Monday, December 20, 2010

Price Comparision: Aldi vs. a Regular Grocery Store - Round Two

My first Aldi vs. a Regular Grocery Store price comparison was so popular, I decided to hold a rematch to see if I'd get similar results.  So, I took my receipt from my last Aldi shopping trip to Giant Eagle (a papular, local grocery store chain) and compared prices.  Just like last time, I chose 'store brands' when they were available to try to keep the comparisons equal.    

I spent $19.27 at Aldi.  The identical products, if purchased at Giant Eagle, would have been $38.44.  That's a 49.9% savings by shopping at Aldi!  That's an even higher percentage than I saved last time, which I think can be attributed to the great mixed fruit deal I found at Aldi, as well as having to buy two bags of chocolate chips that were much more expensive at Giant Eagle.  Either way, I'll gladly accept the savings.  Can you imagine how much larger the savings would have been if I had compared the Aldi receipt to 'name brand' products?

The breakdown is below.








Item Description Aldi Giant Eagle
Loaf/Whole Wheat Bread $1.19 $2.19
Dozen Large Eggs $1.39 $1.96
1 Box Pasta w/Parmesan Sauce $0.79 $1.29
1 Box Instant Mashed Potatoes $0.99 $1.29
Mixed Fruit (2 lbs Apples/2 Oranges) $0.99 $5.36
1 lb Roma Tomatoes $1.49 $1.69
1/2 Gallon Chocolate Ice Cream $1.99 $3.07
2 Boxes Mac and Cheese Spirals $0.58 $2.78
2 Bags Milk Chocolate Chips $2.58 $5.98
Box of Taco Shells $0.99 $1.79
8 oz. Pckage of Cream Cheese $0.89 $1.22
Package of Oreo-style Cookies $1.49 $3.39
1 Can Refried Beans $0.69 $0.79
1 Can Frozen Juice $1.24 $1.79
1 Can Apple Pie Filling $0.99 $2.00
1 Can Sliced Mushrooms $0.50 $0.95
1 Can Diced Tomatoes $0.49 $0.90




P.S.  This post is linked on the Grocery Cart Challenge.  Check out their site!

10 comments:

  1. Aldi has the cheapest chocolate chips I've ever been able to find ($1.29 a bag right now at mine). I want to switch to organic as much as possible so I did check organic chocolate chips at Meijer this morning-$5 for one bag!! And it was a smaller bag too. I think that will be the last thing I switch to organic on lol!

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  2. Hi Sara! I couldn't believe the price difference in chocolate chips between Aldi and Giant Eagle. And the generic Aldi brand taste just like the name brand kind, too. I'll save money any way I can!

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  3. True, the price is lower at Aldi's. However, the quality is often not comparable, and many times you are taking a gamble that the food is edible at all. For instance, I bought frozen fish at Aldi's that even my cats refused to eat. And the bakery section stocks only low-nutrition items with no whole grains and plenty of empty calories and preservatives. I think it's possible to save money if you are picky about what items you purchase, but there's no way I would recommend Aldi's as one's primary food resource.

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  4. Pamela, I must respectfully disagree with you. All of the Aldi's I have shopped at have fresh meat and produce that is every bit as good as a regular grocery store. The frozen fish has always been fine. I only buy 100% whole wheat or 12 grain breads (which Aldi sells). Aldi also has a double price guarantee so if you do get something bad (like your fish) you can always return it. But honestly, it sounds like maybe your local Aldi is just a dud.

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  5. Aldi chocolate chips are SO cheap ($.99 by me) but they contain NO cocoa, only liqueur and butter fat, at least the version my stores carry. Something about that feels so wrong, so I hunt for deals on choc chips at Target instead.

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  6. Once again, I so wish I had an Aldi here in my next of the woods. It sounds like a fabulous store.

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  7. Wow you can save big.

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  8. Budget I have to agree with you. My Aldi (and I do claim it as mine!) has wholegrain white bread, multi-grain breads, plenty of items with great nutritional value. I do 99% of my grocery shopping at Aldi exclusively and have yet to be disappointed.

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  9. We've been shopping at Aldis for about a year now. We buy half our stuff at Aldi and the other half at Walmart. We went into Giant eagle one day and walked right back out. The prices are just plain stupid. Yet people shop their for the small discount on fuel they get for every $50 they spend. It makes me laugh that people want to spend an extra $150 per month at Giant Eagle just to save .50 a gal on fuel lol.

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  10. I take the Aldi ad to Walmart and they match the prices. I was using it just for the fresh produce but the clerk said I could use it for anything in the ad. Meat, deli and I am going to try it on the choc chips. All they have is the Nestles but she said the customer is always right.

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