Aldi

Never had an issue with Aldi’s before. I always went to the one in Milford, CT with no issues. I just bought a package of 6 pork chops in there — they are supposed to be good until ⁶⁄₂₂ — it is 6/​11, I bought them last night. I went to cook them today and only the top two — the visible ones through the package — are good. The rest are brown and slimy. I am so mad, and no, I am not going to drive 25 minutes at dinner time to bring them to the store. I will not be back and I will be sure to share this issue.

I was totally excited to find out there was a decently priced grocery store nearby. The Big Y can get expensive. I was even more stoked to discover that Aldi was owned by Trader Joe’s, meaning they will have quality items for fairly cheap. If you have been to a Trader Joe’s, you know what I am talking about. I find that their organic stuff is much cheaper than the Big Y and Stop and Shop.
Keep in mind that they keep their price low by charging customers for certain things. When you first get to the place, you will notice that there are shopping carts to the left of the entrance. Those carts will require you to deposit a quarter, allowing you to remove the chain from the cart. Why is this? I think it’s to 1) Prevent people from walking off with their carts and 2) Allows the store to minimize the amount of employees they need to hire. They don’t have to pay someone to hunt the parking lots for carts left astray. Great Idea!
As you walk the isles, you will see items that are a few items that are not name brand, but similar to the more popular labels. For example: Capri Sun and Cocoa Puffs. If you are a label king or queen and want to pay more for the name brand stuff, then this may not be the place for you. To me, they all taste the same. Don’t get me wrong, they do have name brand stuff, just not as much as a normal grocery store.
The items will vary and the produce section doesn’t always have everything you may be looking for, but there is a decent amount. The store is small and as stocked as it can be. I normally come here first, get my things for the best deals, and get the rest at the other grocery store. That way I maximize the amount of money I save. Yes, going to a few places may be too much for some people, but if you want to save, you do what you gotta do.
There was a huge line and only one register open. They were closing the second one… I don’t know, maybe it was lunch time? There are no baggers, so they simply put all your stuff back into a grocery cart, again, saving money. You can purchase plastic bags here, they are ten cents apiece, but I recommend bringing your own bags. You will see people walking out the store carrying all their goods. Saving the environment and money, boom!
When you purchase your items, you must use cash or a debit card. Probably to minimize paying creditors for each individual transaction that is conducted. Once you pay for your items, you can slide to the little counter tops before the exit doors to bag up your stuff. When you put the link connector back into your cart, you will get your quarter back. Sweet deal!
Overall, this place is awesome sauce! For people who would rather pay more for someone to put their cart away, «free» plastic or paper bags, a bagger and name brand only stuff, may want to avoid this place. But if you want to save, this is the place! It’s clean!

I go to Aldi’s once every two weeks. I love some of their products such as their version of turkey breakfast sandwiches. The produce is hit or miss, but the bananas are always good. It is not name brand, but who cares, it’s still acceptable. Only complaint is they run out of stuff on the shelves and there is no one around usually to ask for more. Also, be sure to check your receipt because the cashiers try and go too fast and have screwed my order up. Overall, it’s a fast and cheap shopping experience. The Enfield store is the best Aldi I’ve been to.

I’m a speed shopper. I like to run into a store, grab a cart, go through the aisles as fast as I can, and just throw whatever I need in the cart. Aldi was designed for me. There are no frills here. Most of the rows are just cases of food, with the one on top opened so you can grab the items. Almost everything is one of Aldi’s own brands, but they’ll have namebrand closeouts on occasion.
The problem with shopping at Aldi so often is that I forget that other stores tend to sell garbage under their own name. Aldi’s brands are top notch, and I get the idea in my head that other store brands will be okay. That’s when stuff ends up in the trash. Solution? Just stick to Aldi. From their Mama Cozi frozen pizza, to their Friendly Farms yogurt, the food is good. Not just that, but it’s dirt cheap. They save money every way they can. This means that you’ll end up with $ 100 worth of food for about $ 40. I’m not exaggerating here.
I made a point of adding this location in Enfield because I’ve been to two other locations, and they just didn’t compare. Aldi is a great value anyway, but some of the stores are lacking. Okay, maybe it’s just that I’ve been to the more hood locations, like New Britain and East Hartford, but those other two stores always seemed to be out of a lot of stuff. The one in Enfield keeps up on the stock. Also, the produce is a lot better here than the other locations. I’ve even been here while someone was teaching a new employee how to spot produce that had to be rotated out. The other locations seem to just let the stuff sit there until it’s gone, which results in displays full of bruised, soft fruit and vegetables.
There’s a $ 0.25 «deposit» to use a shopping cart. They only accept debit cards and cash. Oh, and you’ll have to bag your own groceries with your own bags (you can buy bags on location). If you can deal with that, then come to Aldi. The only product I’ve found that I wouldn’t buy again is the shelf-​stable tortellini. The stuff in the cooler is good, but the stuff that doesn’t have to be refrigerated is filled with a super-​salty, stinky, weird cheese product. Everything else has been great, and you can’t beat the price.