Aldi has become our first stop for everything, if we can get it there we do before going to one of the big chains around us.<p>Their prices are often 2-4x cheaper than the big chains, sometimes for the exact same item. “Fancy” cheeses that are $10 a block at the big chains are $2.50 at Aldi. Produce can be a bit iffy sometimes but if you’re flexible and spend a bit of time picking through it it’s fine.<p>The self checkout machines are also much better (even though they are annoyingly insistent about “scanning the next item”) and I’ve never had to wait for someone to come unblock it vs the big chains where they always seem to get stuck when I move some items around.<p>I’m also a big fan of the culture changes they embody - 25 cent deposit for your cart so the parking lot isn’t filled with carts from lazy people and allowing your cashiers to sit down while they work vs making them stand for no reason other than a power move.<p>It’s so much better than competitors that I’ve become a marketing employee for them anytime high food prices come up in conversations to the point where my partner jumps in with “get ready for the Aldi speech”