The Convenient Grocery Store Section You'll Never Find At Aldi
While Aldi has so much to offer deal-minded shoppers, the chain is definitely lacking in some areas. Unlike most other grocery stores, Aldi does not have a deli counter within its 2,299 locations spread out across the U.S. Aldi has never explicitly stated why this shopping staple is absent from its stores, but the reason probably has much to do with the chain's goal of keeping costs as low as possible for shoppers.
The store prioritizes "saving people money on the food and products they want most," according to the about Aldi page on the company's website. Along with offering mostly private label products, which are items manufactured by another business for exclusive sale at Aldi, the chain keeps prices low by limiting what's offered to customers. A deli counter would naturally need equipment and staff to run, which would then add to costs. To avoid passing these costs on to consumers, Aldi simply forgoes deli counters. However, shoppers can still find deli meat for sale within the store.
Where does Aldi source its deli meat?
Despite the lack of a deli counter within the store, Aldi carries a wide selection of deli meats. A lot of the selection comes from Appleton Farms, a trademarked brand name that Aldi appears to own. Never Any! is another popular deli meat brand carried by the store, and these products are best known for their lack of antibiotics and artificial ingredients.
Aldi also features Lunch Mate, and this brand includes selections like smoked ham, Black Forest turkey, and roasted chicken breast. Like other brands on sale at the store, Lunch Mate appears to be an Aldi brand, meaning it's manufactured exclusively for the chain.
There's no denying Aldi is among the most affordable grocery chains out there. After all, according to Ramsey, Aldi ranks number one when it comes to affordability thanks to its many low-cost practices. However, one burning question remains: how do Aldi's products, particularly deli meat, fare when it comes to quality?
Should you buy deli meat from Aldi?
Shopper preferences vary greatly, so one person's favorite deli meat might be an absolute no-go for another. According to a Reddit thread pondering whether Aldi's deli meats are worth purchasing, one commenter praised the Never Any! brand, describing it as "amazing." The Black Forest ham and the salami were also lauded for their quality. However, another commenter offered a more nuanced opinion stating, "They're never as good as from an actual deli, but they're still fine."
And that seems to be the biggest detriment to Aldi's deli meat selection. Without a functional deli counter, customers simply can't access fresh, high-quality deli meats sliced to their specifications. While the quality of the packaged products ranges from excellent to so-so to not that great (in the aforementioned Reddit thread, a commenter stated that the deli turkey sold at the store occasionally has an objectionable "Odor/slime"), it doesn't meet the same level of quality as other grocery stores. Despite these potential drawbacks, many Aldi products are beloved thanks to the combination of affordability and reliable quality.