tjr wrote:Most products at Aldi are consistently priced chain wide but certain produce and dairy items are set at the store. Some snack foods, too. The Racine Aldi used to have the cheapest prices on chips, around 2/3 of the price in the Chicago area.

Aldi MAY price their staple products the same in the Chicago market from store to store. However, if you compare their prices in Chicago versus other markets like SOCAL, Chicago is a LOT cheaper. Last year, I compared the prices between the Cincinnati stores with what I saw in El Centro, CA, and was shocked at how much higher the CA stores were.

tjr wrote:There are few if any continuously stocked housewares, just Aldi Finds. Some items repeat annually for a few years, like fake Silpats, turbo ovens, cherry pitters, stackable planters, bike speedometers, greenhouses, garden clogs and stuffed animals for the pool*. Others are once only like the faux instant pot accessories or pruning shears*. So, going to Aldi on any given day in hopes of buying a skillet or a miniblender can be a goose chase.
On top of that, some Aldis used to have lots of Aldi Finds left over and would clearance them for up to 75% off. From around 2019-2021, Aldi had been overrun with people who bought Aldi Finds and sold them on FB Marketplace, Ebay, even Amazon. Candles and kiddie pools were the worst. Now with supply chain problems and market saturation, even that's died down a bit. Still, it's not a reliable source.

There are several active YouTube channels that have videos titled like "Best ALDI finds in November 2022." I do not know if they are receiving early notice of some of these products but days later, I will see those items advertised in the circulars. Yes, people buy the limited supplies and resell them on Ebay.

I will not complain about it too much as we have our own resale business.

In my closest Aldi store there are racks near the entrance with the current week circular and a preview circular for next week's Aldi finds.

jlawrence01 wrote: Aldi MAY price their staple products the same in the Chicago market from store to store. However, if you compare their prices in Chicago versus other markets like SOCAL, Chicago is a LOT cheaper. Last year, I compared the prices between the Cincinnati stores with what I saw in El Centro, CA., and was shocked at how much higher the CA. stores were.

I repeat an old response that store managers have leeway to lower the price. Specifically, the manager at the Aldi @ 4627 W. Diversey Ave. will match the price of the WalMart Super across the avenue on select items.
I bought my second desktop computer; a Medion [Germany] tower running Windows® Vista at an Aldi (which no longer exists) in Oak Park, IL. in 2008. Oddly enough, the Windows® 98 computer (ordered from ABS in southern California in 1998) it replaced still runs; but it does not {dare} connect to the Internet. It is in the basement. This second computer lasted only five years.

HI,

Yesterday, I stopped by Aldi to pick up a couple of items. I picked up the intended items, then bought clementines, eggs ($4.49), a bunch of stuff and a ham marked down to 99 cents per pound.

There were a number of hams in the bin marked 99 cents. My last ham purchase was a shank end for 59 cents per pound at Jewel. This time I took a nine-pound sirloin end, because it is supposed to be meatier, but more more bones making it difficult to carve.

When I went to cash out, the ham scanned full price. I reminded the cashier it was supposed to be 99 cents pp. "No worries, the price adjust when the final bill was totalled." It did not. A manager advised I selected the wrong ham. The cashier went back to check. I told him, "Just come back with whatever ham is suitable for the 99 cent price."

Cashier returned with a 12-pound spiral cut ham with a glaze packet. He attempted to clear out the prior ham, but it would not clear without rescanning it. He trotted back to get the other ham from the bin. Still something did not work, so it was decided to rescan my basket. No problem, but clear out the guy with a gallon of milk behind me.

Rescanned my order, then finished with the ham, which scanned full price. This time finally when totalled, price adjusted by just over $18. to reflect the current ham cost. Yes, we did it! Cashier and I both felt we won. I thanked him and people stuck behind me, because nobody peeped or abandoned this line.

I left feeling like I earned my 99-cent pp ham. Surprised I am buying a spiral cut ham, because I never really consider these. Live and learn!

Regards,
Cathy2

When I was at the Evanston Aldi's store on Thursday, I ended up getting some bananas, hot cocoa and a bag of green onions for $.89. I noticed the head lettuce was $.99. All they had open was one regular register, and all of the self checkout ones. I got out faster using self checkout. Were the eggs 1 1/2 dozen for that price? I am still using the eggs I got for $1.99 a dozen over a month ago at Jewel. I only have two more to use up.

I noticed that Aldi has 32 ounce jars of herring in wine sauce for $6.99 this week. Has anybody tried it? Is it any good?

NFriday wrote:I noticed that Aldi has 32 ounce jars of herring in wine sauce for $6.99 this week. Has anybody tried it? Is it any good?

My Mom loves this stuff. I add sour cream for my tastes. I may just buy a jar. Most of their canned fish products are liked here.

Regards,
CAthy2

NFriday wrote:I noticed that Aldi has 32 ounce jars of herring in wine sauce for $6.99 this week. Has anybody tried it? Is it any good?

Absolutely love herring in wine sauce. Did you catch the size & brand? Jewels has Noon Hour for $5.99, ACME priced at $9.99 & Vita at $4.99. All 3 being 12oz.
Thanks.

Woodman’s carries my preferred brand, “Noon Hour. “30-32” oz (not sure), choice of wine of sour cream, in the $10-11 range. Regular price.

Pickled herring is pretty easy to make, mainly because the Polish stores here have the main ingredient: salted herring. The fish is usually $5.99/lb. Adding pickle probably gets the price under the equivalent of $4 or 5 per jar.

Aldi's herring I am sure is a limited time special for $6.99 for a 32 ounce jar. It is one of their own brands, and once it is gone it is gone, and so get it while you can. The last time I bought herring was at Christmas time when Jewel had Vita on sale for $9.99 for a 32 ounce jar.

Evil Ronnie wrote:Woodman’s carries my preferred brand, “Noon Hour. “30-32” oz (not sure), choice of wine of sour cream, in the $10-11 range. Regular price.

Should you ever find yourself in NYC, this is an outpost of a place in Tel Aviv. All herring, all the time (okay, mostly herring).

https://www.sherryherring.com/

tjr wrote:Pickled herring is pretty easy to make, mainly because the Polish stores here have the main ingredient: salted herring. The fish is usually $5.99/lb. Adding pickle probably gets the price under the equivalent of $4 or 5 per jar.

And that would be an enjoyable project! I remember the barrels of herring in Milwaukee Ave (Chicago) stores decades ago, along with barrels of pickles and the free pork bones!

Based on my visits to Aldi stores in AZ, CA, and OH this year, I am beginning to believe that they are abandoning the lowest price strategy in favor of a more upscale Trader Joe's product selection. I used to head to Aldi first in Phoenix BUT now I am heading to Winco Foods instead.

I think you're right. Those upgrades have been going on since pre-pandemic, but up to recently it's been more about adding upscale items. Lately many low cost essentials are disappearing from Aldi, and the Aisle of Shame has featured less oddball nongroceries. Question: Can Winking Owl be considered an essential?

Up here in the wilderness of the Great Frozen North (we're 19miles south of the Canadian border), we haven't seen much--if any--change in the merch. They've added the self-checkout aisle, which is a royal PITA--it might be cheaper for the store (probably it is) but it about doubles the shopper's time and effort getting out.

I doubt *very* much we'll ever see much movement upscale here. This is the poorest county in NY State. The only reason we have an Aldi (and a Target, and a Super Walmart and a Sam's Club, etc.) is that there are only 64miles of high-speed autoroute between us and Montréal.

Geo

Evil Ronnie wrote:

tjr wrote:Pickled herring is pretty easy to make, mainly because the Polish stores here have the main ingredient: salted herring. The fish is usually $5.99/lb. Adding pickle probably gets the price under the equivalent of $4 or 5 per jar.

And that would be an enjoyable project! I remember the barrels of herring in Milwaukee Ave (Chicago) stores decades ago, along with barrels of pickles and the free pork bones!

Pickled My Own Herring on LTH!

Many grocery stores in Coastal Virginia and North Carolina carried salt herring sealed in plastic bags, refrigerated. The herring was soaked in water overnight with several changes of water. Next morning, my mom dipped them in cornmeal before pan frying. They were enjoyed as a special Sunday morning breakfast along with parsley potatoes and scrambled eggs in our house. Canned herring roe was often scrambled with eggs.

Evil Ronnie wrote:The herring was soaked in water overnight with several changes of water. Next morning, my mom dipped them in cornmeal before pan frying. The were enjoyed as a special Sunday morning breakfast along with parsley potatoes and scrambled eggs in our house. Canned herring roe was often scrambled with eggs.

Sounds delicious!

In the pickled herring thread, Bridgestone rolls desalted herring in coarse rye flour, then fry.

Regards,
Cathy2

Neil Steinberg tried Aldi (sort of) and didn't like it. One. Bit.

https://www.everygoddamnday.com/2023/07/aldi.html

The reddit comments are amusing: https://old.reddit.com/r/aldi/comments/ ... s_to_aldi/

I do not shop at ALDI as much as I used to as the prices at the ALDI stores in Arizona are higher than I can get at the Winco Foods supermarket down the street.

Having said that Steinberg article is a perfect example of how out of touch many newspaper people are with the realities that the average person face on a daily basis.

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My local Kroger affiliate is a pretty large store that is open from 6 am -11 pm. For most of the day, they have at least two employees that do nothing but manage carts. Despite this, four of the last six visits have involved finding a cart in the parking lot and dragging it in. That is not an insubstantial cost that is passed on to the consumer. Add in the cost of all of the dings that are put into parked vehicles

There is some wisdom to the ALDI model.

The Willow Rd Aldi is new?? I think it predates the pandemic to a time when Kohls was downsizing and reducing selection at some of their stores.

Also liked how he and his wife, when shopping at Sunset, just ditch their cart in a random spot rather than returning it to the cart corral. I assume Sunset has cart corrals? Perhaps they are from the South, where leaving carts blocking parking spaces is as much a part of life as cheese grits.

One of my sisters had a shopping cart cause $900 worth of damage to her car once at a grocery store, and so she is really careful about where she parks her car now. If I go to Jewel and find a loose cart that could hit a car, I'll go through the trouble of placing the cart in the cart coral.

The only problem with Aldi's is that I don't always have a quarter when I go there, and so I only buy what I can carry when that happens. Yes, Aldi has cheaper prices overall, but I can't do all of my grocery shopping there, and I got sparkling water for $.67 for 8 cans at Jewel tonight, and there is no way I could get it that cheap at Aldi's.

Is he auditioning for the Andy Rooney vacancy on 60 Minutes?

Nancy, you just need one of these:

Chicago Aldi Shoppers Finding Bare Shelves, Empty Freezers At North Side Stores

https://blockclubchicago.org/2023/07/27 ... de-stores/

ALDI to Acquire Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket to Continue Growth in the Southeast

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-release ... 02141.html

More on the Aldi acquisition:

Aldi to buy Winn-Dixie parent Southeastern Grocers
Discount grocer Aldi announced Wednesday that it had reached a deal to buy Florida-based Southeastern Grocers, the parent company of the Winn-Dixie and Harveys chains. The proposed merger would give Aldi 400 Winn-Dixie and Harveys supermarkets in the southern U.S., including Florida. The acquisition is expected to close in the first half of 2024 if regulators approve it. Aldi, based in Germany with a U.S. headquarters in Illinois, did not disclose the terms of the deal. Both companies are private. Aldi said the purchase was part of a growth plan that will give it 2,400 stores in the U.S. by the end of 2023. [NPR]

Geo

I read somewhere that only a few of the stores are going to be converted to Aldi stores. The rest are going to be run basically the same way they have been. There is one Winn Dixie store in New Orleans that I have been in at least once. My Sister only took me there because my plane did not land until 11:00 pm, and that was the only store that was still open.