We live a very exciting life. Our regular Aldi’s closed for more than a month because it was being remodeled. And once it was ready to go again, we held off on our grocery shopping, so we could be there on the Grand Opening Day. Yep, we were there for the big moment, kind of like attending a sold out concert or seeing a Cardinals playoff game. Now, I’m not trying to brag. Really. I’m just trying to inspire you to live your best life. If you can dream it, you can do it. Just like us.
The First Aisle
The First Aisle
So, right off the bat, the difference is pretty impressive, even though the actual footprint of the store did not change – i.e. the store did not get any bigger. It does feel bigger though. I thought I noticed some new products. And here’s a little secret. One of the workers told Dan that all the Aldi’s in the whole country are going to be remodeled, and they are all going to look the same. You heard it here first, fourth hand if I am counting correctly. You can take that to the bank, along with all the money you’ll save by shopping at Aldi’s!
Now, I am not an Aldi’s affliate. Is there such a thing? No one’s giving me any money to write about Aldi’s. At least not yet. If you are an Aldi executive, feel free to check out my “Contact Us” page (even though it’s just me) and email me with an offer I can’t refuse. Maybe some free ice cream? Free paper bags when I check out? A VIP reserved grocery cart, so I don’t have to remember to bring a stinkin’ quarter every time.
Back to the store. Now, instead of walking into the shelves of candy followed by the rows of salty, crunchy chips, you walk into a colorful meadow filled with healthy fruits and vegetables. That is followed by the large selection of Aldi’s bread, including sourdough square, thin bagels, and an apple strudel breakfast loaf, all of which wanted to get into our cart for one reason or another.
The aisles seem wider, but I don’t think they are. The middle aisle, which cuts through the center of the store, is wider, I think. I’m guessing the store feels larger as much thought was given to the store’s real estate. For example, in the past, pallets with cases of green beans were stacked at least four feet high. Here’s how much store space the green beans get now:
Yep, that’s the floor there, and the beans are three cans wide. This could be a problem when “Scouting for Food” happens in November. Now, I have heard that “Scouting for Food” is just a St. Louis thing, so, if you’re an Aldi executive, you might want to think about this the third week in November. Just sayin’.
While I did very much like the remodeled store, I do have one other comment, just in case that Aldi VP is still reading. The grapes. Here’s what the grapes look like:
So, you can see how low the grapes are on the shelf. Yep, there’s the floor. You’re making me bend down again? Plus, the display is only three bags wide. How can I root through all the bags to find the bag with the best grapes? Well, don’t think you’re so smart. You think this is gonna stop me? Think again. I will find the best bag. I promise you.
The store has miles of refrigerated and freezer sections. So now, I don’t have to worry about getting my steps in on Aldi shopping day.
Even with all the new refrigerators and freezers lining the lanes, don’t worry, Aldi lovers, the “Aisle of Shame” still exists in the remodeled stores. Caw? Caw? What am I talking about? You see, there is a Facebook group called the “Aldi Aisle of Shame Community.” Sounds crazy, huh? Well, there are 679,843 of us nutheads in the group. We share Aldi Finds, recipes, product reviews, and all things Aldi. The secret greeting of our cult, I mean group, is to yell out “Caw Caw” in a store. If you hear it and you are in the group, you caw back. That’s how we know. So, while I am not brave enough to yell out “caw caw” in the store, I can find the courage to do it here. Caw Caw! Anyone?
The “Aldi Aisle of Shame Community” also does nice things – like buying Aldi’s flowers and giving them to a stranger. This causes either surprise and tears of joy or a panicked mad dash by someone who is totally freaked out. Sometimes the community pre-loads carts with quarters. But you never know if you’re going to get lucky in that way, so you still have to remember to bring a stinkin’ quarter.
The “Aisle of Shame” is still the third aisle which holds the special buys, many non-grocery, and seasonal items . It’s easy to buy the items in the third aisle, because, hey it was at the grocery store, so we must have needed it. Dan calls this aisle, “the junk aisle.” I still love him, even though I don’t understand how he could even say this! After all, look what I found this week:
It’s a camper!
It’s a camper!
Another place where they saved real estate is at the check out lanes. They saved space by putting two check out lanes back to back, taking away the aisle in between them. The middle checker is blocked in by the checker on the end, so hopefully, they get along! Otherwise, he or she would have to climb outta there which might give a whole new meaning to “break time.”
And then they did something really weird with where the shopping cart goes. It’s kind of like a pull-in spot, not a pull-through site which we highly prefer when camping. Good thing we’re not camping there! We’ll see how it works over time and during busy times.
the Before Check Out Lanes
Those chips are for company, not me.
Really.
Well, I hope you enjoyed seeing our “new” Aldi. I know, it’s pretty exciting! Don’t worry. Your turn will come. Pretty soon, to an Aldi near you.
Chambers on the Road 
Great post, thanks for sharing. Whenever we can we shop Aldi as well. However, we can’t always find one but we do look for them. Have a great day.
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About 6 or 7 years ago, an Aldi’s opened in Ludington, Michigan which is about 11 miles north of Pentwater. We were so happy, you would have thought we won the lottery! We are always glad if we find an Aldi’s on our travels. Thanks for reading. Safe travels, and I hope you have a great week ahead!
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What a unique idea for a post! Although we have no Aldi’s here, we have Real Canadian Wholesale Club and Co-op Foods. We love both, but tend to shop Co-op more because it’s less than a block from where we live. Thanks for the Monday smiles, Betty – your style of humour is fun!
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I am glad you enjoyed the post. I’ve been shopping at Aldi’s for 30+ years. The prices can’t be beat. We also shop at Costco. Costco is a wholesale club, not sure if it is in Canada. Between the two places, we are very well stocked. Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a good week with lots of smiles and fun!
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We have Costco in Canada but the nearest one to where we live is 1.5 hours away so we don’t bother with a membership. We like to shop local as much as possible and our small city has enough variety in businesses to allow us to do that the majority of the time. 😊
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Aldi has probably contacted you already…I once did a post on the Viking steel cabinets…and they made a comment on my post hoping I got my new kitchen, but no special offers. Apparently, there are people out there whose job is to see what we are writing about and if we are being naughty or nice.
I visited an Aldi’s once while on a trip to Texas to help out with parental caregiving. They had lovely avocados and other veggies. While Mississippi may have Aldi’s, they are not in my neck of the woods and it has been a long time since I have ventured out of this little bottleneck.
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Why venture out of your little bottleneck when it has everything you need and is quite cozy. I’ll let you know if Aldi contacts me and if I get free ice cream. 🙂 Enjoy your Monday!
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Oh, man, this post really resonates with this old chick. I LOVE ALDI!!! Our local stores have already had the renovation probably 6-8 months ago and it was equally as exciting to me as your response in this post. What a fun, fun post. Brought me a Monday smile, and that’s kinda hard to accomplish, so kudos to you, Betty!
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Oh, I am so glad you liked this post, and it gave you a Monday smile. I love Aldi’s, too, and we were very excited for the remodeling. LoL. Thanks for your comment, and I hope you have a great week!
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Our Aldi changed too, but I did not notice it ever being closed. Maybe it happened while we were in Arizona for 2 months. I am still getting used to finding certain things with the new arrangement.
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I bet you are right that it was remodeled when you were gone. Our store was closed for a good month. We were gone part of the time which we were glad about. When we shopped at another Aldi’s near us with a different layout, we forgot something every time! This last time shopping, at the newly remodeled store, Dan asked where something was 4 times. It will take us a while, but eventually we should learn where everything is located. Thanks for reading, and have a great week!
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My first Aldi experience was in Germany, and I’ve been a fan ever since. I like how the check-out people get to sit down.
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I like that, too. I was always impressed years ago when the checkers had every price memorized. And the prices would change weekly! Thanks for reading, and have a good week!
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I’ve never been to Aldi although I think there is one where I live. I am a huge Costco shopper, so I understand the thrill of walking up and down the aisles! Do you have to pay for a cart and bags at Aldi?
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At Aldi, you “rent” a cart for a quarter. That way, they don’t have to pay anybody to gather the carts. You do have to pay for bags. We bring our own. Sometimes people leave extra bags on the counter (where you bag your own groceries), or you can always find empty boxes from the merchandise. We love Costco, too. There we stock up on salmon, panko tilapia, panko chicken, and hamburgers – and other stuff, too, but those are our “regulars.” Thanks for reading, and enjoy your day!
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We have an Aldi’s nearby but I’ve never shopped there. (My sister is a big fan too.) I may have to check it out at least once just to see what I’m missing, LOL.
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Caw! Caw! 😉 There’s also a unique thing about the Aldi brand of products. They have multiple bar codes printed on the packaging. Most name-brand products just have only one. The multiple barcodes allow workers to scan your items faster & speed up everyone’s shopping trip.
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Caw! Caw! I had forgotten about those multi barcodes. That is smart design, isn’t it? Those checkers are really fast which is good as there are a lot of us Caw Cawers out there! Enjoy the weekend!
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