We all have opinions strong ones about the places we buy our food. We might snicker at well-heeled foodies shelling out their trust funds for asparagus water at Whole Foods . We may roll our eyes at Costco s prepper-leaning loyalists as they fill up their minivans with a years supply of toilet paper. Both Publix and Wegmans have their share of loyalists too. And then theres the great divide regarding Aldi , which pretty much comes down to this: Youre either an Aldi lover or an Aldi hater.

What Aldi Lovers Say

For lovers of the no-frills German discount grocery chain (and thats more than 40 million shoppers each month across 1,900 stores in 36 U.S. states), the romance begins from the moment they push their quarter into the slot to release a shopping cart (a short-term deposit thats returned when the cart is replaced). They drift into the cozily sized store on a serene cloud of contentment, choosing from products stacked in quick-restock shipping boxes. They buy products labeled liveGfree (gluten-free), Simply Nature (organic), Never Any ! (meat without antibiotics, added hormones or steroids) and Earth Grown (vegetarian and vegan).

They choose even unfamiliar house brands with confidence, knowing that the stores Twice as Nice guarantee will replace any product with which they arent satisfied and refund their money. After theyve crossed all the items off their shopping lists, they head over to what some shoppers call the Aisle of Dreams, the treasure hunters delight of seasonal and clearance items that are here today and probably gone tomorrow. Really, they ask their skeptical friends, whats not to like?

What Aldi Haters Say

For haters, the answer to whats not to like? is plenty. They cannot honestly believe theyre required to fork over a quarter just to ensure theyll return that dumb cart when their shopping trip is (finally) over. The store is small. The selection is limited. Theres no Muzak, so its as quiet as the inside of a freezer case in there, with the silence punctuated only by distant beeps of cashiers at the checkout stations.