Years ago while short on money and in dire need of food, someone made the magical suggestion that I go to a store called Aldi. It's a German discount grocery store chain with a presence here in the US. The individual told me that it wouldn't be the perfect fit like your usual supermarket, but you'll save a ton of cash and it's better than nothing.I took the plunge and went. You have to pop a quarter into a shopping cart in order to use it. You get it back when you return it. Everything is minimal, there is no music playing and no fancy displays. They don't take credit cards, just debit cards or cash. Seldom are there name brands you would recognize but there's a generic equivalent, like Rice Crisps as opposed to the well known Kellogg's Rice Krispies. I hesitated at the thought of it all thinking there had to be something terribly wrong with all of the foods and merchandise being sold. How could cereal be $1.60 a box and jars of spaghetti sauce for .49¢? Or for that matter how could milk and eggs be half the price of any other competing store on the planet and yet it wasn't expired?
A strange place indeed this Aldi was. I stood there, hands on my hips trying to wrap my mind around it all. It was as if I stepped in a time warp where everything sold at prices circa 1982. Would I be throwing this stuff up if I ate it? There was no choice, I had to eat something. I filled an entire grocery cart to the tune of $35. That's not a typo, the whole damn cart was $35!! This was amazing even by 2002 standards which was when it happened. I could spend double that amount with a quarter of the cart full at the other stores. But how good was this stuff? I went home and tried the cereal, a generic match of Kellogg's Frosted flakes and..........
I Couldn't Really Tell the Difference!
How can this be?! I opened the bag of nacho chips and dip, surely this would miss the mark and taste more like cardboard and ketchup. NO! The nachos and dip were...pretty damn good. I can have a beer with these, thank you. Aldi doesn't have beer, or not the one near me but with the cash you save, just pick up the good stuff at the liquor store.
Feverishly I began to open up everything that wasn't frozen to sample it. Something was bound to make me gag. Bits of chips, cookie crumbs, drops of spaghetti sauce flew through the air and......everything was OK. It wasn't "gourmet" but nothing that offensive either, it was fine and then regret set in. I actually felt like I had been ripped off for years by the normal grocery stores and I wanted my money back from them. But never mind, Aldi would be my dirty little secret, even when times were better I would still go. I got scoffs and disapproval from some at my old job when I would let my secret slip. They would ask why would I shop at a store with "those kind of people." Which basically meant lower income folks.
But if you think that's the only type you'll find at this place, you're terribly wrong and so what if they have low income people shopping around?
The Aldi Virgins
At least once a visit I will catch a yuppie mom in her Lexus SUV reluctantly walking in and looking around to see if anyone she knows is around. It's a paranoid hesitant walk but they press on in spite of their fear. You'll later find these women standing in the middle of the store in awe. Usually they get hit with temporary paralysis in the cereal aisle, right at the five minute mark. Since they have to pay a fortune for the name brand ones they begin to sort of tremble, turn pale white and grab a box from the shelf nearly crushing it in their hands from the excitement. Then the scurrying starts, they lose all sense of direction and equilibrium because everywhere they turn is something they can use on the cheap. Deep breaths, hand placed over the heart, bladders almost giving way. I've seen it all. The best part is catching them leaving the store. A huge smile on their face, giggling and nearly breathless as they look to the sky. It's kind of like the afterglow they might have had on their wedding night and haven't had it since. These same women who looked at me with trepidation in the parking lot upon entering are now yelling to me,"have a nice day" as they leave
Return to All Things Aldi
So here I am in shaky economic times again and needing Aldi more than ever. And, like an old friend, it still gets me the deals I need. I wouldn't buy my meats from here and the prices are slightly higher than when we first met years ago, but this still will do just fine. I will take that generic laundry detergent, massive amounts of pasta and anything else that fits into my cart and feel gratified in my use of thrift. I will feel comfort and purity in my choice. Yes, others look at me with a sideways glance as I whip out my unknown detergent in the laundry room as they use a bottle that cost three times as much, but it is they who are the fools, not I. If you can get over status and brand recognition (all mental tricks to keep you spending more than you should) this is the place to go.
Long live Aldi mother fuckers!!!
Coming up....
An interview with Mexican American author, poet and activist , Lucha Corpri, on her latest crime thriller.
also....
The curious case of the hijab woman
and...
No, I am not a student!
Also to come.....
Why I will do a get up but not a stand up.
And much much more, stay tuned!
