I’m a huge fan of Aldi, the german discount supermarket. I have been going to my local one for over 11 years and most friends that know me, know that it is my favorite grocery store in the area. It is one of the closest stores to my house and it has 98% of what I need. I have written a couple posts about Aldi in the past. I plan to write some more. I adore Aldi and I know you will too.
If you already know Aldi then you might have heard that Lidi – Aldi’s competitor is now in the US. Lidl is a German global discount supermarket chain, based in Neckarsulm, Germany. It now has arrived in the United States and in 2017 will establish over 20 stores – in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. It’s US headquarters are located in Arlington, Virginia. I just went to the new location the first in the DC area in Manassas, Virginia over the weekend. The next one will be located in Lake Ridge, Virginia coming in 2018.
Wow, was I impressed!
Things to know about Lidl
1. You don’t need a quarter like you do at Aldi. They do have workers helping with the carts to return them up to the store and have cart returns in the parking lot.
2. Like Aldi, they do accept credit cards, debt cards and cash.
3. They have an app that gives you access to extra coupons and the weekly ads.
4. They regularly put things on sale for the week. Their weekly ads starts on Thursday and end on Wednesday.
5. You do bag your groceries yourself and either need to buy bags or bring your own. As you can see in my pick, I bring my IKEA blue bags. They are the best grocery bags! I highly recommend them.
Lidl in my opinion is about twice as big as Aldi. I love the layout. They seem to make it very easy to find items.
- When walking in the first thing is the bakery, fruits and vegetables. Yes, there is an actual bakery in the store! They even sell more veggies and most is by the lb. I’m sure the selection rotates regularly per what is in season. I was able to find Ginger for under $1 lb. Amazing!
- Then the perimeter of the whole store is refrigeration (see below) and freezers. I like this concept because it has a very nice quick meal items right when you walk down the first aisle. Then cheese, cold cuts and dairy. On the left, are the different meats including a freezer of seafood. Then the rest of the perimeter turns into a freezer and you will find ice cream, and frozen meals.
- Then the rest of the aisles are sorted nicely with condiments, baking supplies and then the middle aisle with snacks, candy and seasonal items that rotate all year. The seasonal items currently are Christmas gifts including tools, clothing and so much more.
4. The last aisles include toiletries, paper products and cleaning products. I even found dishwasher tablets for less then $.12 a tablet.
Then my favorite, the fantastic assortment of wine, beer, and water. Their version of cheap wine compared to Aldi’s $2.89 is $2.59 a bottle! Amazing!
I’m so impressed! I can’t stop smiling. I was able to find lots of organic, gluten-free and even grass-fed beef. The prices were so much better then the grocery stores near me and in some cases cheaper then my local Aldi. Now, this store is farther for me so prices at the nearest Aldi and other stores might be similar so that would be the best comparison. 
What do you think? Will you head to Lidl? I’m looking forward to the one closer to me opening and will be sure to go to it probably on a monthly or bi-monthly basis. Aldi will still be my main store just because I know it and it works so well for me and my family. If Lidl was closer I would be there all of the time.
