Why Am I Excited About the New Aldi?

Aldi is opening a new store near me, and I'm surprised by how excited I am. What is it about this grocery store?

The Win-Win

I realize, it's because I love win-win scenarios.

Many people think there is a price to pay to have what they want or for a better life. They think you "can't have your cake and eat it too." I don't believe that. I think life can be better and more enjoyable without a downside.

I don't like when people make excuses. And I love seeing examples of a win-win.

Aldi a Win-Win Store

Aldi is a win-win store. It is a relatively high quality store with low prices. I need to add the caveat of "relatively" high quality, because they do sell a lot of "low quality" stuff too.

Aldi is a lower cost store. We go there and we save a lot of money. But honestly, we make enough money that it's not a big deal for us. I spend about half of what we spend at Market Basket (our local big grocery store chain) and also get quality stuff.

My History with Aldi

I used to shop primarily at Whole Foods, and then I found Market Basket, and then I found Aldi.

I found Aldi, by mistake. I had traveled a lot and I had seen Aldi in Switzerland. I am a Swiss fanatic, and I knew it was some sort of unusual grocery store, but I never really bothered to go there when I was in Switzerland.

Then when I was in our RV traveling in the mountain and Olympic town of Lake Placid, I saw Aldi. This confused me. Is this the same Aldi that I saw in Switzerland? And why, of all places, are they in the middle of nowhere in Lake Placid? I decided to stop, and I was confused because I couldn't understand what it even was at first. I quickly realized it was an unusual grocery store.

What I Liked Right Away

I was surprised by many things. The store was relatively small but still seemed to have everything. When I lived in Switzerland, I found many of the local grocery stores were like that. Although they seemed small, they somehow managed to have everything. As an engineer, this always racked my brain. How do they do that?

I was surprised by how clean and modern it was. I was surprised by how easy it was to get around.

I was surprised by the prices. I love eggs — pasture-raised eggs, which are among the highest quality you can buy, are typically around $10/dozen, but at Aldi they're about $3.50.

I'm impressed by how they don't stock 100 different brands of each product. They stock like one or two. Frequently they have their own store brands, which are often about 50% off the name brand. But unlike typical store brands the quality is identical and in some cases even better.

For example their "fruit loops" has less of the chemicals we all know we should avoid.

They also have high quality chocolate. They have prosciutto, Gruyère cheese, and other products that are generally more expensive at very reasonable prices.

Smart Business Practices

They do a lot of smart things. Having a smaller store, with a more limited product selection allows them to focus and get prices down as well. They do things like leaving products in their original shipping boxes rather than having a staff member take them out and put them on shelves, yet it is done neatly. They don't pack your groceries for you, so you have to be prepared to pack them. Americans find this strange but in Europe this is common.

Packing Hack

Bring your own food crates. You can put them in your cart as you checkout and the staff will put your stuff right into them so you don't have to. That saves a lot of time and effort because you can also put the crate in your car and bring it in your house more easily than bags.

What I Like

I like Aldi, in the end, because it's easier, more enjoyable, and we save money. I find I am much less stressed about shopping. When I go to Whole Foods, I feel like they are taking advantage of me. When I go to Market Basket I almost get PTSD because there is so much stuff that I can't find what I am looking for and on top of it, if I make a mistake and remember later, it's a long walk back and I often can't even remember where the product is.

At Aldi, I know where everything is. I can get everything I need in about 15 minutes — and save money doing it. Win-win.

When they keep it simple and think smart, everyone's life is improved. Management is easier. Employees are clearer on their responsibilities. We all benefit.

Aldi has some downsides. They don't always have 100% of what I need. For example, I wanted wasabi for my sushi, but they don't have it.

It's Possible to Have Your Cake and Eat It Too

Anyway, to me, it's proof that you can make life better without a downside. You can save money, have higher quality, and the key ingredient is just being smarter and accepting that it's possible.

Once you accept something is possible or that you want it to be true, it's amazing how many times you can find solutions.

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David Johnson is the founder of Jasper Goose, a peer recognition platform for teams that believe good work deserves to be seen.