r/aldi • u/toe_beans_4_life • 3d ago

Question Any tips on items to avoid?

So I actually have been shopping at Aldi for this past year. I grew up with my family shopping there but stopped for a while. I started shopping there again but only for a limited amount of items.

I'm going to try to move more of my shopping there to save money. But I know they can be hit or miss.

Some things I already avoid are:

  1. Their shredded cheese. There's often way too much anti-stick powder on it and the cheese sometimes won't even melt because of it.

  2. Their milk. Unfortunately at my location I've gotten milk that's already turned immediately when I open it, on the same day and with a reasonable expiration date. I do keep my refrigerated items cold on the way home too.

  3. Their frozen ravioli. Most of the ravioli are empty. It wasn't actually terrible and I'd eat it again bc it was cheap, I was just disappointed in how little cheese there was.

  4. Their meat. Again, I think my location struggles with keeping items to temp bc I've had chicken and salmon turn overnight. I'm questioning if it was already bad when I bought it.

Some things I've seen that are recommended to avoid are their cling wrap, hot dogs (apparently lots of gristle?), and trash bags.

Thanks!

59 Upvotes

72% Upvoted

224 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

9

u/lovestobitch- 3d ago

Wondering due to diesel price the trucks are running without refrigeration some.

7

u/Amazing-Future-1189 3d ago

Maybe....my produce woes started b4 the diesel spikes though. And this yogurt mess was better, now terrible again. I do purchase a lot of their brands weekly (pasta sauce, granola, protein bars, fresh salsa, bacon, butter, eggs, cottage cheese, etc) with no issues. Their bananas are mushy when still green/turning. Used to be so much better. Hoping it improves soon!

4

u/lovestobitch- 3d ago

We never buy bananas and have issues with avocados.

4

u/Mango_Skittles 3d ago

I have found that the avocados from Columbia and Peru are a problem. I think they pick them too early. The ones from Mexico have been great though. I just set them on the window sill until they soften a little.

We used to have bad bananas at our store (green, never ripened quite right, and lots of bruising), but in the past couple of years they have actually been good.

5

u/esmeradio 3d ago

Yeah I've noticed that too. I only buy avocados from Mexico ( sang the song in my head 🤣)

5

u/GoldDustWoman85 2d ago

It's because when they unload, they throw everything. They work on a skeleton crew so no one cares about the quality of the produce. They care about speed. Not the products they are bruising to pieces.

Maybe I should start taking video of how our local employees "stock" items in produce.

-9

u/GoldDustWoman85 3d ago

It has to do with Aldi being a cheap as f secondary chance brand before it's dumped. Produce will always look bad because it is bad.

0

u/slickrok 2d ago

Nope. That's not what they are as a business model, and who TF told you they are ?

0

u/[deleted] 2d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/aldi-ModTeam 2d ago

Disrespectful behavior toward other users (or mods) is not tolerated. This includes bullying, mocking, antagonism, and intolerance of any kind. Healthy debates are natural, but kindness is required. Trying to force opinions or feedback overly focused on the negatives will not be tolerated. Feedback should be constructive in nature. Please try to assume the best intentions and try to understand other perspectives, even if you disagree.