by Amanda Monroe

Created on: August 24, 2010

Aldi Foods launched a new chain of grocery stores in the Spring of 2010 in Dallas, TX and the surrounding areas.  I can honestly say that I had never heard of Aldi until I saw a sign on a building that was under construction very near my house, on a highway that we frequent.

While waiting for the doors to open, still not knowing anything about the store, and also perplexed by the small size of the building, I began seeing posts about this stores prices in a few blogs that I had recently begun reading.  I was amazed at how little items, especially produce items, were said to cost at the store.  I thought surely this was due to regional variations in price, and that once our stores opened, the prices here would mimic those seen at the larger grocery store chains.  I was, however, quite intrigued to check it out.

When the store opened, my husband and I stopped in one day just to look around, and we were amazed.  Many of the prices we saw were significantly lower than store brand prices seen at the large Wal-Mart Supercenter located directly across the street.  Also, we found the quality to be equal to, and in some instances better than, brand name items in many categories.  Even more impressive, stamped on the packaging of each of their store brand products is a “Quality Double Your Money Back Guarantee.”  If you are not 100% satisfied with a product, they will replace the product and refund your money.

We did not buy many things on that trip, since we were mostly just browsing, but the next week I conducted a little experiment.  Judging by the small size of the store, which had a total of six aisles, I assumed there would be many things that they did not carry.  I returned to the store with a rather extensive grocery list in hand, feeling quite confident that I would still need the majority of it when I left.  I was delighted that there were only a handful of items remaining on my list when I checked out.  The prices I paid were all comparable to, if not lower than, the prices where I had shopped previously.  Plus, I’m certain that I saved even more money simply because the smaller inventory made me stick to my list and not grab impulse purchases.

It is now late Summer, and I have come to love Aldi.  It is my go to store now for all of my weekly essentials.  It has allowed our family to begin eating fresh produce again, which had been prohibitively expensive at other

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