ALDI'S MEGA SUCCESS IN AMERICA: How the German Grocery Giant is Changing American Shopping

[@jeffhands7097]

The German counterpart of Consumer Reports, Stiftung Warentest tested frozen pretzels from German supermarkets against fresh pretzels from local bakeries (most of them chain bakeries). The frozen pretzels from Aldi were right near the top of all pretzels tested. My Mom, who lived in Florida had become a real Aldi fan. On her two trips to Germany, she really liked the fresh German pretzels. Much to both of our surprise, Aldi US had the same frozen pretzels, imported from Germany in the freezer case! So not only “shopping cart deposit” culture was exported to the US, but also authentic German pretzels! How cool is that?!

[@whattheflyingfuck...]

since pretzels originate from germany ... all pretzels outside of germany are a german cultural export

[@hansoerteras3983]

@@whattheflyingfuck... Yes and no. Are the noodles in my kitchen chinese? Is american pizza italian? I would say no. It may have originated there, but it became it´s own thing. The Bretzels on the other hand are made in Germany, frozen and then exported to America, which makes them german.

[@TypeAshton]

Jonathan and Jack are in love with pretzels. We had no idea of this.... so will definitely have to try them out! But we also have to say, many Americans LOVE the big and soft German style pretzels. Many you can find in the states are very far from 'traditional', but still taste okay. Thank you for the suggestion.

[@jeffhands7097]

I‘m sorry to get your hopes up, only to have them dashed. As we know, Aldi changes their assortment regularly, so maybe they‘ll appear again. It can‘t hurt to check. My Mom bought them last in 2017, when she was still alive.

[@Varus78]

ask the staff about pretzels, at last in germany theyre open to suggestions.

[@NormanF62]

Aldi and Trader’s Joe managed to become part of the American landscape where Walmart failed in Germany. With Walmart, the company didn’t adapt to German culture and struggled to win acceptance. Being a multinational brand doesn’t guarantee success unless you understand consumer habits and preferences abroad.

[@jessicaely2521]

Aldi didn't adapt to American culture when they first entered US market. Aldi took pointers from Trader Joe's. Aldi didn't accept credit cards or checks at first. Aldi back in the day (1980's) was only in extremely poor neighborhoods, poor states, and neighborhoods with lots of German immigrants. Once they started to accept credit cards things exploded.

[@davenwin1973]

@@jessicaely2521 in the case of Aldi USA, they never accepted checks, even to this day. They refuse to also accept the WIC (Women Infant Children) program either, because it's too time consumed at going through the eligible items to purchase. Even with it now being electronic, it's not fast enough for them to checkout customers. As for why the poorest Americans embraced Aldi at first, is because the first few years, Americans were that resistant to not only bagging your own groceries, but at least local to me, Aldi did not offer bags at all, requiring people to bring their own bags. Reusable bags were rare back then. So I saw people who did bring their own bags, were using bags they got from different stores. Where I lived, people reused grocery bags that came from grocery stores Wiseway, Strack and Van Til, Ultra Foods (Strack and Van Til shut down this division in 2017), Zayre, Venture, Kmart, Walmart, and other stores. Bags for sale became available in 1992. Ot would be 2000 when they accepting debit cards and EBT cards from the SNAP programs of the various states (formerly call foodstamps. It would be 2016 when credit cards were accepted.

[@jessicaely2521]

@@davenwin1973 they accept credit cards though. Credit card is king in USA. Checks are something that are outdated. *Edit they also accept debit card. Debit cards are connected with checking account.

[@jessicaely2521]

@@davenwin1973 you also had Sam's Club, BJ's, and Costco in the richer neighborhoods long long long before Aldi. These stores you don't get bags. The difference is they always accepted credit and debit cards. I think in the 90's they even took checks.

[@davenwin1973]

@@jessicaely2521 while Aldi came later in affluent communities, Sam's Club and Costco came much later. As mentioned, Aldi first came to my area in 1979. Sam's Club came in 1991, and Costco in 1998 (ironically, my nearest Costco in Merrillville Indiana was the first Indiana store, instead of Indianapolis). From 1986 to 1996, Hammond Indiana had Warehouse Club, which was based out of Pennsylvania. They simply closed at least in NW Indiana. BJ's had a store in Calumet City Illinois in the 80's, but they exited the Chicago market in 1990. Checks are accepted at both Sam's Club and Costco, but only at regular checkout lines. Self checkouts are card payments only. Until a few years ago, Costco only took debit, EBT for SNAP, and American Express for card payment at Costco. In the last couple of years, American Express was replaced with Visa at Costco. This is for the US stores, as I hear Mastercard is the credit card payment at their Canadian stores (someone from Canada should confirm that this is true). AR Sam's Club for card payments, it used to be just debit, EBT for SNAP, and Discover (this was when Sam's Club had their own Discover cards). Now, Sam's Club accepts Discover, American Express, Visa, and Mastercard. As for the debit and credit card payments, I already covered that in my original reply. It just took Aldi USA longer to embrace electronic payments.

[@b1961-e1d]

Aldi is quite big here in Australia. We need them here as we only have two major supermarket chains Coles and Woolworths they have quite large profit margins. Aldi sells on its lower prices here and its specials every Wednesdy and Saturday. I regularly shop there but I do always end up with a bargain set of screwdrivers much to my wifes consternation at times but a bargains a bargain.

[@betaich]

Tell her that conflict is also the German way, how often my dad got into trouble with my mom because he couldn't resist the special items at Aldi or Lidl I couldn't count anymore.

[@atconnys8786]

Sure, that money which you`re sparing on groceries has to be given out somehow. Oh man, men... tsk LOL

[@_Yannex]

Good to have an Aussie here ☺️, because I saw few years ago in German TV that Aldi expand to Australia with a new concept. They build luxury Aldi stores where I was jealous that much after I saw it on TV. I can't explain but you can imagine there where a Aldi in Beverly Hills, Monaco or Dubai. Really pretty. Do you've heard about?

[@amm287]

The same with us. When I'm starting to collect different items of food my husband disappears coming back with some tools like screwdrivers. You never can have enough of your favorite things.;) But as long as I'm able to buy my "tools", my husband's disappearing acts in Lidl or Aldi are OK for me.

[@georgiosntanis4353]

We also have "Woolworth" here in germany! but it is more like a Dollar store/drugstore- ish Place

[@MengSabei86]

What I love most about Aldi (Süd that is), is the limited choice, each product e.g. "Aprikosen Marmelade" only have two choices, one normal and the other one bio. It makes it so much easier and faster to shop for groceries as you don't need to compare for hours to find the best deal and you are not overwhelmed and confused by all the choices. The only exception might be cheese. Because of this, my weekly grocery shoppings don't take much longer than half an hour. And of course, as a real German, I like the "Volkssport" i.e. : trying to beat the cashier and finish packing the groceries befor he/she can ask how I want to pay.

[@jessicaely2521]

For people who needs to look out for sugar it's a disaster. It's useful to have more than 2 versions. I was frustrated when I lived in Germany and Switzerland. It was difficult to find sugar free or low in sugar things. Yogurt was out of the question for me. The lowest sugar content I could find in Germany and Switzerland was 15 g. The US it was 2g.

[@manfredfischer8944]

@@jessicaely2521 - Yes, you really have a big problem, as does probably 95% of the world's population: In Haiti, it's difficult to find gluten-free burger buns even in supermarkets, just like in India, where you can hardly get lactose-free chai latte. It's about time the US sent troops to stop this misery!

[@jessicaely2521]

@@manfredfischer8944 yeah no. You just buy the stuff you're used to in whatever country and bring it back. Good try on the sarcasm though.

[@manfredfischer8944]

@@jessicaely2521 -Yes, you're right: my post was intentionally a bit sarcastic. You will also have your reasons for buying reduced-sugar foods. But I know from many reports that food in the USA is extremely heavily sugared. This is not the case in Germany (e.g. Fanta in the USA contains twice as much sugar as in Germany!). This also seems to be the reason for the American diabetes problem. In the USA, it is believed that sugar-free (with artificial sweeteners) foods can get this problem under control. In German there is an interesting distinction between food ("Lebensmittel" - food for living) and food ("Nahrungsmittel" - food to eat). In Germany we have strict "food-laws". E.g. Cheese can only be made from milk, otherwise it can't be called cheese - there is no such thing as vegan cheese. Marmalade, jam and jelly must contain sugar and fruit and no artificial flavors. Butter may only contain milk fat and no other fats, etc. All of these products are for living, not only for eating!

[@unihockeystuermer]

@@jessicaely2521 Ive never seen a store in Switzerland which doesnt sell yogurt in without sugar. Yogurt nature is always without sugar.

[@christianbraun5004]

One reason that Aldi's own brands have such a good quality is the fact that often times they're produced by the exact same companies that also produce well known brands. There are people who dedicate their time to finding out whether a specific Aldi product is produced in the same factory as a brand product (or at least try to since Aldi is very secretive about that) and there are already lists on the internet of such products. PS: If Jonathan had continued to say "clash flow", I'm sure your personal "clash flow" would have increased dramatically. 😆

[@russbear31]

In the US, here's one way to find the manufacturer of ALDI's products. On their website they have a section for "product recalls" when there's a problem with an item. The recall information will list the name and address of the manufacturer.

[@dinola3268]

Yes and no, but even in the USA they try to separate the brand owner from the "manufactorer".

[@mmd77777]

Actually, there is no need for that. On every Aldi/Lidl Product, the Manufacturer ist explicitly stated somewhere on the Product (often near the Ingredients). For example, the Toast from the Aldi Süd Brand "täglich gut" (not sure if the brand has changed name by now but the Product is the same anyways) lists Lieken as the Manufacturer, which is the Manufacturer of Golden Toadt, the ubiquitous "best" Toast Brand. But such a "direct adoption" is rather rare, mostly the Aldi Products are mit actually from the same Manufacturer as the "Branded Products", but rather another company that is as big/relevant/widespread as the branded Products that simply doesn't Brand their products under their own company name (Fude&Serrah being a bigger company than Ehrmann but you mostly only see them at Lidl-Brands etc.), which is the reason the custom Brand have a similar quality to the more expensive products.

[@maudeboggins9834]

Lidl have been putting their name on brand names for decades. It is a great idea. My son googles a variety of brand names to see where they produce under other names at a third of the price. Aldi & Lidl are very good for the purse.

[@wmf831]

Even though it might come from the same place the ingredients / recipes might not be identical. So there can actually be a difference in taste and consistency.

[@andrewfarrell6120]

I shop pretty much exclusively at ALDI in Illinois and when I do go to another more standard store I am just overwhelmed. I appreciate the limited offerings. Who needs 20 brands of peanut butter to choose from?

[@Donnerfink]

"Who needs 20 brands of peanut butter to choose from" Exactly! I experieced Wal Mart when they tried to enter the german market. I could've spend 2 hours just thinking about which tomato ketchup i want to buy. Totally nuts. Like many other germans, i never went there again. Too much is too much.

[@andrewfarrell6120]

@@Donnerfink Americans are obsessed with having choices. We think it equates with freedom.

[@Donnerfink]

​@@andrewfarrell6120 yeah we europeans know that US americans have a wierd conception about freedom in some cases.

[@gato311]

@@Donnerfink Sometimes it is nice to have the choice, but on a day to day basis I just get annoyed by having to search through all the stuff for the best deal with all the time changing packaging sizes and "special" offers while trying to sell you the same product at a higher price in different sized packaging at the same time. As a matter of fact, here in Germany during the last years Aldi already adopted too many bad habids of other "full sized" grocery chains.

[@nuclearpoweredbrain2211]

Variety, but I only want peanuts in my peanut butter so it's easy to eliminate the alternatives.

[@larryholden9476]

Little side-fact: in the time before scan-registers a way for ALDI to save on costs for employees, was not to have the items price-tagged but instead have their employees memorize all the items prices. Which also explains the limited items on stock.

[@mr.countro24]

I remember that time. It was fascinating how fast they could type in the prices. I think they were just as quick as the scan registers today.

[@AleaumeAnders]

@@mr.countro24 they were faster, at least 2-3 times faster than the scan registers. And even today after adapting scan registers, ALDI cashiers are in average way faster than their colleagues in other shops. That's not only cutting costs due to a lower number of emplyoees, but it reduces the amount of space needed for additional register stations as well. Most ALDIs get by with 2-4 cash registers even during friday evening / saturday morning rush hour. And that's EXACTLY the amount they have, thereby leaving more space for products and customers. Compare that with other dicounters in Germany (20% more stations), normal german supermarkets (+50%), or worse american supermarkets (100-200% additional stations). What needs to be said as well: ALDI employees (in Germany) are paid significantly better than other supermarket employees. Including some serious boni for above average speed as well as a share of the profits of their own supermarket. Which is a major incentive.

[@annaneu9954]

At least since the 90s the employees didn’t have to memorize the prices. The items had codes the employees had to memorize. My mum was acquainted with lady who was starting her career at Aldi. She told her, she had been dreaming numbers during her training. Another fun fact: when Aldi started using scan registers they forced their suppliers to print the codes on every side of a package. So the cashier wouldn’t have to turn the items which saves time.

[@micheltibon6552]

@@AleaumeAnders Quoting from CNN article "Aldi employs several key design details that maximize efficiency at checkout, too. On many of its products, barcodes are either supersized or printed on multiple sides to speed up the scanning process."

[@AleaumeAnders]

@@micheltibon6552 *nod* and on products from the "grabbing isle" you'll find the (now 4) digit number large and prominently on most sides of the larger packages, so the cashier can read it without having to handle it for longer than necessary.

[@indiramichaelahealey5156]

ALDI in Germany changed quite a bit. It used to have only a few products for really cheap prices. At first there was only Aldi as a discounter in Germany, then there were Lidl, Penny, Netto and Norma as well. While Aldi ist still owned by the same family, most of the others are owned along with supermarkets by groops (Penny and Rewe, Lidl and Kaufland, Netto and Edeka). Aldi's range increased more and more and nowerdays they are known for good quality and reasonable prices. Also, grocery workers do generally not earn much. Aldi is known for paying better salaries than anybody else in the grocery business but they also expect their employees to work hard and fast.

[@Ba34qt]

Lidl and Kaufland are still owned by Dieter Schwarz

[@indiramichaelahealey5156]

@@Ba34qt I never said they aren't

[@CKGerlach]

Don‘t forget, that during the last 2 decades more and more low priced products are available in ‚normal‘ supermarkets,too. They are store branded with Ja (yes) and Gut und Günstig (good and cheap). They are called ‚Aldinative‘ an acronym of Aldi and alternatve.

[@BrandonLeeBrown]

When I was a student in Germany 30 years ago, I would walk by a very small ALDI that was between my student residence and the university. I mentioned it to a German student and he told me, "Don't go there. It's for poor people." After I returned to America 25 years ago, I was driving on an old federal highway and passed a new ALDI in a poor neighborhood. The old federal highways have a lot of run down motels and businesses, having been displaced by the newer Interstate highways, so they have become rather rundown. More recently, ALDI's have been built in other places in America, but they still look like they are located in old strip malls. I keep recalling what the German student told me.

[@arnolsi]

Lidl and Kaufland are not owned by a group, they belong Mr. Schwarz.

[@NotJustSawdust]

Here in Portugal a lot of Aldi products are "labeled" with a sticker on top of the German. In the beginning all items were the same as in Germany, but slowly they figured out what products were sold and which were not. The most sold items got original Portuguese packaging and especially with wines and sausages they completely went to sell Portuguese brands (they just seem to have bought Portuguese producers or made exclusive contracts). Still our favorite supermarket is Lidl but that's only because it's in our own town (the closest Aldi is 25 kilometers away, so we visit once a month - to get Sauerkraut, Leberwurst, süß-saure Gurken!!!!! ) Aldi is opening more stores in Portugal rapidly (we will get one in our town too) Aldi in Portugal is a part of Aldi Nord. (same logo). As we are Dutch, we were already used to Aldi and Lidl, as where we realy like Lidl for its Dutch cheese, fresh fruit and vegetables.

[@ninaelsbethgustavsen2131]

25 kilometres seems a fair bit away for grocery shopping... So going once weekly makes perfect sense. 👍 Glad you enjoy pickled gherkins ! Scandinavians are crazy for them too. They're such a versatile condiment ! Hot tip ; Don't throw away the jar or the pickle "juice", once the "Gurken" are all gone... Add finely sliced cucumber, to make a Norwegian cucumber salad. (Leave cool for an hour). We eat this with (fried or steamed) fish. Like mackerel or salmon... My favourite basic Norwegian meal consists of fish, cucumber salad, boiled potatoes, green lettuce, and a dollop of créme fraiche... Very nice on hot summer days ! 🌞 Love from Norway 🇳🇴

[@NotJustSawdust]

@@ninaelsbethgustavsen2131 Oh Yes... the pickle "juice" is also used for sliced oxheart cabbage and mini tomatoes. The 2 liter glass jars are turned into lampshades 😊

[@ninaelsbethgustavsen2131]

@@NotJustSawdust Sounds yummy ! And lamps... Brilliant ! 🤗

[@librasgirl08]

Aldi Nord is actually selling Trader Joe's items in their German stores. One thing you didn't list, when it came to Aldi in the US and other stores, cashiers are allowed to sit! And they pay an actually decent wage! So it's actually a better place to work at, than many other stores, where managers will scold you for sitting down. But why should they not sit down?

[@jessicaely2521]

Aldi can't compete with Publix. Publix doesn't let their employees sit, but they get the same pay as Aldi cashiers and they get stocks from the store. Employees are leaving Aldi and coming to Publix. They see that they get more from Publix. If you put money into stocks ontop of what Publix gives you one can be a millionaire. You can't get this from Aldi.

[@Markus-zb5zd]

Trader Joe's belongs to Aldi Nord, so no surprise there

[@jessicaely2521]

@@Markus-zb5zd Trader Joe's was bought by Aldi Nord. Trader Joe's was founded by an American (Joe) in the 1960's and then sold toTheo (Aldi Nord owner) in 1979. Trader Joe's is nothing like Aldi. It isn't cheap looking. Things are actually placed on shelves instead of just sitting on wood pallets. The cashiers stand and they pack the groceries for you. Sometimes they will have a bagger helping the cashier. The bagger usually only happens when Trader Joe's is super busy. This here is why the Aldi Nord brother was more successful in the beginning compared to the Aldi Süd brother. Aldi Nord brother didn't try to force the German way into the store. He kept things the American way. Once the big warehouse clubs became popular Aldi Süd took off. Warehouse clubs have things on wood pallets and there is no one to pack your groceries.

[@SirHeinzbond]

hi Ashton and Jonathan, just a thought from me, as American Expats i think you may have recognized the different tones in Television, News between USA and Germany, maybe you want to make another high quality video over this theme? greetings from Switzerland

[@TypeAshton]

Thank you so much for the recommendation, that would be a great video. We will add it to our list. :)

[@henningbartels6245]

different tones - I wonder what that means?!

[@SirHeinzbond]

@@henningbartels6245 i hope Ashton and Jonathan understood me, by watching this video, the first seconds the American News speaker sound all like there would be a war waging across the USA, and Aldi is firing lethal shots... I mean iam a German living in Switzerland, and even as it is the same Language there is a different Tone in it. I mean German News (the federal owned first German Television and the second German television) are supposed to be neutral which i was always my feeling about when i watched them back in Germany. Now in Switzerland there are also News but i dont know how to say, they sound even more neutral. and they seem always to look on both sides of the story... When something international happens, i tend to watch also News in English, and even its not my mother tongue, i see a difference between British, US and Australian News in terms of Words and overall Neutral News... thats for me the Tone...

[@henningbartels6245]

@@SirHeinzbond so you mean American news are more dramatic and sensational. BTW, (okay, times are changing) but in the past the first German broadcaster ARD was often closer to the SPD while the second German broadcaster ZDF often showed a CDU perspective.

[@amm287]

@@SirHeinzbond Hmm, News in Switzerland are more neutral than in Germany seeing things from both sides? I would love it to watch. Although News in Germany are very much more neutral than in UK or USA there is a lot of room to improve in the German News. I often have a feeling there is only one side of the story but at least in Germany they don't give you a feeling you have to think and feel like they do. I think I will try to find something of swiss News...:)

[@butenbremer1965]

As I don't own a car, it all comes down to the accessability and walkability of grocery stores around me with Edeka and Lidl being my top choices. The nearest Aldi is located in a commercial district of an adjacent village and not convenieniently walkable to on a daily basis. But every once in a while and weather permitting, I grab my empty backpack and take a walk over there across the fields.

[@johnkitchen4699]

Here in Reno there is no Aldi. When we visit our daughter in Maryland we shop almost exclusively in Aldi and the newly opened Lidl. Quality is better than Walmart, Kroger, etc. specials are brilliant. Love the quarter-for-a-cart and how it keeps the car parks tidy. Please come here to Nevada!

[@domianfreimann9487]

Whilst living in the UK for a few years, I loved going to Lidl or Aldi over there because they for selling not only stuff I was used to from germany but it had its own British twist - so when travelling to a new country I made it a habit to visit the stores of these chains to find out about the local eating habits and cuisine since items of this kind are easy to spot amidst the usual Aldi or Lidl range of produce.

[@jensverstraete4722]

In Belgium we have a grocer called colruyt that has no coin lock on their carts to save costs but it's so ingrained to bring back your cart that nobody ever leaves their cart on the parking lot.

[@amikino100]

Same reason in Germany.

[@Henning_Rech]

Coins in carts only started in the late 80s (?) in Germany. Before people brought their carts back, too.

[@faultier1158]

I have a grocery store (Markant, in Germany) near me and it's the same there.😅 Indoctrination works, haha.

[@ninan9650]

Fun fact, lot of things in German Supermarkets have been introduced by Aldi in the first place. Just in the ten years or so, Aldi picked up some new habbits, such as selling „brands“ in larger scale. Up to the 90ies you could buy only white label products in a very limited assortment ( no fresh milk, no butter, mostly dry or canned food).

[@mr.countro24]

I live at the "Aldi equator". We have Aldi Süd and Aldi Nord in my city 🙂

[@fan8281xx]

Yours is a Ciudad TransfronteALDIriza 🤣

[@baramuth71]

The border: Here runs the Aldi equator Aldi's success was resounding and the Albrechts continued to expand. However, tensions arose between the brothers. In 1961, they finally decided to split up and divide Albrecht KG into Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd. The elder brother Karl Albrecht took over the southern half, Theo Albrecht the northern half - with their own administration and different logos. The border of the territories, also known as the "Aldi equator," runs right across Germany. In the west at the level of the two company headquarters in Essen (Aldi Nord) and Mülheim an der Ruhr (Aldi Süd) and in the east at the border between Thuringia and Bavaria. Aldi abroad: In which countries Aldi Süd and Aldi Nord can be found Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd have also divided up their international expansions. For example, Aldi Nord is represented in the Netherlands, Poland, Denmark, Portugal, France and Spain - while Aldi Süd is represented in Austria, Italy, the USA, the UK and Australia.

[@ailaya5127]

Trader Joe's belongs to the Markus-Stiftung and the Markus-Stiftung belongs to the owners of Aldi Nord, as said in the video. So one could say that both Aldis operate in the US.

[@denniswitt1638]

@@ailaya5127 Aldi Nord does not operate under the Aldi label, so it does not really count.

[@patrickm3981]

Fun fact: Not in all countries where Aldi Süd is present the stores are called Aldi. In Austria and Slovenia the name is Hofer. Hofer was an Austrian company that was taken over by Aldi Süd in the sixties. As Hofer was already a known brand and there was already another company with the name Aldi in Austria they kept the name and only exchanged the logo. Later on Hofer then expanded into other countries like Switzerland and Slovenia. While in most countries it expanded to it used the name Aldi in Slovenia it used the name Hofer like in Austria. Therefore for example the Aldi's in Switzerland are run by Hofer which itself is a subsidiary of Aldi Süd.

[@patrickhanft]

Hi Ashton, hi Jonathan! When you say, that you do not see such a big difference between discount grocery stores and normal grocery stores in Germany today, I do understand what you mean, but I would argue, this is a more recent development of the last maybe 10 to 15 years. I still remember ALDI and other "Discounter" as stores, where a much greater number of products would just be dumped on their Euro-pallets in the store and you would take the products right from the pallet. But over the last 10 years, ALDI has done a lot, to get away from that image. Many of those products are now put on the shelf freed of the outer cardboard packaging (which according to a shop manager who was a pioneer for the new concept several years ago meant 30% higher labor cost at that time!), that have become much nicer in design and especially they now put a lot of money into nicely designed signage and lightning. Very far away from the really cold and gloomy lighting of the ALDIs of the 1980ies and 90ies. There are other aspects the other way round. I would argue, that 20 years ago for meat products in a regular store you would have to go to the "Frischetheke" and get your cold cuts there, while there were almost no pre-packaged meat and sausage products. Today you have lots of "Kühlregale" in both types of shops. In both directions, regular stores and discount stores approached the other's strengths and so both types of store became far more similar today, than they were 10 or 20 years ago.

[@denniswitt1638]

Aldi Nord stores used to be downright dirty and greasy. Aldi Süd back then was clearly the cleaner and more organized one. Here, close the Aldi equator we used to refer to the and the "dirty Aldi" and the "neat Aldi".

[@patrickhanft]

@@denniswitt1638 yes, definitely, but ALDI Süd in the 90ies was still not, what I would call a "clean" store. That changed much since then!

[@jensumayer]

As a German living in the US for many years, I do 80%of my grocery shopping at ALDI. I find the limited selection and store size convenient. I go to Kroger across the street to fill in what ALDI does not carry (sparkling water or -funny enough- German-style cereal) or is not very good at, e.g.fresh fruit. ALDI's prices are lower and the availability of "Deutsche Kueche" items is a big bonus helping with the craving for familiar tastes.

[@fan8281xx]

NO sparkling water at ALDI's USA?

[@jensumayer]

@@fan8281xx 😢They have some flavored water like LaCroix, I believe, but those have artificial sweeteners.

[@relgeiz2]

Quite some time ago I went to an ALDI in Indiana. It was a chilly november day, and I'm still somewhat traumatized: The had Christstollen, and the sign over the shelf said "Christmas stolen". Sounds like the Grinch runs that Aldi store. B.t.w.: Deutsche Küche" is an ALDI inhouse brand exclusively userd in the US, while "Trader Joe's" currently starts to appear as a brand for organic food in ALDI Nord stores.

[@denniswitt1638]

The trademark "Trader Joe's" has been held by Aldi Nord since the 70s, though.

[@anna-ranja4573]

😄😆Christmas stolen 🤣🤣🤣

[@TypeAshton]

🤣🤣🤣

[@dagmarfrerking2235]

Was that in West Lafayette? Saw it there a few years back. Told the manager how sad it was there wasn't going to be a Christmas that year. When he looked at me quizzically, I pointed to the sign. He burst out laughing....

[@relgeiz2]

@@dagmarfrerking2235 - nope, it was in the South Bend area.

[@udomann9271]

It is interesting, the German-Aldi grocery-stores are a big success in the USA, but vice-versa was a desaster, once Walmart opened a typical mega-store somewhere in the south of Germany and after a few years they had to close this market because no success.

[@NormanF62]

Rewe took over the Walmart territory in Germany and made general merchandising profitable.

[@Varus78]

its a little more complicated that "no success". they also violated several laws with their contracts.

[@faultier1158]

@@Varus78 The established German chains are (and need to be) optimised for efficiency, and still need to operate on very low profit margins to be competitive. Walmart wanted to be a big chain with high profit margins - and that was doomed from the start.

[@Varus78]

@@faultier1158 they also had the typical american clauses in their employee contracts: 1. no union membership 2. no relationship among employees. both was seen as unconstitutional by the federal court.

[@ladyinblack3398]

That is due to their inhumane treatment of employees, which now German employers are starting to copy a lot.

[@conceptSde]

Great comparison, as always! Did you know that Walmart tried to expand to Germany some 25 years ago? But they never met consumer expectations and sold the stores in 2006.

[@username100037]

They tried to fuck the employees and that did not age well with he union.

[@shimone6116]

It is somewhat funnny that while Aldi was able to meet custor expectations in the US Walmart in germany failed completely. But that might be to the fact that they tried their successfull way from the US wihout any changes in germany. So the problems already started entering a Walmart when germans felt beeng made fun of a guy who was there to greet them and open the shop doors for them.^^

[@mdwlark1]

I was here then, and what I remember is that they tried to bring their cultural things with them, like having a rule that employees could not date each other, and their abusive labor practices like requiring unpaid overtime. The Germans said, "Wait, WHAT?" ... and just would not put up with it, so Walmart packed up and left.

[@Anson_AKB]

@@mdwlark1 yes, and in germany, there is some fierce competition among supermarkets and discounters while they all still more or less strictly follow the rules and laws, and having somewhat smaller profits, but still some profits. as i have seen in other videos, walmart tried to do everything "the american way", including how to treat employees, unions, etc, or trying to have "dumping prices" to undercut all competition in the hopes of driving them out of business and then being able to raise prices to their liking, overall getting the large profits they were used to and that their shareholders expected. but consumer protection laws in germany don't allow those practices, and thus after needing to adjust at least to laws and regulations, profits were too small when compared with their expectations, and together with investments and overhead (like for greeters, baggers, etc) might even cause a total loss. thus they gave up and left.

[@peter_althoff]

@@mdwlark1 Also no German worker liked to sing their "Walmart Hymn" and their strange "Team Building Events"

[@Saylor28]

Aldi brings in their German brands to the American stores during the Oktoberfest dates. It's become my favorite time of year 😄

[@kaess307]

For my wife and I it is important that we can buy quality and fresh products and that products are offered by local farmers and producers. That's why we also like to shop in "Hofläden" (farm shops) .

[@Imzadi76]

A well known fact is, that Aldi's own brands are often actually name brands. Just with a different label.

[@peterschadel6373]

And "Tress" is a name brand, not an Aldi brand

[@LarsPW]

Both brothers Albrecht were enfrightened of losses when cheap prices get along with low quality in peoples heads, so they "did not dare" to select low quality supplies. They did a very good job in that, german middle and upper class do not hesitate to haul e.g. salmon and champaign from Aldi for christmas in Germany.

[@manub.3847]

You just mentioned fresh salmon-> my partner recently observed that a few people bought almost the entire Aldi range--> probably restaurant owners who then serve them to their guests for a lot of money ;)

[@TypeAshton]

We were hesitant with the wine and champagne here, because we usually equate cheap champagne to a terrible headache the next morning. But, we will need to see what options they have available. Plus, the salmon looked quite good!

[@LarsPW]

@@TypeAshton Each product has to display the name and address of its manufacturer. Check out the manufacturer or compare directly with the data found on your preferred brands. As far as I know there has been a book with Aldi-products giving their "original" or "real" brand. Salmon and champaign had been always good as far as I experienced and they get quickly out of stock before christmas. But the last two years I had not any champaign.

[@MsLarrythegreat]

Since Aldi often sources their own products from the same producers as brand names in Europe I wonder if this is true for the US-only Aldi products as well. Seems atypical for them to start from scratch in order to cover an established product demand. Also they must be producing some of the same Aldi brands separately in the US instead of importing everything, right? Things that'd be too expensive to always transport that far. I wonder what those compare like, too...

[@charlotteschriener8739]

Great video, guys. I knew Trader Joe's was owned by Aldi, but I didn't know that in the US Aldi is Aldi Süd and Trader Joe's is Aldi Nord. May I ad a little more information about the reasons for coins in the shopping cart, which even has a connection to your previous videos about the different living situations in the US and Germany? Unlike in the US, you don't necessarily need a car to do your shopping in Germany. Especially grocery shops are often located in or near residential areas.Too many people who shopped on foot used shopping carts as a mode of transportation to get their groceries home instead of carrying heavy bags. However, they "forgot" to bring the shopping carts back, so they increasingly became a garbage problem. An expensive waste problem for the municipalities, which had to dispose the waste in public spaces, and for the shops, which had to replace the expensive, now lost shopping carts (One shopping cart does cost at least 400 EUR). There were even stores located near large residential areas that had extra workers scouring neighborhoods and parks for those "forgotten" shopping carts and bringing them back. That was always cheaper for the shops than having to buy new shopping carts. Increasingly, however, shopping carts also became a problem in the parking lots of shops. When it became apparent that fewer and fewer customers were bringing the shopping carts back to the collection point at the entrance, more collection points were initially set up across the parking lot in order to shorten the distances. And this has also remained the case to this day. Nevertheless, this measure was not enough. Many customers left their shopping carts where they were, which often resulted in damage to cars or simply blocked parking spaces. The coin slot was then developed to solve these problems. Existing shopping carts could be retrofitted without any problems, and new shopping carts could be equipped with them as standard. It was not primarily a question of saving on personnel costs but of acquisition and disposal costs. You can still see employees daringly maneuvering huge lines of shopping carts from a collection point in the parking lot to the entrance without damaging a single car. You have to do that first, a real art. :-)

[@dw8931]

There is one more aspect to that. As soon as the shopping cart is no longer used and controlled by the customer, the responsibility for it is transfered back to the store. If then e. g. wind drives the cart against a parked car, the shop is liable for the damages. This was an additional motivation for Aldi and all the others to introduce the deposit system, as courts have ruled that the deposit system is sufficient to relieve the shop from its liability.

[@TypeAshton]

Very interesting! Thank you for sharing.

[@faultier1158]

The Markant in my neighbourhood (a store similar to Rewe) doesn't use deposits, but the customers are so conditioned to bring back their shopping carts that there isn't any problem with carts left in random places.😅

[@Astrofrank]

Another difference between Aldi in the two countries is that most groceries in the German stores are made in Germany or at least in Europe, while in the US stores you should find mostly American made groceries. Buying local reduces costs for transportation.

[@lisajohnson9124]

A lot of German food don’t come from Germany 🇩🇪 it is made in some other country like Gummi bear 🐻 and still have the forbidden food color blue, red & yellow. Before Aldi was approved in the USA every item had to go through the FDA

[@Astrofrank]

@@lisajohnson9124 Aldi Süd seems to sell only Haribo Goldbären as Gummi Baers in Germany, and they don't contain food colors. Haribo uses only fruit and plant extracts for the colors.

[@paolamucino7842]

I lived in Germany over a decade ago and I loved Aldi. We don't have anything like it in Mexico. Then I moved 6 years ago to the US, first to Texas were Aldi stores are not so popular and I didn't find quality to be as good. Texas also has a state wide brand store, HEB, which is amazing! Now I live in Western New York and Aldi here is so good, I do most of my shopping there, it doesn't break the bank, is always clean, I just love it. My favorite item are the plain organic yogurt, and the oatmilk.

[@TypeAshton]

oh YUM! It might just be mostly nostalgia for me.... but I love the Aldi version of apple Jacks. My grandma used to buy them for me as a young kid and I was always so fond of it.

[@Stischt]

I think that in all the world, exept for USA and Canada, you have to packing up your groceries. Even here in Switzerland, if you go to the more expensive grocery store is the same thing. When I was in the US, for me was very strange all the bags situation...especially for the single use ones.

[@NormanF62]

Jonathan and Ashton didn’t mention this but one of the differences between the stores in America, the employees engage in small talk with shoppers and help bag and fill the shopping carts. A cultural difference like this impacts people’s shopping experience in Germany and in the US.

[@TypeAshton]

More and more stores are encouraging customers to bring their own bags, but it is a huge culture shift. It will definitely take some time.

[@jeancrystobal1093]

@@TypeAshton jah vee too here packing, grocery store go, all bags where all over

[@ravanpee1325]

@@NormanF62 Also small talk also slow down the packing process...would be nerved to be in the line behind them

[@SkipGole]

@@TypeAshton Here in Washington, D.C. area, all my grocery stores have you bag items yourself. Also, you need to pay a price for each bag (forgot how much it is), so most people bring their own. Trader Joe's bags your groceries, but it's the only one I know of that does that.

[@LK-pc4sq]

Ashtron, I made the mistake of staying in the us and should have gone to germany 20 years ago. The fact that you can WALK to these stores in most cities and WALK or BIKE to other stores from home is amazing!

[@davenwin1973]

I've lived in NW Indiana my entire life, and the grocery store lineup has changed over the years. Aldo came to Merrillville Indiana in 1979, and I remember that Aldi was initially not well received, because of not only not carrying brand name products, but the fact that bags were not offered at all, that brings your own bags was mandatory, and bag your own groceries. This was unheard of back then. So they expanded slowly for the first few years. A local grocery store called Family Market tried their own Aldi called Family Budget, which sold true generic products, and was much smaller than Aldi. It was slightly smaller than a Family Dollar store. It closed in 1981, due to customers not only refusing to embrace the true generic products, but also be also because customer didn't like bringing their own bags and bagging their groceries themselves. Strack and Van Til decided to try and get into the no frills grocery business too, by opening Ultra Foods in 1981 in Highland Indiana. Ironically, Aldi opened in the same shopping center that same year. Anyway, after just 5 years, they couldn't compete with Aldi, and revamped Ultra Foods to look like a traditional grocery store, but offered up to 30% off suggested retail prices by making customers bag their own groceries. Unlike Aldi, Ultra Foods provider the bags. Also, unlike Aldi, which places everything back into your cart, Ultra Foods had 2 conveyor belts behind the cashier, and your groceries went down one of those belts, and you bagged your groceries at the end of that belt. Ultra Foods was expanded after the families of Strack and Van Til sold off the company in 1998, after a squabble between the 2 families caused friction over Sunday business. The Strack family knew times were changing, and that they needed to be operated on Sundays to compete with area businesses, while the Van Til family is against Sunday business, and refused to allow stores to open on Sundays, if they were part owners. Since they couldn't afford to buy each other out, they sold the business to Central Grocers, their distributor. Under Central Grocers, the chain expansion the Ultra Foods chain in Illinois, while except for Strack and Van Til having a store in the city of Chicago, and one in Plainfield Illinois, Strack and Van Til primarily stayed in Indiana. By 2017, Central Grocers went bankrupt, and the 2 families had to try and keep Albertsons from buying Strack and Van Til. The 2 families got investors involved to outbid Albertsons, and won in bankruptcy court. Unlike Albertsons, who wanted just 19 of the 22 stores remaining, The Strack family and the Van Til family bought 20 of 22 stores, the corporate headquarters building, a distribution building in Indiana, and trailers, along with the remaining stock in the Central Grocers warehouse. Albert's wanted Strack and Van Til to convert to Jewel Osco stores. But at least 3 stores would have closed, because of overlap with existing stores. After the families of Strack and Van Til bought back the business, they shut down the last Ultra Foods in Illinois, and sadly, shut down the very first Ultra Foods store in Highland Indiana with no explanation, despite it being profitable. The Ultra Foods in Merrillville Indiana was converted to Strack and Van Til, and the Town and Country Market store in Portage Indiana was also converted to Strack and Van Til. So they've decided to focus on NW Indiana for now. The Van Til family still prefers a day of rest. But they insisted on giving people Sundays off, if people have a religious exemption that they have to have Sundays off. So no discount version on their chain, except for a single Town and Country Market store that was part of their 1993 acquisition (Merrillville and Portage Indiana stores were originally part of Town and Country Market, with the Merrillville store renamed Ultra Foods in 1995). Aldi has expanded well into the 80's and all the way into the early 2000's. In the 90's, Aldi started relocating into freestanding buildings , and also slowly expanded their hours. Local to me, their hours were Monday to Thursday 9am to 7pm, Friday 9am to 8pm, and Saturday 9am to 6pm. By 1992, it was 9am to 8pm Monday to Friday, and Saturday 9am to 7pm. I believe by 1996, it was 9am to 9pm Monday to Saturday. It would not be until 2006, when they had select stores open on Sundays from 9am to 6pm. By 2008, all stores were open on Sunday from 9am to 8pm. 1992 saw bags becoming available for purchase. 2000 the introduction of debit card and EBT cards. 2004 brought scanners, which should have been implemented by latest 1989, as their products had multiple barcodes on them by latest 1985. Before 2004, cashiers had to memorize the prices of everything. Most grocery stores by me had scanners in their stores by latest 1989. The idea of the locking carts was propose by grocery stores as early as 1992, but only Aldi implemented it in 1994. Credit cards became accepted in 2016. As for other stores, Kroger opened Food 4 Less in Hammond Indiana in 2002, which is their discount division that looks like a traditional grocery store, but you bag your own groceries. Like the former Ultra Foods, bags are provided, and you bag your groceries at one of the 2 conveyor belts behind the cashier. Kroger also opened an Aldi knockoff by me called Ruler Foods. It's mostly Kroger products with some brand name products. Carts require a quarter, and has mixed acceptance. Everything goes back in the cart, and you bag at the packing counter. You bring your own bags, or buy bags. Unlike Aldi, checks are accepted as payment, along with WIC, and manufacturer's coupons. The other no frills store by me has been in business for almost as long as Aldi USA, is Save-A-Lot. Save-A-Lot has their own in house brands, but not as extensively as Aldi. So far, they have not added any organic, keto, paleo, or gluten free products. Unlike Aldi and Ruler Foods, which the parent company runs all stores, Save-A-Lot is a franchise type store, where most locations are run by different owners. Some are run by a single owner, and some by a franchise corporation, similar to the franchise model of fast food restaurants. Like Ruler Foods, WIC, checks, and manufacturer's coupons are accepted. Paper bags cost money at my local Save-A-Lot stores, but plastic bags are provided at no charge. That is not true at all locations, but that is the case at the NW Indiana Save-A-Lot stores. You bag your own groceries, and everything is placed back into the cart. Only one Save-A-Lot had successfully implemented locking carts. Another one was forced to give it up, after customers near that store rebelled on the locking carts, that they literally broke the locks, either breaking them off the carts, or breaking the locks to the point that the locks were permanently unlocked. It ended cutting into the store's profits replacing the locks, that it was easier to have an employee retrieve the carts. The other Save-A-Lot stores have yet to try the locks. Unlike Aldi, which is trying to go after higher income shoppers, and openings stores in some higher income neighborhoods, Save-A-Lot is like the old Aldi, works best in lower income neighborhoods. Whole Foods open in my area, before getting acquired by Amazon. They were hesitant about opening in my area, because the overall area didn't meet their demographics. After looking at 3 communities in the area, they gave it a try, and it worked out for them. But it's a smaller store, compared to some major city stores. Trader Joe's however refuses to look at NW Indiana, because the area is not a major market. Also, they overall look at Gary, East Chicago, and Hammond to make their decisions to not locate in NW Indiana, instead of looking at Schererville, St John, and Dyer Indiana , like Whole Foods did.

[@thomasbaro7377]

Even though ALDI is great my main reason to choose „my“ grocery store is its proximity to where I live. And in my case it’s a Rewe. Having the store literally 4 Minutes from home makes it that much more comfortable to go there quickly compared to a 10-15 minute drive to my next Aldi store. But there are products, e. g. the salmon, that often mashers me drive to the next Aldi as well.

[@martinbinder2534]

Same. I rarely shop at Aldi. But not because I don't like it, but because other supermarkets / discounters are closer. I often go there by bike, sometimes on foot.

[@thesilentbrains]

Fun fact: My local Rewe (a relatively new location) has actually made the change to carts without coin. It took me a loooong time to get used to it and I always felt silly when I walked up to the carts with my coin/chip all ready to go and then not finding a coin slot to put it in. 😅

[@matthiasnolte3817]

Aldi Nord has shops too in the USA, It´s Trader Joe´s. In the old days, before the scanner system at the chash register, in Germany all products had the prices on the product and had to be tiped in by the cashier. Not at Aldi. They had internal specific product numbers for every product. So the cashier just tiped in that numbers instead of tiping in the prices, It was quicker and more efficient. The cashiers had to learn that numbers by heart (hundrets of them), I always found that amazing, because I couldn´t remember three lines of a poem.

[@Al69BfR]

I am happy to live near the Aldi equator so I always could take advantage of sales in both Aldis. 🙂 For me I choose Aldi and Rewe because they are available in my hometown and I can stop there on my way home from work. But like many people I go to Aldi first and then add what I couldn’t get from Aldi by going to Rewe. I couldn’t be more convenient unless they start sharing shopping carts. 😉 And I like those wraps they offer in the refrigerator. I also like their vegan cold cuts, too.

[@johnh3095]

Here in the UK, we've found that "online ordering with home delivery" has become a huge success and money saver for many! Doing the ordering online means you have to plan your weekly meals which means less for water and less/far fewer impulse buys as well. It is also one of the most helpful time and money savers programs going as we don't have to take a 1.5hr+ out of our day to drive to the shops, so and return, a van does one big trip to all of us. That's eco friendly as well which is a nice side effect. Aldi & Lidl don't do home delivery here yet and some of the big UK supermarkets have undercut some of their lower cost lines do they are not always the cheapest. Our nearest Aldi is too far away, but for top up shops or a treat, our local Lidl wins hands down. Their in-house pizzas (the posh Deluxe ones @ £3.49) are better than Domino's, plus your wallet doesn't get mugged either! Even their own brand beer and IPA are excellent, now my go to beer if I feel like one for the weekend. PS: coin return shipping trolleys should be law everywhere! Everyone hates the lazy sod (unless you are that good for nothing sod) who abandons their trolley in a parking space and drives off, or worse, just let's go and allows it to roll into parked cars!! Great video, I don't know Aldi or Lidl were in the states. Be interesting to see where they are real wise in 15years.....

[@emiliajojo5703]

What a decent way to destroy inner cities.

[@darrylrichman]

As a native Angelino and long, long term Trader Joe's shopper, I want to point out that TJ's comes by its private brand culture, not from Aldi's, but from its own history. When it was a small, local chain, TJ's would buy "end lots" of products from major producers. Those producers didn't want TJ's using their products to compete against other retailers, so TJ's would get them packaged with their own label. They also emphasized bulk products, especially nuts, and these they had packaged with their own label. As TJ's grew larger, this end lot strategy could no longer work, so they started getting their own, higher end products made under their label.

[@TypeAshton]

Ah interesting! Thank you so much for sharing this extra info!

[@TheKitaroHouse]

Trader Joe‘s was bought in 1979 by Theo Albrecht (Aldi North), but founded in 1967 by Doug Coulombe.

[@MerryKat]

Here in Illinois we also have Save-A-Lot and Ruler foods. They are similar. They all require a quarter to get a basket. All are mostly private and off-labels. Aldi has a more international selection and more organic. Ruler is a Kroger store with fewer name brand offerings.

[@russbear31]

I hate Save-A-Lot, which is based in St. Louis. I shop there about once a year and that's enough. I call them the "ghetto version of Aldi." Yeah, they try to imitate Aldi's business model but they really miss the mark in so many ways. Most of their food is low-quality crap and they're actually more expensive than Aldi.

[@TypeAshton]

I am also originally from Illinois (near Springfield) and Kroger is a staple around where we are from in addition to Schnucks.

[@russbear31]

@@TypeAshton Does Mr. Black Forest miss Hy-Vee? They're the dominant grocery chain in KC. Their stores are wonderful. I like Aldi, too, but there's no comparison between Aldi and Hy-Vee.

[@MerryKat]

@@russbear31 Save-A-Lot is not that bad. The stuff I've gotten has been comparable to the other stores. Here in the St. Louis market, they cut all their own meat, which I like. One thing I won't buy at Aldi is meat. The ground beef has too much bone in it and the last package of pork chops I got there was spongey. Where Aldi has German and European brands, Save-A-Lot has Mexican foods and brands. If I'm looking for spices for Mexican food I start there. They also have a wide selection of dried peppers and some produce that you won't find in any of the other stores around here.

[@MerryKat]

@@TypeAshton I'm in the St. Louis metro area. We have Schnucks and Dierbergs for major grocery stores, and of course, Walmart. I won't shop at Walmart for anything. Dierbergs is outrageously expensive for most things. We haven't had Krogers here since I was a kid. Ruler is a discount Kroger and fairly new in this market. I do most of my shopping at Ruler. Most of their stuff is Kroger brand. I Go to Schnucks for big-name brands and Aldi for specialty stuff like cheese and some produce. I like the Aldi's 'finds', the non-grocery items they have every week. I appreciate this segment, Aldi's makes a lot more sense now. 😀

[@michaelmedlinger6399]

Thanks

[@TypeAshton]

Thank you so much! This is very kind of you. 😊

[@Tommusix]

Thank you for making this video. I'm living in northern Germany and fun fact is, in Aldi Nord there are some products labeled Trader Joe's :D I think it's an advertise for those American Style products in Germany. But like everytime I'm surprised how big German brands in the US are.

[@Habakuk_]

Pure marketing trick :) to increase sales. Elon Musk is already producing cars in Germany. The funny thing is he can't find any workers because nobody wants to work for him :)

[@olgatarasevich3113]

Thank you so much for this video , guys! I actually feel much better now about my family’s nutrition when we move to Michigan from Black Forest in a couple of months

[@brennders]

You will not have a problem finding an Aldi store in Michigan. They are everywhere. Meijer, Koger, Walmart, and Aldi are the most common grocery stores. There are a few Trader Joe stores. Meijer has the largest and nicest selection of fruits and vegetables.

[@klotz__]

Aldi Nord also uses the Trader Joe's brand in Germany for products that are associated with American food like peanuts or anything that is marketed as "American Style".

[@mogon721]

Hi you three! Good video as always! It's also interesting to compare the shops even between neighboring countries in Europe. When I'm on vacation, my preferred way is to travel with my small RV and go biking especially in the French Alps. I started with that only around 2015 after watching a documentary about the famous Mont Ventoux in the Provence, one of the big four of the Tour the France mountains. After that really harsh first experience, I did a lot of modifying my bicycle (a supermarket clone of a Dahon 26" foldable😉), so that the next time it was much easier, and almost every year, I climb the Ventoux. I'm not fast, but I get there. 😉 Following that, I did almost all the famous Tour mountains and passes in the Alps and the Pyrenees. So, after mounting the highest paved "pass" road in the Alps, the Cime de la Bonette with 2803 m, I was looking for new goals and discovered the Pico Veleta close to Granada in the Sierra Nevada with 3394m and the highest paved road in Europe (though it gets a bit rough at the end). Compared to some of the passes in the Alps, it's not even very steep, but it's extremely satisfying and really beautiful there. So, for biking enthusiasts from the ideal training ground of the Black Forest, I highly recommend that. Maybe a nice travel video for the future? 😁Check the "quaeldich" website for detailed information on a huge number of montains and passes. But I digress. 😉 When I travel, I usually avoid the big supermarkets because I don't want to waste my time in shops. So what is left are usually the discounters Lidl and Aldi, not because I like them so much but because I know where to quickly find my stuff and I'm out within minutes. But what's really interesting are the similarities and the differences here. Where the French Lidls have a whole aisle dedicated to all sorts of cheese but almost nothing in the line of sausages, salami, or smoked meat, the Spanish ones don't have much cheese, but they have a huge variety of smoked bacon and similar meat products. What they lack both, on the other hand, is good bread. 😉 Still, most of their assortment is more or less the same as in Germany, from sweets to yogurt, from muesli bars to sodas. Another chain that I found interesting is the Dutch chain "Action". They are specialized on cheap gadgets, home accessories, tools and all kinds of stuff, but they have a different assortment than the German "sonderposten" chains like Zimmermann, Thomas Philipps, Tedi, Postenbörse etc. which is very useful for a penny pincher like me.😉Other than the German grocers, they seem to have exactly the same assortment in all countries where I saw one, even the food they sell, which is mostly sweets, was the same as much as I can tell. Regarding the discounters here in Germany, the big chains like REWE or EDEKA have adapted to the price pressure of the competition. Their own no-name brands like JA! only exist because of the fierce competition on the German market. Personally, I do my grocery shopping mainly at Netto. Until a few years ago, I liked Penny because the next one is only 200m away, but since they introduced a really annoying and kind of intrusive shopping radio in their shops, they are dead to me. I can't take even a minute of that stupid pseudo youth babble and too loud music they have running all day. It's interesting to see that all four big discounter chains are renovating their shops and change them to be more "cozy" and sort of "stylish". I HATE that. When they rebuilt my closest Aldi shop, I couldn't find anything anymore. The charm of those shops, at least for me, was that it was very easy to go in, find your stuff, and leave quickly. Of the four, I think Lidl has solved that transition best. While changing the design quite a bit, they managed to keep things where they were while not annoying people with stupid music or the like. The Lidl shops I know look more spacious than the new versions of Aldi or Netto, and they are easier to navigate in respect to the things I'm looking for. OK, wrote too much again, so have a nice Sunday!

[@aphextwin5712]

Actually, in Germany, even privately held companies (above a certain size) have to publish their annual reports in what is called the ‘Bundesanzeiger’. You still need to do a bit of investigating as their business is split into a whole range of separate companies.

[@jonasdroste2728]

Aldi and Lidl (both are german) are much more competitive than Walmart and others, because they are not on the stock market. They can invest more, don't need to increase their revenue every year by X% and no shareholders can influence their decisions and growth. It's much more flexible and natural than running a company which mainly needs to satisfy its share holders.

[@volkerp.2262]

I don't know if Aldi Süd sell them too but Aldi Nord sell with Trader Joe's branded items in Germany. So there is an exchange between Germany and USA in both directions.

[@sanderverwoert]

yes that is because aldi north is owner of trader joe’s

[@Deviouscoffee]

We're about to have an Aldi open up right by my restaurant later this month and I'm super excited! Really looking forward to checking it out 😎

[@russbear31]

Curious--which city? I'm in Kansas City, MO. We've had Aldi stores here for about 40 years. They built some of the first American stores here in the early 1980s. I have a lot of frequent flyer miles with American Aldi stores. 😂

[@Deviouscoffee]

@@russbear31 Ocean Springs, Mississippi. We're situated in a string of small to mid-size cities with lots of military bases nearby, so it's kind of odd we didn't have one here sooner 😅

[@TypeAshton]

We know where both of your cities are! Jonathan is from KC (Prairie Village) and I used to work in Warrensburg, near the air force base.

[@russbear31]

@@TypeAshton Several months ago I stumbled across your channel and watched the video where you shared your backgrounds. I thought it was cool to see someone from Kansas City living in Germany, so I subscribed. I really enjoy your channel. 😃 Yep, I'm a native of Kansas City and have been to both PV and Warrensburg several times.

[@Deviouscoffee]

@@TypeAshton That's cool! I haven't been up that way before, though I have a friend who just moved back to KC.

[@Enevan1968]

I love Aldi! They were a lifesaver regarding shopping when I was unemployed thus on a small income. I still shop there because of the quality of their products.

[@esconacento]

I live in Germany. I like Aldi, but LOVE Trader Joe's. The employees are super nice, happy to help and kind... once I was buying a bottle of wine there, and when the cashier asked for my ID, she noticed my birthday was just a couple of days before... two minutes later, when I was preparing to pay, another employee approached me with a bouqué of flowers and said: happy birthday. I almost cried. Just love Trader Joes. On the other hand, in Germany usually I do groceries in the supermakets near our apartment: netto and lidl, Edeka for specific stuff.

[@TypeAshton]

Oh man what a cute and lovely story. I really, really love Trader Joes and would love to see one open up here in Germany.

[@esconacento]

@@TypeAshton yes! That would be great! Btw, great video!!

[@wudruffwildcard252]

OMG 4:23 the great peanut butter heist of 2022. Grab as much as you can and run! 😂😂

[@TypeAshton]

A guilty pleasure for sure. 😂😂

[@GP80888]

I remember when Aldi first came to the US. It was strange at first. There were no shelves. It was isles of products on pallets. They were one of the first bring your own bag stores. They always had the best deals in the 70s. Now they are more like a Trader Joe’s. I miss the old ALDI.

[@Vater_Mohr_Ghana_82]

Many well-known name items are sold at Aldi under a different name in different packaging at a lower price than usual. As an example: Teviana plum cake from Aldi Süd is "Original" Coppenrath & Wiese plum cake. A lot can be seen in the manufacturer information on the packaging. The Aldi cashiers are allowed to sit in the USA. The Walmart cashiers still not?😉

[@mecaterpillar]

Over here in Northern Virginia, Aldi is old news. They've been here quite a while already. It's Lidl that's the new grocer in town. I think of them as Aldi with a bakery. They are actually very similar to Aldi but they actually bake fresh baked goods there.

[@ellenschmieg2247]

For over ten years I drove by a grocery store on my way to work and back. So obviously that was the reason why I mostly shopped there. But since both - my living location as well as my work location - have changed, I mostly go by the price where I get my groceries from. Especially since the groceries got so much more expensive. The weekly flyers the German grocery stores send to every household are a good help to find what is on sale. And so it even happens that I go to several different grocery stores in one shopping trip just to get the better price on a specific item.

[@mschuetz00]

Aldi does sell under the Deutsche Kueche brand here in the US. Erbsensuppe is my go to staple for the cooler months of the year. They do have German Week about twice a year where I stock up on things like Spaetzle and jarred cherries. Recently I have been straying to Lidl which started to expand around here, mainly because they do have a bakery which offers fresh Graubrot and Broetchen. I avoid Trader Joes because it is always packed with people :)

[@amm287]

I understand that. Lidl bakery is so good that they are a serious competitor to our German small bakeries in my opinion. And our bakeries are very good...

[@Christian-ev1zu]

From an MBA I once learned the main way to earn money by Aldi(and other supermarkets) is not to sell for profit but basically to stay competitive they sell at about the same price they buy the food. They make the money by paying later than they get the goods and earn the money on them(Interest). Wish I had another source to confirm that.

[@wollibar5263]

We lived well over 30 years abroad. Coming home to Germany once a year made us visit ALDI with tears in our eyes. By than we felt that the quality of the offered goods was brilliant, and the taste was truly german - somehow, Over the years ALDI changed and further improofed the quality of goods. So for season shopping e.g. during Oktoberfest or even before chrismas, they stock really good food to unbeatable prices. Plus the non-food range, if you see a new notebook being advertised you can expect it to be gone in a matter of days - and quality is garantueed at a minimum price. I like ALDI and we use it once a week - for the dirty shopping - REWE remains our No.1 for fruit and choice - and it is more local, just a 5 min walk away.

[@TypeAshton]

We have a similar system set up - Aldi for bulk items and a local grocer for produce and meat.

[@alboyer6]

I love how the PB jars keep the red/blue cap differentiation.

[@jrgilmore935]

I'm from northern Germany. Our Aldi has quite a few products that say "Trader Joe's" on it. So you can see that it belongs together every day.

[@lizzieburgess674]

Another thing in their favour is that Aldi (and Lidl), at least here in the UK, are noted for paying all - and especially their smaller (often local and/or speciality) - producers and growers both promptly and in full - no trying to bargain 'after the fact'. So these smaller, high-quality producers are often willing to take a slightly lower price in return for this prompt and no-quibble payment. And that lower price follows through to you, the consumer ...

[@uweinhamburg]

On the same foot - Aldi does have a company policy to buy as much local as possible. Aldi in the UK has a higher percentage of made in UK products on their shelves than for instance Asta.

[@lizzieburgess674]

@@uweinhamburg I had wondered about this and glad to hear that it is an actual policy. What's not to like about deliciously interesting imports from other countries, AND yummy fresh stuff from local farms?

[@wesleybush8646]

I first encountered Aldi about 18 years ago in Wisconsin. Truthfully, it reminded me of Save-A-Lot, except for the coin in cart thing. When my mother shopped there, she would just use the excess cardboard boxes, rather than bring bags herself, or buy any at the store.

[@twinmama42]

Dear guys, in my hometown, there are 1 Lidl, 1 Aldi, and 1 Rewe. There used to be 1 Real until February of this year. This shop was supposed to be remodeled and then opened as an Edeka but nothing has happened yet. And I have a Globus and Metro in the next town. For basics and daily shopping, I mostly go to Lidl because it is the closest to my house. I go to Aldi for specific items or when I have to go to the commercial area (2 kms outside the town) anyways. I go to Rewe if I need only a few items I won't get at Lidl because Rewe is much more expensive than Lidl or Aldi. If I need more "special" items I drive to Globus (the selection is fantastic and the prices are almost discounter level). And for very special items (esp. food!) and everything I need for my business I will drive to Metro. So my tier list is "distance and price" (equally) before "selection". CU twinmama

[@nekra6666]

I live in the Ruhr region of Germany, The aldi equator is very close (I live in the aldi North zone, but I can go shopping in Aldi Süd in less than 30km). Biggest surprise from your video for me was the traders Joe bit. I just thought of traders Joe as an aldi product name. Because there are many trader Joe product in Aldi North. It did not even come to my mind that it might be an entire grocery chain 😁

[@JakobFischer60]

I remember my first visit at an ALDI in Munich in 1990. There were some pallets on the ground, one with sugar, one with flour and so on. You could only buy the essentials and had to go to a real store afterwards. However, that one kind of sugar was cheap as hell.

[@Danielle-zq7kb]

I worked for a German company in the US. When I went for training in Germany there was an Aldi across the street and I thoroughly enjoyed walking across the street to tour the Aldi store. In the US, Trader Joe’s is my favorite grocery store. In my hometown, we have a food co-op and that is my weekly grocery store. Are there co-ops in Germany?

[@Aine197]

I choose which supermarket I regularly shop at by the selection of products they offer (I am lactose intolerant, so markets that don‘t cater to this are out) and by how easy it is to navigate the isles. The supermarket down the street from my house always had incredibly cluttered isles to the point where you couldn‘t even get a cart through, and I really hate that

[@Kritiker313]

I live in Rochester NY, hometown of Wegmans. There is a tremendous loyalty to Wegmans here, not only because of the high quality of their foods and locally sourced produce but also because they take good care of their employees. That said, I save a fortune and usually get high quality from Aldi, with the exception of their Deutsche Küche Bratwurst which is somewhat mediocre compared to the bratwurst that I've had in Germany. Thus far, my favorite Aldi product is their German Luxury (chocolate) cake but it's only offered for a month of so each year.

[@TypeAshton]

My sister (Jonathan here) went to college in Rochester and she said the same thing!

[@Aine197]

In Scotland (I don‘t know about the rest of the UK), Aldi started out with a completely anglicised product range. I couldn‘t recognise anything there from shopping in Germany. LIDL, on the other hand, just put stickers on German products giving the basic information.

[@reinhard8053]

It's interesting to see the seasonal non food products at a foreign LIDL. Sometimes with different language on the packing, sometimes only a sticker in the local language. In Austria many products already have slovenian or hungarian descriptions on it.

[@lizzieburgess674]

And that is one of the reasons I often prefer shopping in Lidl to shopping in Aldi here in England - the 'proper' German products, still many of the same ones I remember from when I lived in Austria, and later Germany, many years ago! Mmmm yummy!

[@riariaria]

Spatzel would be a very interesting comparison.

[@jochenlutz6524]

Regarding the products I read that ALDI buys a lot of products from original manufacturers and sell them with a new name (an ALDI-name). So they are able to sell them under the prices of the original manufacturer.

[@TypeAshton]

I heard that once too but couldn't verify it for the video. But it makes a LOT of sense. I think a lot of what you pay is name brand mark up.

[@fenpirikala]

Living on the Northern half of the Aldi belt, Trader Joe's branded items are usually found in Aldi Nord whenever they wanna sell "uniquely American items", e.g. American style cookies or peanut butter.

[@TrangleC]

The differences between discount stores and regular super markets used to be bigger in Germany too, 15 to 20 years ago. Back then the discounters were very bare bones, with usually only a single product being offered in each category. There was one type of strawberry jam, one type of cereal, one type of fruit juice and so on. That was how they kept prizes low, but for whatever reason, the differences have become much smaller, with the discounters constantly expanding their product lineup till there basically was no difference to regular super markets anymore.

[@lucaslovesnumber5]

I think the energy situation in Europe is enough to make a video about it, specially when Germany has to cut back 25% on gas usage before winter.

[@DonDuracell]

On the other hand Walmart failed to establish itself in Germany. The remaining stores were sold to Metro (and then branded Real) in 2006.

[@denniswitt1638]

And Real is history as well by now and has been replaced mainly by Kaufland and Globus.

[@jessicaely2521]

You do realize Aldi failed to really establish itself ar first. They had to change their practices. The major thing was accepting credit cards

[@DonDuracell]

@@jessicaely2521 I didn't know that. Interesting.

[@conceptSde]

@@jessicaely2521 Yes, that is what they had to accept. Here in Germany most discounters including Aldi nowadays also accept credit cards but this started only two or three years ago. Credit card does not play a big role in payments over here, I doubt that 50% of the adult population owns one and even less use it frequently. There is another card system with direct debit payment from your bank account that does not have yearly fees and also has much smaller vendor fees than credit cards. That is what everybody has. Additionally cash is still king over here. My estimation is that at least two thirds of the customers in grocery stores pay cash. There is a tradition not to spend more than you have in your pocket. So a credit card for buying your daily consumables does notreally fit to german consumer culture. A credit means additional cost for spending money you have on the bank.

[@jessicaely2521]

@@conceptSde that was the issue with Aldi. Aldi didn't realize "hey this isn't Germany. We better change our practices." This is exactly what happened to Walmart when they moved to Germany. They didn't realize "hey this isn't the US. We better change our practice." Walmart CEO's and management were to stupid to change their ways so it was bye bye Walmart from Germany.

[@MermaidmomUP]

We looooooooove Aldi! So happy we have one near our small city here in the upper peninsula of MI! ❤ I went to Portugal earlier this year and was amazed to see what wonderful fresh-baked breads they had there. And SO cheap! At US Aldi stores I have never seen this!

[@ConnieIsMijnNaam]

My favorite product from the Dutch Aldi store is the brilliantly named “Helaes Pindakaas”. It is their home brand peanut butter. It is just as good as the famous Dutch name brand peanut butter “calvé”. But actually the best part of it is its name. It is a spiel on the quirky Dutch expression “Helaas Pindakaas” which literally means: “Alas peanut butter” or “ Unfortunately peanut butter”. The expression sounds crazy in English but is actually quite often used in the Netherlands. To name their home brand peanut butter “Helaes” is a great move from Aldi.

[@TypeAshton]

That is quite funny! I will try to see if we can find this too in our Aldi or if they just serve the "American" peanut butter that we showed in the video.

[@timtrzepacz3452]

You asked for our favorite grocery store. Here in the US, it has to be Winco. They are open 24 hours, have low prices, a great selection of foods, and friendly people. They aren't particularly common, but fortunately I happen to be near one once a week and now do all of my shopping there, sometime between midnight and 4am. In Germany, I had a bad experience at Aldi. I was exploring on foot and wanted something cold to drink. I hiked up and down every aisle in the store and could not find anything, so I started to leave, but the only way out is through the cashier line. After squeezing by everybody, the cashier yelled at me and searched my bag to see if I stole things. That wasn't cool.

[@glendaslanina9939]

Hello….I live in Southern California home of Trader Joe’s where I do shop seasonally. However for my weekly shopping it is ALDI. Prices are good, their own brands and imports are good and the selection quantity is not over the top. My favorite products are the eggs, Moser Roth chocolates ❤️, Clancy chips, cheese , produce and the ground sirloin. We also have Stater Brothers, a So Cal standard which is fairly reasonable, price wise. I very much enjoyed this video.

[@TypeAshton]

A few people have talked about the Moser Roth chocolates - I think we are going to have to try this very soon!!

[@Thisandthat8908]

i once spend a night (at work) in the rabbit hole of reading in google news in sites from VERY local us news outlets about locally opened Aldis. Some with an actual guide on how to shop there. As something so utterly common in Germany, it's quite fascinating (and funny) to see that special attention.

[@mulraf]

for me the two most important things are distance and variety. distance because obviously you don't want to take too much time to go there, especially like when you are at work during lunch time. but also because i usually go there by bike and that of course makes things especially slow if the store would be far away. variety i think is also obvious. you just want different things from time to time - at least if you can afford it. and as a vegan my choices of products are already limited so it's nice to have a bit more options in general. lastly i do favor quality over price in general. at least to some degree. so overall if i have the choice i mostly go to rewe or kaufland. sometimes to penny since it's right beneath my work-place.

[@meine1379]

Trader Joes owner is the Albrecht Family(Aldi). BEST WISHES FROM Essen City, NRW

[@ralfbauer9625]

Hello Ashton hello Jonathan, happy Sunday! Interesting topic, I think it must be a culture shock for Americans shopping for the first time in an american Aldi. Some of them may never come back, others have to be "educated" to this type of grocery store. Best regards Ralf

[@TypeAshton]

Hey Ralf, yes we think so too. "Typical" American grocery stores were covered in a different video early this year. As you can see there, they are quite a bit different with a lot more effort put into marketing and customer service. Aldi seems very typical to us now, but it's not normal for many Americans.

[@MoreAThanI]

Ouch - Tress Nudeln als Discount Marke. I think if you have to get dried Spätzle Tress is the best choice, and in normal Supermarkets it is the top-shelf Brand, not the bottom.

[@RamonRodriguez-hq7vn]

At the end of your video post, you guys asked to let you know. The reason I go to my favorite grocer, is it's location. It's really close that I don't need to use 2 gallons of gas for a return trip. If there's an Aldi in the Lords Valley Dingman Ferry area of Pennsylvania. I would certainly use Aldi.

[@ArekuMizuhara]

German here. The funny part is that Trader's Joe was only this American styled off brand for me from Aldi Nord and I didn't know that it is actually a whole chain in the US.

[@TypeAshton]

Yeah! Trader Joe's really does have a bit of a cult following in the USA - it's a fun store!

[@Felix-st2ue]

Not surprising that Aldi in the us is mostly found in the eastern part. Apparently the owners of Aldi Nord bought trader Joe's which mainly operates in the west. So they did their splitting thing again.

[@fraupolster]

I love the frozen strudels, apple and the Forrest berries are my favorites. They keep forever in the freezer without loosing quality and taste almost like from the bakery. Super value!!! Aldi in Florida

[@michaelgoetze2103]

My decision where to shop is quite simple - which store has the product I most like.

[@HarambetheWhite]

Aldi in America is indeed getting on board with the super size store model. My local Aldi in Wisconsin did become a super Aldi.

[@K__a__M__I]

Great, now I want 'Händler Johannes' stores in Germany...

[@meamzcs]

Fun fact: theoretically every german company, even private ones, is required to report their earnings and balance sheets to the Bundesanzeiger for publication but as i've recently learned, a lof of them just don't do that. It's also a very german special thing it seems as almost no other country requires that.

[@Lea-zi1xd]

I just love how every single Aldi Süd looks exactly the same. This one in the video could've been the one in my home town XD

[@tobimaxx]

Great video, I had to laugh when you said that Trader Joes belongs to Aldi Nord. I didn’t know this. Did make me smile.

[@Wasalami]

Fun fact: Aldi Nord is selling Trader Joe's branded items in Germany.

[@sandralison7584]

Like the salted peanuts and cashew nuts in Germany are from trader Joe's.

[@clivewilliams3661]

Coin deposits for shopping trolleys is common in the whole of Europe and was in widespread use before Aldi adopted it. The reason in Europe is that most supermarkets/stores are close enough to residential areas that customers were using them to cart home the goods and many of them were then discarded, littering town, villages and the countryside. Also, having a deposit encourages shoppers to return their trolleys to the nearest trolley park that reduces clutter and staff paid to collect them from around the car parks. The larger supermarkets have trolley outstations to collect the trolleys where staff then wheel them back to the store entrance en masse. Aldi and Lidl are small enough that the trolley park is located for the whole site at the store entrance.

[@johnathin0061892]

That happens in America too, carts litter parts of my town. Most stores now have carts with wheels that lock up when you try to push them beyond the parking lot of the store, sort of an invisible fence type system that activates a brake on one of the wheels.

[@clivewilliams3661]

@@johnathin0061892 Surely coin deposits are easier and cheaper and much more effective as shown in Europe. Sounds like the nerds have taken over the asylum again! I suppose you end up with trolleys scattered near the site entrance, where some poor sod has to gather them up and take them back to the store?

[@johnathin0061892]

@@clivewilliams3661 The coin deposits get people to return the carts instead of leaving hem it in the parking lot, but it doesn't stop people if they want to take the cart home with the groceries in it (if they don't have a car to haul groceries and they live nearby.) Probably worth the quarter deposit to have something to haul them home in. They pay people to round up the carts in the neighborhood and return them.

[@clivewilliams3661]

@@johnathin0061892 In UK and EU the cart deposit is commonly 1 Euro or £1, which is a significant sum. It may not be the value of the cart or probably the cost of the bus fare or car journey but it is usually enough to remind people to put the trolley back. Prior to deposits it was common to find shopping trolleys strewn all over housing estates and the retail parks, which often led to them to being dumped in rivers and canals, where they are still being retrieved from. Often the trolleys were taken by kids for a lark but paying a Euro or Pound takes the fun out of it. I cannot think that any store would wish to employ someone to chase discarded carts around the neighbourhoods and housing estates whatever their worth. The logistics alone would be daunting and expensive.

[@HH-hd7nd]

@@johnathin0061892 Taking carts home is literally unheared off here in Northern Germany. I have never seen that - ever (and I have lived here for 47 years now). On the (extremely rare) case that a shopping cart is found somewhere it shouldn't be it's usually teenagers doing nonsense (but even that is very, very rare).

[@Kater9277]

Using a coin for shopping carts in German is so ubiquitous you will regularly get a "coin" that fits these carts as a free advertisment gift. I remember at least a couple of the gift bags we got from uni included such coins.

[@TypeAshton]

We were wondering where people got these coins. Sometimes we are lucky and they are left in the cart.

[@sandyakabatteriehuhn]

@@TypeAshton You can get them super cheap on Amazon or just ask cashiers in the stores, often they have ones left from promotions - I usually use my REWE one or the nice wooden chip from Bauhaus :)

[@robfriedrich2822]

When Windows computers were pretty expensive, Aldi offered an inexpensive Windows PC completely with OS and different software for the most important applications, so you could start. This was 1000 € from Medion and they sold a slightly reduced version in USA for 1000 $.

[@nikomangelmann6054]

i was once in austria in a hofer (the austrian name for aldi cause of naming rights). it was just about the border in hallein but felled different cause nothing divides germans and austrians more than the same language! gren, schlagobers, topfen, an off brand almdudler and an chocolate krampus. this year on my way to croatia, i try to go to an slovenian hofer and look how more different it is there.