Aldi

[Pete]

I was too harsh on Aldi and will give them another try and find some things to buy and try.

I was just really put off by the merchandising and even the whole front area around the cash registers looked super cheapo, especially for a newish place.


One of the big things about the boxed displays is that everything is so low to the ground, which means they make little to no use of the space above your chest. Seems incredibly wasteful. Shelving isn't expensive, after all.

[bchris02]

And as far as the comparisons to Trader Joe's, the reason they are completely different is b/c they are completely different companies. ALDI USA is part of Aldi Sud (South), owned by one of the Albrecht brothers after they split the company. Theo, the other brother, owns Aldi Nord (North) and bought Trader Joe's in the U.S. (1980s, maybe?). Other than Germany, the brothers agreed not to compete with each by opening stores in the other's territory. Operations-wise, they don't share anything in common outside of the main website, I think. Trader Joe's and ALDI USA have absolutely zero connection, operations-wise, other than their owners being brothers. I feel like TJs is a much more welcoming store with a lot of unique items that you may not find in a traditional grocer. While the prices on many things aren't terrible, they're nothing in the ballpark of ALDI, which is a different concept.

This.

Most people who have heard that Trader Joe's is simply a flagship Aldi don't know that they are different companies and there is a difference between Aldi Sud (Aldi USA) and Aldi Nord (Trader Joe's).

I have nothing against Aldi. There are a lot of small towns in the Midwest where they are/were pretty much the go-to grocery store, especially before Wal-Mart started building Supercenters. My family shopped at Aldi a lot when I was very young. I haven't been in one though since probably the mid 90s.

[Brett]

Aldi is the starving college students goto grocery to stretch their dollar. Its good to see that Aldi opened a new location in Shawnee for all those OBU and St. Gregory's students.

[White Peacock]

I'm not too proud to shop Aldi. I'm not buying their decor. We get a lot of the main dry goods there and shop elsewhere for the meats and veggies.

That's why all this whining about how OKC is so behind in the grocery game because of all these incredible grocery stores in other cities pisses me off. Only a few stores in the city are dumps. The rest are decent places to buy the same crap you're buying at some other joint that happens to be decorated like a European village. Grocery stores aren't my entertainment. I don't need to be wowed while I'm buying cereal and sausage.

[Pete]

^

I respectfully disagree.

Other cities have Aldi's too but they also have much, much better middle-tier grocery stores and a much wider selection of specialty stores.

I simply can't find many of the things I would routinely buy at Ralph's in California (along with Vons, the big middle-tier chains) and we don't even have anything other than one Whole Foods for specialty items.

And beyond that, most the stores I have been in here are messy -- even dirty -- poorly stocked and have poor customer service.


This is all a function of being stuck with the incredibly sad Homeland chain and then being dominated by the Walmart brands.

The grocery standards in OKC are incredibly low in every respect, not just decor.


Now, things are getting better. Sprouts is a great store and is expanding here. Crest has a couple of nicer stores now but generally are below the standard in most similar-sized cities. Trader Joe's is coming, etc.

I try very hard not to be negative and when something is not up to par, try to be as fair as possible. But the grocery situation in this town is dire and well below the standard of most other cities and we should all be demanding more. It's the one place almost everyone shops multiple times a week.

[jdcf]

I have become an Aldi's fan because of the atypical merchandise. I enjoy their different theme products, particularly the German goods. I like the odd cheeses, sausages, mustards and spreads, candy, and even the non-grocery merchandise which I have always found to be of good quality. So, I make an Aldi's run every couple of weeks to just look around and see what is new and different.

[Pete]

BTW, to further counter the argument about store decor, I happen to be a huge fan of Costco and Winco, both of which are basically warehouses.

But, they are very well run, clean, bright, well stocked, great selection and prices and excellent customer service.

I'll give Aldi another try but my issue wasn't that it's a discount place, it just felt weird and even a bit depressing.

[White Peacock]

...and have poor customer service.

This I'll agree with you on; horrible customer service is the scourge of Oklahoma City, almost everywhere you go.

[rezman]

Maybe someone should start a Grocery Snobs thread to go along with the Coffee Snobs thread.

[White Peacock]

Maybe someone should start a Grocery Snobs thread to go along with the Coffee Snobs thread.

Somebody beat you to it, and titled it "Quality Grocery Stores in OKC."

[Plutonic Panda]

Just because you don't care about having a classy, nice, grocery store that virtually every other city has doesn't mean people who want those here are snobs.

[Dubya61]

But here's the deal, in my opinion, OKC DOES have a (several, really) nice classy grocery stores ... just not one in your neighborhood. As I rail on in the Quality Grocery Stores in OKC thread, we're not in a food desert. Our 600 sq mile city (our 6,300 sq mile MSA), has lots of great grocery options ... and a great car culture. Hopefully, we'll get lots of really nice stuff in the denser parts developing in OKC but OKC (42 on Wikipedia's list of MSAs ranked by population) has a population density of 208 per square mile. #41 (Memphis-plus) is twice as dense (426 / sq. mi.). #43 (Louisville) is half again as dense (307 / sq. mi.). It has been mentioned many times in the various "Why don't we have a Nordstroms / Nieman Marcus / Saks" threads that OKC-ers are drivers and don't mind driving, much more so than many other metro's residents. It has been noted many times in the various "Wow! Our downtown doesn't suck, NOW" threads that our downtown is a bit of an anomaly (a shorter history than other metros, a miserable destructive period, a slow rebound, and an amazing span of recent history). Downtown willl get there. If we ever get out of bchris's perceived WalMart Full Nelson, the MSA will get there.

[Pete]

^

While it's true OKC has some decent grocery options, it's a relatively low proportion of the total number.

It's not only downtown, there are several other areas where there is no quality store within a few miles.

[Plutonic Panda]

But here's the deal, in my opinion, OKC DOES have a (several, really) nice classy grocery stores ... just not one in your neighborhood. As I rail on in the Quality Grocery Stores in OKC thread, we're not in a food desert. Our 600 sq mile city (our 6,300 sq mile MSA), has lots of great grocery options ... and a great car culture. Hopefully, we'll get lots of really nice stuff in the denser parts developing in OKC but OKC (42 on Wikipedia's list of MSAs ranked by population) has a population density of 208 per square mile. #41 (Memphis-plus) is twice as dense (426 / sq. mi.). #43 (Louisville) is half again as dense (307 / sq. mi.). It has been mentioned many times in the various "Why don't we have a Nordstroms / Nieman Marcus / Saks" threads that OKC-ers are drivers and don't mind driving, much more so than many other metro's residents. It has been noted many times in the various "Wow! Our downtown doesn't suck, NOW" threads that our downtown is a bit of an anomaly (a shorter history than other metros, a miserable destructive period, a slow rebound, and an amazing span of recent history). Downtown willl get there. If we ever get out of bchris's perceived WalMart Full Nelson, the MSA will get there.

Dubya, you are 100% correct there are good grocery options here in OKC. Absolutely. Whole Foods, Crest Fresh Market in SW OKC, Crest FM in Norman, Uptown Grocery... you should understand, I don't see TJ or Sprouts as a full service type grocery store. They are more specialty stores. While you can get just about everything you need at TJ's(my cousins wife in Laguna Beach shops for just about everything there food wise), I'm talking a Crest sized store.

But when you go to Dallas, or Los Angeles, or I've even noticed in St. Louis, Austin, and San Diego, grocery stores like the Crest Fresh Market are a dime a dozen there. You can't go more than two mile radius almost without running into one.

After living in L.A., I do see OKC as a food desert, but I don't expect OKC to have all of the options of a city like Los Angeles. I do except it to have the grocery scene of a city like Dallas minus the huge grocers like Central Market.

Like in Edmond, there should be at least 2-4 Tom Thumbs and/or Krogers. NW OKC should have about the same. SW OKC should have about 2-3. Norman should have about 3-4. I mean, that is already how many Homelands and Walmarts there are now. I'm not asking to walk out your front door and see a Tom Thumb. I'm asking not see any more Homelands and have about 60% of the Walmart stores in this city replaced by an upscale grocer. It works in other cities. No reason it can't work here.

[TheTravellers]

But here's the deal, in my opinion, OKC DOES have a (several, really) nice classy grocery stores ... just not one in your neighborhood. As I rail on in the Quality Grocery Stores in OKC thread, we're not in a food desert....

Actually, yes, OKC has many areas that are food deserts:

USDA ERS - Go to the Atlas (zoom in to OKC)

Your use of "food desert" is probably not equivalent to the definition of "food desert" used by the USDA, though.

[Uptowner]

It's a half dozen isles of cheap junk food. Like so one turned a family dollar upside down and shook all the food out! There's one by sprouts. Every once and awhile we get curious and wander in. I challenge you to find something in that store that's not processed. Not that processed foods are totally out of the question. But it looks like $20 could feed a 19 year old for a week. Or give a 40 year old type 2.

[barrettd]

It's a half dozen isles of cheap junk food. Like so one turned a family dollar upside down and shook all the food out! There's one by sprouts. Every once and awhile we get curious and wander in. I challenge you to find something in that store that's not processed. Not that processed foods are totally out of the question. But it looks like $20 could feed a 19 year old for a week. Or give a 40 year old type 2.

This statement is false. It's got plenty of the same staples you find at bigger stores, as well as dairy, meat, and produce. For folks on a budget, it's a good alternative.

[terryinokc]

It's a half dozen isles of cheap junk food. Like so one turned a family dollar upside down and shook all the food out! There's one by sprouts. Every once and awhile we get curious and wander in. I challenge you to find something in that store that's not processed. Not that processed foods are totally out of the question. But it looks like $20 could feed a 19 year old for a week. Or give a 40 year old type 2.

I have to answer this....Whatever........If you don't get it, you don't get it. It's amazing how many people shop there now...including me.
I will gladly pay just under $2 for a gallon of milk (made by Hiland), and doesn't hurt me at all to save over $2 on a package of fresh ground turkey that I use a lot. Cereal, pasta, salad and spinach, most of the canned goods, and all of their pantry staple items are great for me. I'm not a label snob...and don't accuse anyone else of that....but to get good, basic food at a great place...this is it.

This has become my first stop store....I buy all my meat except ground turkey, and vegetables at Sprouts, and fill in with everything else at Crest or Buy For Less. In my opinion...the meat at Spouts is great....and a million times better than Buy For Less or even Uptown Grocery.

Guess my summary is....like or don't like it....just like any other store. But it definitely saves me money on a lot of the items that I buy.

Just a final thought....this thread is "ALDI'S".....wonder why people add the "S" at the end of a store name that doesn't belong there?
I know people say, "Wal Mart's" and "Kroger's" or "Target's"? Never heard anyone say "Publix's" though.....LOL

[trousers]

Dubya, you are 100% correct there are good grocery options here in OKC. Absolutely. Whole Foods, Crest Fresh Market in SW OKC, Crest FM in Norman, Uptown Grocery... you should understand, I don't see TJ or Sprouts as a full service type grocery store. They are more specialty stores. While you can get just about everything you need at TJ's(my cousins wife in Laguna Beach shops for just about everything there food wise), I'm talking a Crest sized store.

How is Sprouts a specialty store?

[barrettd]

Just a final thought....this thread is "ALDI'S".....wonder why people add the "S" at the end of a store name that doesn't belong there?
I know people say, "Wal Mart's" and "Kroger's" or "Target's"? Never heard anyone say "Publix's" though.....LOL

My guess, in this instance, is the s was added to indicate multiple Aldis, so the apostrophe was unnecessary.

[baralheia]

How is Sprouts a specialty store?

Sprouts would be a specialty store because of their heavy focus on natural/organic foods and (relatively) limited selection of packaged foods. When I checked them out, most of the national brands I recognize were absent from their shelves, even in the cleaning supplies and paper goods area.

[Pete]

^

Completely agree with that assessment.

[trousers]

I can go with that.

[Hondo1]

Aldi is where we purchase our organics: milk, greens, fruits and vegetables. Also Aldi carries what it calls "Never Any" brand meats, as in never any additives, preservatives, growth hormones, antibiotics etc. So far, very happy with the quality, taste and price.

[d-usa]

Aldi has a lot of non-processed options, as many others have already pointed out, so it is very possible to get healthy items there. And the processed stuff, canned foods and dry packaged stuff, isn't any more processed than the same stuff you would buy at any other store.

One random thing that I love about going to Aldi is that they look the same anywhere you go. I grew up in Germany and when I went to my first US Aldi when they opened the one near me on Penn I was amazed that everything about the store looks like I just walked into a German Aldi. Same ugly tile, same ugly lights, exact same signs. It was an amazing piece of nostalgia.