Regular Winn-Dixie shoppers may be a little confused when their local grocery store shuts down and reopens months later, like a discounted butterfly, as an Aldi. The culture shock might take some time to get used to.
You'll have to (temporarily) rent a shopping cart, for example, and bag your own groceries. The store layout is simple and sparse, more like a warehouse. And you probably won't find your favorite brands there. But the number on the bottom of your receipt might be a lot smaller.
In March, the Germany-based company Aldi acquired Southeastern Grocers, the parent company of Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket, and announced an ambitious 5-year, $9 billion planto add 800 stores nationwidethrough new stores and store conversions. The company expects to convert about 50 of its new stores by the end of the year, with most reopening in 2025.
"We have officially kicked off the conversion process for the first several stores, including stores in Panama City, Deltona, Pensacola, and Lakeland, Florida," an Aldi spokesperson said by email. Permits have started the approval process to convert Winn-Dixies in Tampa, Fleming Islandin Jacksonville and Panama City Beach, and a Harveys in Northern Jacksonville.
But Aldi grocery stores tend to be significantly smaller, barely half the size of the average Winn-Dixie. What's going to change?
1. Expect lower prices on your groceries, but not as many choices
Aldi is famous for low prices and no frills. The stores are smaller, with merchandise stacked up and displayed in the shipping boxes they came in.
One of the reasons the stores can be smaller is that they offer fewer selections and brands. In fact, more than 90% of the products in Aldi stores are Aldi store brands like Specially Selected, Happy Farms, Earth Grown, Simply Nature and liveGfree (gluten-free foods).
Aldi recently began adding more national brands in response to customer feedback, but if you have big-name brand names you prefer you may have to drive farther to find them.
However, the savings can be considerable. In March, a Florida Times-Union reporter compared prices for common products at Publix, Winn-Dixie and Aldi and found that all the common staples she checked like milk, ground beef, chicken, and snacks cost less at Aldi, sometimes up to 30% cheaper (see her shopping choices here).
Aldi can be a saver's paradise:Here's how to make the most of deals in every aisle
2. Bring a quarter for the cart
As soon as you head in from the parking lot, you'll find that things have changed. The shopping carts are locked up and require a quarter to "rent," although you'll get it back when you return the cart.
The chain says encouraging shoppers to return their own carts cuts down on expenses since they don't have to hire people to go outside and get them.
3. Aldi stores are laid out very simply
When you shop at an Aldi, you might notice a different atmosphere. They're not trying very hard to keep you there.
None of the tricks other grocery stores use to encourage lengthier visits are being used. No fancy signs, no artistic displays. The aisles are straightforward and don't try to subtly guide you to pricier wares. Some aisles may just be stacked boxes. There's not even any overhead music.
Aldi stores are designed for shoppers to get in, grab what they need, and get out. Which also means some amenities you're used to won't be available anymore.
If you'd rather not go in at all, Aldi offers online shopping for curbside pickup or delivery. Nearly 98% of Aldi stores offer delivery through Instacart.
4. Don't expect bakeries, delis or pharmacies
Winn-Dixie supermarkets are full-service neighborhood destinations seeking to handle all of your needs.
Aldi? Not so much. They have baked goods but no bakeries, sliced meat and cheeses but no meat counter or deli, and no pharmacy. There is a produce section.
5. Watch for Aldi 'FINDS' and other deals. What's the 'Aisle of Shame'?
Aldi prices are already low, and regular sales like Aldi Finds, Aldi Savers and Red Hot Deals can really chop the prices down.
Aldi FINDS: These are specialty items that pop up in limited quantities on what's nicknamed the "Aisle of Shame." You can find nearly anything here at different times from furniture to bed linens, cleaning supplies, appliances, household supplies, clothing, garden decorations, toys, foods and drinks and more. You can see upcoming FINDS here.
Stores often quickly run out of FINDS as news about them spreads. “It’s like a little Black Friday every week,” said regular Aldi shopper Ang McGriff of Nashville, Tennessee.
Aldi Savers: These are weekly or seasonal deals.
Red Hot Deals: These are the FINDS that haven't sold yet, marked down even more.
6. Aldi's Advent calendars are must-haves
Aldi fans count the days before advent calendars hit the stores (which they can use to count more days).
Advent calendars are used to count down the days to Christmas and are usually brightly decorated boxes containing items that get revealed, one by one, on each successive day. Popular Aldi advent calendars in the past have included wine, cheese, toys, dog or cat treats, hot sauce, chocolate, even branded items like LEGO or Disney.
7. Bring your own bags
Aldi does not offer free bags. You can buy reusable bags there but they encourage shoppers to bring their own.
You also can grab empty boxes in the store if you see any and use those, which also cuts down on Aldi overhead. Expect to do your own bagging as well, the seated cashier is there to get you rung up and moved along.
8. Leave your checkbook and coupons at home
Aldi accepts cash, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, most debit cards, Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT), SNAP, Link cards and contactless pay such as Apple Pay and Google Pay. They do not accept checks or WIC benefits, and they do not accept manufacturer coupons.
Aldi does occasionally offer its own coupons, and you can buy Aldi gift cards.
9. Aldi has no membership program or rewards card, but it does have a Twice as Nice Guarantee
Again, the idea is to keep everything low with the same discounted prices for everybody.
The company does not offer a membership program, although this April as a joke they announceda new, free, no-subscription, cardless programwith 331.9 million members (i.e. the population of the United States) to get the same low prices they offer anyway.
But if you're unhappy with any of the Aldi-branded products, you can bring them back and Adi will refund your money and give you a replacement product.
Aldi does not accept returns for non-food items, Aldi FINDS, or alcohol.
10. There's a thriving Aldi community
What Aldi does have that Winn-Dixie doesn't, to the same degree anyway, is a fan club. Aldi enthusiasts gather online to share shopping tips and great finds, recipes and product reviews and show off their branded quarter pouches.
One ALDI Aisle of Shame Community on Facebook has more than 3 million followers and another has 1.5 million.
The Aldi subreddit has nearly 180,000 members, although r/VeganAldi has somewhat fewer (77).
There's even an unofficial Aldi cookbook by a Wisconsin regular. "The Unofficial ALDI Cookbook: Delicious Recipes Made with Fan Favorites from the Award-Winning Grocery Store," published in 2021, includes 58 recipes using products from Aldi. The author, former journalist Jeanette Hurt, worked at an Aldi imn her youth and still appreciates the prices and shopping experience.
"I don’t have time to run to three different stores to look for an ingredient," Hurt said. "I can get in and get out without wandering half a football field."
So you may be losing a deli counter and pharmacy, but you'll be gaining a community. And possibly some money back in your pocket.
