Shopping Aldi

If you are not familiar with Aldi, it is a small grocer that carries mainly private label brands at oftentimes significantly lower prices. They do this by carrying the most frequently bought items and closely controlling costs. Because the experience can be quite a bit different than the normal big box stores, here are a few tips for those of you who want to try it out.
1. Carry a quarter with you to unlock the grocery carts in front of the store. Return the cart to receive your quarter back by locking the cart back
2. Bring in your own grocery bags or pay approximatly $0.05 for each one. Paper, plastic (and maybe insulated) are available.
3. Research your layout first. The store on Walnut in Rogers has a bit of a maze like feel and it may be hard to fight traffic going the wrong direction. You might organize your grocery list in the order that the store does.
4. Taste test. You may want to just buy a few of things at first. We enjoy the generic saltines, the generic club cracker, and most of the baking good. We did not like the bacon, the green beans (have stems sometimes), and the generic vanilla oreos. Aldi is well known for their produce and sometimes for their meats as well.
5. Watch the check out lines. There may only be 1 checker and if a mass of people are headed toward the front, you may want to scurry up. They are good about pulling another checker if needed though. Put everything up on the roller belt and stand back because they are fast.
6. Paying. Only cash or debit are accepted with no coupons or credit cards allowed. They will ask if you want cash back and will require a pin number. You cannot run a credit as a debit.
7. Bagging your own groceries. Take your cart to the bagging area. I suggest bags that can stand up on their own to speed up the process. You can also grab boxes as you are shopping as well.
8. Returns. I have not been required to have my receipt if I keep the packaging as it is typically unique to Aldi. They advertise a Double Guarantee which means a refund plus replacement, but I wasn't offered it when I did my return. Ask and see what they say.
Feel free to respond with other Aldi thoughts. Your store may be different than mine. I'd love to hear from you!