ALDI — Local services in Gainesville

I like shopping at Aldi. I don't mind bringing my own bags like I do at every other grocery store, nor does it upset me to "rent" a cart for 25 cents. I've found that if I take my time, I can save considerably over other stores in the area. We eat a vegetarian diet, and Aldi meets our needs nicely. I don't buy exclusively at Aldi but the more I buy there the more I can save. That being said, Aldi is not perfect, just as sister store Trader Joes, Publix, Winn Dixie and all stores are not perfect. I have found that going to the store right after opening is a poor strategy, as the store is still being stocked and all the items I'm looking for may not yet be on the shelves. The checkout process needs improvement. There is rarely more than a single register open, resulting in a checker that feels pressured to speed customers thru the line. This means a lot of my items are not treated with care, but are chucked into the basket. Opening additional lines when customers are piling up would benefit customers and employees alike, without increasing prices. I think with a few minor adjustments Aldi will continue to do well and I will continue...

First off, having to have a quarter to get a shopping cart is the most ridiculous thing I have experienced at a grocery store. Good thing I had one at the bottom of my purse. It says you get your quarter back if you return your cart so I plugged my cart back into the ridiculous lock and my quarter remained in the cart... Second, the food selection was nothing special. After hearing Aldi is one of the healthiest grocery stores these days I was expecting healthier foods like Non GMO and antibiotic free products. Instead I found a bunch of lunch meat that said dyed with caramel coloring right on the front. The prices are comparable with other local grocery stores and the quality is not comparable. Last, and this might be just the Gainesville store, the staff was far from helpful. I was in charge of bagging my own groceries, which is fine but when the attendant just sat there watching me bag my own groceries like she was annoyed because I wasn't moving fast enough that was the last straw. I will never return to Aldi and I am shocked they are expanding...

The issue I have at this location is that they allow individuals to bring in pets posing as fake service animals. I have no issues with service animals, but I do have an issue with someone bringing in their pet, which are often not at the same care and grooming standards as a service animal to be able to enter these locations. Who knows the last time that dog had a bath had any kind of flea treatment, and the owner was just letting it go up to products and put its face into products and sniffing things. I don’t know if it licked anything, but I wouldn’t doubt it with the behavior of that dog and owner. Also no, the dog was not checking the product for the individual for safety or disability reasons. The owner was on the phone the entire time not paying attention to the dog that was often wandering away from the owner as far as the leash would let him go. I will not be returning to this location as I find that...