ALDI — Local services in Crestview

Preface: I have visited the store on numerous occasions now, all at various times of day and on differing days of the week, to best provide a holistic review of Aldi (Crestview, FL).

Positives: The surrounding parking lot is free, well loud out, and offers a plentiful number of spaces. The trolley bay and store entrance are covered, so if it is raining you do not have to worry about being exposed to the elements as you enter and exit the store. The store itself is consistently clean and well organized. Staff are efficient at ensuring weekly buys and catalogue changes are stocked on the shelves in a timely manner. Clean, well maintained restrooms and access to drinking fountains. Sufficient self-bagging counter space. Typical ALDI store 'design', such as, no music or overhead announcements, minimal product variety to reduce becoming overwhelmed with choices and no brightly coloured signage/design features. Highly competitive pricing, especially on ALDI branded products. Good balance of stocking both ALDI branded and 'external' branded items. Good selection of alternative diet and/or allergen friendly products. Transparency with ingredients and source of origin on ALDI products. Fresh flowers consistently available. Fun appeal of the ever-changing 'weekly buys/specials'.

Could be better: Skeleton 'on floor' staffing. It is very common for no registers to be manned by staff, so you are often required to use the self-checkouts. Self-checkouts give you incredibly limited time between scanning items before the rather loud and obnoxious 'prompt' to scan the next item or finalize your purchase plays; it is highly irritating and for some, even stressful. They definitely need to increase the duration between inactivity before the prompt plays.

Overall, the positives far outweigh the areas requiring improvement for my personal needs, and as such, ALDI Crestview is my primary grocery...

It's a bit smaller on the inside than expected. It's mostly grocery items like food and drinks with a couple isles with other items such as pots and pans, clothes baskets, pool toys, etc. There isn't a whole ton of variety I don't think, each section is a bit more small and compact than, say, Wal-Mart, or Publix, the prices run about the same as Wal-Mart I'd say. It's not a real noticeable difference, but it's definitely cheaper than Publix and Winn Dixie. They don't have bags here, and you will need to bring your own and bag it on a big shelf at the front end of the store near the big windows. The carts require a quarter to rent btw, you get it back, though, after you click your cart back into the cart return area. They have self check out here for people who prefer to check out that way. They had a pretty neat collapsible clothes basket here that would be easy to store if you intend to bring it for travel or for guests at your house. Pool toys for the summer are also available here, as I mentioned earlier. I would say it's OK, not extravagant or impressive. The no bag thing can be annoying as can the quarter for a cart. Some people, such as myself, don't like to carry physical money and prefer cards or mobile payments. Having to pay to use a cart would be a major inconvenience. One thing I want to say is they really need to keep better care of their cart return. It's among the first things customers see, and it is...

Clean, well-stocked store with amazingly low prices. While most, 95%, of groceries here are branded with Aldi's unique brand names (Milleville Cereals, for example), the quality is nothing like the generic brands and store-named brands at other grocers. Quality of dry goods, frozen foods, and fresh foods either meets or even exceeds name brands of the same kind. People looking for gluten-free will finds pastas and other foods available. Produce is limited but always of great quality. Fresh meats are priced right and are also high quality. Like their stores in Germany, Aldi always has a decent selection of deli meats and cheeses, with German-style bratwurst available as well. Aldi carries a small selection of beers and wines. The variety of groceries available at Aldi is not as large as bigger chain grocers. Patrons must bag their own groceries and bring their own bags (or grab one of the many empty cardboard boxes from restocking) to carry-out their purchases. Carts require a quarter (refundable) to unlock from the cart stall (this keeps costs down due to stolen carts). Their are weekly specials on home goods as well and the Aldi app is the best way to see what's at the store and what is coming in the next week. It's really a gem among the selection of grocers...