I already mentioned yesterday that we went shopping at ALDI. That I mention it again today should tell you how excited I was about the whole experience. We don’t have one close by so this was really a treat for me. I do find some of the German products at World Market or other fancier grocery stores but the price tag often times is a little painful to look at. Not so at Aldi. Even in Germany they are particularly known for their good prices.
I thought it particularly funny this morning when I picked up a USA today newspaper in the hotel lobby and they had a big article about “Aldi deals”. There was a whole section about how to shop there. One difference is that you have to put 25 cents in the cart to unlock it before you can take it into the store. You will get it back when you bring back your cart and attach it to another one – so they don’t need to pay anyone to collect carts. They will also not bag your groceries. I think my husband is officially Americanized because he was very confused at check out. They had an empty cart waiting at the end of the register and everything goes straight in there – so your cart gets exchanged with a different one. From there on you are responsible to carry your groceries away. This is a step up from the German Aldi experience. You are responsible for getting your groceries in the cart and the cashiers there are so fast that it can get quite stressful as your groceries pile higher and higher in front of you and before you know it you will be asked to pay.
It’s basically the exact opposite what you are used to in the US. I still remember one of the supermarket chains tried to introduce bagging but no-one wanted it in Germany. My mom was one of the very appalled shoppers, too.
The good news is that the drive home today was fairly quick. I already washed three loads of laundry and tomorrow it is back to work and school. I hope that you all had a lovely Thanksgiving and were able to spend some quality time with family before the holiday season really kicks in. I am going to spend the week reminding myself that I have everything under control.
Home here and there 
Maybe I haven’t been to a good ALDI? They all seem dingy and disorganized to me? Hmmm…it’s been a few years since I ventured into one. Maybe I should try it again.
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Maybe it is an acquired taste? One of my American friends came to Germany with us one year and she was very suspicious about the discount grocery stores (what I would categorize Aldi under) since some were even keeping the cans on the pellet they were delivered on. if you can look past the disorganization I am sure you can find something you will like. They don’t ‘waste’ money to make it look pretty 😉
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You know how I feel about ALDI. You’re right, it’s not quite the same as the stores in Germany, but still worth the visit… even just for a few items (they have sliced Gouda – so hard to find! – and affordable Granola and all the German Christmas goodies of course. I should have gotten some Dominosteine when we were down in SoCal last weekend but I felt like it was too early for that.)
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Sliced Gouda? I even did not realize. Probably because I tried to avoid the cold section as we still had a long drive ahead of us. I was tempted with the Dominosteine but in my family I am the only one eating those and I know how that would have gone 😉
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We have one in the town over and it’s kind of scary. I am sure that they have great deals but it’s poorly lit and I feel like grocery stores should have good, clear lighting. Stop and Shop is where we go usually. or even Walmart! My husband hates Walmart but I like it- it’s clean and brightly lit. Whether’s caramels are my favorite!
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For me it’s almost the opposite – not appreciating bad lighting what is an issue I can understand. I don’t get most American grocery stores including Walmart. Around here we have lots of Safeways and I hate it with all my heart. I can never find anything, the employees don’t know where things are, the deals are confusing to me. I do not want a gazillion shop cards to get better deals or an app that tells me which coupons to clip. It’s one of those things I never got used to even after 18 years. But I do hear you. My friend does not get Trader Joe’s and does most of her shopping at Safeway. Maybe it is very much influenced by the way we grow up?
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Going to different supermarkets can be a huge cultural shock when you live abroad 😀
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It sure can be. A little disorienting, too. I had to relearn cooking to some extend or learn how to make my own alternatives for some things like vanilla sugar (even though today I found that at a local spice market).
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It is so interesting that apparently the shopping experiences are so different in different countries. I would also categorize ALDI at the discounter. While it isn’t my favorite I still like to go and have a look every once in a while. Funny thing is here I Germany we get some more American products. I don’t know how exactly it works but we have a lot of Trader Joes brands here. So it is alway fun to explore.
I am happy you found so many Christmas goodies that you will enjoy.
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My kids get equally excited about the cookies 😂.
If I am not mistaken Trader Joe’s is owned by Aldi North. So that is the explanation for the TJ products in your German Aldi store. What I don’t get is why the same products are not sold at TJ (at least I have not seen an overlap yet).
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