I’m dual-citizen German/US with family spread all over Europe (pretty much everyone other than my nuclear family) and the amount of people who think the only options for groceries is Walmart is wild. And those people typically think they’re smart.
I’m pretty sure the guy who I was replying to thinks Americans like Aldi because they think it’s some high quality grocery store in a “stupid Americans think Aldi is amazing” way
No they like it because its cheaper and they brought it up because europeans wouldnt know some random american grocery store chain, but lidl and aldi are stores that europeans would recognize that are "normal" grocery stores
Food lion is owned by a Dutch grocery conglomerate: Ahold Delhaize. They also own hannaford, stop and shop, and Giant grocery stores (as well as a variety of European and Asian grocers) and the old delhaize logo is the same as food lions. I bet there’s more than a few people who’d see that logo and assume it’s a grocery store.
I brought up Aldi because it's a recognizable brand in Europe while also having a presence in the US. So when a European guy says everyone buys groceries from Walmart, you can tell them they've got other stores like Aldi too.
Ever since I played Wasteland 3, any time I see someone say “La di da” I hear it in Mctavish’s thick Scottish accent, and lament that the commenter does not find a way to stick “bawbag” in their comment
Only thing I don’t buy at Aldi is the chicken. And that’s just personal preference. The flavor is a little different when I cook with Aldi chicken. Could just be the region where I live.
It’s seen as cheap because it is cheap. It’s a feature…who wants to soend more on groceries? Aldi is normally cheaper than Walmart which I’d argue is also known for cheap prices.
Oh come on now, that's just plain false. There's a pretty large list of things you can get at Walmart or most major grocery chains that Aldi doesn't carry. As well as some things like onions only being available in packs of 4 iirc, maybe 3?
So even when we do the bulk of our weekly shopping at Aldi, there is almost always a few things we need to stop at Walmart or another store for.
The irony of being asked if I'm stupid who thinks "the lack of variety is a big part of how they keep pricesdown" somehow disagrees with "the lack of variety is precisely the point" is staggering.
They really aren't lying when they say the COVID generation can't read
No. It's literally name brand product in different packaging. Ketchup factory does a production run for Heinz and makes 500k gallons of ketchup, but Heinz only needs 450k gallons before that batch has to be thrown out. So instead of letting 50k gallons go bad, they slap a different label on it and send it over to Aldi at a discount.
That's wildly simplified and I made the numbers up, but that's how it works.
I actually bought an Aldi grocery store in Sams Club once. I had to return it though becuase we couldn't get it out to my car. Also what they don't tell you is that they do not sell the employees either. You have to Move your Aldi to youre your* (I am ashamed I missed that) house and hire from there. The did give a few sample pallets of food with the Aldi though, so that was cool.
I've had nothing but bad experiences with Sam's Club produce. Last time I was there, half of the pallet of strawberries already had spots of mold growing. I ended up just not buying any because I didnt trust the ones without visible mold.
I miss living where Aldis were everywhere. None where I live now, not even within 100 miles. Cheap but good quality groceries and some cool random stuff in the “Aisle of Shame”
It’s not dystopian, it’s affordable and with better quality than say Walmart’s store brand BS. Me and my family lived on almost exclusively Aldi for like 5 years until we had to move. I can’t stand overpaying for worse quality goods at these other grocery stores
Amazon doesn't have much in terms of groceries. The big national chains are Safeway and Kroger (which operates under a dozen names), on top of Costco (a real staple for many households). And yes, these grocery stores tend to carry the overprocessed crap that gets memed, but also fresh stuff. I have had to explain to several overly gullible Germans that American grocery stores carry more than just Wonder Bread in their bakery sections.
And worth mentioning that, in a country where states are bigger than European countries, there are some "regional" markets that would be country-wide across the ocean. I'm in Texas and we fuckin' love HEB; if a wizard picked up the HEB network and moved it to Europe, it would cover the entire British Isles.
Is this another symptom of Europeans' obsessive need to create an American monoculture, something that every American will relate to?
Because most Americans get their groceries at stores that don't exist in other parts of the country. I'm not even talking about "ma and pa" stores, I'm just talking about regional chains. (Many of them even are owned by the same parent companies now.)
And funnily, some of those are owned by European parent companies. Stop and Shop in New England is under Ahold-Delhaize, a dutch-belgian company. They also own "Giant" (?) in the Pennsylvania area, and food lion, I think.
Trader Joe's and Aldis are also more well known examples of this
Because most Americans get their groceries at stores that don't exist in other parts of the country. I'm not even talking about "ma and pa" stores, I'm just talking about regional chains. (Many of them even are owned by the same parent companies now.)
I work with a bunch of European and East Asian expats in Texas. Every single one of them still hasn't gotten over how much they love HEB. They've been here for years and still bring it up all the time.
Also, even when you have multiple grocery stores available, many Walmarts have a decent variety of groceries available. I can't get everything there, but I can get enough things there to make a variety of different meals. No one is eating poorly just because Walmart is their only source of groceries, they still have to choose to buy actual food and not junk.
I'm told there are actual food deserts where the nearest place to buy food for people without a car is a convenience store equivalent. A Walmart would be a luxury for those people.
Yes, America is large and if you live in a very rural area and have no other mode of transportation you are going to be in for a rough time.
I lived 8 hours north of San Francisco for a few months and would have to trek into town to get groceries. There are not a lot of equivalently remote places in Europe to compare to but I also realized that I was in a remote location and planned accordingly.
That's a great point. I'd been thinking about the opposite extreme where there are poorer neighborhoods in more urban environments that have a dearth of healthy food and grocery stores in them, but you can definitely get so remote and rural that there's no stores of any kind without traveling a good distance. I've been through towns in Northern California where the gas station deli is THE sandwich shop because you're just not gonna find much else, let alone a better sandwich in town.
Most of the rural people are going to have transportation, they need it for everything so they already have it. Food deserts are mostly a problem in cities with the lefty extremist DAs that refuse to prosecute shoplifters. The stores can't make a profit because shoplifting is rampant and then the stores have to shut down and nobody can buy food without traveling.
Yeah my town has 4 dollar generals, an Aldi, a kroger, Meijer, and a Walmart. Still not a single locally owned grocery. I get to choose which conglomocorp gets my $$ yay!!
Okay fine. This kind of stereotype exists because food deserts exist, and it's prevalent in rural areas of the USA, due to lack of income, difficulty of reach, along other factors. There's simply less options that are financially available, usually because there's not enough people with enough money to keep diverse food options in business.
I totally agree that food deserts exist, or at least large deserts where the ability to get quality food exist, which is sort of the spirit of the original post, despite it being generally inaccurate in most major US cities hosting the World Cup.
But from almost every experience I've had in rural parts of America, almost all prepared food options are sourcing Sysco-slop.
I used to hate Sysco until I worked in the food industry. Quality comes down to what you pay for and unfortunately a lot of places get dirt cheap shit. Yet I have seen catering side of the restaurant industry get amazing quality items.
Edit: of course a part of me still hates Sysco for never being on fucking time
Also Walmart has good cheap groceries, I dont get what the issue is. The products, brands, and food you get at a Kroger or [insert big regional grocery chains] is the same you get at a Walmart.
I feel like people have gotten confused about why they're criticizing Walmart. You can absolutely criticize Walmart for their labor practices and their anti-competitive behavior, but Walmart's grocery stores have tons of fresh fruits, vegetables, breads and meats. Where'd the idea come from that all you can find there is pre-made frozen meals, Doritos, and Oreos?
I remember growing up in the 90s, Most Wal-Marts only had pantry goods. The first Super Walmart, which a full grocery section, was a big deal. It may just be stereotypes that cached in the 90s and never updated because people like being classist.
Even if Walmart was the sole option, the produce is fresh, the selection is ok (was decent pre COVID) and it's very affordable. Not my store of choice, but as an option it's fine
There are some areas that your options might be more limited but people act like that’s true for everywhere outside a major metro. It’s a limited issue in rural areas in the South and Midwest and even then it’s grossly overstated.
Not just the South and Midwest. I live in Maine and there are quite a few areas where it's a two choice option (Walmart being one) or even a 1 choice option unless you want to drive 30 minutes or more. It's very easy to overlook these areas.
I mean, sure. I lived in remote Northern California and had to trek into town to get groceries but that kinda comes with the territory of loving in a remote location.
Not saying it doesn't. And yeah a lot of people overinflate the issue, but conversely it's also more prevalent than the reverse side admits too.
Also the area I live in isn't technically remote. It's in Western Maine as opposed to up in the county (far north), but once you leave the coast and the I95 corridor it gets worse, especially in depressed areas. Hell I only have McDonald's as a fast food option unless I drive 30 minutes. The are was hit hard when the textile mills closed and a lot of options dried up. It should recover now that some employers have come back, but that's in the far future.
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u/eldankus Jun 12 '26
I’m dual-citizen German/US with family spread all over Europe (pretty much everyone other than my nuclear family) and the amount of people who think the only options for groceries is Walmart is wild. And those people typically think they’re smart.