For those around the internet during the early 2010’s, one of its staples was the infamous blog People of Walmart. In this very mean-spirited space, one could peruse the debris of human society in its most raw, disturbing form. It’s one service was showing parts of Americana that is invisible to most. You see the egg-shaped blobs on scooters, their protruding stomachs dragging over the edges. Your mouth sits agape at multiple dudes wearing bras, obese women’s dresses that stop at the belly-button, yoga pants with very prominent camel-toes, freakish tattooed horror shows pacing the aisles, and profanity galore.
"Low-income families who have their crap together have more contempt for these 'People of Walmart' than your most strident eugenicist."
Low-income families who have their crap together understand many things with greater clarity than "the elites" who incessantly talk down to them through the filter of their ideological bookstacks.
What a sorry collection of half-baked “observations”. I shop at Trader Joe, I shop at Aldi, I shop at Kroger and (occasionally) at Whole Foods. And I’ve shopped at Walmart, where I saw women from Mali in hijabs, entire families from Central America, and plenty of people who doubtless live in doublewides, pouring over the well stocked produce. Frankly, I don’t know what Walmart the author has been shopping at (if any), but in the one closest to my property in NW Arkansas, in the poorest county in Missouri, I regularly bought large slabs of fresh salmon, free range chicken, imported feta, baby bok choy, kiwis, ataulfo mangos, vine-ripened tomatoes and dragon fruit. Sadly, the curse of the middlebrow Substacker will forever be to not know what they don’t know. Try getting out more.
My argument isn't that Walmart does not have some decent produce, but that it's cheapness, wealth of lousy prepackaged foods, and lack of standards attract some of the worst of society.
Gotta agree. I lived until recently near one of the worst Walmarts in the country. More merchandise walks out than is paid for. The lot is disgusting, the carts have frozen wheels from theft attempts (if you can find one) the place is dirty, crocs are the footwear of choice (those holes are where your dignity seeps out) and the oil spots under the parked cars are always wet and freshened. I’ve been blue collar all of my 60 years, have no degree or higher education beyond a couple semesters. As a firefighter I’ve been in the homes of the people who shopped that store, and the Walmart is steps above the level of clean that they live in. The local Aldi, half a mile away, is just the opposite. And you will never find an unattended cart in the lot, because it’s a free $0.25 for the finder. 25¢ not worth your time? Then you have no sense of what money is worth. The variety of gourmet cheese is insane. The $4 wine? I would put it against any $20 bottle. Kroger may be just as clean, but the variety of too much to process and the gimmicks to get you to buy crap you don’t need aren’t worth the 40 aisles to find what you need. We buy the majority of what we need from a local, mom and pop, old timey grocery store that’s one room wide and three deep, and an owner operated butcher shop. Aldi fills the few gaps that we encounter, in a manner you won’t find in any other grocery store.
Actually the “worst” of society are those currently running this country. Way too much money with absolutely no compassion, empathy, or humanity enough to care about anybody but themselves. Followed closely by behind by those who admire them.
It’s not factually accurate to say that membership at Costco is intended primarily to keep the undesirables out. Maybe it has that effect, but Costco’s whole business model is built on membership fees. Costco sells at very low markup. As a store, it is barely profitable. Memberships account for about 2% of revenue, but slightly over 50% of the profit. Without the membership fees, the very-low-markup strategy doesn’t work as well.
BJ’s and Sam’s Club use a similar model, though I think both get a somewhat lower percentage of profit from membership. (To check that I’d have to peruse their financials, and I’m lazy enough to not want to do that without being paid.)
I’m pretty sure that, while your article is funny and amusing, the same is true of Aldi. The factors that make it unpleasant also make it cheap and drive the business model. Driving out Wal-Mart customers is a pleasant side effect.
If the membership fee is designed to turn people away, my local Costco’s didn’t get the message.
However, when I visit a supermarket I can safely say that unless another shopper is being aggressive I usually won’t notice them or give two shits- because I’m there to do my shopping not make class judgements.
one thing... getting the ONLY cashier on shift in the store to help is difficult. multiple human checkout lanes, only one is ever staffed, and management makes the cashier cruise the store facing shelves, unloading trucks, and stocking product when there isn't a line at the single open checkout lane which isn't unpaid customer labor ("self checkout")
one unmentioned thing: unless you just get their organic brand products, a growing majority of their other products contain GMOs and/or synthetic sweeteners. a point in their favor is that they disclose those contents clearly on the package labels, unlike most other grocery store products which instead hide the GMO content under a "smartlabel" type QR code.
Aldi definitely has its annoyances. I also question whether some of their organic selection is really organic. It's still better than most, likely because of the store's German ownership.
yeah, I don't really trust the organic label at all since the USDA got their greasy fingers on the definition. only when I can see the farmer for myself, and anyone trustworthy likely couldn't afford a USDA certification anyway.
For wheat products, you should look up durum wheat and einkorn specific suppliers online. Gluten intolerant types report far better results with these types of wheat.
I don't really have health issues or allergies to set dietary limitations, my distaste for chemically contaminated/GMO food products is completely voluntary.
plus from what I've read the gluten intolerance issue is more of a glyophosphate issue than a gluten issue. you know the "regulatory" agencies allow the use of glyophosphate sprayed on grains after harvest as a drying agent, right? and that doesn't have to be disclosed at point of sale.
Yep. My gardener maintained that Round Up was the safest kind of weed killer he had ever used. Then I told him how it was often used as a drying agent immediately before harvest. He almost spluttered his cup of tea all over the kitchen table.
Shit. That’s bad. Glyphosate is often used on durum wheat for desiccation in America- or is was according to a 2017 working group. However, the same is not true of einkorn, which tends to be grown on a smaller scale because of its lower yields for niche markets.
That’s interesting. If you can find brands of durum wheat or dried pasta which is labelled 100% Made in Italy, then this means that the wheat was grown in Italy, where only pre-planting glyphosate use is allowed. This is distinct from a Made in Italy label, where the wheat used is often imported, and generally has a likelihood of glyphosate used for desiccation purposes.
I asked an AI to do the detail. It is possible to find brands of dried pasta in most Amazon regions which are labelled 100% Made in Italy. Due to my previous einkorn questions, the AI gave me a list of durum wheat 100% Made in Italy variants, but then focused in on Monograno Felicetti an organic einkorn pasta grown in Italy, and very unlikely to contain even tiny traces of glyphosate.
nice. when wheat prices began to skyrocket after the scamdemic store runs, I bought a 50lb bag of organic wheat from a distributor who appears to take the GMO/organic issues seriously and I've not used it all up yet.
For wheat products, you should look up durum wheat and einkorn specific suppliers online. Gluten intolerant types report far better results with these types of wheat.
I'm old enough to remember when public schools had dress codes. There was always at least one teacher who would take it upon herself to police the length of the girls' skirts (yes all girls were required to wear dresses and skirts, pants and shorts were not allowed). Boys had to wear collared button down shirts tucked in. By the time I was in the nineth grade it started to relax a bit. Shorts and pants were allowed with certain limitations. Nowadays it seems like it's anything goes. And that's a pity in my opinion. I think we need to bring back basic standards of decorum and common decency. When I was a child in the 60's people took more care and pride in their appearance. By the late 60's that started to change, and i don't think it was by accident.
I have kids in public school and in private. The public schools are now looking the other way when kids come to school in pajamas and slippers. I'm not exaggerating.
I retired from teaching three years ago. You’re mistaken if you think “it’s anything goes” with school outfits. Students who showed up in overly-revealing outfits were always given things to wear over them or, if they refused, they were sent home. I did not work in a conservative district: our city voted 85% blue in the last election.
Beware of the enemies of public education spreading false claims about schools. You see them all over online, and should not take what they say at face value.
I took a trip up to Ravello with my aunt for a classical music event. My aunt was simply thrilled that the clothes I had chosen were virtually identical to those of the Italian academic who introduced the event, although I suspect his brands were markedly superior to my own.
Apparently, once a year Ravello hosts a performance of the 1812 Overture, and little Italian hill forts along the coast fire their cannon synchronised to the performance. The only performance available for us was Grieg. We should have had the foresight to pre-book.
Perhaps the Anglosphere needs a Bella Figura movement.
I remember shopping with mother at Aldi’s in the mid 1990s, just as the company was making inroads into the American market. We had to drive about forty minutes to get there, but the reason Mom dragged us out there was simple: it was the cheapest option. We weren’t desperately poor, Dad’s military retirement kept us off the wrong side of the tracks, but just barely. Anything to save a buck, and my mother would jump on it, even if it meant the extra drive.
Aldi’s back then in my circle of peers had the reputation of the poor peoples’ store, the Rose’s to the more middle class JC Penney’s. But that reputation came almost exclusively from the fact that the store didn’t carry any name brands. Hell, back then Aldi’s didn’t even carry fresh meat or produce (my memory is hazy, but I think there might have been one half aisle of a refrigerated section with milk and butter. Maybe). We were there to stock up on canned, dried, and bottled goods. Because, you’re right, while Aldi’s prices are lower than other budget grocery stores, it didn’t feel like a budget grocery store. The place was quiet, clean and orderly, and very spartan. This was before reusable grocery bags took off, so we helped Mom “bag” the groceries into cardboard boxes on the shelf beyond cash registers. Honestly, going into Aldi’s now isn’t so different than thirty years ago, just with meat and produce added.
Maybe it really is those little inconveniences that keep Aldi’s the way it is compared to places like Walmart. I hope they can stay the course.
Makro is usually good on price, but the benefits rely upon being able to conveniently store the indefinite shelf-life products which make it worthwhile. Otherwise, it's just a waste of petrol.
In England Aldi and their big equally successful also-German rival Lidl have a similar basics philosophy as regards store decoration and limited choice of brands. Though Aldi have some varied meat and cheese choices and both have a decent choice of fresh fruit and veg. And both have acquired an austere chic image that attracts middle class shoppers. And a great choice of German chocolates. It is a fashionable way of being tight fisted.
I caught a local bus (Reading, 40 miles west of London). At the stop near the Hindu temple three young Indian ladies got on. They were naturally very attractive, but their gorgeous green garments were absolutely stunning. They must have been outstanding for me to notice. I think it was the time of a big Hindu festival. They stood out for elegance, style, taste and self respect among the average bus passenger.
Further south, they got off outside Lidl for their groceries. Everyone's cash is welcome, but a few properly dressed customers raises the tone of any place.
My Halloween costume this year is going to be something everyone will recognize immediately: the airport piece of shit. Gonna wear a nightmare before Christmas t shirt, cookie monster pajama pants, crocs, a roller bag, a neck pillow, and cheap skull candy headphones. That these people are allowed to partake in the miracle of aviation rather than simply shoved into a giant blender is a crime of modernity
This is great! This just reminds me of a client in a criminal case who wore a sweatshirt that had an adidas logo reshaped like a marijauna leaf that actually spelled out weed underneath the logo. I caught him before his case was called and order him to take it off. Why?! Just why?!
Aldi was great until they brought in self checkout. I'm so angry every time I see it, and that makes me want to shop elsewhere. Of course, "elsewhere" now has self checkout but I strive not to use it. I don't like it anywhere, but bringing it into Aldi is such a kick in the teeth. I expected better from them. It degrades their brand.
Well said, but enforcing discipline for the betterment of society is racist & fascist, since it violates the Liberal prime directive of Equality, with the latter exerting a constant gravitational pull towards the lowest common denominator. This I think is the main issue behind not only this, but also the breakdown of family and the various other forms of societal decay that we live with.
I'm a big fan. We have done nearly 100% of our shopping at Aldi since inflation really hit and we had to tighten up the budget.
It is definitely a different crowd than Kroger.
No obvious snap customers but I don't think they are as price sensitive as those spending their own money. And there is the lack of prepackaged slop you noted.
There are no self checkout lines at the aldis near me but that is not a problem because the cashiers are very fast. Even though Aldis has a limited range of options, it tends to have healthy options at reasonable prices which is a better tradeoff.
My people. I do about 90% of our shopping at Aldi. The quality is quite good. Lidl, also a great store, by comparison doesn’t have the quarter-cart system, but does make you pay for bags and bag your own groceries. The clientele and upkeep of the store is slightly trashier than Aldi. The cart system really does make a difference. There’s also the quiet pleasantries at Aldi of people leaving quarters in their carts for others, or giving a cart to a stranger and generously saying “don’t worry about it,” when offered a quarter in exchange. It’s all pretty delightful.
Totally agree. In this day and age if you have access to an Aldi and you don’t do 90% of your grocery shopping there you are not making good choices with your hard earned pay. To be honest, I know the cart system is supposed to provide a monetary incentive to make me push the cart back but I mainly do it just to get back that one quarter I always keep in the car to unlock the carts the next time lol because I hardly use cash anymore!
Great article. In a world of walking on eggshells, Alan uses a cutting and refreshingly resentful tone, and is unemotionally laudatory to the best shopping experience out there: Aldi.
Maybe proofread the article before posting it next time though. Quite a few errors slipped in there.
I suggest you try reading your work aloud before publishing it. That will help you catch sentences like this:
"There also comes a time when leaving someone to their laziness and vices, changing the social fabric to either create enclaves to avoid them, usually with money."
You leave a mess like that for your readers, and then you have the nerve to demand I wear a collared shirt when I shop at Aldi's? Smh.
I used to be a Walmart shopper. I would shop mostly on price. but the one closest to my house became a fetid swamp. The "People of Walmart" took over, and the company in order to save a penny, hired sub-continent and middle eastern managers. These managers removed/facilitated the departure of the few whites and asian employees. Now you get cashiers that don't speak English and that feel contempt in working and serving people not their own.
Good riddance. I'm sure Walmart profits have increased, on the backs of laying off hard working people.
Interestingly it’s remarkably similar in the UK where we have had Aldi and its twin, Lidl for around 15 years. The social underclass still shop in the more traditional and expensive Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda (owned by Walmart). Lidl and Aldi are mostly supported by striving immigrants and tight-fisted middle class people (like me) who want maximum bang for the buck.
My only quibble is that one doesn't need to make your own pasta to make good pasta dishes. Although there are exceptions for certain types of pasta and special occasions, most Italians don't make their own pasta anywhere near all the time. There are usually high quality brands of dried pasta which won't break the bank.
The key thing is seasoning. All it bloody takes is a little oil, salt and pepper. Tasting a few times as you add, to get the balance right. Why is that so hard? I've been to people's houses and they've made perfectly nice homemade sauces, only to ruin the whole affair by failing to add seasoning to the pasta, before the sauce is added. There is a world of difference between seasoned pasta and unseasoned. The latter is devoid of taste and lacks food soul. The former can form the basis for a lovely meal.
Good article.
If you want high quality customers, turn up to a supermarket on a Sunday, about 15 minutes before the shop is due to open. No joke, back in the days when Audis were going through a popular phase, most of the attendees were smart casual men ranging from their thirties to fifties, looking to do the chores before they could relax and enjoy the day. I used play count the silver Audis. There were always more than three.
It might be a good way for single women to meet good men, although I imagine many of them were attached.
"Low-income families who have their crap together have more contempt for these 'People of Walmart' than your most strident eugenicist."
Low-income families who have their crap together understand many things with greater clarity than "the elites" who incessantly talk down to them through the filter of their ideological bookstacks.
What a sorry collection of half-baked “observations”. I shop at Trader Joe, I shop at Aldi, I shop at Kroger and (occasionally) at Whole Foods. And I’ve shopped at Walmart, where I saw women from Mali in hijabs, entire families from Central America, and plenty of people who doubtless live in doublewides, pouring over the well stocked produce. Frankly, I don’t know what Walmart the author has been shopping at (if any), but in the one closest to my property in NW Arkansas, in the poorest county in Missouri, I regularly bought large slabs of fresh salmon, free range chicken, imported feta, baby bok choy, kiwis, ataulfo mangos, vine-ripened tomatoes and dragon fruit. Sadly, the curse of the middlebrow Substacker will forever be to not know what they don’t know. Try getting out more.
My argument isn't that Walmart does not have some decent produce, but that it's cheapness, wealth of lousy prepackaged foods, and lack of standards attract some of the worst of society.
Soooo….. according to you, the “worst of society” would be whom, exactly?
Sloths.
Gotta agree. I lived until recently near one of the worst Walmarts in the country. More merchandise walks out than is paid for. The lot is disgusting, the carts have frozen wheels from theft attempts (if you can find one) the place is dirty, crocs are the footwear of choice (those holes are where your dignity seeps out) and the oil spots under the parked cars are always wet and freshened. I’ve been blue collar all of my 60 years, have no degree or higher education beyond a couple semesters. As a firefighter I’ve been in the homes of the people who shopped that store, and the Walmart is steps above the level of clean that they live in. The local Aldi, half a mile away, is just the opposite. And you will never find an unattended cart in the lot, because it’s a free $0.25 for the finder. 25¢ not worth your time? Then you have no sense of what money is worth. The variety of gourmet cheese is insane. The $4 wine? I would put it against any $20 bottle. Kroger may be just as clean, but the variety of too much to process and the gimmicks to get you to buy crap you don’t need aren’t worth the 40 aisles to find what you need. We buy the majority of what we need from a local, mom and pop, old timey grocery store that’s one room wide and three deep, and an owner operated butcher shop. Aldi fills the few gaps that we encounter, in a manner you won’t find in any other grocery store.
Actually the “worst” of society are those currently running this country. Way too much money with absolutely no compassion, empathy, or humanity enough to care about anybody but themselves. Followed closely by behind by those who admire them.
Sorry to burst your woke bubble, but there are folks who are better than others, in every category of what people can be.
Yes. Some people aren’t assholes. You should imitate those people.
No thanks, I don’t pretend.
So you know you’re an asshole and yet think you’re superior.
Interesting form of crazy.
“pouring over” —->”poring over”
It’s not factually accurate to say that membership at Costco is intended primarily to keep the undesirables out. Maybe it has that effect, but Costco’s whole business model is built on membership fees. Costco sells at very low markup. As a store, it is barely profitable. Memberships account for about 2% of revenue, but slightly over 50% of the profit. Without the membership fees, the very-low-markup strategy doesn’t work as well.
BJ’s and Sam’s Club use a similar model, though I think both get a somewhat lower percentage of profit from membership. (To check that I’d have to peruse their financials, and I’m lazy enough to not want to do that without being paid.)
I’m pretty sure that, while your article is funny and amusing, the same is true of Aldi. The factors that make it unpleasant also make it cheap and drive the business model. Driving out Wal-Mart customers is a pleasant side effect.
Good point on Costco. I now remember reading similar at a certain point.
If the membership fee is designed to turn people away, my local Costco’s didn’t get the message.
However, when I visit a supermarket I can safely say that unless another shopper is being aggressive I usually won’t notice them or give two shits- because I’m there to do my shopping not make class judgements.
Even if the goal of the membership fee is profit (or not keeping certain people out) it still has the same effect.
I enjoyed the article.
one thing... getting the ONLY cashier on shift in the store to help is difficult. multiple human checkout lanes, only one is ever staffed, and management makes the cashier cruise the store facing shelves, unloading trucks, and stocking product when there isn't a line at the single open checkout lane which isn't unpaid customer labor ("self checkout")
one unmentioned thing: unless you just get their organic brand products, a growing majority of their other products contain GMOs and/or synthetic sweeteners. a point in their favor is that they disclose those contents clearly on the package labels, unlike most other grocery store products which instead hide the GMO content under a "smartlabel" type QR code.
Aldi definitely has its annoyances. I also question whether some of their organic selection is really organic. It's still better than most, likely because of the store's German ownership.
yeah, I don't really trust the organic label at all since the USDA got their greasy fingers on the definition. only when I can see the farmer for myself, and anyone trustworthy likely couldn't afford a USDA certification anyway.
For wheat products, you should look up durum wheat and einkorn specific suppliers online. Gluten intolerant types report far better results with these types of wheat.
I don't really have health issues or allergies to set dietary limitations, my distaste for chemically contaminated/GMO food products is completely voluntary.
plus from what I've read the gluten intolerance issue is more of a glyophosphate issue than a gluten issue. you know the "regulatory" agencies allow the use of glyophosphate sprayed on grains after harvest as a drying agent, right? and that doesn't have to be disclosed at point of sale.
Yep. My gardener maintained that Round Up was the safest kind of weed killer he had ever used. Then I told him how it was often used as a drying agent immediately before harvest. He almost spluttered his cup of tea all over the kitchen table.
Shit. That’s bad. Glyphosate is often used on durum wheat for desiccation in America- or is was according to a 2017 working group. However, the same is not true of einkorn, which tends to be grown on a smaller scale because of its lower yields for niche markets.
That’s interesting. If you can find brands of durum wheat or dried pasta which is labelled 100% Made in Italy, then this means that the wheat was grown in Italy, where only pre-planting glyphosate use is allowed. This is distinct from a Made in Italy label, where the wheat used is often imported, and generally has a likelihood of glyphosate used for desiccation purposes.
I asked an AI to do the detail. It is possible to find brands of dried pasta in most Amazon regions which are labelled 100% Made in Italy. Due to my previous einkorn questions, the AI gave me a list of durum wheat 100% Made in Italy variants, but then focused in on Monograno Felicetti an organic einkorn pasta grown in Italy, and very unlikely to contain even tiny traces of glyphosate.
nice. when wheat prices began to skyrocket after the scamdemic store runs, I bought a 50lb bag of organic wheat from a distributor who appears to take the GMO/organic issues seriously and I've not used it all up yet.
For wheat products, you should look up durum wheat and einkorn specific suppliers online. Gluten intolerant types report far better results with these types of wheat.
I'm old enough to remember when public schools had dress codes. There was always at least one teacher who would take it upon herself to police the length of the girls' skirts (yes all girls were required to wear dresses and skirts, pants and shorts were not allowed). Boys had to wear collared button down shirts tucked in. By the time I was in the nineth grade it started to relax a bit. Shorts and pants were allowed with certain limitations. Nowadays it seems like it's anything goes. And that's a pity in my opinion. I think we need to bring back basic standards of decorum and common decency. When I was a child in the 60's people took more care and pride in their appearance. By the late 60's that started to change, and i don't think it was by accident.
I have kids in public school and in private. The public schools are now looking the other way when kids come to school in pajamas and slippers. I'm not exaggerating.
I retired from teaching three years ago. You’re mistaken if you think “it’s anything goes” with school outfits. Students who showed up in overly-revealing outfits were always given things to wear over them or, if they refused, they were sent home. I did not work in a conservative district: our city voted 85% blue in the last election.
Beware of the enemies of public education spreading false claims about schools. You see them all over online, and should not take what they say at face value.
I took a trip up to Ravello with my aunt for a classical music event. My aunt was simply thrilled that the clothes I had chosen were virtually identical to those of the Italian academic who introduced the event, although I suspect his brands were markedly superior to my own.
Apparently, once a year Ravello hosts a performance of the 1812 Overture, and little Italian hill forts along the coast fire their cannon synchronised to the performance. The only performance available for us was Grieg. We should have had the foresight to pre-book.
Perhaps the Anglosphere needs a Bella Figura movement.
I remember shopping with mother at Aldi’s in the mid 1990s, just as the company was making inroads into the American market. We had to drive about forty minutes to get there, but the reason Mom dragged us out there was simple: it was the cheapest option. We weren’t desperately poor, Dad’s military retirement kept us off the wrong side of the tracks, but just barely. Anything to save a buck, and my mother would jump on it, even if it meant the extra drive.
Aldi’s back then in my circle of peers had the reputation of the poor peoples’ store, the Rose’s to the more middle class JC Penney’s. But that reputation came almost exclusively from the fact that the store didn’t carry any name brands. Hell, back then Aldi’s didn’t even carry fresh meat or produce (my memory is hazy, but I think there might have been one half aisle of a refrigerated section with milk and butter. Maybe). We were there to stock up on canned, dried, and bottled goods. Because, you’re right, while Aldi’s prices are lower than other budget grocery stores, it didn’t feel like a budget grocery store. The place was quiet, clean and orderly, and very spartan. This was before reusable grocery bags took off, so we helped Mom “bag” the groceries into cardboard boxes on the shelf beyond cash registers. Honestly, going into Aldi’s now isn’t so different than thirty years ago, just with meat and produce added.
Maybe it really is those little inconveniences that keep Aldi’s the way it is compared to places like Walmart. I hope they can stay the course.
Food inflation has removed a lot of the stigma of Aldi being for the poor. Now everyone feels the pinch.
Makro is usually good on price, but the benefits rely upon being able to conveniently store the indefinite shelf-life products which make it worthwhile. Otherwise, it's just a waste of petrol.
In England Aldi and their big equally successful also-German rival Lidl have a similar basics philosophy as regards store decoration and limited choice of brands. Though Aldi have some varied meat and cheese choices and both have a decent choice of fresh fruit and veg. And both have acquired an austere chic image that attracts middle class shoppers. And a great choice of German chocolates. It is a fashionable way of being tight fisted.
I caught a local bus (Reading, 40 miles west of London). At the stop near the Hindu temple three young Indian ladies got on. They were naturally very attractive, but their gorgeous green garments were absolutely stunning. They must have been outstanding for me to notice. I think it was the time of a big Hindu festival. They stood out for elegance, style, taste and self respect among the average bus passenger.
Further south, they got off outside Lidl for their groceries. Everyone's cash is welcome, but a few properly dressed customers raises the tone of any place.
It’s “Aldi”. Not Aldi’s.
My Halloween costume this year is going to be something everyone will recognize immediately: the airport piece of shit. Gonna wear a nightmare before Christmas t shirt, cookie monster pajama pants, crocs, a roller bag, a neck pillow, and cheap skull candy headphones. That these people are allowed to partake in the miracle of aviation rather than simply shoved into a giant blender is a crime of modernity
This comment is absolutely incredible. I am laughing out loud (truly). What is even happening with the Cookie Monster PJ pants? Why do they do this?
Also, why does this person also have a really, really bad hair dye job.
These people are why Air France cracks down on who can go into the lounge-- even with the special AmEx or whatever.
This is great! This just reminds me of a client in a criminal case who wore a sweatshirt that had an adidas logo reshaped like a marijauna leaf that actually spelled out weed underneath the logo. I caught him before his case was called and order him to take it off. Why?! Just why?!
Aldi was great until they brought in self checkout. I'm so angry every time I see it, and that makes me want to shop elsewhere. Of course, "elsewhere" now has self checkout but I strive not to use it. I don't like it anywhere, but bringing it into Aldi is such a kick in the teeth. I expected better from them. It degrades their brand.
Good article.
Well said, but enforcing discipline for the betterment of society is racist & fascist, since it violates the Liberal prime directive of Equality, with the latter exerting a constant gravitational pull towards the lowest common denominator. This I think is the main issue behind not only this, but also the breakdown of family and the various other forms of societal decay that we live with.
There are liberal societies like Japan and Norway that still uphold the standard though
I'm a big fan. We have done nearly 100% of our shopping at Aldi since inflation really hit and we had to tighten up the budget.
It is definitely a different crowd than Kroger.
No obvious snap customers but I don't think they are as price sensitive as those spending their own money. And there is the lack of prepackaged slop you noted.
There are no self checkout lines at the aldis near me but that is not a problem because the cashiers are very fast. Even though Aldis has a limited range of options, it tends to have healthy options at reasonable prices which is a better tradeoff.
My people. I do about 90% of our shopping at Aldi. The quality is quite good. Lidl, also a great store, by comparison doesn’t have the quarter-cart system, but does make you pay for bags and bag your own groceries. The clientele and upkeep of the store is slightly trashier than Aldi. The cart system really does make a difference. There’s also the quiet pleasantries at Aldi of people leaving quarters in their carts for others, or giving a cart to a stranger and generously saying “don’t worry about it,” when offered a quarter in exchange. It’s all pretty delightful.
Totally agree. In this day and age if you have access to an Aldi and you don’t do 90% of your grocery shopping there you are not making good choices with your hard earned pay. To be honest, I know the cart system is supposed to provide a monetary incentive to make me push the cart back but I mainly do it just to get back that one quarter I always keep in the car to unlock the carts the next time lol because I hardly use cash anymore!
Great article. In a world of walking on eggshells, Alan uses a cutting and refreshingly resentful tone, and is unemotionally laudatory to the best shopping experience out there: Aldi.
Maybe proofread the article before posting it next time though. Quite a few errors slipped in there.
I'm such a lousy proofreader it's practically a call sign. My grammar software refuses to work with me for creating a hazardous work environment.
I suggest you try reading your work aloud before publishing it. That will help you catch sentences like this:
"There also comes a time when leaving someone to their laziness and vices, changing the social fabric to either create enclaves to avoid them, usually with money."
You leave a mess like that for your readers, and then you have the nerve to demand I wear a collared shirt when I shop at Aldi's? Smh.
Thanks for the catch. Updated.
I used to be a Walmart shopper. I would shop mostly on price. but the one closest to my house became a fetid swamp. The "People of Walmart" took over, and the company in order to save a penny, hired sub-continent and middle eastern managers. These managers removed/facilitated the departure of the few whites and asian employees. Now you get cashiers that don't speak English and that feel contempt in working and serving people not their own.
Good riddance. I'm sure Walmart profits have increased, on the backs of laying off hard working people.
Interestingly it’s remarkably similar in the UK where we have had Aldi and its twin, Lidl for around 15 years. The social underclass still shop in the more traditional and expensive Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda (owned by Walmart). Lidl and Aldi are mostly supported by striving immigrants and tight-fisted middle class people (like me) who want maximum bang for the buck.
And don’t your Aldi stores sell liquor as well? Who would shop any where else!
Yes absolutely all grocery stores sell liquor here.
My only quibble is that one doesn't need to make your own pasta to make good pasta dishes. Although there are exceptions for certain types of pasta and special occasions, most Italians don't make their own pasta anywhere near all the time. There are usually high quality brands of dried pasta which won't break the bank.
The key thing is seasoning. All it bloody takes is a little oil, salt and pepper. Tasting a few times as you add, to get the balance right. Why is that so hard? I've been to people's houses and they've made perfectly nice homemade sauces, only to ruin the whole affair by failing to add seasoning to the pasta, before the sauce is added. There is a world of difference between seasoned pasta and unseasoned. The latter is devoid of taste and lacks food soul. The former can form the basis for a lovely meal.
Good article.
If you want high quality customers, turn up to a supermarket on a Sunday, about 15 minutes before the shop is due to open. No joke, back in the days when Audis were going through a popular phase, most of the attendees were smart casual men ranging from their thirties to fifties, looking to do the chores before they could relax and enjoy the day. I used play count the silver Audis. There were always more than three.
It might be a good way for single women to meet good men, although I imagine many of them were attached.