All Hail King ALDI

When I was growing up, my dad always did the grocery shopping for our family. This was not very conventional, but then again my dad was not a very conventional man.

I continued this tradition in my own family, for whatever reason. Unlike my father (who I think cooked a Taylor pork roll for himself back in the 1970's but was never known to prepare dinner for us; that was my mom's domain), I do about 80% of the cooking in our household, which I don't mind. I think it's because as a teenager I was up at 4am delivering newspapers, then school, then track or wrestling practice and by the time I got home I was starving. But we always ate late because my mom worked. So I probably subconsciously vowed when I grew up that I would take dinner-matters into my own hands.

I don't mind grocery shopping. At least now I don't, thanks in large part to a German grocery chain called Aldi. It wasn't always this way. I used to shop at the old-school, 1980's era supermarkets like Acme and Giant because they were close by and it was the bane of my existence. Prices were not competitive, lines were long and annoying, selection was sub-par, and the whole experience just sucked. Wegman's was a nice shopping experience (and Catholic owned), but it started to hurt the wallet; which is unfortunate because it was on my home from work). I don't mind picking up a loaf of bread or gallon of milk from Walmart, but I don't want to do all my grocery shopping there.

When I discovered Aldi, everything changed. It has literally been a godsend for our family, and I'm going to tell you why. But first a little history about the chain. 

The first Aldi store was opened in Germany in 1913, and came to the U.S. in the mid-seventies. “In the aftermath of the war, "scarcity and necessary frugality demanded the avoidance of waste," Dieter and Nils Brandes wrote in their book "Bare Essentials: The Aldi Success Story." "The principle was: less is better than too much. This applied to capital, personnel, size of stores." It sounds like the founding brothers were rather ruthless in their efficiency mind-set. 

The secret of the current Aldi model is in the details and mission, which squares with my own. I grocery shop with the same mindset I buy and use a car: to get from point A to point B cheaply, reliably, and efficiently.  I know a lot of big families swear by Costco, but after having shopped there a couple times with a borrowed membership card, I'm not sold (you buy in bulk, and the quality of food and meats is good, but the unit prices are not as competitive as you might think. I also hate the "mega-mart" warehouse feel) 

For those who may have shopped at Aldi, you may notice:

1) There are no "cart boys," since it's self-service. You pop a quarter into a cart to unlock it, and get it back when you return it. No biggy. 

2) The aisles are wide and relatively spacious. This is related to the next point, which is

3) Choice and brand selection is limited. I'd say 95% of items are Aldi brand. I have yet to buy something that was sub-par or lacking in quality, and that includes produce and meats. And I actually love the limited choice options for brands and things, since it's less I have to think about or mull over. Studies have proven that 'decision-fatigue' is a real thing. 

4) There are maybe two to three employees working in the entire store at any one given time, and that includes the check out people. They are expected to do many different jobs in the store, but from what I hear the pay is competitive and the working conditions are not too bad.

5) The check out people sit when they check you out, rather than stand. They are pleasant but don't make chit-chat, they just scan your dang groceries like lightening. 

6) There are hardly any lines, and if there are, they move very quickly. It's efficient, which I love. I have never waited in line for more than a couple minutes.

7) Everything gets placed in a cart, and you move over to an area where you bag your own groceries (I usually bring my own bags as well). 

8) I consistently spend almost 40-50% less on groceries than I would anywhere else. And no freaking coupons needed.

Grocery shopping is no longer an onerous, dreaded thing for me. It's in-and-out, with minimal wasted time, no choice-fatigue, no coupon-clipping or sales to think about. And I'm often coming in at less than $100 per trip for a trunk load of groceries (I usually go once a week or so). 

I'm glad Aldi gets people like me. We can afford to eat healthy and well. When you're on a budget, it's the little wins you're grateful for!