ALDI — Local services in Mesa

I started shopping at Aldi 20+ years ago, when I lived in IL. It was a much different store back then - with almost everything simply laid out in cartons like a warehouse operation.

Fast forward to around 2015, when I lived in FL. My wife and I would go to both Publix and Aldi for our weekly groceries. Around 2016/2017, Aldi changed its format and took on the look of a more normal grocery store, which included stocked shelves, a nice refrigerated produce section, etc.

Aldi is a place where you need to "learn" how to shop there. It is very very different than Sprouts, Safeway, Frys, etc. However, once you get the hang of it and 1) know when to go so the inventory level is highest, 2) understand the quality of their house and off-name brands, and 3) learn about how many organic products they carry, you can do a sizable portion of your shopping there and save a ton of money.

If you learn and understand the layout of the store, you can find name brands that are identical to those carried in "big name stores;" as an example, Aldi often carries Driscoll blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries, etc. Aldi's house brands of items like sour cream (check it out, I think it has two ingredients in it - like the best "name brand" sour creams available) and cereal are absolutely top-notch ... amongst other things.

We never do an entire week's worth of shopping there, but when we go in and spend $50 - $75, we can take a look at the receipt and typically find $25+ of savings versus the other chains around here.

Aldi is one of the absolute biggest grocers in the world. The German firm that owns Aldi also owns Trader Joe's. As an organization, Aldi is known in the grocery store industry as the single greatest disruptor. When they move into an area and people learn how to shop there, they usually wind up snagging a ton of customers away from the other stores.

We go there with the intent of having fun - just to see how much money we would save versus our normal run to Safeway or Sprouts. And one more thing - Aldi's German and Austrian chocolate candy is fabulous. Puts to shame your typical brands like Hershey, Nestle, Lindt, etc. And the price of this chocolate is a fraction of the "name" brands.

My wife and I are glad to see Aldi in the East Valley. And we are interested to see if folks that have previously not had access to Aldi, learn how to shop there and "get it" as they become more familiar...

Second day Mesa store was opened, and only one cashier. Much larger, cleaner and less crowded than the Aldi I visited in Paris France. Be prepared with a quarter for the cart deposit. This being a new store they did have a worker handing out quarters and showing people how to use the cart deposit. If you have not been to an Aldi before you have to pay for your plastic bags or use one of the boxes that they set out for customers to use. I found what I was looking for but was disappointed they did not have Camemenbert cheese. Their house brand chocolates are really good as same as they are in Europe. Edit- changing my review to 5 stars 🌟 store was better staffed and running smother. This time they had my Camemenbert cheese. Teenage daughter came with me for a chocolate and cheese run. Her friends said it's the best chocolate they've ever had. Edit 5-18-22 store seems to be running smoother and they're about keeping the checkout lines shorter. They charge for bags, so remember to bring yours back. 8-20-22 edit. This new store is more popular, as more stuff is out of stock, usually its the sale items. Fall 2022, pumpkin spice whip cream and youghurt. 😋 January 2023 edit- Some produce is often out of stock. Went in for some green onions and zero. December 2023 edit- nice assortment of holiday treats. A bit annoying that sometimes you have to wait for a cashier, as they are so lightly staffed the cashier is often away from the register until a couple of customers are waiting...

My first shopping experience inside this Aldi’s was not very pleasant. The store itself is wonderful - a great selection of fresh fruits and vegetables. They also sell a lot of healthy brands, and their prices are affordable. However, their employee Bill, who was very aggressive and impatient with my toddler (3), was extremely ill-mannered and disrespectful towards us. He angrily stared at us while he was impatiently waiting for my son to put the groceries on the belt, while he made snarky comments “hurry up, my line is getting long” (there was 2 women behind us, and when I looked back at them, they had big smiles on their face and didn’t seem bothered at all that my 3 year old was not moving fast enough for Bill) I decided to take over and put the groceries on the belt myself because I saw Bill clearly upset. Once I gave him my cart to set the groceries in, he aggressively and abruptly placed all the groceries around my son who was sitting in the cart. I thought he was going to hit him in the head with something by accident, that’s how aggressive he was handling the groceries around my toddler. Thank God that didn’t happen. I did speak to the manager, Chris, who was very well mannered and considerate about my complaints. For a store that has great reviews and compliments from others, I would think they wouldn’t hire such inconsiderate and...