Grocery Store Rotation

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Also, she is absolutely positively only going to one store.


I think that's part of this that I just don't connect with is the refusal to rotate.  I will definitely and gladly shop at multiple places.   There are some people where it's just off the table.  Maybe it's how much you hate the act of grocery shopping, but maybe it's also the size of the family and the different types of stuff that you need.

How much would a single person save by shopping at multiple stores vs. paying a little extra by buying things that aren't on sale at the one store, but might be on sale at another store?

How much extra time does it take to go to multiple stores?

If going to multiple stores saves you $10 on your weekly grocery bill, but takes an extra hour and $1.50 in gas.  It just isn't worth it. 

OTOH if you are  family of 8 and going to multiple stores saves $80 on your weekly grocery bill than it is worth it. 

[Spider-Dan]

I don't knock anyone for shopping there but I've come to realize that I dislike this store although I've only been once. I never really thought about it before but I think I now know why. I grew up poor so rarely had anything name brand. I think Aldi drums up bad childhood experiences of eating things like Simpson Sugar Flakes instead of Kellogg's Frosted Flakes.

Late reply, but I have the same feelings about Papa Murphy's.  When I was a kid and my family was on food stamps, we couldn't order normal pizza like Pizza Hut or Domino's... we could only get Papa Murphy's pizza because it's eligible for food stamps (being take-and-bake, it's considered the same as normal groceries).  This made me end up resenting Papa Murphy's.  I don't think I've ever bought anything from them as an adult.

[Dave Gray]

How much would a single person save by shopping at multiple stores vs. paying a little extra by buying things that aren't on sale at the one store, but might be on sale at another store?

How much extra time does it take to go to multiple stores?

If going to multiple stores saves you $10 on your weekly grocery bill, but takes an extra hour and $1.50 in gas.  It just isn't worth it. 

OTOH if you are  family of 8 and going to multiple stores saves $80 on your weekly grocery bill than it is worth it. 

I don't think there's more gas or time, really, since you don't just go to three different stores in a row.  You go to three different stores in the same timespan where you would visit a single store three times.  There may be special circumstances where I have to go out for something specific I need, but I don't shop 3x as often because I rotate between three places.

In my experience, my grocery bill is probably 40-60% cheaper than just using the premiere grocery store.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

  Aldi is minimal -- however the rub with Aldi is that it isn't going to have a ton of options.  If you want peanut butter, there will be a name brand you've heard of in crunchy and creamy.  And probably an Aldi-brand in crunchy and creamy. 

This might be its greatest strength.  If you have a shopping list, you literally have zero decisions to make in the store.  If you have ketchup on the list, there is only one item in the entire store that qualifies.  No checking to see which brand is on sale, if if the lower price per ounce justifies getting a larger size, etc.  Just put the item into your cart and move on to the next item on the list.  

[Dave Gray]

This might be its greatest strength.  If you have a shopping list, you literally have zero decisions to make in the store.  If you have ketchup on the list, there is only one item in the entire store that qualifies.  No checking to see which brand is on sale, if if the lower price per ounce justifies getting a larger size, etc.  Just put the item into your cart and move on to the next item on the list. 

This is definitely true.  It is a much more streamlined experience.  You're getting the cheapest price possible.  No looking at cost/oz or sales or any of that.

[Fau Teixeira]

Aldi has a fairly extensive organic lineup and they have free range eggs and 2 ingredient peanut butter,  publix just means one of the ingredients she doesn't like in life is money

[masterfins]

I just recently started buying some groceries at Wal-Mart, they have good prices on things.