Kris S.
Yelp
Okay, I just made my first trip to Aldi after reading the many positive and negative reviews here on Yelp. Let me start here: This store is awesome if you have a basic concept of economics. It is not a white glove, red carpet style grocery store. It's a working class store that brings high quality products to working-class budgets. For my family who is on a single income, this store is a blessing with their low prices. In the face of high business expenses many grocery stores currently endure, especially in California, Aldi trimmed the overhead 'fat' to keep their prices low. As such, they have minimal staff. So, to those complaining that they cannot find help, that's the reason. You want your hand held as you shop, go to another store and pay more for it.
For those who remember the now-defunct "Fresh & Easy," it's somewhat similar to their old business model, while expanding on it to make it more efficient and sustainable. The staff here does all the roles a traditional store would separate and define for each employee (eg: no specific cashier roles). And how they stock their shelves is brilliant, as their items arrive on a pallet and just need to be dropped into place. As I said before, there are no specific cashiers, restocking people, etc. Every Aldi employee does everything, sharing the load equally. In addition, they keep their business hours around peak traffic times. So late night frozen pizza and beer runs aren't going to bring you to Aldi. This also means they don't open early either. They target their business hours around expected traffic. This keeps their payroll under control (eg: additional overhead).
One of my favorite features found at this store is the 25¢ shopping cart loan. I always say that if you can't return something, you probably shouldn't borrow it. Shopping carts are no exception. Being from Washington State myself, grocery stores up there usually have a clean parking lot from rogue shopping carts. Sure, I usually see one or two carts roaming around. But not as many that would constitute as a problem. Down here, there are almost as many - if not more shopping carts in the parking lot as there are in stores. People simply don't return them, and that's a major problem. Maybe it's an entitlement issue, or sheer laziness. But Aldi is answering that call and making you deposit a quarter to release a cart to entice you to put it back when done. When you return the cart to the stall, you get your quarter back. Simple, right? And say if you see a bunch of carts straying in the parking lot, you could possible make a buck or two for a load of laundry rallying them up yourself. Honestly, I love the idea of 25¢ refundable deposit carts. Anyone complaining about Aldi's shopping cart policies are probably the very people who leave their empty carts in parking lots which, in turn, ding your vehicle. Otherwise, why else would a person complain about that?
A surprising thing that I discovered is an aisle devoted to temporary great deals. I think Aldi's buyers see large bulk items they can turn around and sell quickly at a discount, such as tools, cookware, household items, etc. It was a nice surprise and I got one of those silly toilet bowl LED lights for $6.99. That was kind of fun.
Now, if you're not familiar with the history of Aldi, you should really look into this company, ESPECIALLY if you're a Trader Joe's fan. Yes, Aldi and Trader Joe's are related. No, they don't sell the same products or target he same demographic. But they're both under the same ALDI Nord umbrella. This is easily found on Wikipedia or any other site. Fun fact, Aldi is abbreviated from the founder's last name and the word "discount" (eg: Albrecht Diskont). And yes, Aldi is a German company.
Anyway, the prices were ridiculously low on this trip. They're definitely less expensive than many of The 99¢ Only Store's and Grocery Outlet's prices - to which I'm referring to my neighborhood Burbank stores. I really enjoyed my trip to see the store myself. I got 3 packed backs full of groceries and novelties for $31. So, to Aldi's Real Estate Planning team, please bring one out to Burbank or nearby please!
Lastly, the following article from Mashed is the read that piqued my interest about Aldi and how they run their business. I hope it also helps you understand their business model better as well. https://www.mashed.com/91780/aldi-gets-prices-low/