This morning, George and I went to Aldi's for the first time. My first
impression was, the store is not very big. They had brands that I am not
familiar with, but they had decent prices. They did not have scallions,
but they had everything else on my list. I bought 10 lbs of russet
potatoes because they were 29 cents per pound, so now I have to cook
potatoes, even though they are not George's favorite vegetable. Poor
George. We had to insert 25 cents to get a grocery basket, I have never
seen that before.

So, how do you like Aldi's?

Becca

On Tue, 14 May 2013 17:11:07 -0500, Ema Nymton >
wrote:
....
>So, how do you like Aldi's?
>
>Becca

I like it spelled correctly: ALDI

No 's'!

John Kuthe...

On Tuesday, May 14, 2013 6:33:45 PM UTC-4, John Kuthe wrote:
> On Tue, 14 May 2013 17:11:07 -0500, Ema Nymton >
>
> wrote:
>
> ...
>
> >So, how do you like Aldi's?
>
> >
>
> >Becca
>
>
>
> I like it spelled correctly: ALDI
>
>
>
> No 's'!
>
>
>
> John Kuthe...

Do you like queer spelled faggot or homo? How's your job search going?

I like and buy:

milk

half and half

eggs

yogurt

cheese

butter

pasta

crackers

cereal

tortillas

canned beans and tomatoes

rice

mac and cheese

frozen vegetables

peanut butter

laundry and dish detergent

plastic baggies, foil

ground turkey

ham

paper products

bread and hamburger / hotdog buns

produce, but not much as it does not stay fresh long

coffee beans

.... and probably more. I'd say everything is worth a try. It's great
for stocking your freezer and pantry with affordable staples.

Tara

Grocery store was implicit in the title as in the grocery store
belonging to Aldi.

It is good for boredom relief but I don't regularly go there. I love the
Deutsche Kroene amaretto pound cakes. The non-food products are fun to
look at-bought a lawn chair once that was spectacular. I like the
package of tostada shells. It is a good place to buy cheap treats to
take to work. I am still afraid to try their meats though they clearly
have an efficient delivery to shelf system due to being small stores.
Usually I will spend under $20 when I do go. I am surrounded by people
shopping for large families is what I notice when I am there.

On May 14, 5:47*pm, Tara > wrote:
>
> I like and buy:
>
> milk
>
> half and half
>
> eggs
>
> yogurt
>
> cheese
>
> butter
>
> pasta
>
> crackers
>
> cereal
>
> tortillas
>
> canned beans and tomatoes
>
> rice
>
> mac and cheese
>
> frozen vegetables
>
> peanut butter
>
> laundry and dish detergent
>
> plastic baggies, foil
>
> ground turkey
>
> ham
>
> paper products
>
> bread and hamburger / hotdog buns
>
> produce, but not much as it does not stay fresh long
>
> coffee beans
>
> ... and probably more. *I'd say everything is worth a try. *It's great
> for stocking your freezer and pantry with affordable staples.
>
> Tara
>
>
I buy about ¾ the same items and have been pleased with all that
I've bought. As far as the quarter goes for the cart, you get it back
when you return it. Some of their 'weekly specials' for non food
items are interesting such shredders, shelves, utensils, steamers,
etc. Have you tried their housebrand of mayonnaise? It's called
Bermans/Berrmans and the jar looks quite similar to Hellman's.

On Tue, 14 May 2013 17:11:07 -0500, Ema Nymton >
wrote:

>This morning, George and I went to Aldi's for the first time. My first
>impression was, the store is not very big. They had brands that I am not
>familiar with, but they had decent prices. They did not have scallions,
>but they had everything else on my list. I bought 10 lbs of russet
>potatoes because they were 29 cents per pound, so now I have to cook
>potatoes, even though they are not George's favorite vegetable. Poor
>George. We had to insert 25 cents to get a grocery basket, I have never
>seen that before.
>
>So, how do you like Aldi's?
>
>Becca

Mediocre. We've only shopped there a few times and what we bought was
OK, but not great. Butter and eggs were good, but my grandson did not
like the milk. That could vary with local suppliers though.

Produce selection was very small, some was good, the rest looked like
it was ready for the pig farm. The meats are injected crap. OK if
you want to pay $5 a pound for water and salt.

It is near the bottom of our list of stores. If you need an essential
item and are close by, fine, but now worth driving an extra mile for.
The cart thing is very European and making a bit of headway around
here. The good part of it, people take the carts back and don't leave
them to bang into cars in the parking lot.

"Ema Nymton" > wrote in message
...
> This morning, George and I went to Aldi's for the first time. My first
> impression was, the store is not very big. They had brands that I am not
> familiar with, but they had decent prices. They did not have scallions,
> but they had everything else on my list. I bought 10 lbs of russet
> potatoes because they were 29 cents per pound, so now I have to cook
> potatoes, even though they are not George's favorite vegetable. Poor
> George. We had to insert 25 cents to get a grocery basket, I have never
> seen that before.
>
> So, how do you like Aldi's?
>
> Becca

We don't have them here. I did shop at one in PA, twice. At that point
they did not have any produce. I don't even remember frozen or refrigerated
foods. My MIL said they were best for non-food items and canned goods. I
did buy some kind of tomato sauce and maybe some beans the first time. The
next time I bought two cans of an off brand diet sodas and a stuffed animal.
Daughter now has the stuffed animal.

On Tue, 14 May 2013 19:35:55 -0700, wrote:

> Have you tried their housebrand of mayonnaise? It's called
> Bermans/Berrmans and the jar looks quite similar to Hellman's.

I did try it, but I didn't love it or repurchase it. I can't remember
anything wrong with it; it just wasn't my preference. I have stopped
buying anything but Duke's or Hellman's. Those are my favorites. I
don't go through mayo so quickly that I can't splurge on my favorite.
That said, I would give it a try if you are curious.

Tara

On May 14, 3:11*pm, Ema Nymton > wrote:
> This morning, George and I went to Aldi's for the first time. *My first
> impression was, the store is not very big. They had brands that I am not
> familiar with, but they had decent prices. They did not have scallions,
> but they had everything else on my list. I bought 10 lbs of russet
> potatoes because they were 29 cents per pound, so now I have to cook
> potatoes, even though they are not George's favorite vegetable. Poor
> George. We had to insert 25 cents to get a grocery basket, I have never
> seen that before.
>
> So, how do you like Aldi's?
>

My buddy managed one when they first came to America, some 35 years
ago. At the time, at least, they private labeled the best known
products in America: Their blue swirl laundry detergent was Cheer,
their orange swirl detergent was Tide, all the soups came from
Campbell. They were even less frills than they are now: no
refrigeration in the store. "Velveeta" was the only dairy product I
can recall. No bags, not even for sale -- the way Costco is now. And,
like Costco. the cashier would throw stuff into another cart as she
rang it up. No prices were marked -- Boxes were simply slit open as
needed -- the cashier would have to memorize the prices of everything.
But there was a minimum of unique pricing. I think a can of Campbell's
Tomato soup was a dime, 50% lower than anywhere else.

As time went on they added some Euro touches like the quarter to
release a cart (you get that back when you return it). That tends to
insure that no carts lurk in the parking lots -- people who want to
make 25 cents will pick it up. Also the non-food weekly specials --
people buy their power tools and even their AC generator.

I have shopped at Aldi's in Munich. If you like their housebrands they
are fine, but I treated it like Trader Joe's here, as a supplementary
store rather than the one to shop. They were the only store to take
back their beverage containers, making them a bit inconvenient. One
thing I liked was the tricolored bell peppers that you sometimes see
at TJ's.

"Julie Bove" > wrote:
> "Ema Nymton" > wrote in message
> ...
>> This morning, George and I went to Aldi's for the first time. My first
>> impression was, the store is not very big. They had brands that I am not
>> familiar with, but they had decent prices. They did not have scallions,
>> but they had everything else on my list. I bought 10 lbs of russet
>> potatoes because they were 29 cents per pound, so now I have to cook
>> potatoes, even though they are not George's favorite vegetable. Poor
>> George. We had to insert 25 cents to get a grocery basket, I have never
>> seen that before.
>>
>> So, how do you like Aldi's?
>>
>> Becca
>
> We don't have them here. I did shop at one in PA, twice. At that point
> they did not have any produce. I don't even remember frozen or refrigerated
> foods. My MIL said they were best for non-food items and canned goods. I
> did buy some kind of tomato sauce and maybe some beans the first time. The
> next time I bought two cans of an off brand diet sodas and a stuffed animal.
> Daughter now has the stuffed animal.

I shop in pa. I bought their extra fatty ground beef, and I didn't like it.
I quickly got tired of the pre made hash brown rectangles, too oily. Tried
mayo, but I'll use any kind, but my favorite is miracle whip. Fresh
veggies ok but sparse. Good buys in nuts and stuff. I always forget to take
my home depot monster shopping bag.

I also use bottom dollar, better produce, more selections, and have pop.
Even had raw peanuts.

But I bought my generator at Aldi, a very good buy.

Greg

Rumor is their store brands are very good. I went into one and grabbed a couple of things and headed to the check out. Looked like a two hour wait...so I just sit it down somewhere and walked out. Not my kinda place.

On May 16, 5:28*pm, bigwheel >
wrote:
>
> Rumor is their store brands are very good. I went into one and grabbed a
> couple of things and headed to the check out. Looked like a two hour
> wait...so I just sit it down somewhere and walked out. Not my kinda
> place.
>
>
> bigwheel
>
>
That is one aggravation they have; longish lines. But they do get you
quickly checked out as your purchases are placed in another cart and
you're gotten out of the way for the next customer. You take the
filled cart and bag/pack your groceries into whatever box or bags you
have brought with you.

bigwheel wrote:
> Ema Nymton;1834358 Wrote:
>> This morning, George and I went to Aldi's for the first time. My
>> first
>>
>> impression was, the store is not very big. They had brands that I am
>> not
>>
>> familiar with, but they had decent prices. They did not have
>> scallions,
>>
>> but they had everything else on my list. I bought 10 lbs of russet
>> potatoes because they were 29 cents per pound, so now I have to cook
>> potatoes, even though they are not George's favorite vegetable. Poor
>> George. We had to insert 25 cents to get a grocery basket, I have
>> never
>>
>> seen that before.
>>
>> So, how do you like Aldi's?
>>
>> Becca
>
> Rumor is their store brands are very good. I went into one and
> grabbed a couple of things and headed to the check out. Looked like a
> two hour wait...so I just sit it down somewhere and walked out. Not
> my kinda place.

I have a friend in Chicago who buys a lot of his food there. He does keep
kosher so I don't think his meat comes from there. But he does buy their
bagels.

wrote:
> That is one aggravation they have; longish lines. But they do get you
> quickly checked out as your purchases are placed in another cart and
> you're gotten out of the way for the next customer. You take the
> filled cart and bag/pack your groceries into whatever box or bags you
> have brought with you.

I went into the Grocery Outlet in Oakland and I could not believe how long
the lines were! Only other time I saw anything that bad was at the military
commissary.

On 5/16/2013 5:28 PM, bigwheel wrote:
> Ema Nymton;1834358 Wrote:
>> This morning, George and I went to Aldi's for the first time. My first
>>
>> impression was, the store is not very big. They had brands that I am not
>>
>> familiar with, but they had decent prices. They did not have scallions,
>>
>> but they had everything else on my list. I bought 10 lbs of russet
>> potatoes because they were 29 cents per pound, so now I have to cook
>> potatoes, even though they are not George's favorite vegetable. Poor
>> George. We had to insert 25 cents to get a grocery basket, I have never
>>
>> seen that before.
>>
>> So, how do you like Aldi's?
>>
>> Becca
>
> Rumor is their store brands are very good. I went into one and grabbed a
> couple of things and headed to the check out. Looked like a two hour
> wait...so I just sit it down somewhere and walked out. Not my kinda
> place.


We tend to go grocery shopping very early in the morning during the week
so we don't usually see lines anywhere.

I liked Aldi's and I think it will go into our shopping rotation. So
far, the store brands seem to be fine. Last night we had burgers we
bought there and they were very good (80/20, 1/4 pound, 3 pounds of
$8.89 or around 74 cents each).

Some prices were very low... cream cheese was 99 cents compared to $1.98
at Walmart. Milk was $1.89 per gallon compared to $3.49 at Sam's. Eggs
were 74 cents a dozen. Boxed mac and cheese is 39 cents (a guilty
pleasure).

And they had a "take it and bake it" pizza with the works for $5.99 (16
inch). We tried it and it was good enough that I would buy it again.

George L

Thanks for that report. Maybe give them another try at the proper time of day/week etc. Will at least put the burgers and pizza on the agenda. We buy some kind of high dollar organic milk and eggs I think. Our eggs must come from happy chickens..lol.

In article >,
Ema Nymton > wrote:

> This morning, George and I went to Aldi's for the first time. My first
> impression was, the store is not very big. They had brands that I am not
> familiar with, but they had decent prices. They did not have scallions,
> but they had everything else on my list. I bought 10 lbs of russet
> potatoes because they were 29 cents per pound, so now I have to cook
> potatoes, even though they are not George's favorite vegetable. Poor
> George. We had to insert 25 cents to get a grocery basket, I have never
> seen that before.
>
> So, how do you like Aldi's?
>
> Becca

It's okay but I don't carry much cash so I don't go often. You should
have gotten that quarter back. Did you?
--
Barb,
http://www.barbschaller.com, as of April 8, 2013.

Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> In article >,
> Ema Nymton > wrote:
>
>> This morning, George and I went to Aldi's for the first time. My first
>> impression was, the store is not very big. They had brands that I am not
>> familiar with, but they had decent prices. They did not have scallions,
>> but they had everything else on my list. I bought 10 lbs of russet
>> potatoes because they were 29 cents per pound, so now I have to cook
>> potatoes, even though they are not George's favorite vegetable. Poor
>> George. We had to insert 25 cents to get a grocery basket, I have never
>> seen that before.
>>
>> So, how do you like Aldi's?
>>
>> Becca
>
> It's okay but I don't carry much cash so I don't go often. You should
> have gotten that quarter back. Did you?


I buy most of my groceries at Aldi.

The prices beat the pants off of every other store in town, even Sam's
Club, Costco, and Walmart. All of their store brands are good quality
(I dislike a few things that are too sweet or not spiced to my liking,
but that's not really a quality issue.) The produce is hit-or-miss. I
don't buy much meat there except whole hams, frozen fish, and sliced
luncheon meats. OTOH, I don't eat much meat -- I can coast all week on
one restaurant 1/2 pound hamburger with all the trimmings. :-)

For a while Aldi replaced their pints of sour cream onion/ranch dip with
some nasty flavored skim milk and hydrogenated palm oil crap, but the
good real dairy stuff is back again. So you do need to read the labels.

The lines are long sometimes, but they move really fast. I have trouble
unloading my basket fast enough to keep up with the checker, and I can't
watch the prices ring up that way. But I check the receipt afterwards
and I've never found a mistake.

Bob

Ed Pawlowski wrote:
>
> On Tue, 14 May 2013 17:11:07 -0500, Ema Nymton >
> wrote:
>
> >This morning, George and I went to Aldi's for the first time. My first
> >impression was, the store is not very big. They had brands that I am not
> >familiar with, but they had decent prices. They did not have scallions,
> >but they had everything else on my list. I bought 10 lbs of russet
> >potatoes because they were 29 cents per pound, so now I have to cook
> >potatoes, even though they are not George's favorite vegetable. Poor
> >George. We had to insert 25 cents to get a grocery basket, I have never
> >seen that before.
> >
> >So, how do you like Aldi's?
> >
> >Becca
>
> Mediocre. We've only shopped there a few times and what we bought was
> OK, but not great. Butter and eggs were good, but my grandson did not
> like the milk. That could vary with local suppliers though.
>
> Produce selection was very small, some was good, the rest looked like
> it was ready for the pig farm. The meats are injected crap. OK if
> you want to pay $5 a pound for water and salt.
>
> It is near the bottom of our list of stores. If you need an essential
> item and are close by, fine, but now worth driving an extra mile for.
> The cart thing is very European and making a bit of headway around
> here. The good part of it, people take the carts back and don't leave
> them to bang into cars in the parking lot.

The cart thing is asinine. I recall when a grocery store in Avon, CT
tried that (Big Y?) and damned near went out of business as a result and
quickly removed the offending devices.

There is a new Aldi about to open near me, I'll stop in and check it
out, but if it lives up to what I've heard about it I won't bother
visiting it again even though it's right next to Sam's which I do visit
regularly.

Ema Nymton > wrote:
> This morning, George and I went to Aldi's for the first time. My first
> impression was, the store is not very big. They had brands that I am not
> familiar with, but they had decent prices. They did not have scallions,
> but they had everything else on my list. I bought 10 lbs of russet
> potatoes because they were 29 cents per pound, so now I have to cook
> potatoes, even though they are not George's favorite vegetable. Poor
> George. We had to insert 25 cents to get a grocery basket, I have never seen that before.
>
> So, how do you like Aldi's?
>
> Becca

I bought their cheap pack of dogs. I had to toss them away.

Greg

On May 17, 6:17*pm, "Pete C." > wrote:
>
>
> The cart thing is asinine.
>
>
Not really. It does keep those wayward carts that lazy shoppers can't
be bothered to be returned to the 'corrals.' Also keeps those
homeless people from running up and down the streets with their junk
in them.
>
>
> There is a new Aldi about to open near me, I'll stop in and check it
> out, but if it lives up to what I've heard about it I won't bother
> visiting it again even though it's right next to Sam's which I do visit
> regularly.
>
>
Make your own decision based on not what you've 'heard.'

From: Melba's Jammin' >In article
>,
Ema Nymton > wrote:

>
> So, how do you like Aldi's?
>
> Becca

It's okay but I don't carry much cash so I don't go often. You should
have gotten that quarter back. Did you?
--
Barb,
http://www.barbschaller.com, as of April 8, 2013.


Barb --
The Aldi stores that I occasionally go to (Minnetonka and Crystal) don't
require cash now. They happily take my debit card.
Good thing when I'm buying 72 cans of pumpkin in November.

" > wrote:
> On May 17, 6:17 pm, "Pete C." > wrote:
>>
>>
>> The cart thing is asinine.
>>
>>
> Not really. It does keep those wayward carts that lazy shoppers can't
> be bothered to be returned to the 'corrals.' Also keeps those
> homeless people from running up and down the streets with their junk
> in them.
>>
>>
>> There is a new Aldi about to open near me, I'll stop in and check it
>> out, but if it lives up to what I've heard about it I won't bother
>> visiting it again even though it's right next to Sam's which I do visit
>> regularly.
>>
>>
> Make your own decision based on not what you've 'heard.'

At my regular grocery today some asinine jammed a cart where it could break
away. I took the time to put it away properly. I admit a couple times I
shopped at Aldi, it was pouring. Had to hustle, otherwise I have no problem
with it. Here in Pittsburgh we have mostly slanted land. I don't like a
buggy hitting my vehicle.

Greg

On 5/14/2013 9:36 PM, l not -l wrote:
> Aldi purchases account for maybe 20% of my weekly shopping. Since
> they are a block away from my main supermarket, a second stop is of
> little concern.

You're lucky! I have an ALDI about 10 mins away but it is completely on
the other side of town from where I usually shop so I have to make a
special trip. It might not sound like much out of my way but I'm just
really not a shopper and like to get it all done in one place. It is on
the way to and from my new gym so I might make it there more often.

--
CAPSLOCK–Preventing Login Since 1980.

"Cheryl" > wrote in message
eb.com...
> On 5/14/2013 9:36 PM, l not -l wrote:
>> Aldi purchases account for maybe 20% of my weekly shopping. Since
>> they are a block away from my main supermarket, a second stop is of
>> little concern.
>
> You're lucky! I have an ALDI about 10 mins away but it is completely on
> the other side of town from where I usually shop so I have to make a
> special trip. It might not sound like much out of my way but I'm just
> really not a shopper and like to get it all done in one place. It is on
> the way to and from my new gym so I might make it there more often.

Oh how I wish I could get all of my shopping done in one place! Yes, if I
need something to make one meal, I can do it. But overall, no. Even as a
kid, we could not. My mom would only buy meat at one place and would only
buy produce at another. And now I see why. Although that has changed
somewhat, the one place still has pretty bad meat if you buy what they
package there. They have added a butcher counter and my friend said that
meat is better. But they also sell some packaged organic stuff and that is
good. The other place has good fresh produce but a poor selection. And in
those days there were a couple of places where you'd write your prices on
with a grease pencil. They were the cheapest for stuff like bread, canned,
frozen, cereal, etc. And they were the only places in those days with bulk
foods. Then Fred Meyer came in. They had a health food section but we
generally didn't buy groceries there unless they were health foods.

These days it is more of a matter of selection. There are some specific
things that I like that are only sold in the stores that in general sell
very expensive/gourmet stuff. I wouldn't necessarily mind buying all of my
stuff there but they are too expensive. Plus a couple of them don't sell
things like diet soda or the HBA that we use.

On 5/17/2013 6:17 PM, Pete C. wrote:
> The cart thing is asinine. I recall when a grocery store in Avon, CT
> tried that (Big Y?) and damned near went out of business as a result and
> quickly removed the offending devices.


IN PA, a local town made using those 25 cent deposit shopping carts a
law. They wanted to keep the carts on the property, not in the street.

Where we used to live in Shreveport, there was a bus stop about 1/4 mile
from the local Walmart. Every morning you would see 10 to 20 Walmart
carts at that bus stop... and every morning Walmart had to send people
to bring them back.

George L

"l not -l" > wrote in message
...
>
> On 18-May-2013, George Leppla > wrote:
>
>> On 5/17/2013 6:17 PM, Pete C. wrote:
>> > The cart thing is asinine. I recall when a grocery store in Avon, CT
>> > tried that (Big Y?) and damned near went out of business as a result
>> > and
>> > quickly removed the offending devices.
>>
>>
>> IN PA, a local town made using those 25 cent deposit shopping carts a
>> law. They wanted to keep the carts on the property, not in the
>> street.
>>
>> Where we used to live in Shreveport, there was a bus stop about 1/4
>> mile
>> from the local Walmart. Every morning you would see 10 to 20 Walmart
>> carts at that bus stop... and every morning Walmart had to send people
>>
>> to bring them back.
>>
>> George L
> Last summer I went to Portland OR for a week. There was a Safeway a
> couple of blocks from my hotel and I shopped there on a couple of
> occasions. They solved the wandering cart problem with wheels that
> locked at the property line; you could push the cart anywhere on the
> parking lot, but if you tried to go further the cart would not roll.
>
> The quarter cart at Aldi is no problem for the regular shopper who
> thinks ahead. After the first trip, I knew I needed to keep a quarter
> in my wallet; it's no problem to take it out to get the cart and put
> back as soon as I remove it from the cart.

Just what I do Most of our supermarkets operate in the same way so we are
used to it.

--
--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

George Leppla wrote:
>
> On 5/17/2013 6:17 PM, Pete C. wrote:
> > The cart thing is asinine. I recall when a grocery store in Avon, CT
> > tried that (Big Y?) and damned near went out of business as a result and
> > quickly removed the offending devices.
>
> IN PA, a local town made using those 25 cent deposit shopping carts a
> law. They wanted to keep the carts on the property, not in the street.
>
> Where we used to live in Shreveport, there was a bus stop about 1/4 mile
> from the local Walmart. Every morning you would see 10 to 20 Walmart
> carts at that bus stop... and every morning Walmart had to send people
> to bring them back.
>
> George L

There is other technology available to help keep carts from leaving the
property *without* inconveniencing the customers. It's an "invisible
fence" of sorts that is triggered when the cart crosses the transmitter
line around the property and locks the wheels of the cart. Inside the
property the cart operates normally without any action from the shopper.

Ophelia wrote:
>
> "l not -l" > wrote in message
> ...
> >
> > On 18-May-2013, George Leppla > wrote:
> >
> >> On 5/17/2013 6:17 PM, Pete C. wrote:
> >> > The cart thing is asinine. I recall when a grocery store in Avon, CT
> >> > tried that (Big Y?) and damned near went out of business as a result
> >> > and
> >> > quickly removed the offending devices.
> >>
> >>
> >> IN PA, a local town made using those 25 cent deposit shopping carts a
> >> law. They wanted to keep the carts on the property, not in the
> >> street.
> >>
> >> Where we used to live in Shreveport, there was a bus stop about 1/4
> >> mile
> >> from the local Walmart. Every morning you would see 10 to 20 Walmart
> >> carts at that bus stop... and every morning Walmart had to send people
> >>
> >> to bring them back.
> >>
> >> George L
> > Last summer I went to Portland OR for a week. There was a Safeway a
> > couple of blocks from my hotel and I shopped there on a couple of
> > occasions. They solved the wandering cart problem with wheels that
> > locked at the property line; you could push the cart anywhere on the
> > parking lot, but if you tried to go further the cart would not roll.
> >
> > The quarter cart at Aldi is no problem for the regular shopper who
> > thinks ahead. After the first trip, I knew I needed to keep a quarter
> > in my wallet; it's no problem to take it out to get the cart and put
> > back as soon as I remove it from the cart.
>
> Just what I do Most of our supermarkets operate in the same way so we are
> used to it.

You've been conditioned to accept it. As I noted that other grocery
store in a relatively wealthy area nearly went out of business as they
saw their customer counts drop precipitously over the course of about a
week from the installation of the idiotic devices. I was one of the many
former customers who went to get a cart, found the stupid quarter thing
and simply walked away never to return until they eliminate the
stupidity. All the competitors in the area saw a sudden spike in their
customer counts reinforcing the fact that the customers would not
tolerate the cart nonsense.

On 5/18/2013 11:47 AM, Pete C. wrote:
>
> Ophelia wrote:
>>
>> Just what I do Most of our supermarkets operate in the same way so we are
>> used to it.
>
> You've been conditioned to accept it. As I noted that other grocery
> store in a relatively wealthy area nearly went out of business as they
> saw their customer counts drop precipitously over the course of about a
> week from the installation of the idiotic devices. I was one of the many
> former customers who went to get a cart, found the stupid quarter thing
> and simply walked away never to return until they eliminate the
> stupidity. All the competitors in the area saw a sudden spike in their
> customer counts reinforcing the fact that the customers would not
> tolerate the cart nonsense.
>
No Aldi's here but I haven't seen the trend for paying for carts yet. I
understand the logic behind it. But I have never, *ever* left a cart in
a parking lot or just shoved it off to the side for someone else to deal
with. I'm grateful I have two good legs. I use them to take the cart
back. Regardless of whether or not it's refundable, I wouldn't be happy
if they started charging me to do what I've been doing all along.

How does that work, anyway? Do you have to show a cart receipt and wait
for someone to give you back your quarter? What a colossal waste of
time. I'm pretty sure some people don't care about that quarter, in
which case store employees still have to go gather up the abandoned carts.

Jill

"Pete C." > wrote in message
...
>
> George Leppla wrote:
>>
>> On 5/17/2013 6:17 PM, Pete C. wrote:
>> > The cart thing is asinine. I recall when a grocery store in Avon, CT
>> > tried that (Big Y?) and damned near went out of business as a result
>> > and
>> > quickly removed the offending devices.
>>
>> IN PA, a local town made using those 25 cent deposit shopping carts a
>> law. They wanted to keep the carts on the property, not in the street.
>>
>> Where we used to live in Shreveport, there was a bus stop about 1/4 mile
>> from the local Walmart. Every morning you would see 10 to 20 Walmart
>> carts at that bus stop... and every morning Walmart had to send people
>> to bring them back.
>>
>> George L
>
> There is other technology available to help keep carts from leaving the
> property *without* inconveniencing the customers. It's an "invisible
> fence" of sorts that is triggered when the cart crosses the transmitter
> line around the property and locks the wheels of the cart. Inside the
> property the cart operates normally without any action from the shopper.

Yes, we have those too, but it doesn't prevent shoppers abandoning their
carts all over the car park.

--
--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

"Pete C." > wrote in message
...
>
> Ophelia wrote:
>>
>> "l not -l" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> >
>> > On 18-May-2013, George Leppla > wrote:
>> >
>> >> On 5/17/2013 6:17 PM, Pete C. wrote:
>> >> > The cart thing is asinine. I recall when a grocery store in Avon, CT
>> >> > tried that (Big Y?) and damned near went out of business as a result
>> >> > and
>> >> > quickly removed the offending devices.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> IN PA, a local town made using those 25 cent deposit shopping carts a
>> >> law. They wanted to keep the carts on the property, not in the
>> >> street.
>> >>
>> >> Where we used to live in Shreveport, there was a bus stop about 1/4
>> >> mile
>> >> from the local Walmart. Every morning you would see 10 to 20 Walmart
>> >> carts at that bus stop... and every morning Walmart had to send people
>> >>
>> >> to bring them back.
>> >>
>> >> George L
>> > Last summer I went to Portland OR for a week. There was a Safeway a
>> > couple of blocks from my hotel and I shopped there on a couple of
>> > occasions. They solved the wandering cart problem with wheels that
>> > locked at the property line; you could push the cart anywhere on the
>> > parking lot, but if you tried to go further the cart would not roll.
>> >
>> > The quarter cart at Aldi is no problem for the regular shopper who
>> > thinks ahead. After the first trip, I knew I needed to keep a quarter
>> > in my wallet; it's no problem to take it out to get the cart and put
>> > back as soon as I remove it from the cart.
>>
>> Just what I do Most of our supermarkets operate in the same way so we
>> are
>> used to it.
>
> You've been conditioned to accept it. As I noted that other grocery
> store in a relatively wealthy area nearly went out of business as they
> saw their customer counts drop precipitously over the course of about a
> week from the installation of the idiotic devices. I was one of the many
> former customers who went to get a cart, found the stupid quarter thing
> and simply walked away never to return until they eliminate the
> stupidity. All the competitors in the area saw a sudden spike in their
> customer counts reinforcing the fact that the customers would not
> tolerate the cart nonsense.

Not at all. I prefer it. At least I am not trying to avoid carts as I
drive around the car park. I don't want to have to move other carts to be
able to get out of the parking bay.

--
--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

On 5/18/2013 11:05 AM, jmcquown wrote:
> if they started charging me to do what I've been doing all along.
>
> How does that work, anyway? Do you have to show a cart receipt and wait
> for someone to give you back your quarter? What a colossal waste of
> time. I'm pretty sure some people don't care about that quarter, in
> which case store employees still have to go gather up the abandoned carts.

There is no charge to use the carts.... it is a returnable deposit The
carts have a slot where you insert a quarter and that releases a lock
that is hooked by a short chain to the next cart in line. You take your
cart. When you are done, you put the cart back in line, insert the
locking mechanism from the adjoining cart and you get your quarter back.

Look at http://www.sheepsheadbites.com/wp-co...2/06/carts.jpg

or http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2612/3...196_z.jpg?zz=1

This system has been in effect in various places for over 15 years. It
is a simple and effective way to keep carts from ending up in the middle
of the street.

And like I said, in some locations, using this system is mandated by
local law/regulations/zoning.

I'm thinking that this isn't really something so onerous that people
should be getting their panties all in a twist and I have to admit I am
getting a kick out of all the angst that this topic is generating.

George L

On Sat, 18 May 2013 12:05:31 -0400, jmcquown >
wrote:

>On 5/18/2013 11:47 AM, Pete C. wrote:
>>
>> Ophelia wrote:
>>>
>>> Just what I do Most of our supermarkets operate in the same way so we are
>>> used to it.
>>
>> You've been conditioned to accept it. As I noted that other grocery
>> store in a relatively wealthy area nearly went out of business as they
>> saw their customer counts drop precipitously over the course of about a
>> week from the installation of the idiotic devices. I was one of the many
>> former customers who went to get a cart, found the stupid quarter thing
>> and simply walked away never to return until they eliminate the
>> stupidity. All the competitors in the area saw a sudden spike in their
>> customer counts reinforcing the fact that the customers would not
>> tolerate the cart nonsense.
>>
>No Aldi's here but I haven't seen the trend for paying for carts yet. I
>understand the logic behind it. But I have never, *ever* left a cart in
>a parking lot or just shoved it off to the side for someone else to deal
>with. I'm grateful I have two good legs. I use them to take the cart
>back. Regardless of whether or not it's refundable, I wouldn't be happy
>if they started charging me to do what I've been doing all along.
>
>How does that work, anyway? Do you have to show a cart receipt and wait
>for someone to give you back your quarter? What a colossal waste of
>time. I'm pretty sure some people don't care about that quarter, in
>which case store employees still have to go gather up the abandoned carts.

Couldn't be easier - when you get your cart, you have to insert a
quarter into a slot in the handle, and the cart is released from the
rest of the pack. After you have unloaded your groceries into your
car, you wheel the cart over to the cart corral, attach it to the next
cart, and your quarter is released from the cart handle.

Nobody around here seems to mind paying the $0.25 rent on the cart.

I always keep a couple of quarters in the change tray in my car, for
shopping carts and parking meters. I also have a quarter in the pocket
of each of my jackets.

Doris

"George Leppla" > wrote in message
...
> On 5/18/2013 11:05 AM, jmcquown wrote:
>> if they started charging me to do what I've been doing all along.
>>
>> How does that work, anyway? Do you have to show a cart receipt and wait
>> for someone to give you back your quarter? What a colossal waste of
>> time. I'm pretty sure some people don't care about that quarter, in
>> which case store employees still have to go gather up the abandoned
>> carts.
>
> There is no charge to use the carts.... it is a returnable deposit The
> carts have a slot where you insert a quarter and that releases a lock that
> is hooked by a short chain to the next cart in line. You take your cart.
> When you are done, you put the cart back in line, insert the locking
> mechanism from the adjoining cart and you get your quarter back.
>
> Look at
> http://www.sheepsheadbites.com/wp-co...2/06/carts.jpg
>
> or http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2612/3...196_z.jpg?zz=1
>
> This system has been in effect in various places for over 15 years. It is
> a simple and effective way to keep carts from ending up in the middle of
> the street.
>
> And like I said, in some locations, using this system is mandated by local
> law/regulations/zoning.
>
> I'm thinking that this isn't really something so onerous that people
> should be getting their panties all in a twist and I have to admit I am
> getting a kick out of all the angst that this topic is generating.

lol ikwym

--
--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

On 5/18/2013 12:05 PM, jmcquown wrote:

> No Aldi's here but I haven't seen the trend for paying for carts yet. I
> understand the logic behind it. But I have never, *ever* left a cart in
> a parking lot or just shoved it off to the side for someone else to deal
> with. I'm grateful I have two good legs. I use them to take the cart
> back. Regardless of whether or not it's refundable, I wouldn't be happy
> if they started charging me to do what I've been doing all along.
>
> How does that work, anyway? Do you have to show a cart receipt and wait
> for someone to give you back your quarter? What a colossal waste of
> time. I'm pretty sure some people don't care about that quarter, in
> which case store employees still have to go gather up the abandoned carts.
>
Inserting the coin unlocks the cart. When you return it, you nest your
cart into another cart, then insert the tab attached to the free end of
the chain on the other cart, into the slot on your cart. The coin then
pops out, and you can remove it.

On 5/18/2013 12:21 PM, S Viemeister wrote:
> On 5/18/2013 12:05 PM, jmcquown wrote:
>
>> No Aldi's here but I haven't seen the trend for paying for carts yet. I
>> understand the logic behind it. But I have never, *ever* left a cart in
>> a parking lot or just shoved it off to the side for someone else to deal
>> with. I'm grateful I have two good legs. I use them to take the cart
>> back. Regardless of whether or not it's refundable, I wouldn't be happy
>> if they started charging me to do what I've been doing all along.
>>
>> How does that work, anyway? Do you have to show a cart receipt and wait
>> for someone to give you back your quarter? What a colossal waste of
>> time. I'm pretty sure some people don't care about that quarter, in
>> which case store employees still have to go gather up the abandoned
>> carts.
>>
> Inserting the coin unlocks the cart. When you return it, you nest your
> cart into another cart, then insert the tab attached to the free end of
> the chain on the other cart, into the slot on your cart. The coin then
> pops out, and you can remove it.
>
Hmmm, okay. What happens when the mechanism fails and the quarter gets
stuck?

Jill

On 5/18/2013 12:10 PM, Ophelia wrote:
>
>
>>
>> There is other technology available to help keep carts from leaving the
>> property *without* inconveniencing the customers. It's an "invisible
>> fence" of sorts that is triggered when the cart crosses the transmitter
>> line around the property and locks the wheels of the cart. Inside the
>> property the cart operates normally without any action from the shopper.
>
> Yes, we have those too, but it doesn't prevent shoppers abandoning their
> carts all over the car park.
>
I doubt anything will *ever* deter lazy people from doing that. Those
people won't care about the quarter (or whatever the equivalent is
there). They'll still be thoughtless and careless.

Jill

On Saturday, May 18, 2013 1:07:01 PM UTC-5, jmcquown wrote:
> On 5/18/2013 12:10 PM, Ophelia wrote:
>
> >
>
> >
>
> >>
>
> >> There is other technology available to help keep carts from leaving the
>
> >> property *without* inconveniencing the customers. It's an "invisible
>
> >> fence" of sorts that is triggered when the cart crosses the transmitter
>
> >> line around the property and locks the wheels of the cart. Inside the
>
> >> property the cart operates normally without any action from the shopper.
>
> >
>
> > Yes, we have those too, but it doesn't prevent shoppers abandoning their
>
> > carts all over the car park.
>
> >
>
> I doubt anything will *ever* deter lazy people from doing that. Those
>
> people won't care about the quarter (or whatever the equivalent is
>
> there). They'll still be thoughtless and careless.
>
You know how often I see an abandoned cart? Almost never.
>
> Jill

--Bryan