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Aldi, a brutally efficient grocery chain, is upending America's supermarkets

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Re: Aldi, a brutally efficient grocery chain, is upending America's supermarkets

#71

Post by Tehnix »

sokoloff wrote: post #65
briandear wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except in France it’s a Euro to get a cart and you can definitely get car delivery. Most of the Carrefour/Super U type stores do that. And many of their stores are at least as big as a US store. Seems like both cultures are converging.

I could have sworn I remembered the Euro thing was just a deposit , returned when the cart was cart was returned. Is that not the case?

It definitely is! You can also get these coin thingies you can have on your keychain for it. You push it in to push out the link to the other carts, and have to put the lock back in to recover the coin.

Re: Aldi, a brutally efficient grocery chain, is upending America's supermarkets

#72

Post by bezoisevil »

I don't find Aldi all that special. Very limited selection, their store brands are no where near as good as organic alternatives such as Simple Truth (Kroger). I'm not really saving all that much when you factor in how far behind Aldi is in convenience factor either. A lot of their policies are annoying and I hate the lack of customer service because the employees are too busy wearing many hats. They don't offer curb side pickup or online ordering. Coupons? Nope Fuel? Nope

To top it off, I'd rather keep all my grocery dollars in American companies - they do far more for our communities than Aldi/Trader Joe's.

Aldi has carved out a niche but they aren't a huge disruption. Grocery loyalty is big business no one is giving up on.

PS: be wary of Aldi articles, they're notorious for astroturfing Reddit and news blogs.

Re: Aldi, a brutally efficient grocery chain, is upending America's supermarkets

#73

Post by wvh »

sokoloff wrote: post #65
briandear wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except in France it’s a Euro to get a cart and you can definitely get car delivery. Most of the Carrefour/Super U type stores do that. And many of their stores are at least as big as a US store. Seems like both cultures are converging.

I could have sworn I remembered the Euro thing was just a deposit , returned when the cart was cart was returned. Is that not the case?

Yes; it just a psychological trick to stop people abandoning their carts in random locations or perhaps even in the middle of the parking lot.

Re: Aldi, a brutally efficient grocery chain, is upending America's supermarkets

#74

Post by Glawen »

mongol wrote: post #25

How similar is Aldi and Lidl? There is only Lidl here where I live. They seem very similar conceptually. What are the tangible differences, which one do you prefer?

They are very similar in size or product. Aldi has more local food products than lidl, but lidl has a more interesting "aisle of shite", with their own brand of tools/garden equipment. I keep watching this aisle to expand my toolshed :)

Here is a great website to avoid missing the famous parkside tools: http://offers.kd2.org (it also shows aldi stuff)

Re: Aldi, a brutally efficient grocery chain, is upending America's supermarkets

#75

Post by hn_throwaway_99 »

itronitron wrote: post #66
velcrovan wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My kids are 3 and 5 and we've shopped at Aldi continuously since they were born. I'm not sure what you're talking about. Unlocking a cart takes almost no extra effort beyond what you'd expend to get one at any other store.

Unlocking a cart is a foreign concept in the US. Not sure if the parent is in the US but any grocery store that has locked carts there is doomed to fail.

The entire article is about how Aldi is growing like crazy in the US, and explains why they have locked carts. A far cry from "doomed to fail".

Re: Aldi, a brutally efficient grocery chain, is upending America's supermarkets

#76

Post by joezydeco »

hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #11

I think the point that this article drove home to me is that a lot of Aldi's "bare bones" mentality actually leads to a better experience for most shoppers, even separate from the lower prices. For example, the comment from a customer about the store layout making it easier to get in and out with kids in tow. The Aldi store brands have a reputation for good quality without the "50 kinds of salsa" paralysis of choice.…

The register lines also move faster because of how they place barcodes all over the packaging. It’s genius.

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/shopping/secret-ho...

Re: Aldi, a brutally efficient grocery chain, is upending America's supermarkets

#77

Post by oblio »

mthwl wrote: post #47

Just a quick alternative viewpoint: as a parent, I’ve been turned off by Aldi in the past. Often with a toddler and/or car seat in hand, unlocking a cart (for example) is not just an inconvenience, it’s a dealbreaker. I’m into the pursuit of efficiency and low prices, but there are some real world benefits of “full service” grocery stores. One being an nicer experience for the disabled (in my case, due to being a par…

I'm not sure what you're doing over there, but an entire continent (Europe) unlocks those carts and manages toddlers at the same time :)

Re: Aldi, a brutally efficient grocery chain, is upending America's supermarkets

#78

Post by kome »

ThJ wrote: post #4

Most of the stuff they're doing seems to be entirely commonplace for the supermarket chains we have here in Norway. The coins for the carts. Stacking crates instead of individual items. Training every employee for everything (it's not uncommon to see a store manager operating the cash register). Expecting customers to fill their own bags and charging for those bags. Smaller selection. The only unique part seems to be…

yes, reading this article as European (that never visited the US) was a weirding experience. I lived in 4 different countries in Europe, and that's exactly how every supermarket work.

And to be fair, I thought that every supermarket in the world worked like that...

Can you imagine when the Americans will find automatic counters instead of cashiers? :)

Re: Aldi, a brutally efficient grocery chain, is upending America's supermarkets

#79

Post by mongol »

Glawen wrote: post #74
mongol wrote: post #25

How similar is Aldi and Lidl? There is only Lidl here where I live. They seem very similar conceptually. What are the tangible differences, which one do you prefer?

They are very similar in size or product. Aldi has more local food products than lidl, but lidl has a more interesting "aisle of shite", with their own brand of tools/garden equipment. I keep watching this aisle to expand my toolshed :) Here is a great website to avoid missing the famous parkside tools: http://offers.kd2.org (it also shows aldi stuff)

Actually that aisle is well known to me. It feels like a hidden gem. I plan my visits to Lidl after following their offers on this aisle :-)

Re: Aldi, a brutally efficient grocery chain, is upending America's supermarkets

#80

Post by romwell »

bezoisevil wrote: post #72

I don't find Aldi all that special. Very limited selection, their store brands are no where near as good as organic alternatives such as Simple Truth (Kroger). I'm not really saving all that much when you factor in how far behind Aldi is in convenience factor either. A lot of their policies are annoying and I hate the lack of customer service because the employees are too busy wearing many hats. They don't offer curb…

>I don't find Aldi all that special.

I heavily disagree. They have a selection of German chocolate that I have trouble finding anywhere. From Ritter Sport squares to that white chocolate 'n' coffee bars, they absolutely shine there.

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