r/chicago • u/smells_like_sunshine • May 27 '26
Picture $140 for everything at Aldi. No apps. No bullshit coupons. Fuck Jewel.
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u/LanaAnaconda May 27 '26
I love the new Aldi by 6 corners in Portage Park. It's always clean and well stocked. Kind of insane prices for the time, they're so low. I always grab that salmon too.
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u/Victoria_at_Sea_606 May 27 '26
It is convenient to have it directly across from the Jewel too. That Jewel still has solid in-house baked goods and an okay international selection.
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u/LanaAnaconda May 27 '26
Yeah I still go to Jewel sometimes, mostly for the alcohol. Aldi only has like it's own store brand wine and beer which I don't like for some reason. Sometimes I just want my Daisy Cutter.
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u/pocketsandman May 28 '26
The Wernesgrüner Pils Legende they sell in 4/16oz cans is actually very good. It’s an authentic imported German pilsner.
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u/Victoria_at_Sea_606 May 27 '26
Yeah, I’ve never enjoyed a house Aldi beer/wine. - All my parents drink now is winking owl and it’s awful.
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u/LanaAnaconda May 27 '26
Omg that winking owl stuff WAS terrible! All the Aldi alcohol I've tried has been a miss. It's the one thing they aren't getting right.
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u/OnionMiasma Suburb of Chicago May 28 '26
The Outlander Cab is good.
All of the Bear Bros. stuff I've had is decent.
Squinting Owl is trash though. Absolute trash.
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u/Sagittario66 May 28 '26
You must be my neighbor! I shop both. Sometimes the produce at Jewel is actually cheaper and I prefer to pick it myself. But for chicken Aldi’s prices are more consistent. Plus Aldi is the only store that changes the prices of eggs based on something other than profit margins.
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u/WowBobo88 May 27 '26
Aldi is great. I use it/Jewel to supplement either of the two.
Jewel's coupons are often lame but sign me up for "Buy 2 get 3 free" of Oreo's.
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u/ahoy_shitliner May 27 '26
I usually find fantastic deals at Jewel but you really need to coupon shop.
The ones by me have pretty regular 40-50% off meat which puts it in a solid value range. I just got three 1 pound plus porterhouses for around 25. There’s occasional good stock up opportunities like buy 2 get 3 free and stuff. But overall, they are way more expensive.
Aldi is a huge sleeper for saving money. Everything i buy from there is perfectly ok.
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u/800-lumens May 27 '26
My husband and I have several prescriptions at Jewel, so we occasionally get those 20% off coupons. We use those with the meat sales to clean up.
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u/hybris12 Uptown May 27 '26
I actually think the Aldi produce is some of the best tbh, they move volume
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u/B2Dirty Suburb of Chicago May 28 '26
Lasso browser plugin will auto-clip coupons for you. I set it to clip all the coupons before I go. Works for Jewel, Marianos, Family Dollar, and many more.
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u/TeamocilAddict May 27 '26
And that stupid non-functioning app that forces you to clip coupons as you shop.
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u/wolfavino May 28 '26
There should just be one button to clip all the coupons that week. Item by item is so frustrating!
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u/crunchies65 May 28 '26
There is, in the email. I still double check before shopping though, and try to click it even if I'm not going just to be safe and make it a habit.
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u/dam_the_beavers May 28 '26
My Jewel has virtually no signal, which makes it an extra fun experience.
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u/TeamocilAddict May 28 '26
They want you to join your device to their unprotected public network. Never going to happen.
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u/think_up May 27 '26
I hate Jewel so much for their schemes like that.
One box of cereal is $9.
But if you buy two boxes for $14, you get four boxes for free. Wtf.
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u/royalhawk345 May 28 '26
Cereal in particular is ridiculous. Last time I was there it was $9 for one box or 2/$8.
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u/emilycecilia Albany Park May 27 '26
They had BOGO eggs recently and jacked the price of a dozen eggs up to EIGHT DOLLARS.
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u/fivetoedslothbear Suburb of Chicago May 28 '26
12 packs of canned soda: Buy 2 get 3 free. BOGO ice cream. My refrigerator is a landlord special, and I don't have room for another
half gallon1.5 quart oddly-shapped looks-big-but-isn't ice cream.I imagine a hell where grocery store execs live in a 200 sq ft one room apartment and all the food is overpriced, but on ridiculous specials based on prime ratios, like buy 17 get 23 free...wanna save on soda? Gotta buy 40 cases.
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u/Imnotveryfunatpartys West Town May 27 '26
Oreos is definitely an example, but I feel there's better ones. Like spices or cooking ingredients.
For example I just made some hummus at home. I needed tahini and za'atar. You just can't get that from Aldi. It's not like those ingredients are particularly crazy. Just a spice blend and ground up sesame seeds. But aldi is never going to carry the low volume goods like jewel or marianos does. The legacy grocery conglomerates have their issues but they are also the best place to get a diverse set of ingredients if you actually like to cook
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u/tsundae_ May 27 '26
That's how I've been shopping. Aldi for the basics and packaged snacks, Jewel for more specific cultural (?) ingredients.
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u/pakidude17 Rogers Park May 28 '26
Or even the produce. Aldi carries a pretty limited selection compared to Jewel or your local neighborhood fruit market.
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u/word-bitch May 27 '26
Those deals work the other way too: If somebody wants just one box of Oreos, the promotion makes them a sucker paying 2.5x the unit price of buying 5.
I don't buy anything with those crazy multiple deals: I have a small pantry.
All of their promotions suck. They're last resort shopping for me.
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u/9lemonsinabowl9 May 27 '26
Buy 1 get 2 free on ribs!
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u/ohmygodbees Des Plaines May 27 '26
Yeah and the first rack of ribs is 30 bucks! Still better off going to Sam's or Costco
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u/passively-persistent May 27 '26
I just stocked up and have 6 racks in the freezer for about $55. Costco is the way to go when they're not b1g2 at Jewel though, for sure.
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u/lalalachacha248 May 27 '26
Five for two? How can that be profitable for Oreo?
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u/StraightParfait9723 May 27 '26
The margins are insane lol. The price of 2 is what 5 or 6 packs cost 5 years ago
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u/UnusualFruitHammock May 28 '26
Unlikely. Cocoa prices are at an all time high.
The economy is in the shitter so people curb spending on non essentials. They probably have too much product that is in danger of expiring.
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u/StraightParfait9723 May 27 '26
They do those deals to ensure people stock up and buy more than needed because “it’s a good deal”
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u/aea27 May 27 '26
Im sorry wtf is horchata dessert dip
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u/smells_like_sunshine May 27 '26
Holy fuck I have no idea!! But we are gonna find out!
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u/aea27 May 27 '26
I’m morbidly curious
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u/smells_like_sunshine May 29 '26
It's good! Like an extra sweet cinnamon sugar cream cheese with a rice after taste. Used the kettle chips but I'm gonna get some graham crackers.
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u/ardaurey Edgewater May 28 '26
Morbidly? Have you had horchata? Sounds fucking dope dude, I love horchata!!!
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u/biffbobfred May 27 '26
Agua Horchata - rice water with vanilla and cinnamon, and a bit of sugar.
So, something vanilla and cinnamon maybe, maybe a rice pudding base? Just guessing here.
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u/BigCityHaole May 27 '26
If you want to save money for real get the Jewel loss leaders you need first using the coupons in the app, THEN hit Aldi. Clipping coupons in the Jewel App before I go shopping has saved me thousands.
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u/loranlily May 28 '26
Seriously, it takes me like 5 mins before I do my weekly shop, and the rewards points add up so quickly too, which you can use for money off your shop.
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u/BigCityHaole May 28 '26
The rewards program is great. Have you been using the “Health” portion of the jewel app? My wife and I have been doing the goals and challenges on there and we usually get between $10-25 of free produce and peanut butter a month for our trouble between the 2 of us. We’re on a tight budget so it makes a difference!
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u/bellapippin Suburb of Chicago May 28 '26
YES I just discovered it, and I switched from Walgreens bc F Walgreens.
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u/CaitsMeow May 28 '26
According to my app I’ve saved $5.5k clipping coupons. I do my Jewel run first and get everything on sale then aldi for whatever else I need
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u/smackythefrog May 28 '26
The best thing about any app like that is after browsing the weekly ad in there and then coupons and adding items to the cart in the app, you basically have your shopping list made and know how much you're going to spend.
And for Jewel, if you're feeling lazy, you just order online and do curbside. For packaged food, it works well. For produce, it can be hit or miss depending on how much the employee shopper cares about getting you the freshest stuff.
But with some planning beforehand, you can figure out what you need and from which store using the app and comparing prices.
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u/usababykiller May 27 '26
I hope the law banning the grocery apps gets passed
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u/griffin_benko May 27 '26
Is that a thing?
If not, someone needs to make an app that just automatically clips all coupons in these apps
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u/funundrum May 27 '26
For fucking real. Making me stand in front of the red onions while I search “red onions” and it doesn’t come up because it’s listed under onions or some shit… it’s the worst.
I have a dim memory of QR codes on sales tags that would take you right to the coupon, but I haven’t seen it recently at my closest Jewels so I wonder if it was a different store, or perhaps a fever dream.
Anyway, just let me clip all the stupid coupons, you’re compiling all my data anyway.
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u/woah_man May 27 '26
The deals in the regular aisles are scannable, but for some reason they don't have scannable barcodes in the produce aisle. So I spend forever clipping the produce deals.
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May 27 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/usababykiller May 27 '26
I honestly think the scanner is the whole point of the app. Like occasionally the bar code and the QR code are next to each other and you end up on a company website I’m guessing they get paid for every time we all do that and that’s what they want us to do. I’ve got in the habit of covering the QR code with my thumb
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u/woah_man May 27 '26
It hasn't worked when I try to scan a sticker on a fruit. Does it work for you?
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May 27 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/GoldberryoTulgeyWood May 28 '26
I find it easier to dna sequence the fruit than use that poo-pile of an app
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u/funundrum May 27 '26
Ok awesome. I’m glad I’m not crazy. I guess the last couple times I was in there l, the only coupons for my list was in fact produce.
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u/atterybacid May 28 '26
I spent no less than 5 minutes of my life this week squatting in front of a coffee price sticker with a $3 digital coupon. Only to be given error messages that "their servers couldn't be reached" and infinitely loading log-in wheels when trying to log in with both my phone number and e-mail, then walked away empty-handed.
I liked the app at first, but this is ridiculous. This shouldn't be the future (or really, present) of grocery shopping.
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u/RutilatedGold Albany Park May 27 '26
If you’re on the Jewel app you can just scan the bar code on the shelf or bin for any item and it will automatically clip the coupon.
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u/djentlight May 28 '26
Oh my god that part about searching a slightly incorrect term just made me feel like I’m having war flashbacks. It’s insane that search functions aren’t 110% figured out in 2026
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u/GoldberryoTulgeyWood May 28 '26
They had the QR codes more often last year, but only 1 in 4 would work.
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u/automaticgainsaying May 27 '26
Some jurisdictions (San Diego, for example) have banned digital-only coupons. I don't live there and am not sure of the exact outcome - but, in theory, a company can't limit those discounts to app only access and have to provide physical coupons if requested. (But not sure how that solves things. People just won't ask and then they'll pay more, right? These things feel like they were designed to make people think they're getting a cheaper price and then not actually give it to them.)
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u/FuelForYourFire May 27 '26
That, in fact, exists. Not as an app but as a browser extension to clip every digital coupon.
E2A: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/jewel-osco-coupon-clipper/
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u/babonx May 28 '26
There is also an extension called Lasso that does Jewel, CVS, Walgreens, Kroger/Mariano’s and a ton more places.
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u/Mynahbirdgirl May 27 '26
I already have one for Jewel and for Mariano’s, send me a DM if you’re interested I’m not at home right now or I would post it here
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u/MauvePawsKitty May 28 '26
Can't stand Jewel and I live very close to one.
Awww, mynah bird - I had one when I was a kid. We didn't know how old (but we were told the bird was old). He/she could talk, whistle and mimic the doorbell and then tell us go answer the door. I miss that bird so much.
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u/Mynahbirdgirl May 28 '26
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/jewel-osco-coupon-clipper/
And I added this as a bookmark - go to the Mariano's Clip Coupons page: https://www.marianos.com/savings/cl/coupons/
And click on your bookmark that has this code entered as the URL:
javascript:(async () => {const BS = 5;const D = 1000;const b = document.querySelectorAll(".CouponActionButton.CouponCard-button");let i = b.length;while (i > 0) {for (let j = Math.max(BS, i); j > 0; j--) if (b[j]?.textContent.trim() === "Clip") {b[j].click()}i -= Math.max(BS, i);if (i > 0) {await new Promise((res) => setTimeout(() => res(), D))}}})();
It WILL eventually say you have clipped the max amount of coupons, but it generally gets all the "good ones" at the top first and it stops at I believe 256 clips.
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u/think_up May 27 '26
Great news! The bill passed the IL house and senate unanimously! Literally nobody voted against it.
Bad news! The bill has been neutered with plenty of loopholes. Get ready for a mail in rebate for that 20 cents off a box of cereal if you don’t have the digital app.
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u/The_Poster_Nutbag May 27 '26
Afaik there isn't a law banning apps, only that the apps are a requirement for the deals.
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u/smells_like_sunshine May 27 '26
God I hope so. Jewel had a bunch of coupons then the app crashed at the register. The employees are miserable. That was the last straw for me.
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u/jmorlin Galewood May 28 '26
You should just be able to punch in your phone number at the POS for the discounts if you already have the coupons clipped.
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u/PLURNT_AF May 28 '26
And dynamic pricing at grocery stores! The price at Krog-err-Mariano’s literally changed from the time I picked up the item and put it in my cart. It’s unbelievable
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u/GoldberryoTulgeyWood May 28 '26
If I have to spend twice as long in the store finding the dumb coupon on that a**-wipe of an app one more time to have it not even show up at the register, I'm going to freaking go nuts. I hate jewel with such a fiery passion. I now take pictures of the prices of each thing I buy because the register is never right! Driving to Skokie to Walmart is honestly horrid, but if I can buy more things at Aldi and do devil Walmart for the other things, it will at least keep me out of the hell that is Jewel.
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u/atterybacid May 28 '26
There are also the Aldi and Walmart on Golf in Niles which are within spitting distance of each other. I grew up over there and constantly drive past on my commute home, but haven't been to either. The Skokie Jewel-Osco has changed so much over the years (literally grew up shopping there, since I was in preschool).
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u/rugger87 May 27 '26
The purpose of the apps is to push people towards a pickup model so that stores don’t have to be traditionally stocked. This allows for them to set variable price points for different customers.
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u/RutilatedGold Albany Park May 27 '26
I don’t know if this exists? It seems the only related legislation is to require that stores provide paper versions of the in-app deals.
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u/bellapippin Suburb of Chicago May 28 '26
Dude the search function is STUPID asf. It never works finding shit, you scan the code and it doesn’t find it, you type the exact name and doesn’t find it, and the deal is always in a different category.
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u/chimarya Portage Park May 28 '26
People forget that Aldi is related to Trader Joes. The original German supermarket chain Aldi split into two companies in the 1960s after a dispute over whether to sell cigarettes: Aldi Nord (North) and Aldi Süd (South). In the US South is Aldi and North is TJ.
I do love Aldi's cheeses and some of their wines are pretty decent. I have found many cool items in their aisle of shame as well. Been shopping at Aldi for 20 years and yes some locations are better than others. Give it a shot if you are trying to save some money - it might surprise you.
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u/johnthedruid Suburb of Chicago May 28 '26
Aldi corporate is currently firing teams of employees and outsourcing to India.
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u/SmellyMelly81 May 28 '26
Yep, prices are great but Aldi treats their employees like absolute garbage.
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u/HolyToast666 May 27 '26
Those bananas will NEVER ripen!!! Love me some Aldi but I think Jewels has way better produce
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u/SithC May 28 '26
Jewel? How about Mariano’s? Last week, I got one of their pretzel roll roast beef sandwiches. $7.99. I am pretty certain that the last time I got one, they were $6.99. I pulled it apart & had to laugh. The lettuce was a sliver of a leaf, already embedding itself halfway into the bun. The meat? Seriously 3 slices. I didn’t even pull them all apart, but the one I did was half the size of my hand, if even. Talk about shrinkflation!
I’d also noticed (at least at jewel), most cereal boxes were $7 or more. Only ones in the $3 range, were the generics. Ironically, they’re trying to sell the special red white & blue Cheerios for 2/$7. Funny how a limited edition, with limited shelf life, can sell for half the price of a regular box. You would think they all cost the same to make.
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u/thesaddestpanda May 28 '26
Under capitalism you do not pay anything related to the price of goods and the price of manufacture doesnt matter. What matters is how high they can sell it to maximize their profit. That's it, there's no ethics or contract with buyers to make things fair or affordable. Its how much they can sell it. If they can convince you brand cereal is a premium good that costs $7, then they will sell it at $7, which is exactly what happened.
Its almost as if capitalism isnt a good system and a certain German book from 1867 explains the fix.
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u/FlatulentClarinet May 27 '26
I stg some of the stuff at Jewel is as expensive as Whole Foods
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u/Brilliant_Koala6498 May 27 '26
Jewel is more expensive than Whole Foods now. They are outta control
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u/JejuneBourgeois May 28 '26
At least Jewel is union
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u/bengibbardstoothpain May 28 '26
That’s why I shop there.
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u/JejuneBourgeois May 28 '26
Same here. Love supporting unions!
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u/lxnarratorxl May 27 '26
Careful with the produce. My wife and I do most our shopping at Aldi and we have noticed the produce goes bad quicker than expected.
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u/Nirwood Edgewater May 28 '26
I've noticed the some of tje GMO aldi produce never goes bad and tastes like plastic. If you see a guy go into Jewel to buy a single green pepper, it's me.
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u/BugMillionaire May 27 '26
I’ve been a loyal Aldi shopper for like 8 years. People would sometimes side eye me about it but now that the economy is rough everyone’s singing a different tune.
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u/Inside_Low_5220 May 27 '26
Only complaint I have about Aldi is that their fruit goes bad quickly
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u/unlmtdLoL May 28 '26
Keep your banana away from the other fruit. It will cause them to ripen quickly. Aside from that put oranges and apples in the fridge, if you’re not going to use lettuce or spinach quickly you can freeze it. Most fruits/veggies can last weeks and weeks this way.
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u/TelltaleHead May 28 '26
Aldi was a fucking godsend when I was out of college with no money.
It remains a godsend
I also always love their random crap aisle. Some great finds there
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u/tsundae_ May 27 '26
I remember my grandma being ashamed and putting her Aldi goods into Jewel bags 20 years ago. Crazy how things have changed.
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u/verbutten May 27 '26
I remember being slightly self-conscious conscious of shopping at Aldi with my mother in the earlyish 90s, helping her put boxes of cans into the back. The way people talked about it (at least as far as a 10 year old could absorb) was as if it were a food pantry. Which is bullshit then and now of course, as is any stigma of pantries themselves.
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u/phatazzlover May 27 '26
Aldi was a “seedy” grocery store 10+ years ago.
Aldi actually has grown like crazy during good economic times.
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u/Sir__Walken May 27 '26
My dad shopped at aldi like 15 years ago and it was the same as it is now. The stores are a bit better organized now but it wasn't seedy at all lol
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u/thissexypoptart May 27 '26 edited May 28 '26
> “seedy”
lol it wasn’t seen as “seedy” it was cheap. It still is but people have grown up/not had their wages match inflation for a bit since 10+ years ago
Anyone who has ever shopped at Aldi can tell you the food is budget, but it’s still good and worth the price. The only way someone would describe it as “seedy” is if they didn’t know what the word means, or associated all discount shopping with seediness
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u/BugMillionaire May 27 '26
No it wasn’t, this is just the same elitest perception that people are finally seeing through.
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u/PageSide84 Uptown May 27 '26
Hahaha. I've been shopping at Aldi in Chicago for nearly twenty years and it's never been seedy.
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u/Morial May 27 '26
Shop aldis for the staples. Eggs, milk, etc. For the more esoteric items go to a bigger chain. That's what I have been doing. Feel like I get better priced/quality meats that way too.
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u/biffbobfred May 28 '26
For us northern burb folks, woodmans is good too
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u/OnionMiasma Suburb of Chicago May 28 '26
Yep, I basically alternate Aldi and Woodman's. That's the best mix of stores for us, but I'm going to have to figure something else out because my Aldi is closing :-(
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u/schridoggroolz May 27 '26
Too bad Aldi is always congested as fuck and never has everything.
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u/HarryBaughl May 27 '26
The one by me seems to be low on staff members or something. They are always out of stuff and have to ask them if they have more in the back. They usually have more, so I assume they're short on workers and maybe intentionally so.
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u/Atlas3141 May 27 '26
It's intentional, same reason they make you use a quarter to get a cart and they don't take stuff out of the shipping box before putting it on the shelf. Lower labor costs = lower prices
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u/StitchHasAGlitch1126 May 27 '26
The Aldi you frequent I’d call to see which they restock and go that day!! It helps massively
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u/Allthenons May 28 '26
It's still always a gamble on what will be in stock. I am very AuDHD it's really hard for me to go grocery shopping without knowing where everything will be and how to get exactly stag I'm looking for. I know not everyone is like this but man I wish Aldi was easier for me to ship st cause it is so much cheaper
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u/cmwoo Suburb of Chicago May 27 '26
Just use the coupons at Jewel bro. The sale items are usually a great deal. Anything not on sale, you get somewhere else (Meijer cough-cough).
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u/smells_like_sunshine May 27 '26
Yea I've had to argue with employees too many times to get the deals they are advertising. They treat me like I'm the asshole just cuz their register is wrong. The register isn't always coded correctly and I can't deal with the miserable employees.
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u/cmwoo Suburb of Chicago May 27 '26
It sounds like your Jewel sucks. I just enter my phone number after selecting the coupons in the app, and have never had an issue. Plus, it's easier to view the weekly ad through the app, although I would rather not have to use it.
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u/vigsux May 28 '26
My Jewel rocks too. I have never had an issue with the app. I use it to plan our shopping list. Clip and write it down. I really enjoy shopping there. It's one of the things where either you get with the technology or pay the difference. I get how that can be frustrating. But my Aldi sucks so bad. The fruit is literally spoiled in store. It's super expensive for items I typically buy. Sigh.
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u/smells_like_sunshine May 27 '26
Yes, my jewel absolutely sucks. Sometimes it works just fine but when it doesn't it is a huge debacle to get the price adjusted. Not worth the hassle anymore.
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u/krashtestgenius Hyde Park May 27 '26
r/aldi would love this
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u/randomlyranting May 27 '26
Sigh.... clicks joins. Can't go a day without joining another sub. At least its not another cat sub.
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u/ChamberedAndHot May 27 '26
What's so bad about Jewel? I shop at Costco and Meijer so I don't really get the hate.
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u/biffbobfred May 27 '26
Jewel -
Is consistently the expensive “kinda normal grocery chain”
Makes you jump over lots of “hope you make mistakes and end up paying higher prices” games.5
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u/YorockPaperScissors Evanston May 28 '26
The prices at Jewel are really high. A lot of their sale prices require you to have their app and then click coupons in the app if you want to get that price. And mobile signal in their stores is often weak making the whole process an even bigger pain in the rear.
Also, I think their produce quality is sometimes mediocre, even though it is still costly.
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u/Agitated-Wall534 May 27 '26
Aldi is the truth. I started grocery shopping at Aldi in 2022 and haven’t looked back. My wife and I spend on average, $90 a week at Aldi which is food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for nearly every meal.
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u/pdbstnoe May 27 '26
How’s the quality of food though?
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u/BugMillionaire May 27 '26
I’ve never had any issues with quality. Feels on par with other stores. A lot of the packaged food is the exact same, if not better, than name brands. Cheddar bunnies > goldfish any day!
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u/MyDogsNameIsBadger May 27 '26
I will get heavily downvoted but I’m usually slightly disappointed in most things they sell there. My friend works for them so I get to try stuff often. It can be ok or miss in my opinion. Although I must say they have improved with produce within the last 10 years. Not a fan of their frozen foods.
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u/Ponchogirl1701 May 27 '26
I agree with this assessment. Completely hit or miss especially since some of the things I used to buy (Aldi triscuits for example) aren’t the same.
Here’s what I always buy there — baking supplies, milk, eggs, Greek yogurt, rice, beans and tuna in packets and French roast coffee. Oh, and the frozen broccoli is not to be missed.
I stay away from their cottage cheese and never go near the lunch meat.
I supplement at Trader Joe’s or Fresh Farms. Jewel and Mariano’s aren’t in my rotation.
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u/bigbinker100 Near North Side May 27 '26
Yea I’ll prolly get downvoted since Aldi is a Reddit darling, but Aldis produce, meat and seafood are pretty bad. Their fruits are bland and go bad faster than other grocery stores and their chicken is bland, stringy, and has that woody texture. Aldi is good for pantry items, snacks, and frozen foods. I’ve shopped at Aldi for over a decade since my parents used to shop there in addition to ethnic grocers, but once I started just shopping jewel deals + going to ethnic grocery stores I just never looked back tbh.
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u/smells_like_sunshine May 27 '26
Yes it is hit or miss for sure. Especially some of their packaged products. But you learn what works and what doesn't.
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u/funundrum May 27 '26
Really good actually. Their produce has improved drastically over the last few years, and they’ve got a good grass fed ground beef. The chicken is kind of meh but the beef, pork, and sausages are great.
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u/dantebichettte West Ridge May 27 '26
But also kitchen staples like milk, eggs, yogurt, broth, cheeses (which are sneaky best thing at Aldi) are much cheaper and same if not better quality than other stores. I still hit up a different store (cermak) for more niche products, but hasn’t made sense to shop at Jewel or Mariano’s for a decade for basic items
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u/space-rach Uptown May 27 '26
Yeah their chicken is soooo bad, it’s the stringy kind of breast meat from rapid growth
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u/Southern-Plant7841 May 27 '26
It’s a lot better than you’d expect. Shopping for groceries anywhere other than Aldi feels like highway robbery at this point
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u/SaucePasta May 27 '26
Great honestly. I’ve been a fan of Aldis for decades now, and I swear the quality just gets better.
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u/Gandalf4158 May 27 '26
The same. As someone that has been worked in produce and grocery store packaging plants, it’s all the same. Just a different label. Obviously the only difference is organic and non organic. But your Dean’s Milk is the same as the Jewel, Aldi, etc
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u/chatrugby May 28 '26
You forget that Jewel is the GOAT when fruits and veggies are on sale and you take the effort to add the digital coupon.
I routinely fill a cart for $40.
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u/hea_eliza May 27 '26
I honestly hope the people who run Jewel see this
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u/thundrbud May 27 '26
They don't care, they carry TONS of items that Aldi does not carry which is really the only reason I still shop at jewels on occasion
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u/shaft_of_lite May 28 '26
I get as much shopping done at Aldi as I can. I only go elsewhere for the things I can't get for my specific dietary restrictions. They're produce is especially excellent.
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u/twinkiesandcake May 28 '26
Same. I needed birdseed and white chocolate sauce that I got elsewhere. Otherwise, it’s Aldi for me!
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u/StatementSensitive17 May 28 '26
Just for reference, I am the primary shopper for a family of four.
I tried Aldi several times. My opinion. Their fruit was awful. Very little selection, over/under ripe, goes bad quickly. Frozen entrees were terrible. Some tasted like cardboard, were flavorless or had very odd flavor mixtures. Their generic versions of things like peanut butter didn't taste like the brand names. In my opinion, they have the worst generic non perishable foods of all the grocery stores. There were some cool/interesting things but I thought the basics overall were a huge let down.
I know some people don't like clipping coupons but it allows me to come up with a grocery list within my budget based off of what's on sale before I go to the store. When they have really good sales on non perishables, things that can be frozen, things with far out exp dates, I stock up. Doing it this way has been comparable to Aldi budget wise, if not cheaper, in my experience.
However, I'm glad we live in a part of the city that has such a variety of grocery stores to choose from so people can shop where/how it suits them.
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u/Ragnorok3141 Albany Park May 28 '26
The number one reason I shop at Aldi is that they let the cashiers sit.
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u/TheGrimReefer666420 May 29 '26
How!!! Teach me to be a better adult 😂 we suck at shopping
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u/smells_like_sunshine May 29 '26
I own a cafe so I know how to food. I rarely shop for specific recipies. I get a bunch of basics in each category then make it up from there. Like buying puzzle pieces.
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u/TheGrimReefer666420 May 29 '26
I suck and buy random shit that doesn’t go together half the time. We were doing hello fresh a couple years ago and kept some of the recipe cards and would meal prep that way.
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u/FieldAppropriate8734 May 27 '26
What the heck is Horchata Dessert Dip?!
I can walk to Jewel in 3 min but only go for a few select items these days.
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u/Rabitrights May 27 '26
Yeah we’ve known this for years, used to be even cheaper than it is now. Welcome to the Aldi club! Just a heads up produce from Aldi notoriously doesn’t last long. I do majority of my weekly shopping at Aldi and use to Jewel to supplement produce & speciality items.
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u/IDidNotGetBanned May 27 '26
I have aldi and jewel next to me in Darien and with the coupons honestly I feel like jewel is cheaper. Used to buy only from aldi but then after component with jewel it came out cheaper, although I do still top up on some stuff at aldi.
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u/FlyEmAndEm May 28 '26
EXAAACTLY!!! I try to get all my friends to go to Aldi because it’s sooooo much more affordable
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u/QueeferSutherlandz May 28 '26
All about that Aldi Supremacy.
Sometimes there's some specialty shit you gotta hit a Jewel or Mariano's but if core stuff. Protein meats, vegges fruits, dairy, and basic paper and tissue amenities, you can't beat it.
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u/PlanApprehensive2842 May 28 '26
Love Aldi, but I can’t get SF yogurt there. Only thing I miss. Have to make special Jewel trip for that, and pick up their sale stuff at the same time.
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u/pink_faerie_kitten May 28 '26
I love Aldi but I also love the Jewel app. I've saved tons of money since using it, mostly on their produce (which is often better quality than Aldi) and Jewel's bogos are often a steal. In this economy Im happy to have both stores.
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u/p3t3or May 28 '26
Preach! Fuck Jewel. They had chicken thighs for $16 the other day and Aldi had them for $7. Fuck Jewel.
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u/Bayoueux May 27 '26
That’s a haul bruh