this.

So if ALDI eats Wal-Mart's lunch in groceries - fantastic. But, tsrv4me, you have given me pause.

Interesting intel about their pay rates. I'd like to see their workers organized while the getting is good. (Yes unionized)

[DustyHands]

we tried it out last weekend, just out of curiosity. observations:
the quarter for the cart thing works, in a weird freakonomics sort of way.
for the most part, the storebrand stuff was just as good, and a few cents cheaper.
you pretty much move in one line through the entire store-not easy to just go get milk.
the debit card only thin makes sense from their perspective; also liked that the cashiers got to sit down- why not?
I miss the free plastic bags- we use them for dirty diapers, and that on top of familiarity and produce/meat at our regular tom thumb is enough so that the 2-3cent savings is not enough to get me to switch.

an aside- albertson's is generally less expensive, but tom thumb has better sales and much better wine.

that's my contribution to grocery store talk.

[Sami]

Been to Aldi's back in North Carolina did not like the assembly line walk through. Prices are cheaper but some things just got to be name brand Kroger,Sprouts,Albertsons ALL run good enough sales and with use of coupons to shop for prices and Quality for most budgets.. Heck I don't buy much of anything at regular prices anyway.Summer is coming grow it and Can it!!

[GneissGuy]

The "no bags" thing is pure scam. You can buy 3 or more bags for a penny wholesale, so they're not saving any significant amount of money for the customer by not having bags. If they refunded all the savings on bags to the customer, you'd save 2 cents when you buy $50 worth of groceries.

The cart bit is a similar scam.

[fortwortholdguy]

Originally Posted by Steve67

1. Carts do cost .25 cents.. but is returned once you give the cart back. Not sure of the logic here as If I was going to steal a cart I would pay .25 cents for it

The carts are all at the front just outside the store. By having the customers return them to get their quarter back, they save the cost of having an employee go out in the parking lot every so often and retrieve carts. It is not a gimmick to keep carts from getting stolen...

I enjoyed shopping at Aldi's when I lived in Joliet, Illinois...but I never went there on or just after the first of the month when the food stamps were issued; it was just too crowded...

[St.Mateo]

Ahh Grocery shopping lol something I just love NOT!
Anyway I was offered a manager job there paying something like 24 dollars a hour but like Danni said working with the public is not my thing either

[DownForWhatever]

...used to shop there when I lived in Europe...Aldi was our choice of last resort...

Aldi is a perfect analogy of the Euro concept to health care...oh wait...that's coming here too...

So...get used to Aldi...cuz your health care is going to be run just like it...no joke!