'Prices Are Skyrocketing' For This Aldi Produce Find, According To Reddit

As families feel the squeeze of higher grocery prices, every cent counts. Even in the case of the least expensive items, where price increases can be numerically small but proportionately quite large. Aldi is a common choice for budget grocery shopping, but some customers are complaining that the price of a certain produce staple has been climbing. 

Looking at a three-pack of romaine lettuce heads, one Reddit user said that "I could've sworn last week the price was $2.79 for romaine and there were four heads inside." The price of the bag they posted was $3.79, which is only a dollar more, but it's more than a 33% price hike for 25% less lettuce.

Other Redditors commented on this popular post, complaining about the price of Aldi's salad kits, which sometimes include romaine. Another commenter claimed that romaine prices are high in general for bulk buyers like restaurants. But is the price of Aldi's romaine lettuce actually going up? It's hard to say.

Industry-wide, wholesale prices of romaine lettuce are actually down significantly from last year's average — $14.55/carton compared to $27, per Terrain. Demand, however, remains unusually high, possibly encouraging higher retail prices. Buying name-brand goods is one of the ways you may be spending too much at the grocery store, and luckily, Aldi is a haven for generics. But, according to Reddit, some Aldi stores have reportedly switched to Dole romaine, which may be pricier.

Whether or not your Aldi still carries generic romaine, you may notice that it and most of the produce is already bagged. The reason that Aldi's produce packaging is a little different in this way is to make checkout go faster by eliminating the need to weigh anything. The produce that's sold unpackaged, like avocados, is priced per unit instead of per pound.

Speed is actually a core part of this grocery chain's business. If you've ever wondered why Aldi cashiers are so fast at their jobs, it's because they're graded on how long each checkout takes. So if you're looking to spend less on romaine by buying loose, fresh heads, those slow Aldi down too much to carry them. But even $3.79 for three packaged heads is competitive with Walmart, and less than Target.