I have come to love Aldi. I buy a lot of chicken, and I have never had an issue with it. I like their produce because it always seems very fresh. The checkout is so speedy even when the store is crowded. Prices are good!

I shop at aldi in spurts. I have had good experience with fruits and vegetables-- and the prices on milk, eggs, etc seem to be really good. I've never purchased meat there.

I shop at Aldi regularly. What we don't buy there we get local or from another grocery store.

For meat I like their chicken whole, frozen in bag (they have different ones - all breast, all tenderloins, etc.), and the fresh cuts from the refrigerated section (not breaded). I think it tastes and looks the same as other brand name chicken from other stores. I also like their ground turkey, there is some without msg. I don't care for their frozen fish. I like their canned tuna and salmon. I also like their nitrate free bacon. I bought a Butterball turkey there before. We get our beef locally.

ETA- we don't buy deli/lunch meat often but I like their nitrate-free turkey and ham. I'm sure the other stuff is fine too as far as flavor goes.

In general, ours carries a lot of brands you'll see in other grocery stores for less. There's not a thing wrong with it. They just had frozen duck that I saw later in another store. Same thing with sweet potatoes, Coke a Cola, etc.

Overall I really like the store and most of what's in it. We don't buy much of the processed foods and some that we've tried we liked and others we didn't.

ETA again It probably varies by store but our check out lines are never long. I have found on occasion some things picked, usually produce. So like aok we shop their first a lot of times and then fill in.

I love Aldi. Knowing that their selection is limited, I shop there first, then fill in with the other stores. I don't eat meat, so I don't buy it fresh there. I do occasionally buy the lunch meat for DH, it seems fine. They have started carrying more name brands, although that doesn't matter to me, I buy store brands most of the time.

Recently one of ours (are they all the same on any given week?) has had eggs for .44 and milk for something like 1.49/gal. I love when they have avocados for less than .50! You just have to really watch the ads.

And don't go at peak times if you're in a hurry! Even though the checkers are crazy fast, those lines can get really long.

Thanks to all for the suggestions. I am printing this and will take it with me.

They carry a lot of not national brands, however, when I've researched many of these brands, they've turned out to be subsidiaries or related to national food mfrs. quality is likely the same, just different packaging. Any time I go in there I find a bargain but since two stores are not exactly near me I don't go often.

I think their concept of paying for use of shopping cart is genious, a great deterrent to the lazy people incapable of returning carts to corral.

I've not been disappointed in anything I've bought from Aldi yet--except perhaps their coffee (but I'm a coffee snob). I especially love their selection of cheese, many from around the world (ie. good Irish cheddar, French brie, gorgonzola, etc). I always stop at Aldi first and get fresh produce, almond milk, eggs, cheese, pantry staples, quinoa, spices, meats like ground turkey, scot towels, tissues, foil and kitchen/sandwich bags, etc. They have a growing list of organics now. Anything I can't find at Aldi I then make a stop at SuperTarget. Luckily they are within a block of each other.

Love their Roseland (?) brand pork chops and Appleton Farms hams and the AF hams are a great deal for $.89cents/lb for shank portion

They freeze well too. AF hams are seasonal, usually fall thru Easter.

Have no issue w/their chicken - in fact, the last time I bought some they had a sticker that said take $2.00 off this pkg.

Ground beef was fine too.
Extra virgin olive oil is a good deal as well.

Now the the thing I didn't care for is their foil - it was inexpensive but also very thin.

I'm also a fan of their Fit & Lively smoked sausage. Also, their Fit & Lively brand soups are low sodium and fat, I like to use the cream of chicken or mushroom in casseroles or gravy.

I have not come to love Aldi and have never found anything I've wanted to buy there. I've left empty handed several times. I keep thinking I'll give it another try as they're everywhere in my new neighborhood.

Save your receipts. If you don't like any of their brand items, you can return for a double guarantee,

I like their cheese, and they have good prices on prosciutto and nuts. The produce I have tried from there tends to go bad more quickly, and it's not always the best price compared to my regular grocery. A few times of year they have inexpensive orchids or other plants. Their non-food, seasonal merchandise seems cheap and I have never bought any of it. I tried their frozen macarons and thought they were pretty bad - I would have taken them back had I been going that way again and known about their double guarantee.

I wonder if it varies significantly by location. At ours, the produce is very variable. It's generally priced very well, but sometimes it's most attractive and other times I would not buy it.

I find their dairy in particular (their own brands of cottage cheese and greek yogurt) are great and way cheaper than at our usual supermarket. I have not bought meat there.

They sell gluten free pretzels and some of the chips they sell (the "healthy kind") are really quite good and much cheaper

I live in an area that is packed full of food stores and have found that Aldi is lower priced on some things but not all - especially when I use my rewards card where I normally shop. It's just enough out of the way to not make it worth a dedicated trip. However I do like to buy baking supplies, taco seasoning, Greek yogurt, some produce and frozen turkey sausage breakfast sandwiches there. They also have fun things at the holidays like I've seen at Costco but in more manageable serving size. Last year I bought some delicious dark cherries in a pretty jar. I don't like their coffee but have friends who like their wine.

I buy lactose free milk there, and it is a dollar cheaper per half gallon than the major chain store here. Their 100% whole wheat bread is good, not sawdusty. Yes to avocados and oranges, etc. The display of fresh fruits and vegetables is not so great, but there is nothing wrong with the produce itself, and cauliflower and broccoli is usually a dollar a head cheaper than major chain. Have never gotten meat. Just haven't tried it yet. Cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soup is half the price here.

"how do you like Aldi overall. The only other choice is publix or Winn-Dixie."

I don't have an Aldi convenient for weekly shopping, but I want to reassure the OP that Publix and Winn Dixie are both good grocery stores. Publix has been rated second best grocery in the nation by Consumer Reports.

Carry on.

In many cases, I would consider produce that spoils early a good thing. If you research the origin, harvest and preservation of most produce that ends up sold here in the U.S., you'll know what I mean.

Ours just opened last week. It has been too busy to really check it out thoroughly. I was REALLY REALLY hoping they would be selling nuts in the shell for Christmas at a much lower price than what is available elsewhere. No such option, BUMMER.