h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Growing up as a boy in Illinois My mother would take my two brothers and I to Aldi's and tell us that we could have any breakfast cereal that we liked (which was the dream of just about any child I'm sure) whereupon we would promptly grab the closest thing resembling fruitloops while begging her all the while to buy potato chips. There may not be many Aldi's in the US but there are enough that many people in the midwest will recognize that marvelous orange 'A' whenever they drive by.

American's also have the additional fun of being required to place a quarter into a change slot on the side of their Aldi's shopping carts so that they could unlock it from a chain of carts outside of the store, this was obviously a brilliant ploy to keep Aldi from having to hire additional employees as anyone wanting their quarter back had to re-chain the shopping cart to the rack (providing many a child a chance to help the elderly and get a quarter in return, don't laugh, it's a lot of money when you're seven)

Brasidas

paying a deposit for your shopping trolley is a way of life here in Germany. And now you get "chips" attached to keyrings, so at busy times at Aldi there are big queues outside the shop waiting for trolleys, everyone clutching their coin, and when you think you've got lucky and someone brings one back you have to wait while they get their "chip" back! They won't even swap chips with you (presumably because they have to have the matching colour to their keyring!!)

I live in a northern suburb area of Cincinnati, OH - about midway between 2 Aldi's stores. I shop at both of them, though not at the same time, of course! I enjoy the rustic charm of bagging my own groceries, and being rewarded for returning my cart. Sometimes I just take a handbasket in and shop until it's full. I find Aldi's a very good place to stock up on the essentials like soup, crackers, pickles, aspirin, bread, and of course, watered-down orange juice! I still go to other grocery stores - like Thriftway - to pick up more specialized items, but I don't need to get as much at them, or spend as much, because I've already got the basics from Aldi. I have yet to break the $50 barrier at Aldi - and I end up getting much more stuff. I frequently break that barrier at Thriftway, and don't get near as much, but then I'm paying for people to bring in my cart, and continually handle my prospective purchases, and to bag my groceries in such a way as to maximize the possibility of groceries falling out all over my car as soon as I turn onto the street. I do miss the pimply-faced high school boys trying to put the make on the checkout girls while they're bagging my groceries, but then, for the price, I can't expect everything! Overall, I've found that Aldi stores seem to be a friendlier place to shop, even though (because?) there is usually only one check-out line. They seem so much more personable. Customers actually talk to other customers - probably because there is no other available help in locating an item - while at Thriftway I've seen people travel all over the store in search of someone to help them find something!

I sometimes wonder if creating stores that carry everything and encompass multiple acres has served to help foster an attitude of resentment (over having to walk for miles to find bread!) or frustration (over having walked the miles and still not found it without asking an employee and finding out you were only one aisle away from it in the first place!). I can certainly understand the customer - to - customer alienation prevalent in the larger stores. After all, these are the same people who took up all the close parking places and who are trying to kill you on the road, so you certainly don't want to talk to them, and don't trust them to answer truthfully if they do respond with an answer other than "I don't know". But at Aldi's stores, there is a feeling of comeraderie (sp?) based on the fact that you're all there trying to fulfill the basic needs without spending every cent you own to do it! There is no competition to get to the checkout before somebody else who just walked past 15 closed checout lanes with a full cart to get down to the express lanes. There is no express lane at Aldi! Everyone is equal, whether they have a full cart or just carrying a couple items. And people carrying a couple items are usually invited to go ahead of someone with a full cart! I don't recall seeing that in an express lane! Or any other lane at Thriftway or biggs or Meijer's.

I am glad that Aldi's is in my area! I wish everybody had 1 or 2 available to them!

Did you have to bring up shoping trolleys i worked at a supermarket for ten years pushing them about i can't get away from them for five minutes there in every film in every shop on street corners or the trucks with the name of the supermarket are passing me as i walk down the road now there on the internet how can i get away from them.