Why Aldi Is America’s Fastest Growing Grocery Store | WSJ The Economics Of

[@devineballer3009]

I used to work at aldi while I was in university (Germany). They paid a good hourly wage, pension insurance, extra healthcare, free gym membership, a full 13th monthly salary, christmas salary, anual profit sharing and much more. They just treated me right, while I had no apprenticeship.

[@newspaperboy9496]

I don’t think they’d do that in the US mate :)

[@pastenik7055]

@@newspaperboy9496 yea probably thats why i am glad that i live in germany

[@devineballer3009]

@@newspaperboy9496 Yeah that's true. I'm glad that we got some strong labor unions over here that made this possible.

[@letheas6175]

Same here in NL, glad to be not from the US. @@pastenik7055

[@Lykyk]

@@devineballer3009 Aldi's conditions have absolutely nothing to do with unions and everything with the philosophy of the 2 Aldi brothers. Actually Verdi (the relevant union) hates the company.

[@Anurania]

This happened in the UK around 2009. Aldi and Lidl were originally seen as discount stores that people were ashamed to shop at, but when the economy turned bad suddenly Aldi became the most popular food store and the legacy grocery stores had to scramble to compete. Now they compare themselves to Aldi when talking about prices or quality.

[@fritsfmn]

In Denmark, Aldi pull out!! Couldn't make money

[@SSGoatanks]

We need more ALDI's to compete with Costco and Walmart because they're dominating groceries right now.

[@JJONNYREPP]

Why Is Aldi So Cheap and Successful? | WSJ The Economics Of 0035am 2.11.23 the virtues of........ aldi and lidl and poundland. "discount stores that people were ashamed to shop at"... you sure... ? some of the food quality suffers. especially at aldi - refer to bread etc etc though that is also the case at asda and the like. the eruo stores, they seem to have lost ground by phasing out european brands - which was a selling point for both aldi and lidl. unlike spar, i still get the impression they, the companies, feel aggrieved at having to open stores in the UK - let alone staff them. they don't tell you that aldi split from it's parent company and became two separate companies - aldi north and aldi south. whether this is still the case, i do not know. if the people who do run the companies take note - it may well be worth reviving your companies with obscure european branded food...

[@taridean]

In my town back then, a petition went round to try block Aldi and Lidl from opening when they submitted planning permission to build their stores. The petition ultimately failed and both stores are busier than ever.

[@InterviewInterrogations]

That element of being “ashamed” to shop at Aldi also existed here in the United States. It has slowly diminished. My scientific barometer for measuring this……. How many attractive women do you see shopping in the store?Yup.

[@Lora_Ah_Story]

Aldi saved my family so many times when we were broke and wanted to feed our kids healthy food. I will forever be grateful for that company.

[@Polo22546]

Now that’s what’s up!

[@LeXx0r]

@@hagestad Aldi was founded by the Albrecht brothers

[@hagestad]

@@LeXx0r Officially - but where the money came from? Just like you would say that Germans invented VW Beetle

[@monso7871]

@@hagestad who cares

[@SIC647]

​@@hagestadYou can hardly find any German company that wasn't questionable during WWII. It is just the way it is. And there is no one alive today who was active in the war. So get over yourself.

[@drepeter2485]

I was out of money on the 20th of each month. When Aldi opened in our town I had enough for the whole month.

[@AngelaVlahos]

load up on the groceries

[@MrGerdbrecht]

Nice example of win win. Greets from Germany.

[@raileon]

Just as a fun fact: Aldi in the US is a subsidiary of the German Aldi South. Trader Joes also belongs to Aldi, but Aldi North. Aldi officially split into two companies back in the 70s or so because the two brothers owning the company couldn't come to an agreement whether to sell cigarettes or not. So Aldi and Trader Joe's are both Aldi stores in the end, just not in a way one would think.

[@comedysyrup]

Wow thats actually crazy, I looked into that to see if that was real and not only is it true but while Aldi North and South both have Aldis in Germany, they divide countries the rest of the world into territories and each control all the Aldi's in receptive countries and don't compete, and the US is the only other country that they both compete in outside of Germany.

[@raileon]

@@comedysyrup Glad you found it interesting! It’s true, they really don’t compete anywhere except in the US. In fact, they don’t even really compete in Germany. As the names suggest, Aldi north operates in the northern part of Germany and Aldi south in the southern part. The dividing line between them is called the Aldi Equator 😆 It’s become sort of a meme in Germany.

[@comedysyrup]

@@raileon Loving all the Aldi facts 😂 what an interesting history!

[@AbuHajarAlBugatti]

@@comedysyrupits because the aldi brothers dont like each other much but have fsmily honor

[@MrTuxracer]

After the Albrecht brothers had deceased, Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd started to cooperate.

[@jontalbot1]

Misses one some of the most important factors. Aldi is privately run, has no shareholders to pay and runs on wafer thin profit margins (1%). It will always beat the competition on price. Second, it does not compromise quality and shoppers quickly learn to trust their own branded goods. Aldi is a very straightforward proposition: low prices, good quality, no frills. People understand it. Third, they are good at adapting to local markets. When they first came to the UK they were like the German stores. There are still some remnants of that ( eg stollen at Cmas) but the stores completely adapted for the UK market. I noticed the US stores have wider aisles as US shoppers like bigger carts. They get those things right. Fourth they pay their staff properly. They work very hard (you never see them chatting) but they pay above minimum wage. Finally the central aisle retains shopper interest. People like novelty and buy all sorts of things they didn’t know they needed. I don’t know Trader Joe’s but they are in for a very hard time.

[@Rhedox1]

> I don't know Trader Joe's but they are in for a very hard time Trader Joe's is owned by Aldi... :)

[@UndertakerFromWWE]

Aldi is also extremely boring to shop at and low variety. Great if you like bland boring products but I’d rather choose Costco/Fred Meyer!

[@ikmarchini]

Good price. Good quality. When will Detroit learn that?

[@jontalbot1]

@@Rhedox1 Interesting. Wonder if they get rid

[@jontalbot1]

@@UndertakerFromWWE They changed peoples shopping habits here in the UK. Used to be no one middle class would go into a hard discounter before they came. So they started selling frozen lobster at stupid prices and improved the wines. They also improved the look of the store. A lot of people here buy basics at Aldi then top up at a larger store. Aldi know this and often position themselves right next door.

[@jantjenotjanche]

I'm German and I was really surprised this summer when I visited the UK and saw that many supermarkets like Tesco often used Aldi to compare their prices to. I have never seen it here in Germany before. Maybe because shopping at discounters such as Aldi, Lidl, Penny and Netto is so normal

[@u.p.1038]

It is simply because comparisons to other brands are not allowed in German advertising.

[@jantjenotjanche]

@@u.p.1038 That actually makes a lot more sense. Thx

[@drdewott9154]

@@u.p.1038 Interesting. Im from Denmark just north of Germany and comparisons are very much legal. Heck right now all the companies are in aggressive price wars against one another to provide the lowest price. All their ads are about this. "If another store offers lower prices on essentials, we'll lower it to match" and usually listing other chains they're competing against.

[@rioghander2te]

@@Moonstate1234 you're allowed to remain silent

[@AdaaDK]

You have little Danish Netto in Germanny.. Geez i didnt even know they where present outside Denmark. :-P

[@kataisa3]

No joke: I went to an ALDI to shop for 18 food items on a list for a charity food pantry. Foods on the list included boxed pasta, canned fruit and vegetables, cookies, pet food, and some toiletries. The entire bill was just under $35. I was stunned.

[@trekzilladmc]

I say that every time I shop there. I look at the total and remind myself how it was nearly twice as much at Walmart or Kroger before they built ours.

[@Nate-dn1gx]

On meat prices though, the super coupons at the big grocer are superior and even everything out

[@NazriB]

Lies again? AIA Money USD SGD

[@yourmanzach2307]

my wife and I shop there. we never spend over 70 for the week. would probably cost at least double anywhere else.

[@Nate-dn1gx]

@@yourmanzach2307 $1.69/lb chicken breasts at Shop Rite. Never seen that at aldi

[@ChevChamp35]

I've been working for Aldi at the distribution center here in the United States for 2 years now. And in that 2 years my hourly pay has gone up $9.50. They take care of their employees while offering a great wage to help cover the costs of inflation.

[@Nemesiz00]

As a guy who works at a trucking company, I really appreciate you guys

[@DomenicaJosefina]

you can tell it is a german company, can't you?

[@CryptolockerMD]

In my area, it was the ONLY store that allowed their cashiers to sit in a chair. Big deal imo.

[@Sarge92]

i hope its different over there because in the uk aldi pay a fantastic wage...because there turnover is so high they will do anything to keep staff aldi is the only interview i have ever gone to where they try and discourage you from working for them at the interview telling you all the reasons you might hate it

[@SilberThorn]

How mich is this? I don't know how much people get in one hour in the US

[@stygian4011]

Walmart failed in Germany, now Aldi is rapidly expanding in the US.

[@exelrode]

Walmart never really involved honestly, it just takes advantage of its vast size and cash flow which is effective but it has hardly tried to think out of the box when it comes to retail. Infact of the all the big retail chains in the US, I find Costco to be the most innovative

[@Lordofthedawgs]

Walmart couldn’t capitalize on their world class logistics which allows them to price items so low in America. They didn’t have that infrastructure in Europe so they failed

[@irisseer2773]

Walmart bullies it's way into markets without regard for the area or what the customer wants or needs. Their prices have doubled and tripled in the last 2 years. They no longer have the low prices they used to. Aldi has better quality and better prices.

[@mirzaahmed6589]

@@irisseer2773 Walmart still has extremely low prices. They have definitely not doubled or tripled since 2021.

[@irisseer2773]

@mirzaahmed6589 Yes, they have. Is it every single item in the store? No. If you don't think they've significantly raised their prices then you're either not paying attention or you're deliberately causing disinformation on my post.

[@xWatanukix]

It's funny that one of the success factors is that Aldi stores in the U.S. are about the same size as regular supermarkets in Europe have been for a long time. Aldi delivers reliable quality at a good price and has a good image and trust ratings in Europe. Employee turnover is relatively low and it is therefore also considered a good employer.

[@markmedley6849]

People like the small size to quickly get what they want and leave. I was in Spain last week and noticed a bunch of Lidl store everywhere.

[@jaaa4590]

They pay a lot better than many of the regional grocery chains here. Quite a bit more actually.

[@philipstephan7688]

Also Aldi is smaller,but i habe like 10 of them in a 10Km Radius of my Home.

[@anthonyfaucy2761]

Who knew that treating employees well and not trying to rip customers off is very profitable. Its funny how corporations that scam customers by slowly or quickly increasing prices and lay workers off don't seem to understand that. Aldi showing how it should be done

[@jaaa4590]

@@anthonyfaucy2761 Henry Ford had a good quote about this. He said "If the floor sweeper's heart is in his job he can save us five dollars a day by picking up small tools instead of sweeping them out."

[@yummymommy2275]

As a kid growing up in Chicago I used to be embarrassed to shop Aldi, but this store has come a long way. Now as an adult in Texas I love it

[@jondoh3471]

Why would you be embarrassed?

[@FINNSTIGAT0R]

​@@jondoh3471 Marketing has convinced people that certain products are better than others, and thus buying those products make you a better person. If you buy in a discount store and brands that are unknown, you're poor and worse as a person. Marketing is a helluva thing 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@yummymommy2275]

@@jondoh3471 Aldi wasn’t a nice clean store like it is now.

[@Whocares792]

Me too, grew up during early 2000s and the towns Aldi was where you used to score grass, now you get actual lettuce 😂

[@notpaper-cr6ni]

It wasn’t until I was 12 and moved from my Aldi when I realized some people were ashamed to shop there. They were always the best to me, sad the west coast has like none.

[@nick81286]

Started shopping at Aldis in 2019. What we got then for 100 we now pay 187. However, getting it at any other grocery store is 300. They have fought hard to keep prices reasonable and lots of folks appreciate that.

[@turtleanton6539]

So great😊

[@marcharsveld2914]

It's too much! Soon we all are shoplifters.

[@mistahcow]

im from germany and aldi is probably one the biggest discount store here (by popularity) and when i came to america and first stepped into a walmart i was tremendously overwhelmed. It took me 10mins+ to find even the product type i was looking for

[@heybenjii5544]

Kaufland is bigger, but that is just Lidl in big

[@mistahcow]

@@heybenjii5544 i was actually alluding to popularity

[@Kaminaanime7860]

walmart is more then a grocccery store though and originally didn't start as it. I do understand the struggle thought of not finding the product you are looking for but it is the sacrifice to also have everything else. I remember when I was a kid the groccery store side of walmart was like 10% but now they expanded to the typical American groccery style wit bakery, deli and every other gorccery item but still maintained all their other products like electronic, clothes, jewerly, hardware, sporting etc. I can see why its overwelming for the first time 🤣😂 such a diabolical creation to literally put everything one might need into a single store but once you go to one walmart and understand its layout then all of them feel the same. I live in upstate ny which is the home of the biggest walmart. Literally two floors with escalators and elevators.

[@DoktorSus]

​@@Kaminaanime7860as a German, the biggest store I've seen is a Kaufland. I personally hate stores that sell 'everything' cause it will cheap out to provide 'everything'. And Walmart is just... scary. I don't want to talk with a cashier, I go in, get my stuff, pack it and bring it back to my home. Staying in a store for longer than 45 minutes is just not good imo

[@heybenjii5544]

@@DoktorSus Du warst noch nie im Real oder Metro? Aber ja, Kaufland is sehr groß, finde aber qualitätsmäßig sind alle Läden in Deutschland recht in ordnung

[@buccanerk]

It’s astonishing that Aldis simple formula that they developed in Germany in the 60s still holds up in todays markets. But I’m even more shocked that this formula has not been copied in other markets outside Germany. And now Aldi and Lidl taking over by storm.

[@amachuseyin]

There are Bim, A-101 and Şok in Turkey. They are the 3 biggest "fake' Aldi's of Turkey. They have the same mindset, and they pretty much do a good job with preventing the monopoly of big supermarkets.

[@sebastiangruenfeld141]

I want costco in Europe tho

[@michaelrenper796]

I have seen a few places in this world and can at least give some of the reason why it does not work: 1) Japan: Japanese are quality focused. OR convenience focused. Its either huge supermarkets with OR small convenience stores. Plus, opening new lcoations is hard due to peculiartiesi of teh real estate market. 2) India, Brazil, Thailand and other emerging economies with very large income differences: Either people are poor and will buy at rock bottom prices in disregard of quality OR they have money to spend and will buy branded products. Buying brands is a status symbol. The ALDI concept works when you have a large fairly homogenous (purchasing power wise) middle class.

[@rosenheimandsalzburg]

@@sebastiangruenfeld141 you have it Metro and Sellgross are similar concepts.

[@divinecomedian2]

Their competitors beat them in other areas, such as product availability, as mentioned in the video. We still go to HEB or Sam's when we need certain products that Aldi doesn't carry.

[@sweetnaomi56]

I love Aldi, not just for the prices but they also let cashiers sit while working. It seems like they treat employees well. It does not matter how much I make, I will always shop there.

[@flowfish86]

Fun Fact: in Germany Aldi sells Products like nuts, dried fruits and items that are considered to be "typical american" (like hot dogs and stuff) under their own brand called "Trader Joe's".

[@Shishatroniker68]

Because Trader Joe’s belongs to ALDI. I don’t know why they don’t say that in the video

[@johnwiiu7005]

Because Aldi is actually split into Aldi North and Aldi South, two competing companies. Trader Joes belongs to Aldi North meanwhile Aldi South is just known as Aldi in the US. Greetings from Germany @@Shishatroniker68

[@lancelot-]

@@johnwiiu7005 They don't really compete against each other. They even buy the goods together. They never appear together in a particular country except the US), but have divided themselves into territories.

[@astorMorisson]

@@lancelot- yes and no. it's complicated. The two companies are completely independent since the 60ies but they often act as one to this day. They also split the world into two halfs just like the Spanish and Portuguese in the Treaty of Tordesillas

[@LiquidDIO]

They do the same in Belgium, Trader Joe's American cookies, for example

[@PEdulis]

You forgot one essential part of the Aldi strategy: The middle isle where you find non-food items but always just for one week and then they are replaced by new ones. These drive customers to visit their nearest Aldi store every week and while they are there, they also buy their groceries and other items they happen to need or even just to see and then put in the cart for whichever reason.

[@werpu12]

It also lures in customers who would not go there for other reasons, once in, once something is bought, barrier broken, they come again!

[@abdullahansari437]

Lots of stuff like this. My Aldi has a small section of weekly discounts on food stuff. It changes every week with different ingrediants, keeping you coming back. They are probably a loss, but people rarely just buy one thing at an Aldi, right?

[@lars7282]

Although this was a strategy that came up early 2000s. Nowadays, at least in Germany, every supermarket has these non food items and the novelty has worn off years ago. It’s not the relevant draw anymore

[@abdullahansari437]

@@lars7282 Yup, no good idea goes uncopied

[@PEdulis]

@@lars7282 You completely misunderstand the strategy. Most supermarkets had always non food items but Aldi did not, they came up with the middle isle rather late but it is STILL a huge draw because the items are exchanged every week which is not the case in most other supermarkets except for those like Lidl or Netto or other who copied Aldi's concept. Nothing has changed for Aldi, it still gets many customers through those items and yes, also in Germany.

[@bigp169]

When I was a kid going to Aldi was an embarrassment but I understood why we did. As an adult I see people treat it more almost as a sense of pride for being smart bargain shoppers. You will see brand new cars including luxury brands, parked at an Aldi so people can get cheaper food.

[@eldritchbeauty]

Yup. Same for thrift shops. I used to be ashamed that my mom would only buy clothes from thrift stores and never anything new. And now...thrift stores aren't what they used to be, since so many people go to them, even the wealthy. They've jacked their prices up, so I don't see the point of going anymore, and I now look fondly back on the days when my mom could buy things for reasonable prices.

[@Arltratlo]

i barley shop at Aldi, the Lidl and Rewe are closer to my place!

[@MsYolost]

@WalpNacht I only ever heard about it in the UK years ago. In most other countries it's just a good value for money supermarket

[@ungrateful-66]

My own dad is a multimillionaire many times over but LOVES Walmart-also, I’ve seen people grocery shopping in Walmart wearing custom made solid silver/spun gold skirts which honestly I never have seen ANYONE other than myself wearing publicly since my childhood. Over spending CAN FEEL good but saving always feels better.

[@truehappiness4U]

@WalpNachtyes in the past Aldi used to be embarrassing to shop at because people linked Aldi with poor people who shop there because of cheap prices and cheap store lay out and interior. But, now that economy is failing and people want cheap food so they can still go on holidays with low wage etc… even rich people shop at Aldi to save money. Plus people are realizing Aldi offers good quality food.

[@noseefood1943]

As a man I love shopping at Aldi because instead of 26 different mayonnaise there are only like 2

[@Vatnik_tschistilka]

Yeah right. You don't have to call the Mrs over every single item.

[@lisar3944]

that is exactly right! I am in Munich and there is a "normal" supermarket right next to my local Aldi. I go in there once in a while for something very specific and it takes soooooooo long to find it. They have - I'm not kidding - one side of a whole aisle dedicated to jams/marmalade. Sometimes it's organized by flavor, other times by brand or something - I can't keep up as it's just nuts, and a few people have told me they mix it up and change it on purpose to encourage more "impulse buying". Anyway Aldi has a narrow section, maybe 75 cm wide, that covers three shelves to host the jam. There is a very nice range of flavors, and usually there is a normal version and a lower suger/more fruit version of each. And that is IT. I pick from that highly simplified collection and I'm on my way, loving life. Long live Aldi!

[@Simplicity4711]

Yeah. Too much choice is stressful. And you are paying for the store to be inefficient. I don't like brand products, because there you often don't pay for better quality but only for inefficiencies or their profits. In Germany we often see private label brands score better results in consumer tests than the brand products.

[@HANSSAMAA]

As a German, I wasn't aware that Aldi or Lidl are becoming so huge in other countries. Good to see that German efficiency works in other countries too I guess

[@andreasnau5031]

jawohl

[@Noah-rv4hk]

💪💪Deutschland auf die 1

[@catofffdeath]

ich hoffe die kaufen uns diese Effizienz sache noch lange genug ab 🤭 aber jut, lieber klug und faul als dumm und fleißig

[@Noah-rv4hk]

@@catofffdeath Bevor wir politisch den Bach runtergegangen sind, zählten wir zu den führenden Ländern in puncto Effizienz. Das ist nicht allzu weit hergeholt.

[@mooklane]

Here in The Netherlands Aldi and Lidl is normal I found it also strange to see it in the USA 😂

[@lukedeker4676]

The best thing about aldi in Australia is all the staff are over 18, get paid well AND they are all part time. This means they get sick leave and annual leave compared to their casual counterparts at other grocery stores. I will always support them for that.

[@ncard00]

All supermarkets should have solar panels on their roofs, minimal plastic, and closed freezers and refrigerators, they save money, and it helps the planet.

[@Ilar-en7lg]

In Australia, people who work part-time are not legally entitled to paid sick leave or paid holidays?

[@lukedeker4676]

@Ilar-en7lg they are, but most stores only use casual staff who aren't owed anything.

[@Ilar-en7lg]

@lukedeker4676 Casual staff do you mean temporary workers who only work for a few days a year replacing someone?

[@c3LeVr4]

When I was in Australia and was homesick I used to go to an Aldi and it felt just like home. Same store like we have in Germany. I love Aldi :)

[@wonka6848]

The only shops we bought in Australia was in ALDI. Not for purpose, but at the end you were quick in shopping, because of the tiny selection. :D

[@derhippi6179]

Aber warum will man sich im Ausland wie zuhause vorkommen, ich finde es schrecklich das alles gleich geschaltet wird und immer weniger besonders ist wenn man im Ausland ist.

[@wonka6848]

@@derhippi6179Warum muss man unter einen englischsprachigen Kanal Deutsche Kommentare schreiben? Vermutlich weil's einfacher ist? Bei mir war es in Australien so, dass ich nicht stundenlang in Supermärkten rumhängen und suchen wollte, was jetzt was ist, sondern die Zeit lieber fürs Wandern und Besichtigen aufwenden wollte.

[@ingridhohmann3523]

😊 🖐 know that feeling !!!

[@ingridhohmann3523]

​@@derhippi6179human feelings, who can guess them 🤔

[@NoHairMan]

Honestly I just feel comfortable in an Aldi. I love that there's no music. I love the "no nonsense" approach. (It's also just what I'm used to, growing up in Germany)

[@marcharsveld2914]

Jawohl.

[@SamZedder]

Please Aldi, come to Canada and give our grocery industry some additional competition. ❤

[@IgorRockt]

Pretty please! 😀

[@faber3969]

Too much risk for very little reward. It's not happening.

[@RedMango55]

Just like Target?

[@vladrazym9955]

Just started to type the same comment. Canada is so poor for good stores compared to other countries 😢

[@KSPRAYDAD]

Remember Valdi in the 80s? (Run by Steinberg's)

[@sampan04]

In the UK, Aldi have so many supermarkets have their necks wrapped around a collar by Aldi, supermarkets are making policies outright mentioning how they are "as cheap as Aldi", they are so good its a no brainer

[@MrTrialandError]

YEP you have Tescos even saying "price matched with Aldi" in certain areas too.

[@0Turbox]

@@MrTrialandError You can't be cheaper than Aldi and Lidl over a longer period, they are so big with little margins.

[@sickbozzer]

@@MrTrialandErrorsame with Sainsbury’s. Funnily enough, where I live, there is a Sainsbury’s supermarket and an Aldi pretty much opposite! (Along with an M&S)

[@yves2932]

@@0Turbox You can try to be cheaper than Aldi, but only if you want a glint of WW3. They will drop prices even below production cost. Just because.

[@AlsWeiderNetRatze]

It's funny because this kind of marketing, essentially just helps Aldi. Why would I go to a different store that claims to be like Aldi, if I can just go to Aldi.

[@stevenikitas8170]

This story is spot-on. Aldi is great. I've been shopping there for about three years. I believe that I pay about 50% as much for many items as I would at the nearby Price Chopper/ Stop & Shop, etc. Aldi is good thinking but it is very basic. No frills whatsoever. Many people will not shop at Aldi because they think that it is for poorer people. Good. That leaves more for me.

[@peach-panther]

I typically shop at aldi first and whatever I cant get there I go somewhere else.

[@freefalcon]

Exactly! I have been shopping there last three years too through Instacart, and even with delivery fees and tip, it is still cheaper than regular markets in LA. We can't still find everything at ALDI but they cover basic stuff, and with added convenience to home delivery through Instacart, it's sweet spot.

[@yb6036]

@@peach-panther I as well.

[@arthurwintersight7868]

@@peach-panther - Honestly, I like the idea of having smaller neighborhood grocery stores, and then a larger supermarket further away. This also makes it easier to keep the most commonly purchased goods in stock, since you have smaller stores serving a smaller customer base.

[@Arltratlo]

i saw the first Aldi in Philly in 2001... been surprised to see one there...but its been busy.... so i guess the people liked to save a buck and shopped there!

[@youraftermyrobotbee]

There's been an Aldi in my home city for a few decades now. When my mama divorced my dad, Aldi was a lifesaver.

[@toweronthehill]

I work for the company and I love it, they take good care of us and are fair, even though it is hard work.

[@gugalaxy7772]

So I used to shop at Walmart, as a poor college student I thought it was the best I was going to get but then I realized there was an Aldi's here so after checking it out I was astonished that that not only were the foods fresher and not expired but cheaper also! I haven't been back to Walmart since.

[@tictacterminator]

costco is better

[@NotUnymous]

Well, thats why Walmart failed so miserable in Germany 😅

[@manzanasrojas6984]

@@TheDoooburnermust be your local branch

[@werpu12]

Welcome to the lower end of european food standards, if you can hop over here, it is worth for the food alone! The French and italians make sure that the food standards within the EU are among the highest in the world, I love them for this!

[@Dakid015]

The produce at Walmart for some reason is lower quality. Some of their produce looks damaged or spoiled and already expired. I don't see this problem at other stores

[@Henryreyna2004]

They also forgot that most of their food is European standard which is free of food dyes and other harmful substances that are banned in Europe. Their food is of higher quality.

[@holycrapchris]

Not sure that's true across the board. I noticed their holiday trail mix is sourced from China, which is pretty rare to see in the US.

[@reappermen]

​@@holycrapchrishe is not talking about where the product is made, but to what standards. European food quality/ingredient standards are mostly better than the USA's. However, that doesn't mean US manufacturers can't make them. If you tell a US juice manufacturer to cut the added sugar by half, then they do that. No magic required, just adjusted recipes and quality standards.

[@marvin2678]

@@reappermen there are some things banned in the usa tho that are allowed in germany and eu

[@reappermen]

@@marvin2678 that is correct in theory, though in practice they are usually completely different scales of harm (either real or perceived) or loss/change of taste and such. Also, on the food sector there really aren't all that many, can you give a few examples you are thinking of?

[@goranbandic9387]

@@marvin2678name us pls few examples

[@TheDutzend]

I don’t want to have 100 options, I want a medium sized store where I can get everything I need most of the time. That’s why I love Aldi and Lidl.

[@bewithyou9976]

I love that Aldi seems much smaller than giant supermarkets but I can find everything I need. Especially without being lost for 20 min or having to choose between 7 options

[@RobertKing-oq4fq]

No dealing with coupons either

[@rachegreenrg]

7 options is nothing. I need 50 options from around the globe.

[@jmiquelmb]

American supermarkets must be gigantic because Aldi is rather large for a supermarket in Spain

[@davidbrayshaw3529]

And you can find everything that you need, quickly.

[@_Alfa.Bravo_]

... ja wer die Wahl hat, hat die Qual

[@raewynannbenten1385]

ALDI also treats its suppliers, especially farm producers better here in Australia than our bigger supermarket chains. They pay the farm suppliers in a timely manner usually within a month, unlike the big supermarket chains that withhold payment for up to six months. Some ALDI products have also been found to be far superior in performance (think, dishwasher tabs, laundry products, etc) by Choice, a not for profit consumer goods blind testing facility which helps Australian consumers make better consumer choices. On the basics ALDI can’t be beaten for value.

[@Deraisonnement]

ALDI wins in product tests of stiftung warentest, similar to you "Choice" quite often in Germany. :)

[@xXYannuschXx]

"They pay the farm suppliers in a timely manner usually within a month, unlike the big supermarket chains that withhold payment for up to six months. " - Its disgusting how corporations use delayed payment as a tactic. But hey "Its just business".

[@avantcdmx2028]

More on the topic: Walmart Mexico pays within 90 days (more closer to 90 thsn 60 days). Now, when the supplier wants their money earlier, Walmart Mexico charges them a percentage. 😡

[@Qiunell]

@@xXYannuschXx I agree, 6 months can be quite long if you are smaller supplier. However, from a financial standpoint, having longer payment times means more cash, more cash flow and liquidity, which makes it easier to calculate and increase the value for stock- and stakeholders. Here in Germany small companies are protected by law to have quicker payback times so that they don't struggle with liquidity as much. I cannot speak for Australia tho

[@AbuHajarAlBugatti]

Because german

[@OilMan713]

I used Aldi when I was fresh out of college and quickly realized how expensive groceries was. I shopped around various super markets and realized that I get to stretch my dollar further by shopping there. That was 10 years ago, and even though I make significantly more money than I made 10 years ago, I still shop at Aldi.

[@jodianderson2906]

I live in the United States and Aldi is my favorite grocery store. It's well stocked with the staples I like and it is a quick and efficient place to shop. It was built across the street from a Walmart super center and many area residents wondered if Aldi would survive in that location, but it seems to be going strong.

[@sebastianhjdbejyu]

The thing is, aldi understands that no one "really" needs 10 brands of toilet paper. Even if you don't have to pay that much attention to money.

[@vickypedia1308]

Here in Germany it's pretty common to have a small Aldi next to a big grocery store like your Walmart. It's common for people to buy the essentials at Aldi for cheap, then visit the big store next door for the stuff Aldi doesn't stock. Them being so close to each other makes this convenient. I'd assume Aldi is going for the same strategy in the US.

[@pikiwiki]

"being specific about the amount of footsteps it takes to service our store" this is the level of detail and commitment that separates the professionals

[@PaoYong]

One very underrated thing I love about Aldi is how bright it is. You never feel depressed walking into an Aldi; it is always super well lit and bright. however going into an Acme or Pathmark it feels like going into your grandma’s house with how dark it is.

[@davidbrayshaw3529]

True. I never thought of that.

[@snoopybluejeans]

I love the ambient lighting in my local Safeway, I dislike the cold fluorescent tubing of walmart. Just my opinion.

[@daveb2280]

Their staff is also underrated. They are the most polite and helpful in the industry.

[@davidbrayshaw3529]

@@daveb2280 I'm in Australia. Same here.

[@Erik_Thorsvik]

We started shopping at Aldi about two months ago and will never look back. Our weekly groceries are around $40-$50 (wife and I) and because of the smaller footprint of the store, we usually get shopping done in 10-15 minutes. I wish we had made the switch years ago.

[@TehBananaBread]

And when aldi grows and gets more leverage they will start jacking up the prices. And so the cycle continues.

[@guillermogutierrez-santana4446]

@@TehBananaBreadwhy haven’t they done this in Germany then?

[@Gromic2k]

@@TehBananaBread They had the chance during Covid. Everybody would have understood why they had to increase prices like all the other companies. But they didn´t. So tell me again how they are just waiting for an opportunity

[@ben5609]

It's their top priority to maintain cheap prices, just because that gives them the edge over their competitors. That's their entire business model.

[@yves2932]

@@TehBananaBread Nope, quite the opposite. Once they gain more leverage, they'll be dropping prices even more to break the neck of any other competition in the discounter space.

[@marysisak2359]

My favorite day of the week is Wed because it is Aldi's special buy day! I love, love this store. They have interesting products, good produce and the lowest prices.

[@noahblacklock9811]

When I was a kid my mom would drive a town over (~35 minutes away) to shop at Aldi as opposed to the grocery store in our small town because it was that much cheaper even with the extra fuel costs. Ever since I started living on my own at university I’ve always tried to shop at Aldi. For basic staples it really cannot be beat and their rotating selections have some pretty good stuff now and then. Now that I live in Germany it’s really eye opening to see a lot of Aldi’s practices that set them apart in the US are so commonplace at every store here. Bags have to be bought or brought from home, cashiers can actually sit at registers, carts require coins to use, etc. It is not at all surprising that Aldi has skyrocketed in popularity in the States but it is a bit surprising (and honestly a bit disappointing) that other major grocers haven’t tried to emulate anything Aldi do that make them so successful and pleasant to shop at.

[@davidbrayshaw3529]

I've been driving a town over (25mins) for over a decade, now. I shop fortnightly, at most. Fuel just isn't a consideration. Our local grocer is hideously expensive, by comparison.

[@DerekLefebvre]

I wish Aldi came to Canada, we need more grocery stores like this.

[@marcelschade9106]

I have been last year in Toronto and was surprised about the big price difference between Normal grocery stores and the cheap Chinese Stores in Chinatown. But there are not so clean like a Aldi.

[@edwardpearce1138]

What they did not mention in this video is that there is a Canadian owned grocery chain that started out as an American chain, that is similar to Aldi; i.e.smaller stores, private label brands, limited number of competing brands, and lower prices. Not many years ago it had about the same number of stores as Aldi, but sadly it is falling behind because it is not being managed as well. I am speaking of Sav A Lot, once owned by SuperValu, now owned by Onex.

[@garyholt8315]

Aldi ceo, please please come to 🇨🇦Canada, we desperately need competition !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@TubeHumor]

May be nofrills !

[@DerekLefebvre]

@@TubeHumor No Frills are overpriced now compared to Walmart

[@doomtomb3]

I'm a big fan. A store you can actually navigate that doesn't have 23 different brands of peanut butter

[@compuholic82]

That is actually a well-know psychological effect. It is called "choice overload": Having too many options that are essentially equivalent to each other it can actually prevent you from making a decision at all or it can lead to dissatisfaction with the choice you made.

[@servantrose]

I love/hate the limited choices because my family has health issues so I cannot -just- shop Aldi's. Be thankful if you can hit 1 or 2 stores and be done with restocking on grocery day.

[@autobotdiva9268]

overload is annoying

[@StevenHughes-hr5hp]

What if one of your kids has a peanut allergy and you really need to find that cashew or almond butter?

[@VirtualComplication]

Aldi in Germany is split into two companies: Aldi North and Aldi South. The two branches differ in the color of their logos and partly in their product ranges. This division goes back to the founders, brothers Karl and Theo Albrecht, who split the company into two separate parts in the 1960s. It’s interesting that Aldi has also been so successful internationally, especially in the USA. The stores there are part of Aldi South, which you can recognize by the logo's color scheme. Aldi North is also in the USA but operates under the name Trader Joe's, as this chain was bought by Aldi North. What’s remarkable is that Aldi’s concept - focusing on low prices, private-label products, and a smaller range with limited service - works even in a market like the US, where people are used to a higher level of service. It shows that the mix of efficiency and low prices appeals to customers worldwide. On the other hand, Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, didn’t succeed in Germany. After struggling in the 1990s and 2000s, Walmart had to pull out of the German market, partly because of tough competition from discounters like Aldi and Lidl.

[@Neomadra]

Aldi is not only cheap, it's products often have higher quality than more expensive competitors, at least in Germany. During the inflation most groceries increased prices, except for Aldi. When you buy groceries at Aldi, you learn that other stores are just scamming you.

[@michaelschollbauer8865]

Aldi in Austria(EU) also raised prices like stupid like all the others, u talk BS. But u just have no other option as you said, u can trust Aldi somehow, that he isnt scamming u hard

[@divinecomedian2]

They're not scamming you, they just have more variable costs so they need to raise prices to cover them when they go up

[@Arltratlo]

they found out, in Aldi boxes are the same products as in the high brand boxes of other stores!

[@marvinidler2289]

Aldi has raised most prices by 30 to 50 percent as well since early 2022.

[@1989Nihil]

@@Arltratlo Yeah, sometimes store brand/private label items _are_ produced by a name brand manufacturer and then packaged in the store brand/private lable packaging. It's not a secret. For dairy products you just have to check the veterinary code. If they are the same, the product was produced at the same plant. For dry products, the difference between store brand and name brand may be variations in quantity of the ingredients.

[@liryan]

Fun fact, Trader Joes is a subsidery of Aldi Nord(north), the Aldi operated in Northen Germany and some other places. The other Aldi, aptly named Aldi Sud (South), is the store operated in Southern Germany and many international stores. They were separated because, of course, brothers hated each other. The US is the only country beside Germany that both Aldis operated.

[@MS-sd1uz]

Aldi nord still has the discount image, whereas Aldi Süd has become a rather luxurious supermarket that happens to have some weekly discounts

[@Katrussa]

i think it's the other way around, trader joes is aldi süd, because the guy in this video has an aldi nord emblem on his shirt.

[@Bastbra]

@@Katrussa Nah, you're wrong. Traders Joe is Aldi Nord, this one here is Aldi Süd which you can see on the logo and emblem. Traders Joe was not originally founded by Aldi brothers, but was later bought by Aldi Nord side of the company. Now Aldi Süd is expanding in the US. However, as time is passing, Aldi Süd and Nord are working more and more together, so who knows if in a few years they are both one big Aldi again.

[@wolffster25]

From what I understand the reason they split was because they couldn’t agree on whether or not the wanted to let the store sell cigarettes.

[@KingElmo83]

@@MS-sd1uzAldi Süd just started earlier to modernize their stores. Since Aldi Nord started, their stores are similar to the southern ones

[@Raja1938]

No one’s mentioned this but I love that their shopping carts require a coin deposit. Unlike their competitors. Aldi carts don’t litter parking lots or get stolen by the homeless. Such a simple solution that works.

[@edwardpearce1138]

In the small town where I shop many of the people push their carts back in place, but do not remove the quarter. Pay it forward.

[@xungnham1388]

That's because the people in your town haven't figured out that they don't need to push the cart back to the front of the store to get the quarter back. They just need to connect their cart to another cart. All it takes is for 1 person to leave their cart in the parking lot; then everyone will connect to it, forming a cart snake in the parking lot instead of at the front of the store.

[@edwardpearce1138]

@@xungnham1388 No. Thee misunderstands. Very rarely does anyone leave their cart in the parking lot. Most people do push their cart back to the store and get their quarter, but many people look for a customer just arriving and give the cart to them. If they do not see a new customer to give the cart to, they then push the cart back to the store and put it back in place, but do not connect the chain, leaving the quarter in place. Aldi is a neighborly place to shop, and this neighborliness prompts their customers to act neighborly toward other customers. Goodness prompts more goodness.

[@TheXshot]

In Europe this has been a thing for decades. Most people have a plastic coin attached to their keychain or in their wallet, specifically for carts. (Almost) Every grocery store in Europe uses this system.

[@andrewharris3900]

@@xungnham1388 who would do that? Have some decency.

[@MrMrStamper]

As a German, shopping at Aldi for the last 30+ years its interesting to see how long it took Aldi and its model to get to the US. I always wondered why in the US they are paying such insane prices when shopping for groceries while at Aldi you have most of the time amazing quality at amazing prices. Though reduced selection, fruits and vegetables are most of the time superior in quality/freshness/price to normal supermarkets and in many cases sourced locally/nearby farmers.

[@lukeorion9397]

One thing that this story missed is that the Aldi private label items are usually pretty high quality, with minimal preservatives and other additives. And, despite the bland packaging, when you open one of their items, it not only stands up to brand names, it can often look and taste better. And, they keep you interested with short term regional/cultural specialties that are often excellent, whether it be German items (no surprise) or Asian items. We tend to think of Aldi as a slightly downscale Trader Joe's, which it is related to.

[@BananaRama1312]

Its both aldi

[@zentriffid]

well thats not true.

[@Arsenic71]

Very true! Their home brands are often well-known brand products, but repackaged to show the Aldi brand name.

[@sarqRodriguez]

I started shopping at Aldi when i started my first job because it fit my budget. I made $7.75/hr. Now i make significantly more than that and i STILL shop at Aldi. I am also part of the Aldi Facebook group and we are a super nice bunch i tell you. Go Aldi!!

[@irgendeinname9256]

As a German I wonder how does it compare to your domestic supermarkets/discounters in term of prices, selection and service?

[@aurelijus1]

im from the uk, they built a new aldi literally 5 minutes away from my home, and i absolutely fell in love with that shop(i get pretty much 90% of my weekly food them there), close, good quality, cheap and efficient - absolutely great shop, products are same if not better comparing to other shops, with much cheaper price tags, and i never experienced any health issues of any form from their products. Also love the competitiveness it brought aswell, prices in other supermarkets are being compared to aldis :)

[@madrooky1398]

The competitive side of foreign ALDI's is kind of funny for me as a German as undercutting prices is illegal here. That's why Wallmart failed in Germany, and because we don't like to be treated like interior by a company... 😀

[@testthewest123]

@@madrooky1398 Lol no. In germany you can undercut prices as much as you want. Infact, the opposite ("Preisabsprachen") is illegal.

[@madrooky1398]

@@testthewest123 §20 GWB In short: "Food may not regularly be sold below cost price by a company with superior market power." That is a form of undercutting prices, exactly what Walmart tried to do, and has nothing to do with price fixing agreements.

[@testthewest123]

@@madrooky1398 "Ergibt sich auf Grund bestimmter Tatsachen nach allgemeiner Erfahrung der Anschein, dass ein Unternehmen seine Marktmacht im Sinne des Absatzes 3 ausgenutzt hat, so obliegt es diesem Unternehmen, den Anschein zu widerlegen und solche anspruchsbegründenden Umstände aus seinem Geschäftsbereich aufzuklären, deren Aufklärung dem betroffenen Wettbewerber oder einem Verband nach § 33 Absatz 4 nicht möglich, dem in Anspruch genommenen Unternehmen aber leicht möglich und zumutbar ist." Und wo steht da, dass man seine Preise nicht senken darf? Ich sehe da nichts und es ist auch lächerlich, da Aldi dafür bekannt ist, kompetitive Preise zu machen. Es ist "lustig", dass Sie das nicht wissen.

[@0Turbox]

Lidl is pretty much the same, just sells more branded items. What I like about both are their weekly cultural meals, like: Spanish, Italian, Greek, US, Oktoberfest, Arab weeks. Then also all the holiday weeks. Aldi also has really high-quality basic clothes, like their winter socks are awesome, or some shirts.

[@19TheJohn93]

I think the quality at Lidl has become so much worse than Aldi

[@maisondav1d]

Lidl is more expensive than Aldi in general

[@MisterPyOne]

@@19TheJohn93 for a while the quality decreased a lot at Lidl, to the point where I stopped buying there and went to Aldi instead, but the improved again, so I started buying from them again. Also Lidl kinda got me with their app, that offers discounts, but especially at the beginning, free products if you spend enought money, like 10-15 Euro or sometimes just 1 Euro, which was worth it, since I would buy the stuff I would buy anyways and get that for free extra.

[@labuerostuhl]

Lidl in the US sells some pretty good fresh bread!

[@0Turbox]

@@labuerostuhl Germany is a bread country, we wouldn't agree to that statement ;)

[@visibletoanyone922]

I've worked in factories processing chicken, tissue, and carrots. Imagine this: one conveyor seamlessly splits into three, and all the products then journey through the packing process. Picture pallets at the end of the line, each loaded with goods destined for Tesco, Sainsbury's, and Aldi, all originating from that same conveyor split. Why pay more?

[@trekzilladmc]

Same thing here. I worked in the frozen foods industry for 20 years and there were times when we'd run frozen square cheese ravioli and have plenty of the previous brand stored in the freezer, but when we'd get to making Aldi, we'd take out what was left, open up the bags, and place them on the packaging conveyer to be put into Aldi bags because they were identical recipes. Sometimes it wasn't uncommon to do this with 4 or 5 brands in the same day.

[@karenholley8356]

What I love about Aldi is that I don't have to make so many choices. What you see is what you get -- that works for me! I have been shopping at Aldi for almost 20 years in the U.S. Prior to that, when I lived in (then) West Germany, from 1982-1986, I had an Aldi within walking distance of my apartment. I love Aldi -- especially at Christmas!

[@DemonEdge82]

I agree, I don’t need 50 options for one product. You have your ALDI brand and a couple big name brands and more often then not get the ALDI brand because it’s half the price of the big name brand and quality wise is every bit as good.

[@sweetnurnot10]

Yess!! They had canned milk for .89 cents. All holiday season I love it there we buy soo much produce because of them.

[@hotrodmercury3941]

Save-A-Lot and Dollar Tree kept my family alive after 2008. When Aldi popped up out of nowhere. It was something everyone started going to. It took awhile for my family to even reach for Aldi's. Once we went in, it became something we did every grocery run. I now shop at Aldi's for all my groceries unless it's something specific from Walmart. There used to be a place called U-Save. Which had all the discount stuff AND a hot deli..which served the best BBQ I ever had. Too bad it died.

[@labuerostuhl]

I love Aldi! I'm German and moved to the US. Where I live Aldi is the only store that sells european food. Many items are actually made in Germany, Austria or Switzerland.

[@I_am_Raziel]

Is there anywhere real bread? I was once in the US and bread was the VERY first thing that we missed :) The US bread was like a washcloth, no crust. We went to a German baker there. The bread was good but not the same as here.

[@labuerostuhl]

@@I_am_Raziel Sadly no :( honestly even if you try to bake it yourself its not the same. Maybe because I've never found the fresh yeast in the US, that they use in Germany. In the US Lidl has some "fresh" bread (like Lidl in Germany) which is good for american standards. I'm going to visit Germany next year and so excited to get breakfast at the bakerys lol Also Aldi has the Pumpernikel bread when they have their German week. I like that, but of course its not like real fresh german bakery bread.

[@karlineschrubberstiel]

Panera has good bread, comparable to German quality bread. Or find a Polish deli. They usually have good bread, not the awful supermarket stuff. I am German, been living here for 20 years, and that's where I buy my bread. Plus the ciabatta rolls from Costco - 4 ingredients - flour, water, salt, yeast.

[@labuerostuhl]

Thank you! I need to try Panera. Sadly we don't have a polish deli or a Costco, only Sams club and their bread isnt great.@@karlineschrubberstiel

[@duckmercy11]

Aldi itself is a German store.

[@leonarddeberry7104]

I started shopping at Aldi back in the 90's when I got married with 4 step kids. The kids are grown and I am no longer married but I still shop at Aldi. I can't imagine the amount of money I've saved.

[@lars2894]

IMHO, the best part about Aldi is that with items for which they only offer a small selection of brands (1 or 2), you can 100% assure that they are healthy, - eg. Mayo made from olive oil, Hot Dog without nitrites / phosphates, all WITHOUT staring at the label for 10 minutes trying to look up each ingredient on your phone and make sense of things. We have only one Aldi vs 3 branches of various big-brand grocery stores my area (north midwestern small town). Same quality or similar brand goods at Aldi are 50-30% cheaper as compared to every other grocery store and ~10% cheaper than Walmart. Only time I go to Walmart is for rare or "exotic" food items like foreign ingredients.

[@HouseofVenesianberg]

You're just simple minded

[@StevenHughes-hr5hp]

Sometimes you are there to pick up eggs, milk, a pair of loafers and a Blu-ray player.

[@brianbogholtz9485]

As inflation was soaring over the previous couple of years, being a weekly Aldi shopper made my life infinitely easier. I could walk in, spend $50 a week on staple items and not have to worry about much of anything else. I feel like this company helped me dodge a massive bullet in the last 3 years.

[@danielsdaydreams]

love German discount stores. here in Hungary, Lidl is now the market leader with revenues high above of Tesco/Auchan/Spar that used to dominate the market 15-20 years ago. Aldi is also among the top here, although they are a bit more expensive than Lidl, but speed of service, quality and prices are exceptional as well

[@dasy6753]

i found it so weird that i saw a tesco when i visited budapest, its a random country to have them

[@TurnAndSplat3888]

I have mobility issues, and aldi is the only grocery store I can manage to shop without needing to rest. It gives me my freedom to grocery shop, with nearly everything I need.

[@caccioman]

Never thought of that 👍

[@dylancarr8415]

We've had Aldi in the UK for decades and it is brilliant. Exactly what you need in a cost of living crisis!

[@cantinadudes]

I mean its great to have cheap groceries no matter how much money you have. Even if you're rich, why waste money for whats essentially the same product?

[@andrewkononenko2504]

So, your country has been in crisis for decades.

[@xx-----------xx873]

Nope, people just haven't worked hard enough to earn enough money for decades. Perhaps if they had worked a bit harder at school they wouldn't have to shop at a discount retailer.@@andrewkononenko2504

[@laksyrowpolysdg3153]

@@andrewkononenko2504 apart from early 2000’s and millennium, yes.

[@RedBrigades]

​@@andrewkononenko2504as per it started on Wall Street.

[@jmack8767]

The UK started sprouting Aldi and Lidl all over the place as well, around 2010. But the thing that set them apart was that these low cost items were clearly of very high quality - it was good merchandise. Their cold meats were really good, which is always a marker, and they had a large variety of snacks and cereals that actually tasted better than their known-brand counterparts in other stores.

[@intubungamer6173]

fun fact: Aldi in the US is part of the Aldi Süd, while Trader Joes is Part of Aldi Nord. Yes they are actually two companys with the same name.

[@Phoboss32]

In Germany, the two brothers who founded Aldi divided Germany’s market into the North (Aldi Nord) and South (Aldi Süd) parts. IMO, Aldi Süd is the more advanced one.

[@nekoJens]

And like Germany West and Germany East, Aldi Süd and Aldi Nord… one is not like the other!

[@pavelow235]

This tidbit might very well be the most "Did you know" in human history. I think if anybody brings up trader joes or Aldi......they will follow with exactly what you said. I think more humans know this than who is the current USA president or Pope....🤣🤣

[@P2Feener305]

Fun fact Aldi sells expired food and this video is just propaganda.

[@HellfireGFX]

Aldi and Lidl are mega popular here in the UK. During the pandemic a lot of the supermarkets were hit by product shortages such as meat but Aldi and Lidl's supply chain allowed them to stay in stock for much longer, eventually people realised the quality isn't different from the big brands and kept shopping there. Another thing to mention is Aldi and Lidl pay their staff properly and the jobs are highly sought after - they also reinvest the profit margins carefully in order to make profit without selling a single item in store.

[@davida730]

I just got hired at Aldi. The entry level pay was $2.50 an hour more than what every other company was offering. Over 60 people interviewed, and they only hired 4 of us so they definitely get their pick of high-quality employees.

[@dcharles7]

My wife and i changed to Aldi a few years ago and never looked back. Cheap prices and high-quality private brands that sometimes taste better than the national brand. We can spend almost $180 at Walmart compared to $130 at Aldi. There are some things we have to get from Walmart, but it's worth the 2 trips in savings on 80% of our shop.

[@OWL-hg6ix]

Trader Joes is also Aldi btw. In germany where Aldi originated we have Aldi North and Aldi South. The Aldi in the US is Aldi south and because of copyright problems Aldi north had to call themself trader joes in the US. When we have American themed weeks by Aldi in germany the shelfs are full of trader joe products.

[@virtwar]

A bit of mythbusting: Yes, private labels sometimes hide branded products. I just noticed this again a few days ago. A type of bread that I always buy was also available at Aldi. When I compared the packaging of the Aldi product with the brand product, I discovered that it was the same bread from the same manufacturer. Its logo was even printed on the Aldi packaging, but only very small. The information about ingredients and nutritional values were the same on both packages. There was only one difference: the product in the Aldi packaging was significantly cheaper.

[@leventelajos5078]

That has always been the case for most products

[@werpu12]

It is not always like that and sometimes a well established private brand switches manufacturers and you get a different item in the same packaging! Can happen!

[@L1623VP]

In the same way, I was surprised to discover about ten years ago that manufacturers will sell the same food products under different brand names in the same country but in different store chains. This even happens with bottled waters. I love the Glacier Isle water from Rite Aid drugstores and yet, the same water is sold under four different names at four different stores. It's Iceland Pure at Walgreen's, Iceland Spring at Tops, Iceland Lava at CVS, and Skyra at 7-11. At first, it seems confusing to compete against your own product with so many different names, but it's actually quite smart from a marketing perspective when you think about it.

[@rockymountainjazzfan1822]

A friend of mine was a plant manager for a fruit canning company. He invited me to visit the plant one day. They had 6 separate canning lines running the same exact product, with different brand names on each line. On a couple of other canning lines, the plant was running canned apple sauce--one was canning an expensive premium brand with no sugar added, the other was canning the cheapest house brand for a grocery chain. I asked him what the difference was. He said, "The label." He explained that sugar cost extra to put in the sauce, so the house brand was canned without it. The expensive brand charged a premium price because the apple sauce was "more natural." because of containing no extra sugar. By the way, it's the same with dairy products. Any dairy product has a plant no. stamped on the package--that plant no. codes both the state where the plant is located and what company runs it. We had a dairy product processing plant where I used to live. They packaged milk for Meadow Gold, Walmart, Sam's Club, Krogers, Safeway, Alberston's, Associated Grocers, IGA, and some other smaller outfits. Same milk, just different labels. There is an online database of those dairy plant nos. where the plant can be looked up using the no.

[@jal051]

They often use slightly cheaper materials for the blank brand, tho. But yeah, sometimes is funny when the product has some peculiarly shaped package and you can clearly see it's the same package with a different label.

[@sicilianjoe]

Something that wasn’t mentioned is how lightening fast checkout is. At our local Kroger store, checkout probably takes 2-3 times longer! It’s crazy!

[@jacklong7048]

But remember who does the bagging-YOU

[@ajfogertyfan8245]

Aldi and Costco’s checkout speeds put Walmart’s agonizingly slow checkers to shame. Another reason we do most of our regular grocery shopping at Aldi and Costco compared to the other chain grocery stores.

[@Saufs0ldat]

@@jacklong7048 It's not like you have anything better to do while waiting for the cashier to finish.

[@TehBananaBread]

@@jacklong7048 God forbid you use your hands for 2 minutes to help a cashier out instead of sitting on your phone...

[@davidbrayshaw3529]

@@jacklong7048 You can buy bags that hang in the trolley which allows you to place your groceries into the bags straight from the checkout.

[@NCISfreak123]

Moved to Chicago in 2019 from Maine. Had never seen an Aldi before. It hooked me immediately! If you need staples for a household it is a no brainer.

[@bjnartowt]

I love Aldi so much that I deliberately buy some of their food having dented or damaged (but otherwise sealed) packaging so they don't have to waste them.

[@diogenes8272]

Dented and damaged goods get donated to local food pantries.

[@averrows]

It is really cool to see the president share the company strategy. It is not only inspiring, but also drives understanding to customer on why is it worth it to buy grocery at Aldi

[@halo5725]

Good to see the corporate propaganda works

[@Saufs0ldat]

@@halo5725 Propaganda is what governments do. For corporations you can just call it "advertising" or "marketing" like a normal person.

[@halo5725]

When you have had the misfortune to have worked there you get an opinion, otherwise you don't. Worst work life decision I ever made as I bought their corporate propaganda. Thank god I got out in the COVID opening up window, the alternative is soul destroying

[@Czechbound]

Aldi and Lidl came into non-German markets in the early 90's here in Europe. There was a snob factor that kept people from going initially. Very quickly every caught on to the fact that they were significantly cheaper, the quality was fine, and they had some items that expanded from the usual offerings of the established stores. Yes, the stores are a bit industrial. But you don't go grocery shopping for the ambiance if you're sensible. They've added durable goods and clothing on seasonal bases, and have weekly focused deals ( eg "Greek Week" ) that keep customers coming back. And all privately owned ....

[@charlesward4314]

Apparentky in Germany not wasting money on staple food items is very much middle class common sense. Whereas here in the UK shopping in Waitrose or M&S is aspirational even if it means over-paying for unbranded commodities such as milk.

[@emilwandel]

The more expensive supermarkets don't have a better ambience most of the time with all the ads and long walks.

[@jmiquelmb]

Back then Aldi and Lidl were lacking in quality though. Nowadays I'd say Lidl has good quality in my country. There's a thing that people often don't realize though. And it's that it's very rare that a store is consistently cheaper. Very often the cheap stores are generally cheaper, but they have a fair deal of products that are definitely not cheaper, especially those that are more luxurious or gourmet. I go to Lidl very often, but there's definitely some products that are more expensive than on many expensive stores. Their frozen salmon is very expensive, I can get better fresh salmon on high tier stores which is kinda ironic. I remember recently their strawberries were outrageously expensive. Sometimes I think they do market research to find out how to tune their price in order to get you inside their store and later scam you with other products.

[@charlesward4314]

I agree. For better or worse I am good at remembering numbers so notice these things from time to time. I also think some of their deli range is better that the mainstream supermarkets.

[@jjgermancarsdontsignal7746]

There still is a snob factor playing out here and that is people think that Aldi is more upmarket than Lidl.I work for a haulage company that delivers to Lidl stores out of the RDC near Exeter UK.Quite often goods for Aldi are delivered to the Lidl RDC by mistake and they are all from the same suppliers just branded differently.

[@TheSmack67]

We have been shopping at Aldis since 1991, their quality has gone up every year. Our children were raised on Aldis and now do their shopping there as well. They are the best grocers hands down.

[@loveunlimited777]

Customer sentiment is very fond of Aldi, it's no wonder they have a loyal and growing customer base, they know the ingredients for success. Great customer service. Large selection of quality products, meat and produce. And their affordable pricing is what brings the customers back.

[@kleenbeats]

A great example of German efficiency!

[@joelchee9308]

You've never been to Germany, that's for sure

[@exelrode]

And simplicity , I have always wondered why american stores like Walmart & Target try to make their operations more lean instead of just building big warehouse like stores and filling them up with gazillion products when they can use data to figure out which products customers actually buy the most . The only big retail store that actually does something like that is Costco, they require membership but in return they filter out the products to keep the ones that offer best value for money and quality so they don't need to fill up the shelves with hundreds of the same product knowing fully well what their customers want

[@Crusader1984]

That has nothing to do with it they don’t have any shareholders, and it’s privately owned

[@joelchee9308]

@@Crusader1984 Agreed. Shareholders get to decide what to do.

[@Xyz-cd3rd]

@@joelchee9308why

[@thefisherking78]

I fell in love with all these while stationed in Germany and was glad to see them proliferate soon after I returned to my current city. Love it love it love it.

[@AbuHajarAlBugatti]

I love your wife too

[@MariaPiedadChoreographer]

And they treat with respect and pay well (compared to other supermarkets) to their employees. They have seats for the cashiers ❤

[@Piusplac]

Here in austria they were votet "employer of the year" seems staff here is very happy to work for Lidl. They got a big raise 2 years ago to where it can't be compared to other retail jobs, it pays off because staff does really a great job there, never seen any "low life" underpaid undermotivated staff there working.

[@kevinkerkhoff6670]

You should have seen the cashiers back in the 90s and 80s. They did not use scanners for the barcodes but instead typed in every items barcode number from memory. Of course this was only possible because they have fewer items. Crazy thing about that, they are lightning fast in scanning/typing.

[@Emmuzka]

While visiting USA, I went to CVS and was shook when I saw the cashier come to the floor for something and she was moving with a cane, obviously having some serious hip problems and in pain. In Europe she would have difinitely had a chair exeption from the management, but not there!

[@werpu12]

@@kevinkerkhoff6670 Yes this was insane, they were almost as fast in typing the item prices as they are now with pulling the items through!

[@sarahmichael270244]

a lot of employertreatment like payment and the seats aswell reminds of german standards in a supermarket

[@MONi_LALA]

Please come to Colorado! I missed Aldi so much especially when King Sooper and Safeway are just expensive and not that good.

[@laylen245]

been working for Aldi Australia for 10 years , its pretty cool seeing how other stores look

[@CRHead-id7gh]

Interesting, the same thing happened in the UK. Aldi's competition literally has selected items in the store labelled as "Aldi price match."

[@Verpal]

TBH, what draws me to Aldi isn't even their price, I just hate having to walk all around a massive store to find my items, I just want to get it done fast and efficiently, that means a small and compact store like Aldi works well, time is most expensive good of all. (Wait so it is still price that draws me there after all lol)

[@PaoYong]

True that

[@werpu12]

Hehe Aldi in europe is on the bigger end scale with their stores, not the biggest ones, the biggest ones are comparable to the average US supermarket, I guess!

[@tomrock7019]

Right answer: Because German are honest people who create honest companies that don't want to scam anybody. The rest of the supermarkets are US ones.

[@marykay7878]

As a German raised by immigrants, I love aldi and Lidl. I will never understand why people spend twice the amount for the same groceries from the same company in a different packaging. Me and my siblings have gained a lot of social mobility though education and have much more disposable income than my parents, but we would still never buy things you could buy at Aldi or Lidl at another supermarket

[@baklava6138]

Quality.

[@marykay7878]

@@baklava6138 again, same manufacturer different packaging. Check the zip codes on the packagings, they are identical. And there are not two companies producing the same product in the same city. There are even books with lists online you can purchase who list all the brand products and their discounter dupes

[@ulrichleukam1068]

@@baklava6138 They are mostly the same products from thge same suppliers but in different packaging. Look at the labelling ...Atleast it is here in Germany where i live

[@baklava6138]

@@ulrichleukam1068 yes here in the states a lot of the products are older or stuff whole-sellers didn’t sell and Aldi/Lidle buys it at a discount.

[@simsatART]

Same, I'll first go there and then jump to the Edeka next door for the few remaining items. Will pay the same for the 20% Edeka items compared to the 80% basics I get at Aldi.

[@JillWhitcomb1966]

I'd shopped at both ALDI and LIDL in the United Kingdom, and in Biedronka in Poland-- all three of those grocery stores are smaller, have a limited selection with many store brands, and require customers to make use of a coin to get a shopping cart. In 2019, I moved back to the USA and my home state of North Dakota, only to find a brand new ALDI right around the corner. I'm able to walk to that ALDI, spend about $55 for my weekly grocery shopping, and then walk home... all in about 35 minutes. Although there is a Target and Walmart within a 15 minute walk, ALDI saves me more time and more money-- not just on food, but on household goods such as candles, houseplants, area rugs, etc.

[@pavelow235]

Wow Europe than move to North Dakota.....talk about a culture shock.

[@EdVonPelt]

@@pavelow235 I mean, the capital is called Bismarck...

[@Arltratlo]

i pay €35 per week.... but i buy at NP, its the cheaper version of EDEKA here in Germany!

[@tygattyche2545]

​@@Arltratlo What's NP? I thought the cheap version of Edeka is (the not black) Netto.

[@budgetking2591]

lol you cant compare how much you pay per week, maybe he buys more??? 35 per week is not enough for me, but im a big eater.@@Arltratlo

[@MK-xc9to]

Fun fact : ALDI still is a Family Buisness , privatly owned by two german Albrecht Familys , one branch owns Aldi North = Trader Joes in the USA , the other Branch is ALDI South which runs under the Brand ALDI in the USA . ALDI stands for AL brecht DI scounter . ALDI North is in Spain , France, Poland and USA ( under the brand Trader Joes ) while Aldi South is in GB , Australia and the USA

[@autismusmaximus7764]

Ich habe im Heim gelebt in Mülheim an der Ruhr und neben dem Heim war ein Grundstück von Albrecht und er war mal bei uns er hat viel an das Heim gespendet

[@phoenix7720]

Schon mal vom Hofer gehört?

[@MK-xc9to]

@@phoenix7720 gehört zu Aldi Süd , der Name ALDI ist zb in Österreich nicht nutzbar , er gehört der Firma Adel Lebensmittel Diskont , deswegen nutzt ALDI Süd den Brand Hofer welcher der orginal Name war bevor ALDI die Hofer Lebensmittelkette aufkaufte.

[@ShinyGolduck5]

In Austria, Slovenia and other EU countries Aldi goes by Hofer

[@snoopybluejeans]

When are they coming to Canada?

[@rainmanslim4611]

In Australia we have 3 options. Coles, Woolworth and Aldi. The first 2 are engaged in rampant blatant price gouging so the aldi is always packed with people.

[@maxb5957]

When I was a child and we were poor Aldi's prices allowed us to live a week by groceries that we bought for 5 Deutsche Mark at the time. A great business model, even 30 years ago...

[@CordeliaWagner1999]

5 Mark in the 90s couldn't buy much aside from Pasta sind Ketchup, even at Aldi. Plus how can someone be this poor when Germany had Arbeirslosengeld back than? Where did you spend the rest of the money on???

[@llothar68]

@@CordeliaWagner19995 Euro is the money social security gives you for a whole day of food. And how can a student qualify for Arbeitslosengeld or social security? Simply they can't.

[@llothar68]

Well look at the modern ALDI market and you see they are absolute nothing like just 10 years ago. They want to become EDEKA with high prices and 80% brand product instead of 80% their own trade brands

[@maxb5957]

@@CordeliaWagner1999 we didn't get Arbeitslosengeld. Strange circumstances added up I guess...

[@phyejin33]

I like Aldi too. My go-to grocery stores are Walmart, Sam's, and Aldi. I found that Aldi's salad/spring mix is the freshest among them.

[@Brian-ug3el]

I love the small size of the stores and the limited choices. Great for people that have mobility issues. Also, many of their brands are better than others stores.

[@Joseph1NJ]

That's a good point. Even when they're busy, it's easy to get in and out quickly.

[@Kaloapoele]

I do too I get overwhelmed by overstocked shelves/too many brands to choose from and prices to compare. I honestly love ALDIs limits on selection I find it emotionally comforting. There’s a few things here and there I wish they had but it’s worth the trade off to me to not be stuck in the store for like two hours staring at a shelf trying to decide on each item or find the brand you use in a sea of others

[@marvin2678]

@@Kaloapoele grow up

[@jeremygood3246]

Last year, I was working full time, budgeting groceries, unable to afford date nights, and missing time with my kids. Now I learned how to make money online. Now am a SAHM, homeschooling, and making profits every week.

[@markdamascus7878]

I'm happy for you

[@madiezancanellatl9205]

Everyone needs more than their salary to be financial stable. The best thing to do with your money is to invest it rightly, because money left for saving always end up used with no returns.

[@popsarah7805]

I’m looking for something to venture into on a short term basis, I really need to create an alternate source of income, what do you thing I should be buying?

[@HexaBoxabl]

Kate Mellon Bruce is not just my family’s financial advisor, she’s a licensed and FINRA agent who other families in the US employs her services

[@HexaBoxabl]

She's active on face book @

[@simrock_]

On branded products, ALDI will usually have 1 or maybe 2 versions of a normal branded product like Coca/Pepsi Cola where there's significant customer brand attachment and then they'd have their own branded product right next to it. Depending on the product the private label might actually be produced by a well known mid sized brand, here in Germany some of their teas are produced by one of the market leaders, you'd just never know unless you had them side by side and noticed they are literally the same product in different packaging.

[@BROS_Guzz]

I love going to Aldi's, fresh food! Affordable and way smaller to walk in. Quick in and out.

[@UndertakerFromWWE]

Aldis is great for staples but horrible for variety of products

[@glenchapman3899]

@@UndertakerFromWWE Exactly what they are shooting for. Examples eggs are eggs, no matter where you buy them. Coffee on the other hand can vary greatly in quality and price.

[@UndertakerFromWWE]

@@glenchapman3899 and egg is not just an egg.. There’s a huge difference in nutritional value and quality in a pasture raised egg vs the chicken concentration camp eggs you get from aldis.

[@wafercrackerjack880]

​@@UndertakerFromWWEreally? Can you outline the huge difference?

[@diodelvino3048]

Thats the point, they have good staples, and a little bit more but nothing extra.sometimes you dont need the extra, and since so many basics have become expensive everywhere else, Aldis is a great option. They have good bargains that dont take a giant nose dive in quality@@UndertakerFromWWE

[@sm5970]

They keep it so simple too. Sometimes they have 5 employees the whole store! When the line is getting long, two come back and open 2 checkouts, when the line dies down they leave again to continue with their work. And all that to keep the quality good while keeping prices low. I love them for this.

[@aurelijus1]

thats their model, lines are being processed like at the conveyer belt - no time wasted = saving money

[@misswomble]

I love that they don't have the self service check out

[@philaman1972]

I live in Phila., PA where there is *a lot* of competition in the supermarket space due to population density and the price leader is unquestionably Aldi! In fact, there are two Aldi markets within walking distance from me and I am at one of them every week!

[@davidmayes4212]

I love Aldi. I can get a full week's worth of groceries there for the same price as a couple of snacks and a meal or two at Target. The efficiency, the price, the bags... if I'm shopping for staples and not going to a speciality local store, it's exactly the experience I want.

[@crazyrageasian7862]

I am almost always overspend at ALDI as a student in Syndey, Australia from the of 2009 to the beginning of 2012, but the overspending would help me stretch my supply by extending by a week or 1.5 weeks. For reference for my given budget, I would need to spend $50 to $55 for groceries, and it would last me for a week or maybe a week and few days (if I'm lucky). I'm always so thankful for ALDI and I will continue to shop there! Their store brand bacon and chocolate packs have always provide relieve to me as a student.

[@larsporsena9529]

Aldi and Trader Joe’s are both excellent, they have good stuff for a decent price and you can actually get out of there in under 15 minutes since they aren’t the size of an aircraft hanger

[@pham3383]

ALDI us is a part of ALDI sued (germany),trader joe is a part of ALDI nord.ALDI sued and nord are somewhat 2 drifferent company but the price is somewhat identicaly cheap

[@Willburys]

​@@pham3383Aldi is a Legend!

[@paterpaul3878]

Aldi owns Trader Joes

[@Astrofrank]

​@@paterpaul3878To be precise, the owners of Aldi Nord own Trader Joe's, so the two companies are independent from each other.

[@galaxyguideneunundneunzig2417]

Aldi in the US belongs to ALDI Süd (=South) and Trader Joe's belongs to ALDI Nord (=North)

[@sumitschitoll]

As Aldi shoppers from Germany, our shops are well stocked and maintained with good decore and customer experience, We always shop at Aldi doesn’t matter discount or not