Sometimes, out of nowhere, I’m hit by a distinct, powerful craving for boxed macaroni and cheese. I don’t mean the “deluxe dinners” with shell-shaped pasta and a fancy pouch of squeeze cheese. I’m talking all or nothing – I need that familiar cardboard box with the package of strangely bright orange powder.
Maybe you’ve been there, or maybe you can empathize. The first few times I craved this nostalgic, unhealthy delight, I’d head to whatever grocery store was closest and found myself shocked at the prices. I couldn’t imagine paying over a dollar for a box of uncooked pasta and cheese dust, no matter how delicious it sounded to me at the moment.
Beside myself, I thought, “How could I fill the macaroni shaped void in my heart?” That’s when I discovered the product that revolutionized my need for cheese: ALDI’s Cheese Club Macaroni and Cheese. The price varies from store to store, (the same goes for all of ALDI’s products) but it’s usually around 35 cents a box. Yes, you read that correctly.
While the mac and cheese alone would be enough for me to shop at ALDI, there are plenty of other reasons to as well. Here are just a few of those reasons and some things you need to know before you find your closest ALDI and start filling your cart with macaroni.
1. (Actually) affordable prices
The primary thing ALDI is known for is being a majorly discounted grocery store. The prices will differ between other ALDI stores, but no matter what, they’re pretty hard to beat. Sometimes people are skeptical of shopping at ALDI because they associate lower prices with inferior quality. My expert opinion? That’s not always true. While you may find that you prefer some big name brands over what ALDI carries, the reason for the low prices isn’t necessarily lower quality.
ALDI is able to keep prices low through a few practices.
The first thing you’ll notice is that ALDI generally only carries one type of a product. For example, instead of getting lost in a ton of different American cheese slice brands for making a mean grilled cheese, ALDI only has one or two American cheese slice selections in the entire store.
Also, they don’t give you plastic shopping bags for free. You’ve probably never thought about it, but most other grocery stores don’t charge for the bags they have at the register. ALDI charges you six cents for each plastic bag. The easiest solution to this is to carry your own reusable shopping bag. You’re saving money and helping the environment in the process.
Another way ALDI keeps prices low is by having you rent your shopping cart. This might seem like a wild concept, but you simply slip a quarter into the cart to release it from the rack, and the quarter pops back out when you return the cart. This means that ALDI doesn’t have to hire people to take carts back from the parking lot, which saves them on expenses and you on prices.
For similar reasons, you also bag your own groceries in a special bagging area just past the registers.
2. ALDI’s employees’ benefits
ALDI does more than just cutting prices for shoppers. It also makes things pretty easy on its employees. Something unusual you might notice the first time you shop at ALDI is that its cashiers are sitting down at the registers.
Each register has a chair for the cashier who’s working at it. That’s because ALDI recognizes that standing for the entirety of a long shift isn’t healthy.
Something else you’ll notice is that a lot of ALDI products are kept in large boxes around the store. This makes restocking easier for employees because they can simply place the box down, tear box open and be done. Not only is this more efficient, but it cuts back on the tedious stocking work employees might otherwise have to do.
Not hiring as many people for the reasons previously mentioned means that they can pay the employees they do have a higher wage.
3. Quality products
I’ve already mentioned the macaroni and cheese, but there are a lot of other great ALDI products to discover. Their knockoff Girl Scout Cookies (Caramel Coconut Cookies and Fudge Mint Cookies, anyone?) will keep your cravings in check all year long.
They have a nice variety of Little Salad Bar hummus flavors – my favorite is Significantly Spicy. There’s a good selection of fancy cheeses, too, for a fraction of the price you’d pay almost anywhere else. If you and gluten have a complicated relationship with each other, ALDI’s got your back. From granola to crackers, their gluten-free line of products is affordable and tasty. The chocolate almond milk is another favorite of mine. It’s rich, creamy and perfectly sweet.
This barely scratches the surface. There’s a whole world of ALDI products for you to discover – and they’re all at an affordable price.
Because it is a discount store, you might find that you prefer to buy some items, such as produce, at other stores. I recommend always checking ALDI first, though, because the prices and other benefits are hard to beat. Grab your reusable bag and get ready for some deals!