ALDI — Local services in Cranberry Township

I love Aldi! They have great prices and fresh produce, for the most part. I can spend a fraction of the money to feed my family versus what other grocery retailers charge.

There are a few things to keep in mind for Aldi novices though.

1. Generic is King - If you are the type of family/person who needs name brand foods, you may want to pass on Aldi. They do have some brand name foods, but the vast majority are generic. Their Aldi brand though it's consistently good.
2. BYOB - Bring Your Own Bags - Aldi does not have topical plastic grocery bags. You can BUY paper, and reusable here, but to keep costs down they do not provide plastic one use bags. This is great for the environment, but you have to plan for this.
3. Quarter for your cart - Aldi shopping carts cost a refundable quarter. You get it back when you return the cart. This reduces the size of the necessary staff as they don't have a car person which in turn saves you money.
4. DIY - Aldi has a really small staff. That means you may have to do some things yourself. Egg cart empty? Move it yourself to get to the full cart. This is probably the best example, but you may have a hard time getting help if you're less hands on.
5. Longer lines - Because there are fewer employees sometimes the checkout line can get a little long. This in my opinion it's Aldi's biggest problem, but it still compares to other major...

The prices are decent. I enjoy grocery shopping here. But I'm not a fan of the self checkouts. They never seem to be able to read my card. Today there were things that needed stocked, there were moldy strawberries, and there was a rotten pumpkin. And there was only one cashier available. 1/10/2024 The store was a good bit cleaner today and the produce was fresher. The spinach was labeled a week or so out from expiring as opposed to the next day or so I'm used to seeing. Lately my spouse has wanted English muffins for breakfast. I haven't told her, but those have been a few days out from expiring when purchased. 3/15/2024 I'm happy to report the "twice as nice" guarantee is real! I'd purchased dental treats for my dog from there on a whim and they made him sick. So I returned them and got double my cash back! Needless to say, I don't recommend the dental treats from there unless you want your dog's poo looking like Shrek's version of a shamrock shake. 6/12/2024 The entire bin of baking potatoes was moldy and had fruit flies. I'm shocked and appalled they put that out to sell...

I really love how affordable and most importantly, SUSTAINABLE, Aldi is as a brand. Paper bags for groceries make a difference, and if you're buying canned fruits to make desserts and all, they're very affordable and good here. In addition, there's the "magic aisle" everyone calls it, and I've bought a variety of items I've needed for a really good price including one of my plant stands, a really good non-stick pan, and a bike seat cushion. (it's amazing how different it is all the time)

The only thing I notice about this specific Aldi is that every time I go, there's always just one cashier when there's a whole line of people waiting to check out. I'm not sure if they're short staffed, but it definitely makes a difference.

Aldi please hire...