Aldi

This place intrigues me. I never know what I will find inside. The assortment of foods and goods seems to be ever-​changing, depending on the time of year and what would most likely be in demand.
I wondered around the store browsing during my first visit but this time came prepared to shop. That meant bringing something to bag my purchases with an having a quarter ready to «rent» a shopping cart. The quarter is refunded when you park your cart post-​shopping so it doesn’t really cost anything but seems a little unnecessary. But I guess it beats having shoppers abandon their carts in the parking lot and leaving carts scattered in all directions.
I have visited the Aldi on West Hillsborough and it seems to be a little larger in size and stock more items but the parking lot is not as user-​friendly to enter and exit from as the Oldsmar location.
Most prices seem to be very reasonable or at least comparable to similar products at other stores. I think one of the big attractions for shopping here is the variety of what’s in store and the fact that these are not ubiquitous brands that are everywhere, all the time.
The other little quirk that could put some people off is that, at least when I visited, credit cards were not accepted. Cash or debit cards will save the day but that’s only helpful if you know before you go.
When I have the luxury of enough time to leisurely look and want to expand my eating horizons beyond the multi-​national corporate brands, this is the place for me.

I love Aldi. I’m a total fanatic about the store. The greatest part is, they are now offering TONS of organic items and also certified gluten-​free items!
So now you can eat fewer chemicals and if you’re afflicted with celiac disease you can spend less on some of your favorite foods like pasta and snacks.
I do not mind that Aldi doesn’t take credit cards (only debit with pin or cash)…it helps them keep their prices low. I do not mind that (like IKEA) you need to bring your own bags or buy bags from them… it helps keep prices low AND helps keep plastics out of the environment! I do not mind needing a quarter to get a shopping cart… this also helps keep prices low.
I’ve been nothing short of thrilled with everything I’ve gotten from Aldi and I couldn’t be happier to find this one relatively close to work. I really really really wish we had one convenient to the Heights neighborhoods (Tampa Heights, Seminole Heights).
Some of my favorite items are:
Biscoff cookies
Pumpkin seed tortilla chips
Girl Scout Samoas knockoffs
Frozen pizzas
Marinated pork loins
Lean ground beef and turkey
Pumpkin waffles
Spaetzle
All the organic canned goods
Ranch flavored mini rice cakes
Almond milk
Cheeses…nothing fancy, but string cheese, shredded cheese, feta, and goat are great staples
Spinach-​feta chicken sausage

I like Aldi for snack foods. Very yummy. Unfortunately I asked the manager where an item would be and he treated me like I was his last priority. I asked him where this salad dressing was that they carried at the other stores would be. He scoffed and replied «I don’t think we carry that item here.» He didn’t want to take two minutes of his time to check for me or even recommend any other items.

So excited about this new location. Whenever I’m in Clearwater, I often go to the location in Clearwater which is a challenge because of where it’s located on 19. I’ve also been to the one in Port Richey, but didn’t realize how up there that location was.
This Oldsmar location is my favorite. It’s brand new. The area looks pretty nice. The parking is easy, and the store is clean. They for the most part have all the usual stuff I am looking for, and the service was friendly and quick.
As always, bring your bags, or look for empty boxes in the store. Bring your quarter for the cart. Bring your cash or debit card. They have upped their advertising, so check out their sale papers, their seasonal sales, and their recipe brochures. They are pretty nice too.

As far as Aldi locations go, this one is a great option. New and fresh, this no frills grocery store offers your necessities and a bit more (although I don’t remember seeing health and beauty aids).
We strolled in on a Friday night and walked the «aisles». We were amazed at some of the prices and their produce looked really good.
For $ 7.50, we walked out with fresh Bibb lettuce, fresh asparagus, pesto sauce and baked pita chips. Not too shabby.

Finally! A clean new Aldi within driving distance. My prayers have been answered! Remember to bring your bags, quarters, and debit cards or cash newbies, or your first trip could be an absolute wreck. Totally loving the the Fit N Active and G free brands offered here. if you insist on bigger name brands, at least check out the produce.

Aldi is a great store, Period. No, they don’t have a lot of things that I usually buy here, but what they do have is fantastic prices on produce. I bought 5 pineapples today for 1.29 each. 1.09 for 2 ½ lbs of organic bananas, 4.69 for a 3lb bag of organic apples! Amazing! Grass Fed organic beef 5.49! Great price. I could go on and on, but I think u get the point. U can’t beat the deals here. The girl at the register said it’s the biggest Aldi in florida too, and it’s close to home. So happy:-) the only thing is that today is opening day and it was really packed. I don’t have that much patience with big crowds and it showed today. People were just gathered in the aisles like a herd of cattle. They see u, but don’t move out of the way. They don’t care. I literally at one point moved a lady’s cart out of the way on my own because she just sat there when I and 5 other people were trying to pass through. People were thanking me for it. She just looked at me. I should have gotten my coffee before shopping which was adding to my already short patience. Not good. Other people were gathered around the sample areas and blocking aisles. U would think they were giving away free caviar and champagne. Give me a break, it’s only cheese and crackers ! Well, after a lot of crazy Greek eyes, eyerolls, excuse me’s, moving of a persons cart, swiping another cart with my cart purposely and pretending it was an accident. :-) I made it through. Anyways, if your patience is short like mine, u might want to wait a few days.

Pretty busy today for the grand opening. To be expected though. A lot of these folks have probably never shopped at an Aldi. This was evident by the amount of people trying to use credit cards, who obviously didn’t know that Aldi is DEBIT ONLY. There were actually so many folks there for opening that they had no carts available because they were all in use. So to compensate, they were giving away free Aldi bags. They were also handing out $ 5 off coupons. So yeah it was a little crazy.
The store was fully stocked, as you can imagine. The one thing I couldn’t find though was the fit n active section where all of the healthier options are. Perhaps it was just too busy. I’ll snoop around next time since the joint is only a few miles down the road. Much closer than the less-​than-​stellar Town & Country locale.
This Aldi is pretty large as well. It seems very close in size to the one on US 19.
If they have the chicken sausage links, pick them up! They’re seasonal, delicious and versatile. Use them in gumbo, pasta dishes or just on a bun. I’ve had the chicken sausages from Publix and Trader Joe’s, but Aldi reigns supreme. No joke. I stockpile them. La Chica makes fun of it and calls it my «sausage collection,» but trust me, she ain’t laughing when I cook dinner.
Lastly, try the 16″ take and bake pizzas; they’re damn near pizzeria quality.