3 Reasons to Shop at Aldi if You Haven't Before

If you've never shopped at Aldi before, it may be time to change your routine.

It took me a while to get on board with the idea of shopping at Aldi -- not because I had anything against the store, but rather, because my local Aldi happens to be located right across from my nearby Costco. And it's pretty hard to tear me away from Costco and its gloriously low prices.

But recently, I decided to give Aldi a chance, and I discovered some pretty neat things about it. And so if you have an Aldi in your neck of the woods that you've yet to check out, it could pay to pop in for a visit. Here's why. 

1. Low prices

As someone who shops at Costco a lot, I'm clearly the type of consumer who likes to save money on groceries and household essentials. When I visited my local Aldi, I was shocked (in a good way) at my total credit card tab. Not only were the prices lower than my neighborhood ShopRite, but they were extremely competitive with Costco's prices -- only at Aldi, you don't have to commit to buying in bulk. 

As of the end of 2022, the cost of food at home (meaning, grocery store items) was up 11.8% on an annual basis. That's well ahead of the general pace of inflation, which, as of December 2022, came in at 6.5% compared to the previous year. And so at a time when food costs are so unbelievably high, shopping at Aldi could result in a nice amount of savings.  

2. New and exciting brands

A lot of the brands Aldi has in stock aren't national ones you see advertised frequently. Now, you may decide that's a bad thing. But if you're someone who enjoys sampling new brands, it can be a good thing. 

Plus, because most of Aldi's brands aren't so well-known, you can bet they're not spending millions of dollars on advertising each year. That means they can pass that savings onto consumers by keeping their prices low.

3. Different products all the time

Aldi is known to rotate its product line frequently. On the one hand, this does mean that if you find a product you love at Aldi, you run the risk of it not being there for the long haul. But you also get an opportunity to try out different products from one shopping trip to the next. If you're someone who finds it fun to explore new products, shopping at Aldi might end up being quite enjoyable for you.

Shopping at Aldi can be a mixed bag. You may find that the selection of food is limited at your local store, and if you have members of your family who are picky eaters (that's right, kids, we're talking about you), then Aldi may not end up being your ideal grocery shopping destination. But if your goal this year is to spend less and add more money to your savings account, then it pays to shop at Aldi for the discounts alone. And you might even discover some cool new brands and products along the way.