Aldi

This store is a fairly new construction. Very well maintained and the staff is helpful & friendly.
Located in a plaza with TJ Maxx and European Wax Center, across the street from Schnuck’s, Five Guys and West County Mall, next door to Cane’s Chicken joint.
Aldi has great fresh produce for much less than other large chain grocers.

Aldi’s is a cheaper version of Trader Joe’s (same company). This will confuse the people that think Trader Joe’s is just a cheaper version of Whole Foods.
I like the value, but they have very small selection.
I have found a few things I really like to buy here– cheese, yogurt, bread plus «Fit & Active» brand protein/​granola bars and hot pockets (veggie one is not even greasy).
I really like the value on the produce, but extremely limited selection & sometimes out of a standard (this time spinach). I do check for the great buys like $ 1 for tray of black berries or $ 2 for 4 green peppers this visit.
The quarter for a cart thing is kinda a joke so I & others make it into one. I started trying to give a quarter to people in the parking lot so I would just take their cart. (This way they would not have to return it)
I have now progressed to giving my cart away for FREE to someone instead of walking it back (say someone gave it to you & you are passing it on). For 25 cents, I can feel like I pushed karma forward.

Aldi, headquartered in Germany, consists of two branches that operate independently: Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd. In the United States Aldi Nord operates Trader Joe’s and Aldi Süd operates Aldi. That’s just some trivia for you. :)
Aldi specializes in inexpensive groceries and household items. Aldi occasionally offers some name-​brand items, but the majority of their products are their own brands. As with many generic brands, Aldi’s store brands often are designed to mimic competing name-​brand products. I have been quite pleased with several of Aldi’s store-​brand products, particularly the Fit & Active line. Their Fit & Active ice cream sandwiches are very similar to the Skinny Cow brand and are packaged in a container like the one Skinny Cow used long ago. At just $ 3, a pack of six sandwiches is a bargain. Likewise, the Fit & Active protein meal bars, similar to Special K protein meal bars, are a decent buy.
In terms of other products, I buy some of the basics here. Tortilla chips tend to be a good buy here. Aldi typically has nice produce at low prices. Their lactose-​free milk is a less costly alternative to Lactaid. I also buy bread here that is similar nutritionally to Bunny Bread Whole Grain White.
Aldi even sells items that you would not expect them to sell. I’ve seen things like closet organizers and lava lamps at Aldi. I once got a three-​piece Anchor casserole set for just $ 10.
However, you need to know that if you find something at Aldi, it’s pretty likely that they will have it for a limited time. If things don’t sell well, Aldi quits selling them. Makes sense. They also tend to introduce items seasonally, and once they’re gone, they’re gone. For example, you might find dorm-​room items at Aldi during back-​to-​school season.
You should know a few additional things about Aldi:
1. Most locations, including this one, do not accept credit cards.
2. If you need a shopping cart, you will need to bring a quarter. At the cart corral, you insert a quarter into the mechanism that attaches your cart to the adjacent cart. This releases the cart to you for shopping. When you leave, your twenty-​five cents is returned to you when you reconnect your cart to another cart in the cart corral. The act of connecting the two carts ejects the quarter from your cart. Also, this is not as complicated as I’ve made it sound. I’ll try to get a picture next time I go. :)
3. Unless you want to pay for bags at the store, you will need to bring your own. Complimentary bags are not provided. You also will bag your own items.
I’ve given a lot of general information about Aldi, because truth be told, the Aldi locations I’ve visited have been pretty much the same. You might have a long line at check-​out time, but the cashiers are really fast. Many of Aldi’s products even have large barcodes on several sides of the box to help expedite the check-​out process. In my opinion, the main difference between one Aldi and another would be the areas in which the Aldi stores are located.
I’m so happy to have an Aldi in Des Peres. I previously have shopped at the one in Crestwood most frequently, but the Des Peres store will be much more convenient for me. It has the advantage of being a new store that opened less than one month ago (i.e., July 2014). I haven’t lived in St. Louis very long, but in the few years that I’ve been here, the area of Manchester between 270 and Bopp Road has seen immense growth. We have a new Schnucks, a new Dierbergs, and now Olympic Oaks Village (where Aldi is located) is getting a makeover.