If you're not familiar with ALDI, you're forgiven. The grocery store is relatively new here in the States, though you're probably familiar with a chain they own: Trader Joe's.
Now, it's not a perfect store - at least, by American sensibilities. They're not particularly convenient. (Case in point: the closest one to my Manhattan apartment is in the Kingsbridge section of the Bronx.) They won't have everything you're looking for, though they'll have quite a bit. If you want to use a cart, you have to put down a 25-cent deposit (you get it back at check-out). You bag your own groceries, and provide your own bags. Oh, and no credit cards. Cash and pin-based debit cards only.
So why even bother? They have some organic produce, some gluten-free items, and some items similar to store brand items you'd find at the aforementioned Trader Joe's. But the real reason to go is their price-point. It's like shopping at Wal-Mart without dancing with the devil.
After reading yet another article about this store and what they bring to the table, I decided it was time I checked this place out for myself. I gave myself a challenge: to see how far I could get with $5. I walked out with two cans of beans, a dozen eggs, two bell peppers, and a box of mushrooms for a grand total of $4.91.
I put my bounty into my tote bag, tucked that nine cents in change back into my pocket, and managed to restrain myself from victoriously skipping all the way home. It was tempting, but would have jostled the eggs.
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