Aldi 101: Don’t Forget Your Quarter!

Whether you’re a foodie or a mom on a budget (aren’t we all a little of both?), you owe it to yourself to check out Aldi grocery stores. If you’ve never been, you may be thinking Aldi is overwhelming or that you don’t understand how the store works. Those are the famous last words of all my Aldi converts!

Yes the store has a unique style of shopping, but once you know what you need you’ll be amazed at how little you spend on a full cart. Click here for locations – there are multiple stores in Wichita, one in Derby, and one in Hutchinson!

aldi wichita ks

Aldi 101 :: 7 Tips for Newbies

1. Keep an Aldi quarter in your car, you’ll need it to get a shopping cart. And please don’t try and skip the cart all together because you’ll always find more than you expect! The quarter system allows the store to keep prices low by not having an employee deal with carts in the parking lot.

2. Download the app. It shows you the sales and specialty items two weeks in advance. This helps you plan your shopping trip and gives you an idea of some of the items you’ll find.

3. Don’t go when you’re in a hurry. In fact, if you can leave the kids at home the first time I would recommend it. There is a lot packed into just four aisles, so you’ll want to take your time to browse. After you know what you like, the process goes a lot faster.

 4. Stock up on specialty items. Aldi runs specials on different kinds of cuisine throughout the year, but once the items are gone they are gone for a long time. So when I find something I like, I buy several items at once.

5. Bring your own bags or grab empty boxes you see in the store. Aldi doesn’t offer any free bags, but you can pay for plastic or paper at checkout. So if you forget bags, feel free to get an empty box  from a shelf and fill it up.

6. Pack your patience. The checkout lines can be long depending on the time of day. Once your items are rung up, they’ll be put into another cart. You then take that cart to fill your bags/boxes.

7. Go to your car to unload. There is space inside the store to put your groceries into your bags, but I find it easier to go straight to my car and fill the bags in my trunk (weather permitting!). That way if the kids are going crazy, you can get them in their car seats while you finish up.

Hopefully this will help give you the confidence you need to try Aldi! It’s a different shopping experience for sure, but when you start finding fun new foods and save a ton of money it’s worth it.  Happy shopping!

Kim Trinchet
Kim is a Wichita transplant who never planned to stay, but 15 years later she’s convinced Wichita is the perfect place to raise a family. She’s a wife to Jorge and a mama to Nico and Lucia. She moved here from the Chicago suburbs and works in the communications world. The rest of her time is focused on seeking out adventures with her little family. She also loves browsing grocery store aisles, reading cookbooks, iced coffee and wine. Kim’s trying to learn Spanish as well, her kiddos are bilingual and already speak better than she does!