Many people are familiar with Aldi – the discount, warehouse-style grocer with rockin’ deals.
If you have never entered an Aldi or Ruler Foods, I’m here to tell you, you should. I have 6 reasons you should get your groceries off pallets sitting on the ground. Today.
To keep any brand names out of the discussion, I’m going to refer to the typical, large, has-everything-but-you-can’t-find-anything store as, “Stuffmart.”
Here’s 6 reasons I shop at the little warehouse-style grocery:
#1 Reason – Price
Aldi and Ruler both have some smokin prices. Add to these hot prices that in many areas they are involved in price wars. These price wars mean deep savings for customers.
Regular White milk is $3 – $4 a gallon at a normal grocery. At my little store milk can be found as low as $0.99 per gallon. I have never seen it over $1.99 a gallon. These same amazing prices are found across the entire store.
I lean towards organic foods and Ruler Foods beats and prices I’ve seen. Their organic selection is quite impressive and growing all the time.
#2 Reason – Limited Selection
Some people may think having fewer choices is a bad thing. I don’t. I celebrate having to chose between organic or not organic. This is my kind of decision.
Here’s a glimpse of a few choices one must make at my little store:
Sour cream. Do you want original or reduced fat? These are your only choices. No other sour cream in the entire store.
How about eggs? They have large eggs in 1 dozen cartons. That’s it. Just eggs. Yes or no?
A large selection at my little store looks like this Olive Oil display. Do you want 100% pure, Extra Virgin, or Organic. 3 choices. Easy – I’ll take the organic.
Paper towels? They come in 3 pack or 6 pack. This is the entire selection. You can have 3 or 6.
I don’t know about you, but I can spend 15 minutes standing in the paper product isle at stuffmart. There are about 200 choices…… in paper products! I get so irritated. Part of me is mad that I have spent 15 minutes of my life staring at papertowells. Another part of me is trying to calculate the best price for the best value with the best coupon. The other part of me wants to just throw something in the cart. The last part of me wants to throw the cart. Ugh. Please make it stop.
Do you want 3 or 6? This is a choice I can handle.
#3 Reason – Size
There are 5 isles in my little store. One, Two, Three, Four, Five. 5 Isles. That’s it.
I think one of the reasons I dread the trip to stuffmart is because I will have to walk 3 miles to get 4 things. There’s the hike from the parking lot to the store.
Then there’s the distance from the produce section to the dairy case to the personal hygine department. Of course if you have your children with you there will be the 10 minute tour of the bathrooms upon entering and departing the store. Just go ahead and schedule an hour to pick up those 4 items.
This won’t be a problem at my little store ……. 5 isles…… 2 choices……. no bathrooms. Happy Dance!
#4 Reason – No Distractions
I can walk into stuffmart to buy 5 things and walk out with a cart filled with $100 worth of random things I don’t want. Ugh. At Ruler, there’s no pretty displays of tulip bulbs, snuggies, or turbie twists. I get what I came for, nothing else.
#5 Reason – No Toys
No toy isle. No candy isle. No seasonal isle. My kids don’t ask to buy toys, ninja turtles, or pokemon cards because there aren’t any.
#6 Reason – Time
Anything that can save me time is a sure thing. When you combine: (1) The small size, (2) limited choices AND (3) No bathrooms – This is a recipe for a 15 minute shopping trip. Cue the Hallelujah Chorus.
If you are considering trying a warehouse grocery there’s a couple of things you will need to know. They do work a little differently than the grocery you are probably used to shopping in.
4 Tips for surviving your first trip to a warehouse style grocery store:
- Bring a quarter. In order to use a grocery cart you will need a quarter. You will get your quarter back when you return the cart. This is one way these stores can keep their prices low.
- Plan to buy bags (or bring your own). Not giving away bags is another way they keep their prices so low. At my Ruler the bags are 8 cents each. These are not the usual flimsy bags you are used to. They are sturdy, thick and can be reused. My store lets me bring bags back & reuse them or bring my own bags.
- You will bag your own groceries. Even after you purchase your bags the cashier will not put your groceries in them. You get to. They will probably have some large stainless steel counters set along the wall for easily bagging. Again, this all contributes to the savings.
- Go to the bathroom before you shop. There may not be any public restrooms.
I avoid large groceries with hundreds of choices like the plague. I am very at home at a tiny, warehouse store bagging my own goods, buying my own bags and holding my pee.
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XO,
Candi
