ALDI — Local services in Silver Spring Township

My neighborhood's brand new Aldi location finally opened 4 days ago, exactly 2 months later than the original grand opening date (Mar 26, 2020) due to the pandemic. I'm so happy. I love Aldi's minimalist philosophy, emphasis to value and quality, and direct sourcing of the goods it carries. The chain started in Germany, split into two. One operates Aldi US, the other owns Trader Joe's.

This location isn't as big as the one in Carlisle, but it's brand new and close to home. It's at the corner at a traffic light, so it's easy to get in and out. There are plenty of parking spaces. Due to COVID-19, instead of the 25 cent deposit to use a shopping cart, you are presented with one, fully sanitized. The isles have one way signs to help with social distancing. The plexiglass panels protect each cashier from 2 sides, and the cash registers are staggered to space apart adjacent cashiers. There's also hands-free hand sanitizers at the entrance. I feel totally safe shopping there.

This will be my go-to place for grocery, on top of Sam's Club...

My Grandma really enjoys shopping here. She introduced me to this place and I love it. I am an athlete and I eat a plant based diet, which is highly affordable and delicious with food from this magical place. With many all natural and plant-based options, I love how I don’t have to sacrifice my health for cheaper prices when I shop here. I really enjoy the unique foods they have like the frozen falafel and peach cobbler hummus. The produce is also great and you can always save a few dollars on it. I’m always shocked at the price. Many times I will buy 5 or 6 things and it ends up being under $10 for high quality healthy foods. They also have sales aside from regular low prices. Saving on groceries without sacrificing your dietary needs can help budget money to spend on more important things that mean most to you. If you don’t like Aldi you are out of your mind.i don’t understand why anyone would shop anywhere else as a...

I placed a pickup order through Instacart — or thought I did. Come to the pickup time I put on the order, and nothing. I went back into my cart, and it was empty, so I put my order in again, was given a pickup time, and entered my payment information. When the appointed time came, still nothing from Aldi, and Instacart gave me a pickup time for the following day. Thoroughly PO'd, I went into the store (which is what I was trying to avoid, because I have mobility problems).

Here's the upshot:

I asked the first Aldi associate I encountered where I could talk to a manager. She asked me what problem I had, and I told her the series of events. She apologized and offered to pick my order, and another woman joined her, and a third Aldi associate got more information from me. Ultimately, I got my order, those three women got my heartfelt thanks, and I left very impressed by the Aldi folks. That kind of service is all too...