'Tough customer' sold on Aldi's quality, low prices

As the price of groceries climbs each year, smart shoppers may want to consider buying some groceries at no-frills stores to get good deals on basic items.

This year, a no-frills shopping option, Aldi, opened near my house, so I planned to check it out. Before I did, I went to Aldi's Web site to get background information. The company has been in the United States since 1976 and now has more than 800 locations from the Midwest to the East Coast. Its marketing strategy is focusing on a fraction of the items offered at traditional supermarkets, all under the Aldi brand.

On my first visit to Aldi, I noted prices for common grocery items in every department. I expected rock-bottom prices in a no-frills setting. I also knew that they do not provide free grocery bags, do not accept credit cards (just cash or debit cards), do not accept grocery coupons and that merchandise is stacked in the packing boxes on the floor. You can elect to buy paper bags for 5 cents each, bring your own bags or take advantage of free boxes the store has available for shoppers like me who forgot to bring their own bags.

I have no problem with the no-frills approach. I would prefer to get lower prices in lieu of fancy store displays and free coffee in 3-ounce cups. As long as the grocery items offer good quality at below-average prices, I'm sold. But I'm a tough customer. I know how prices compare at other stores, I use a calculator to figure out unit prices to compare packages that are different sizes, and I read labels.

If I can get name-brand, high-quality items for less money when I use coupons, I will happily enjoy the "all frills included" setting of my traditional supermarket. We can't assume that a store's austere shopping setting is a guarantee that its groceries are a better bargain. In other words, I considered this shopping trip to be a challenge.

I didn't really expect to find many items that I would need, but I took a cart just in case. I decided that if I saw an item that was less expensive than the name brand would be with a coupon, or less expensive than my supermarket's store brand when it was on sale, I would buy it.

By the time I was halfway through the first aisle I already had a dozen items in my cart. I had to stop and count how much cash I had in my wallet before continuing my price-comparison research!

Almost all of the items I bought were Aldi store-brand items, so I knew I couldn't write this article until I had personally tried each of them. Low quality at low prices does not impress me. However, Aldi does advertise that it has a "double guarantee," meaning that if customers are not satisfied with the item, the store will replace the item and also refund the money.

I could not claim the double guarantee on a single item I purchased. In fact, I was surprised at how good their store-brand items were. Their brand of fig cookies (similar to Fig Newtons) could easily pass a blind taste test with the name brand, and they cost only 89 cents a package (as compared to up to $4 for the name brand). I tried jams, salsa, crackers, rice cakes, popcorn, lemonade, bran cereal, other cookies and baking supplies. Aldi also has a line of healthy products under the label "Fit and Active," which were tasty and cheap -- dispelling the notion that healthy food has to be expensive.

Finally, the produce deals were worth the trip. Although the selection was sparse, basic items sold at ultra-low sale prices. I paid 69 cents for fresh cauliflower per head (my supermarket sells the same brand for $2.99) and 69 cents for a 2-pound bag of carrots, which is half the supermarket price. And I've already shopped there again!

If an Aldi opens near you, it may be worth a visit.