ALDI — Local services in Eden Prairie

I love ALDI. I live it both from a consumer standpoint and from a business perspective. The reason I love them is because they present their customers with value.

From a consumer standpoint, their in-house brands are great. They have both organic and non items to choose from and they taste great. I like their fresh tilapia, for one. I probably have that once a week. I also like their almond milk, after switching from regular dairy milk. Their Simply Nature brand of products is also really good. I also love that I can move through the store with relative ease compared to larger chains. I also don't have to park a mile away either. I also use my own bags, so it's nice not to have to lug them very far.

From a business standpoint, they do a phenomenal job at moving people through their store. Their cashiers are tremendously fast at ringing people up, which gets people in and out faster, which means more for their bottom line. They also figured out a way to get people to return their carts back to the front of the store. When the customer wants to use a cart, they put a quarter in the top to unlock the cart from the rest of them. When they're done, they bring the cart back to the others locked up and plug the cart back in which releases their quarter back to them - brilliant!.

Their store footprint is also a cost-cutter. Aldi does not have a large space at all compared to a traditional grocery store. Yet, they make use of their space so well, that there are not many things the average consumer would need to get outside of their store. Cereal, Meat, Dairy, Snacks, Produce, Bread, Canned Food: all there.

If you haven't tried them out yet, go in there for a few things. That's how I started. Now, the bulk of my shopping...

I am EXTREMELY disappointed in the managers at this Aldi's. I received two E-gift cards from Aldi's customer service because I had a pick up order that contained a chocolate bar that had a bit taken out of it. I went once and they didn't take my gift card. They said "sorry we can't take it." Called customer service about it and they said all Aldi's are supposed to take them. They gave me a $10 E-gift card. They said they called to store and spoke to the manager Lisa and said that all employees will be trained on this. A week later, tonight, I went in. Grabbed my groceries and went to check out. The cashier was super super nice. He had to called the manager over because the gift cards weren't scanning. This manager walks over and says "I don't want to deal with this." She walks over to a different register and grabs a $5 bill and hands it to me. I said, but I have two gift cards. She rolls her eyes at me, storms over and gives me a $10. I am so PO. I am in customer service and I would be fired on the spot if I spoke and treated a customer like that. I want that manager fired.

The ONLY reason I gave this place 2 stars is because of the cashiers. They are so nice and sweet. If it wasn't for the cashiers, this place would be a 1 star due to the managers.

Now I am having to call customer service AGAIN about them and this issue.

Managers there should be ashamed...

I am a big fan of Aldi but not the Aldi in Eden Prairie. The store has changed its layout at least three times in the past two years, making it difficult to find anything. The produce selection does not have much of a variety, and they are often out of staples (eggs, milk, etc). The last two times I have been there, they were out of bananas. Who runs out of bananas? Even convenience stores are stocked with bananas! They also lack the variety of organic items that other Aldi stores sell. I wish they would eliminate their abundance of crappy household items and carry more groceries. It is a grocery store after all! The staff are usually quick and friendly and the store is clean. The other complaint I have is that customers have decided to "create" their own parking spots in the entry/road way across from the store entrance. This makes it difficult to get in and out of the parking lot and I would imagine create a safety/fire hazard if there was an emergency. The management does not...