Aldi Grocery Store
New Ulm welcomed a new grocery store on October 20th, 2016. The new Aldi store is located on West Ridge Road. Aldi is a retail chain selling a range of necessary grocery items, including produce, meat and dairy, at discounted prices. Aldi has been a big hit for the New Ulm residences and customers who shop there. Aldi grocery stores nationwide do not use plastic or paper bags, but they will sell reusable bags for customers to keep, or customers can bring their own reusable bags and boxes. A customer gave their input on the decision Aldi made for not using plastic bags, “The checkouts are just amazingly blazingly fast, and I don’t think I have waited more then two minutes to check out. I can not imagine the amount of plastic the community of New Ulm will save with the reusable bags at Aldi’s and not using plastic bags every time you go to the grocery store.”
The Aldi store in New Ulm will only hire people who are 18 years and older, and can start as a shelf-stacker or an assistant manager with a fairly high starting wage. The New Ulm location will only hire thirty people for the entire store due to the size of the store, and the income of the store. Many of the workers at Aldi’s enjoy their jobs as a shelf stacker, or a person to run the cash register and scan the items. Aldi is also one of the only stores in America that allows the cashiers to sit down as they ring up groceries.
The produce in the store is stacked fresh every day, and has to be restocked multiple times a day. Aldi also carries free range meats, and eggs. The USDA organic stamp is put on 95% of their farm fresh products. Farmers do not use antibiotics or growth hormones in their cattle, and no pesticides or chemicals were used to grow their crops. Aldi’s has many gluten free foods, and has been very successful in selling their gluten free products fast and efficiently. Aldi’s also sells everyday necessities such as organic toothpaste, hand soaps, shampoo and conditioner. A local customer was interviewed on the Aldi brand foods and fruits, “The quality of the produce compared to their competitors is much better whether it is produce, canned goods, or frozen foods. Everything I have tried there has exceeded my expectations in flavor, freshness and quantities of the food for the price I have bought them at. They are much more competitively priced then their leading competitors, but they do have cheaper foods then at WalMart which really surprised me.”
I interviewed a local customer who usually shops at Aldi’s and asked about how the new store has made life easier and cheaper to buy fresh and healthy foods, “It has made life more convenient because the location is easy in easy out, and it is also much easier to utilize and access. The size of the store also smaller so it is easier to run in and grab something quickly. Going to a big box store and looking for the one thing you need, it is usually in the back of the store and takes a few minutes to get rang up. ”
The fruit and produce Aldi sells is cheaper than a name brand label, or even a store brand. Each container of Aldi low fat yogurt is $.39 to $.49 each, while the leading brand Yoplait is almost $.30 more. A local customer gave their opinion on the prices on the Aldi foods and produce, “The prices are much cheaper for their foods, and I think that is because I don’t think they have the variety like a big box store. If I needed to get rice I would only find one type of rice at Aldi, but at a larger competitor store I could find 16 different varieties. Aldi definitely doesn’t have the selection, but it has the basic necessities.”
Aldi has been a great addition to New Ulm and has been very appreciated by many local people who have shopped at this location. Aldi has recently been on the charts for best produce and fruit at a great price. New Ulm will keep this Aldi location for a long time, because it has been a great addition to the town. “This grocery store has reminded me of a small town grocery store, sort of like a mom and pops kind of place, it has what you need in there, it is just plain and simple, straightforward and that is all you really need.”
