They got me. Those damn FI fanatics.
They finally got me… got me good.
You know when you hear something so often, that it finally wears you down and you become curious – not curious because you really are, curious because just so many damn people are talking about it you feel like you have an obligation to humanity to see what’s up – so you go and do something out of your norm because you can’t take it anymore?
Yep. That was me.
And you know what I’m talking about… C’mon now, we’ve all been there at some point.
As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I have quite the commute to work (74 miles roundtrip), so I have plenty of time for podcasts. One of my go-to’s is ChooseFI. Not really for the information, but I find that listening to it keeps my overall mood in a FI mindset. It’s kinda hard to explain, but it works for me.
Those guys can get a little evangelical with the whole FI thing sometimes, but they seem like good guys overall and I can’t deny that their platform is reaching and helping many people lead better lives. Any kind of financial education for the masses is a good thing in my book. So for that alone, well played Brad and Jonathan.
Anyway, about two years ago on ChooseFI, I start hearing about this Aldi store. All the listeners are exclaiming about their $2 meals, which I don’t give a fuck about, so I let it slide.
I don’t cut corners on my groceries. My wife and I try to eat healthy and don’t deprive ourselves (yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. It’s not deprivation and subject to interpretation – but you get my drift, FI police). The FI zealots are doing their thing – cool and good for them. We take the good with the bad, right? Hahaha. j/k.
But, over the course of two years this Aldi store just keeps coming up like a broken record. Aldi this… and Aldi that… So I start thinking to myself, what the fuck is up with this Aldi shit?
Are they selling FI crack? I mean, you’d think they were handing out gold bars the way people are talking it up?
So now I have this shit on my brain. It’s like those ChooseFI yahoos did some “FI voodoo” and actually brainwashed me.
Then the other night, my wife and I are cooking dinner (actually my wife is cooking dinner and I’m a lazy fuck lounging around the kitchen) and I ask, “hey babe, have you ever heard of Aldi?”
And to my bewilderment, she says “yes. There happens to be one down the street from where I work.”
“No fucking way,” I say. Then I go into a tangent about the ChooseFI obsession with this store, and she decides to check it out on her way home from work the next day.
First, she goes on her own but has mixed reviews. So she decides I need to see it for myself and give it a try.
Now, I like to experiment. And to be honest, these Aldi nuts had definitely peeked my interest. But there was also a part of me that hates conformance and felt like I should just give the finger to this FI haven and stick to my stubborn ways. Fuck authority.
Yet, since my wife had already been there, I finally caved. Curiosity killed the cat.
So I did it. I did it for mankind! I went to Aldi.
As we pulled up, it felt surreal where I found myself – settled on this foreign land that the locals called a discount grocer. The bright blue and orange/red outline of the store shown bright in the cloud covered sky. This sure wasn’t a normal super market or TJ’s…
And what the fuck was I doing here? Was I here on my own volition, or was ChooseFI leaking from my brain?
Regardless, I did what any brainwashed automaton would do. I grabbed my bags and headed inside…
My first impression was negative. I’m not going to lie.
But this had to do with the carts and not the actual store. I don’t know if this is the same across all Aldi stores but you have to put in a quarter to unlock a cart. And don’t get me wrong, I am over reacting here and $0.25 should not be a big deal.
But who the fuck has a quarter just sitting in their pocket? And my first reaction was – who the fuck are they to make me bring a quarter to use a friggin’ shopping cart? It pissed me off. Not a great way to make a first impression Aldi!
However, when I think it through, it might actually be a good idea. This simple inconvenience at first, might keep a lot of grocery carts from being stolen and littering the streets. Anyway, I digress…
So after a few moments I calm down and take a deep breath. I pop in my quarter, I grab my cart and we’re off to the races into the actual store itself.
When inside, it was clean and bright. I liked that.
Prices overall were good (we went to TJ’s right after and I was surprised that some of their produce was cheaper), but the selection was mixed. Regardless if Aldi proves to be the miracle savior the FI community makes it out to be, I’ll still have to go to a normal market or TJ’s to round out my shopping for the items I can’t get here.
They do sell alcohol, which seems to be a huge plus in the FI community. Although I don’t partake anymore, the past drinker in me is still curious about alcohol prices to see if a good deal can be found. But Aldi is pretty much the same as any normal grocery store. No good savings on booze here my friends.
The other main difference was the checkout at the end. There were only two people working the lines and you had to bag the groceries yourself, which I don’t mind. It was interesting to observe how they keep their headcount down so that they can charge lower prices.
So what are my final thoughts? Do I approve? Will Aldi be a new Q-FI watering hole?
You might find this disappointing, but I still can’t tell only after one visit. I’m a thorough guy when I decide to do something. And I need to really give this Aldi a try before I pass my final judgement. So this month will be officially deemed Aldi month in the Q-FI household.
I’ll report back soon with an addendum on my final thoughts.
And don’t worry, I know you won’t be holding your breath. But this is an itch I had to scratch.
-Q-FI
P.S. This is random as hell just like the post, and I can’t believe I’m actually typing this, but have you ever shopped at Aldi? What do you think? Hahaha. Join in my shopping zoo…
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