The Only Guide You Need For Your First Time Shopping At Aldi

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Grocery prices continue to rise, and many people are turning to cost-savings techniques to help reduce their weekly food bill. One of those techniques includes shopping at alternative grocery stores — and it's here that Aldi reigns supreme. Aldi is a discount supermarket that focuses on providing high-quality products (including niche dietary ones) at affordable rates. But, shopping at this supermarket is a little different than at other stores. You may feel a little unsure of what to expect.

If this sounds like you, you've made it to the right place. I'm an Aldi shopping pro and I'm here to share my knowledge with you. I'll give you tips and tricks that will prepare you to save money, source fantastic products, and even cut down the time you spend in the store. Most importantly, with this Aldi shopping guide, I'll help you understand what to expect your first time cruising the aisles at Aldi. Let's go shopping!

Aldi's products are really affordable compared to a lot of mainstream grocery stores so it can be easy to get caught up on individual prices — only to discover you spent more than you meant to. However, it's important to create a shopping budget and stick to it.

What your shopping budget looks like is up to you and your personal finances. However, Iowa State University has a helpful food budgeting tool that can help you figure out how much to spend based on your family size and needs. It also provides actionable tips on how to bring down your budget if you're looking to save money.

Nearly every store has their own app. You may wonder if it's worth downloading the Aldi app — and I'm here to tell you that it definitely is. The Aldi app has many useful features that can create a better, easier, and more affordable shopping experience.

From the app, you can locate an Aldi near you so you know where to shop. Then, check out the weekly ads straight from your phone and save products to your virtual shopping list for in-store shopping. Looking for something you purchased previously? View past orders and quickly re-order the items you need to. The Aldi app is a fast and convenient way to get to know the store digitally, which can help you save time and money when walking down the aisles.  

If you don't feel like going into the store to shop, don't worry because you have options. If you already downloaded the Aldi app, you can use it to order your groceries straight from your phone. Just add the items to your cart, choose pick up or delivery, and pay. Alternatively, you can use Instacart if you have an account with them.

If you choose to pick up, you'll arrive at the store and pull into the designated area. At my local Aldi in Vineland, New Jersey, you pick up your groceries right in front of the store. Of course, if you choose delivery, just wait for the Aldi employee to arrive at your door — easy. 

If you have an Aldi gift card, remember to bring it from home. However, if you forget, the good news is that they never expire, so you can use the card next time. By using these cards, you can spend much less out of pocket. You could even walk out of the store without having spent a penny of your own money, depending on how much the gift card is for and what you need to get.

Oh, and if you aren't sure what to get the adults in your life for birthdays or other special occasions, an Aldi gift card could be an excellent choice. After all, everyone loves a gift card — and if it's one for their favorite grocery store ... it can spread their food budget further. 

Unlike some other stores, Aldi doesn't have a grocery rewards program or card. Instead, they focus on providing high-quality foods at low prices all the time. However, that doesn't mean you can't still save extra money while shopping at Aldi.

Reading Aldi's weekly ads will let you know which products are on sale that week, as well as which ones have been permanently (or seasonally) price dropped. These sales will rotate and change, so make sure to keep up with the latest deals. Thankfully, you can do this straight from your phone if you download the Aldi app. Alternatively, you can find the weekly ads online or in print.

Aldi may not carry many name brands, but they do have a rotating section of "Aldi Special Finds." These are name brand products that they received at a special rate, so they can pass the cost savings on to you. So, if you're visiting multiple grocery stores, make sure you shop at Aldi first so you can see if you might be able to save some money on your name brand products, too.

Just be aware that these name brand options are always changing, so what you find today may not be what you find tomorrow. With that in mind, definitely take advantage of the deals as you find them.

If you want to use a shopping cart at Aldi, you need to place a quarter into a special slot on the cart. But, don't worry, it doesn't actually cost money — you get your quarter back once you return the shopping cart.

Don't want to bring a quarter with you every time you visit an Aldi? Or do you simply not carry cash so you don't have change? Consider purchasing a collapsible shopping cart like this Vevor Folding Shopping Cart that you can use in the store instead. Keep it in the trunk of your car so you never forget it.

Aldi gets busy, so you want to try to plan your shopping trip during slower times for the best experience. Peak hours vary, but I've found a lot of success at my local Aldi by going early in the morning on weekdays.

Can't get out on a weekday morning? That's okay. Use Google to determine when your specific Aldi is the busiest so you can avoid those times. Look on the right hand side of your screen when you search your local Aldi store — for example, I would type in "Vineland, New Jersey Aldi." You'll see a chart that lists how busy each time of day is for your specific location. Choose one of the least busy times that works best for your unique schedule. 

Unlike other grocery stores who regularly stock the same exact products, you'll notice the line up at Aldi stores changes all the time. Another noticeable difference is that they're put on the shelves in the boxes they were shipped in.

This being said, some products will make frequent re-appearances. If you find something you really like, consider having two or three similar options on rotation in case your top choice isn't in stock. For example, I love the original sausage patties by Breakfast Best. But, I know I can grab the maple flavored ones if those are out of stock.

Aldi may be one of the cheapest grocery stores in America, but that doesn't mean every product they offer is an amazing deal. There are a few must-have Aldi finds you won't want to miss out on, like the NatureSweet Cherub Tomatoes, Specially Selected All Butter Croissants, and Burman's Extra Hot Hot Sauce. There's also countless hidden gem Aldi snacks you'll want to stock up on, including the Baker's Treat Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins, Clancy's Cheese Puffs, and Millville Blueberry Pastry Crisps.

These are just examples that save me a lot of money at my local Aldi in Vineland, New Jersey. The best way to figure out which foods will save you cash is to take a little time to do a local cost comparison before making your first Aldi trip. You can use online shopping options to easily do this.

Meat is expensive, but that makes it the perfect place to start cutting costs. Aldi has an extensive selection of meats you should be stocking up on — but, not all of them are fantastic, so you'll also want to know which ones are worthwhile. Unfortunately, some of this will boil down to trial and error, but I do have some recommendations to get you started.

I personally recommend avoiding the ground lamb and 93% lean ground turkey. However, the 80/20 ground beef is one of the best ground meats I've ever had and I regularly use the Italian Ground Mild Sausage for both supper and breakfast. Oh, and if you want to treat yourself, grab the Aldi Black Angus Ribeye Steak — it's a little more expensive than other options, but so worth it for the unrivaled meat quality.

The expansive selection at Aldi can make it feel overwhelming trying to determine which ones to purchase during your first visit. This feeling is likely compounded by the fact that none are the normal name brand options you're used to seeing. Consider asking friends and family members who shop at Aldi which things they think are best for your first trip.

Of course, I have a few recommendations for things I keep stocked in my home. For starters, my freezer is always full of Aldi's Breakfast Best frozen breakfast options. The private label brand has been reliable, affordable, and delicious for me so far — and they make breakfast much simpler. I also highly recommend grabbing a bag of Specially Selected Italian Bread Loaf — it's not only the best Aldi bread, but it's the best store-bought bread I've ever had.

I've said it a few times now, but it bears repeating: Not every product at Aldi is amazing. Some are downright unpalatable, and understanding which those are can help you avoid any negative experiences with the supermarket.

Our team at Daily Meal has created several lists of items you shouldn't buy at Aldi, which you'll find helpful on your first shopping trip. Discover 11 foods you might want to avoid buying at Aldi, as well as five Aldi prepared meals to skip (no matter how much you don't want to cook tonight).

If you've been talking to people about Aldi, you've probably heard mixed reviews about their produce section. But this writer personally loves the cheap produce because it keeps my house affordably well-stocked. But, it's true that you'll come across quite a bit of older or even spoiled fruits and vegetables. Just sift your way through the offerings and you'll find plenty of fresh, delicious options.

I think the hassle of digging through the produce at times is well worth it when you can snag produce for less than half the cost sometimes. I recently found blackberries (which were delicious and fresh) for just over $1 a container. At my local Shoprite, these cost between $5 and $6 — and even on sale, I've never personally seen them lower than $3. Those are huge savings you can't pass up.

Aldi sells a wide range of European chocolates at its store. European chocolates are often seen as better than American varieties because they focus on using high-quality ingredients and superior chocolate making techniques. Many say that the European options are richer, so you should try a bar (or two) for yourself to see what the fuss is about.

Of course, if you have a sweet tooth, you'll be happy to know Aldi offers much more than chocolates. Besides boxed treats, the grocery chain also offers a generous selection of fresh baked goods. I personally think the best Aldi bakery items are the cheese strip Danish, gourmet chocolate chunk cookies, and the chocolate dipped everyday donuts.

If you have allergies or dietary restrictions, you know it can be hard finding safe products. Reading labels is crucial to ensure you don't accidentally end up with something that's unsafe for you. But, you probably already know that — what you may not know is that Aldi is a great place to shop if you have dietary restrictions.

Aldi has a lot of organic, dairy-free, gluten-free, and meatless products to choose from. I personally feel like the selection is a lot larger than at other stores. Aldi also focuses on providing clear, easy-to-read ingredient labeling and they have a dedicated private label for gluten-free products called liveGfree.

Aldi stays busy and you don't want to hold up the checkout line — truthfully, you probably just want to get in and out of the store as fast as possible. At least, that's how I feel when I go grocery shopping. That being said, you want to avoid any mistakes that could slow down the checkout line.

A great tip is to be ready to unload your cart as soon as it's your turn. Make use of the dividers and begin unloading as soon as there's room on the conveyor belt. You'll also want to keep your chit chat to a polite minimum so the cashier can focus on the task at hand — that's not to say you should ignore them, but a standard greeting and niceties should be the limit.

My local Aldi only has two checkout lines and only one of them is usually open unless it's a weekend. That being said, those lines can get really lengthy and nobody wants to wait that long if they don't have to. One thing I've personally noticed is that the self checkout lines always seem to be much shorter — in fact, I rarely wait longer than a minute by choosing these.

At my Aldi, the self checkout requires a card, so you can't use cash. And, I think that's the reason the lines are so much shorter. But, if you plan ahead to use your card, you can get in and out of Aldi with record timing.

I live in New Jersey and we don't have disposable plastic shopping bags anymore — they're actually banned, so we have to bring our own shopping bags everywhere and not just Aldi. This makes me the perfect person to speak on this topic.

You can buy reusable shopping bags on Amazon. I like these Gramercy Large Reusable Grocery Bags because they have thick bottoms and sides. This makes them easier to carry and allows them to hold more without risking breaking. Store them in your car after they are unloaded so you don't forget them — and make sure to bring enough to support your normal grocery trips.