Friday, June 3, 2016

ALDI Launches Grocery Concept in SoCal

Good Food


Exciting consumer shopping news has broken on the West Coast. In trend-setting Southern California, land of organic food, eco-friendly lifestyles, swimming pools and perfect-looking movie stars, the grocery store chain industry has finally gotten a badly needed and overdue face lift. 


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MBE partnered with ALDI for this post

Meet ALDI, the new grocer in town. ALDI has gone from 0 to opening 25  stores in the Southland in the Los Angeles metro area and surrounding counties -- as far east as La Quinta, south as Calexico and north to Bakersfield. 

For this review, I shopped at the ALDI Inglewood, California store for the first time last week and am already hooked on this new option for buying groceries. Apparently so is my hubby and kids who did not come to the store with me but who are all asking when I am going on my next shopping trip there to bring home more of their favorite items. In this post you'll learn why you will love it too.


California Sunrise Medley Potatoes, MommyBlogExpert.com

With the Golden State joining the 40 year-old US family, ALDI now has more than 1500 locations in 34 states. All stores are built on the same simple concept: We consumers deserve a low-price grocery store option with multiple convenient locations in major metro areas that don't sacrifice quality or force shoppers to buy products in bulk to save money. 


Organic Avocados, MommyBlogExpert.com


What I'm talking about is a unique store I've learned first hand makes it easy for buyers to save up to 50% on our grocery bill because they offer predominantly ALDI exclusive brands that live up to or exceed the quality standards of America's best known national brands.
 

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ALDI is a store stocking high quality products that are priced lower than anywhere else: organic items, including locally grown produce, fresh fish and USDA Choice meats, and large selections of both gluten-free and other products free of more than 125 artificial ingredients and preservatives.

Below you see  SimplyNature® Organic Spring Mix of Baby Lettuces, Green and Radicchio ($3.89/16 ozs), along with Garden Medley Tomatoes ($2.89/10 ozs) and Blueberries ($2.49/pint). The SimplyNature® line is one of the ALDI exclusive brands which includes USDA Certified Organic and Non-GMO verified items. They also have an impressive array of fresh, packaged and frozen gluten-free products under the brand name liveGfree®.


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Based on all the things I bought, just a fraction of which are pictured throughout this post, I'd estimate I would be spending at least 50% more at another supermarket, quite possibly even more.

For example, at other markets, I previously paid between $9.99-$14.99 a pound for fresh salmon. However, at ALDI I purchased Fresh Atlantic Salmon Fillets for just $5.99/pound and my entire family is raving that this was the best fish they've ever tasted at home or in a restaurant. 

And this gorgeous mixed bouquet of flowers for our table? Just $4.49. Item after item, I never ceased to be amazed by the excellent quality and low prices throughout the store.


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How ALDI Keeps Costs Low, Quality High and is Eco-Friendly


From the moment I entered the lot with ample parking, I sensed this was going to be unlike any other grocery shopping experience I've ever had. As I walked toward the front door I noticed something I've never seen here in the USA, but have seen elsewhere in the world. 

Cart Rental System, MommyBlogExpert.com


To help cut hidden costs big supermarket chains pass on to consumers for lost shopping carts and the labor to wrangle them and bring them back, ALDI asks shoppers to rent a shopping cart for a quarter which you get back when you return your cart after you're done. How genius is that?

Inside the typical store, which is slightly smaller in total square footage than I've experienced elsewhere in a traditional supermarket, you'll find a spacious, cheery and bright layout with only four or five aisles which are wider than a single lane on an L.A. freeway. Just think you can actually shop without bumping into other customers or have to move wandering shopping carts out of the way.


Wide spacious aisles, MommyBlogExpert.com

With the goal of saving green (both the Earth and money), it's also important to point out that all ALDI locations are constructed with environmentally-friendly materials like energy-efficient refrigeration and LED lighting.


ALDI produce so fresh, low cost, MommyBlogExpert.com

Stay tuned for another post next week on the blog showing you all the delicious recipes I created using fresh and healthy ingredients bought at ALDI. 


Meanwhile... find an ALDI store within 30 minutes of where many of LA's celebrities live.




About ALDI

Learn more about ALDI, this week's special promotions, and find the store nearest you by visiting the official website. You can also keep up to date on everything this leading grocery retailer is doing by following the brand on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

FTC Disclosure: This post was sponsored by ALDI as part of Influencer Activation for Influence Central. However opinions here are our own. See complete FTC Disclosure that appears at the bottom of MBE's home page and at the bottom of every individual post including this one.