Aldi is the cheapest, easiest, and overall place to shop as a college student
In this edition of The Lamron, we’ve created a guide of tips and tricks for first-years. This article, on the other hand, is for all you upperclassmen living off-campus looking for cheap and convenient food shopping. To begin, I would like to congratulate you on getting out of the dorms! I know firsthand that the transition from getting dining hall food to cooking your own meals can sometimes be troubling and lead to forgetting about meals, which isn’t good for anyone. Worry no more—for anyone that needs to shop for their own groceries, this article is my gift to you.
Aldi is all in all the superior choice for purchasing groceries as a college student, as well as just the general public. One of the main reasons it is the easiest is, in part, because it is comparatively smaller than other stores. In comparison to stores such as Walmart or Wegmans, it is a fraction of the size. This is incredibly beneficial, and a major plus for those of us who feel anxiety in populated, large, and busy areas. Personally, I find that walking through the doors of a Walmart makes me want to scream: there are always a million people and a million products to choose from, which can be overwhelming from a sensory, financial, and social angle. Aldi, however, has a more limited selection, which makes shopping for pantry staples so much easier—I’m typically able to be in and out of Aldi in a quick 20 minutes. If you are looking for a greater selection of items, though, this might not be for you; but for those of you who prefer quickness and ease, Aldi can be of help.
Most of the time, Aldi’s standard pricing beats even the sale prices of large grocery stores. The Aldi company has a fine-tuned business model which allows them to eliminate overhead costs and keep the prices of items as low as possible. On a weekly basis, I spend about $30 on groceries which is practically unheard of. Yes, I do cook a lot of cheap pasta meals and find cost-effective meals for two, but even the good quality meat products at Aldi don’t cost an arm and a leg like they might at other, more popular chain grocery stores.
Aldi may be the “greenest” grocery store, too (as far as any corporation can be). Our generation seems to be more conscious about the environment than many of the previous, and this store aligns with our generational values and priorities. Aldi doesn’t use any one-time-use plastic or paper bags like other stores; they only sell reusable bags, at a cheap price of course. They also have a great return policy called the “Twice as Nice Guarantee.” If you’re not satisfied with a purchase, they will replace the product and give you a full refund.
Clearly, there are many reasons why Aldi is the superior grocery store. Maybe I’m biased, but don’t knock it ‘till you try it! Grocery shopping and cooking really does come with ease when you decide to start shopping at Aldi.
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