Like Giant Eagle's discount Good Cents stores, Aldi says it saves money by focusing on only the most popular items in a few flavors and sizes. While most supermarkets carry more than 40,000 items, Aldi stocks about 1,400, of which 95 percent are store brands.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Aldi Inc., the discount German grocery chain that carries an edited selection of items in a smaller store format, has opened its newest store in Cleveland's Steelyard Commons development.
The new Aldi at 3586 Steelyard Dr. replaces another location at 3787 Pearl Rd., which closed on Nov. 19. The company said all the Pearl Road employees were transferred to the new store. An Aldi typically employs 10 people.
"As important as price is, there's only one way to attract and keep shoppers: You have to have quality products," said Corey Stucker, vice president of Aldi's Hinckley division, in a statement. "When people try our Aldi exclusive brands, they are excited by the savings and impressed by the quality."
The 10,000-square-foot Aldi opened in a new section of Steelyard Commons less than two miles northeast of the existing stores. Aldi said this store has higher ceilings, better natural lighting and more environmentally friendly building materials, such as energy-efficient refrigerators and light bulbs, than other area stores.
Like Giant Eagle's discount Good Cents stores, Aldi says it saves money by focusing on
only the most popular items in a few flavors and sizes. While most supermarkets carry more than 40,000 items, Aldi stocks about 1,400, of which 95 percent are store brands. Instead of an entire aisle of cereal, it carries only a handful, all Aldi brands.
"On occasion, you will find a national brand at ALDI," the company website says. But these are usually limited-time offers available only while supplies last.
Aldi customers have to pay a quarter to rent a shopping cart (which is refunded when they return the cart), and must remember to bring their own bags or pay for Aldi's. The stores usually have a counter along the back wall where shoppers can bag or box their own groceries. Aldi explains on its website that renting out its carts "cuts down on the labor of collecting carts left in the parking lot and damage to cars, and we pass the savings on to you."
To encourage new shoppers to try its store brands, Aldi offers a Double Guarantee that "if for any reason a customer is not 100-percent satisfied with a food product, Aldi will gladly replace the product and refund the customer's money."
The Steelyard Commons store is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays. Aldi stores accept cash, debit and EBT cards, but no checks or credit cards.
Aldi,
which opened its first U.S. store in 1976, has been aggressively expanding its reach along the Eastern half of the country, adding an average of 80 stores a year. It had
about 900 stores in 28 states in 2008, and now has more than 1,200 stores in 32 states. Aldi also recently opened a store in Hartville.
