ALDI — Local services in Columbia

ALDI is different than many chain grocery stores you are probably used to. Like the typical grocery, there is a mix of national and store/private brands. With ALDI, the mix is a lot more heavy on private brands, with names that don't at first register as being a store brand. When you shop, say, at Giant, you can instantly recognize the store brand items by the logo (and sub-name brand familiar with the chain). At ALDI, the the private brands are quite numerous. These items will have "Distributed by ALDI, Inc" on a secondary part of the packaging. This is not to say that these unfamiliar brands are somehow substandard, in fact, most of these items are as good as or better than their equivalent national brand products, and the prices are considerably lower as well. Shopping here needs a little bit of fun experimentation, trying out the various items to see how much you like them. Chances are, you'll be impressed. Most of these items have a look that mimics the national brand equivalents as well. The meats, dairy, breads, veggies and other perishable items seem to always be fresh and the stock turned over regularly. There are also other items not typically carried at more familiar chains, like housewares, small appliances, larger seasonal items, and more. Again, this is not your typical grocery store, as it shows their European heritage in the diversity of products, the store layout, and other quirky traits.

A couple hints to becoming a successful ALDI shopper. Bring a quarter, which is used to unlock the shopping carts, and also guarantees the return of the carts rather than having them strewn across the parking lot. Also, reusable shopping bags are suggested, as they charge for bags and also encourage the use of their reusable, durable bags. You will also have to bag your own items after checkout, using either purchased bags, your own bags, or occasionally provided boxes that the store products come in (similar to Costco). Lots of room is provided beyond the cashiers to organized and pack your purchases. Some folks used to traditional methods and habits are sometimes turned off by these unfamiliar processes (especially not having a refundable quarter for the carts and the self-service bagging. Once you get the hang of it, this becomes second nature and actually speeds up the whole shopping process.

ALDI is like a little trip to a little European city for your shopping needs. It's fun to explore and experiment, you are presented with familiar items in unfamiliar packaging, the quality is high storewide, and there are lots of quirky new stuff to learn. Once you get the knack of "ALDI Culture," it will keep you coming back, with considerable savings the best...

I use curbside pickup to shop because I am an elder who is handicapped, and I have pain from walking. Today, when I arrived to pickup an online order, the link from Aldi on my phone to announce my arrival did not work. Since there is no way to call or text anyone inside the store in the event of this kind of problem, I had to hobble into the store, wait in line, talk to a cashier who fetched a shopper, who fetched her boss who stated that she did not receive my order, and who blamed Instacart. I explained to her that I watched on Aldi's website while the order was shopped by “Michelle”, and that the webpage confirmed the correct location and that the order was ready for pickup. Furthermore, I showed her the texts on my IPhone proving that Aldi received my order, shopped it, and notified me that it was ready to pick up.

This "manager" was disinterested, rude, argumentative, belligerent, defensive, and unhelpful. She claimed this type of problem had never happened before, which is a lie, since it happened to me before, in December. She did not apologize. She did not offer to shop my order while I waited. She did not care about the cause of the problem. Instead, she said "There's the door. I'll walk you out."

Perhaps this "manager" saw an elderly woman on a cane and regarded me as prey: someone she could push around and disregard.

I came home without my groceries, in tears, I am ashamed to say. I called Aldi's customer service and then Instacart's customer service. Each blamed the other, and neither offered any assistance or assurance that this issue would not occur again.

Aldi's website, on line ordering, and pickup process has always been a mess, and that process has varied every time I have used it over the past couple of years. Both times that I have had to enter the store for help when my order was mishandled I was treated badly. I conclude that Aldi does not regard having efficient IT systems and training their employees in basic customer service to be profitable.

If you're elderly and handicapped, don't shop there. I never will again.

Update:

On reflection, I think it’s possible that my order had actually been shopped at the Gateway Overlook Aldi by the shopper, but the “manager,” out of personal animus, decided not to hand it over to me.

Also, my credit card was charged for the order I was not allowed to pick up, which was another inconvenience to deal with, unless it was...

We love this Aldi location. Upon arrival there is ample parking and the parking lot is not overcrowded. There are other shopping g places near by Best Buy, Ulta, Five and Below, Pet shop, Lowes, Costco and a Trader Joe's. The shopping carts are newer and plentiful. Always bring a quarter to use a cart (you get it back when you return it)It is usually always fully stocked and the workers are pleasant. The aisle have ample room to maneuver. The only time I usually have trouble is in the first aisle around the produce. However the issue seems to be usually from other shoppers leaving carts and browsing which can cause a bit of a traffic jam. The fruits and veggies are high quality rarely do I find mold. They have a large variety of organic and even gluten free products. The meats are fresh they have a nice variety. We love the Aldi Finds aisle you can snag seasonal or other random items are a good price such as grill or a patio set in the summer months. One special thing about this location it has a fresh bakery section which is not at all Aldi locations it has items like doughnuts, french bread, fresh soft pretzels and more. As with all Adli locations you must pay for bags or buy your own and you will bag your own groceries at the end (they have a counter across from the registers to do so). Overall this Aldi has high quality foods, great prices and a nice location. We drive from the city to this location and love visiting weekly....