Aldi’s

Even if you know something about Aldi’s, few people realize that it is a German chain, which is very strong in Europe, and they own the Trader Joe’s chain, which is a completely different store concept.
You really cannot compare Aldi’s to any other store in the north suburbs, because it offers a very unique value proposition: It is cheap, it is for cheapskates, it is for people who are willing to bring their own bags, it is for people who will pack their own groceries, it is for people who are not impressed by brand names, and it is not for snobs.
I am not going to explain how Aldi’s operates, but it offers absolutely no frills. No credit cards accepted, no choice of package sizes, very limited choice of flavors and varieties, and almost no choice of brands. Almost everything sold uses their private labels, although many of their products are actually manufactured by national brands — just without the national brand labels.
Now, I am so tight that I squeak, and I patronize Aldi’s for many everyday items which cost WAY less than the mid-​priced chains, not to even acknowledge overpriced phony places like Whole Paycheck. Most of the stuff Aldi’s offers seems to be of good quality, with several exceptions:
— Their «fresh» produce isn’t particularly fresh nor first-​rate. It is prepackaged, so you cannot break up something if you want less, nor choose the specific pieces of fruit or vegetables that you like.
— Some of their meat is a bit iffy. It is apparently packaged at the packinghouse, so you cannot select the specific cuts or sizes of meat that you would like to buy.
So, I use Aldi’s for everyday «generic» stuff like dairy products, canned goods, etc. I do not shop there for specialty items nor for anything where I want a choice of brands or styles.
Until recently, most of Aldi’s stores were opened in poor and working class areas; but they have been successful in middle class areas like Morton Grove and Skokie.
As a cheapskate, I recommend Aldi’s as a stock-​up store (actually that is a tag line they sometimes use in their ads).
Their management claims that they are going to try opening a few test stores in affluent suburbs. I hope so: I will ask my chauffeur to drive me in my Chevrolet Cruze limousine to the grand opening in Kenilworth.

just moved to the neighborhood. .great store well organized great staff… managment is nice fast and friendly. .will continue making my shopping at this store not to mention the great prices this stores have…

Always good prices! Not the most organized but still good overall. Surprised me by having a car jack there, wouldn’t buy it but good attempt at diversity.

I came into the store expecting a descent service. I changed my opinion of Aldi after this visit. I had picked up a loaf of bread from the bakery aisle. I, like any other customer had a quick read of the sale notice against the bread. So I picked up the bread thinking it was on sale. So, when I checked the item out it did not read as a sale item and inquired with my cashier who was courteous but not aware of the item’s price. So she directed me to another employee who was attending to another customer who had an issue. I couldn’t help but overhear as they were right next to me when the employee asked the much older woman customer, «do you want this or not? I heard the woman say, «no thank you, if it’s not on sale I don’t want it.» Again, the employee did not hear that and asked her in a very rude manner, «do you want it, yes or no?» I was not expecting any courteous service for my inquiry from that point on. Anyway, I had to ask so she said the bread on sale wasn’t the one I had picked out and said she will show me what she’s talking about. So, I followed her to the aisle and she pointed out to the sale board (which wasn’t clear till she explained it to me). Technically, someone placed another bread in that sale spot. Something that can happen any time. But, instead of her saying that she’s sorry some other customer must have misplaced the bread that I picked up from there and that she’s sorry about the confusion and pointed me to the right item on sale, she says, «SOME PEOPLE NEED TO LEARN HOW TO READ». She did not even mumble that. She meant for me to hear it. I was very disappointed then and swore to myself never to come to Aldi again. Because the kind of people who represent Aldi is not the kind of people who will give a good representation of the store. But, then I thought to myself, it’s not technically the store’s fault unless they were aware of such employee behavior and in spite of that have done nothing about it. I have the receipt of the purchase and the employee’s name. I thought maybe this was just a bad day for her and decided to excuse the behavior. I shared what happened at the store with my family and my father said he too had a bad experience with her on another occasion. Where he put out all his purchases on the counter THEN she tells him the register is closed. With all due respect, I would have taken that customer then clearly mentioned to anyone behind him that the register is closed. Such unruly behavior should not go unnoticed or Aldi is going to take the hit with customers not wanting to go back in there because of the lack of welcomeness from these sorts of employees. Apart from this experience Aldi is a descent store.

The place improved, friendlier service, I didn’t see the tall guy during my last 2 visits and the one time I did see him he was pleasant. The store is still clean and well stocked. I do shop here again. I wonder if they read their reviews and act on them.

4.5 Just moved to the area. So happy to see an Aldi within walking distance if I feel so inclined. Aldi makes my living in the Chicago-​land area possible. good to great quality. I still have to go to walmart for some things but if I had buy meat at walmart, I would surely be in the poor house. That place is expensive!

I love good prices. I love easy shopping, big aisles. That said, I love Aldis.
First off, I never knew that Aldi’s is connected to Trader Joe’s! Now that was a surprise! Their best bargain is that they do dry goods and canned goods much cheaper than the other local stores, although I have seen a slight rise in their prices. We shop for Italian goods, and their Reggano Pasta and sauces are surprisingly good! Canned mushrooms are cheap, and they have a nice selection of spices. We also do a lot of frozen goods like Ice Cream, Frozen OJ, frozen veggies andf Mama Cozzi Pizzas. They have a nice selection and their frozen OJ is cheap!
Again, staples is where they excel, and their dairy section and milk are reasonable.
Just like all Aldi stores, you can get bottlenecked at the checkout. But this store is nicely laid out, clean, and bright. My favorite of Aldi stores.
Note: cash or DEBIT CARDS only.

As far as Aldi’s go, this is fine. The store is clean and as organized as is expected. What I find interesting is that each store’s prices vary ever so slightly… I’ve found that this particular Aldi sells their juices for just a little bit less than the one in Des Plaines.
As for what you can get there, you can occasionally get name brand foods for a lot less… I buy the cans of Doritos and Fritos for @ $ 0.89 a peice… I buy my movie candy at Aldi because it’s significantly cheaper than buying it at the theater and cheaper than buying it at one of the normal grocery stores.
If you’ve got kids, Aldi is great! I buy my kids snack stuff here, they can’t tell the difference and I spend a lot less money! How can you beat it!

Just opened, this Aldi’s is bigger and brighter than ones I’ve seen before. I was enticed by a coupon for $ 10 off a $ 40 purchase. You can get a lot of groceries here for $ 40…the surprise is that a lot of the stuff is good; comparable to Jewel or Dominick’s. It’s trial and error, though. The Mama Cozi frozen pizza — quite good (has a nice spice to it). Some of the steaks and pasta sauces — not good. It’s definitely worth checking out if you’re on a tight budget.