Last week I visited the new Aldi in Metairie for the first time. I’ve been to Aldi in other cities before and have anticipated its arrival in the area. Aldi is known for being a “no frills” grocery store. This means a few things that you want to be aware of before going. First, you’ll need a quarter to get a cart, which you’ll get back upon returning your cart after shopping. You also need to bring your own grocery bags, but if you forget them, you can buy them at the checkout for 15 cents each. The cashiers are sitting down as they check you out and honestly, good on them! You also bag your own groceries at a bagging station across from check out. You won’t see end-of-aisle displays or things arranged in a particularly pretty way. Overall, Aldi feels like a very minimalist grocery experience. But these little changes from your regular grocery store allow for the one thing we all need: less expensive groceries! It’s a very simple, straightforward shopping experience and I’m here for it!
I definitely noticed lower prices on several of my favorite grocery items: organic berries and organic items in general, Rao’s tomato sauce — the absolute best jarred sauce in my opinion, nuts and trail mix, and cheese. Y’all, the cheese and charcuterie selection gives Trader Joe’s a run for its money. I was also impressed by the low price and large variety of spices, canned goods, and bread.
This week we tried and loved:
- Fruit: organic berries, bananas, citrus, dried fruit, and frozen fruit were of great quality and low price.
- Trail mix: my girls are huge fans of trail mix for after-school snack. We got a salty kind and a sweet kind.
- Crackers: Cheese Crisps and Almond Flour Crackers make for great lunchbox additions.
- Fresh vegetables: I was happy with the quality of all the produce I bought!
- Frozen hash browns: These are one of my kid’s favorite breakfast items. We cook them in the toaster and enjoy them with scrambled eggs.
- Other lunchbox items: individual hummus packs, applesauce, and rice cakes.
I was definitely happy with my Aldi experience. I live in the city so it’s a little further from my house, but with planning around other errands, it’s not a big deal. I can see myself adding it to my grocery store rotation for sure especially as I do a little more price comparison with other stores. They do have curbside pickup and a big plus is that it’s also on Instacart, so if you’re a member you can get what you need delivered right to your door!
