10 Things You Shouldn’t Buy at Aldi

With over 2,000 locations (and growing) across the United States, Aldi has quickly become one of the more popular grocery chains in the country. Part of the reason is that Aldi offers high-quality products at low prices, making it a dream destination for shoppers on a budget. But for all of Aldi’s fantastic deals, there are some products worth buying elsewhere. In some cases, it’s because the savings can’t make up for the quality. In others, it’s because even Aldi’s prices aren’t the lowest. Here are 10 items you should avoid buying at Aldi and seek out somewhere else.

Chicken Breasts

Many Aldi shoppers report that the store’s prepackaged chicken breasts have an off-putting flavor and strange texture. They’re often criticized for being rubbery and tough, which some speculate has to do with their genetically-modified nature. But not all Aldi chicken products get the same complaints. Shoppers are fond of Aldi’s bone-in chicken options.

Paper Products

If you’re looking to replenish your toilet paper or paper towels, steer clear of shopping at Aldi. This is not to say that Aldi sells inferior paper products, or that the goods are overpriced (in fact, they may be cheaper than what’s available at Target and Walmart). It’s more about the fact that you can find better savings at big-box wholesalers such as Sam’s Club, BJ’s, and Costco, which have a reputation for selling paper products on the cheap.

Fresh Produce

Aldi customers regularly report rapid spoilage for fresh produce. Some widely derided products include bagged onions and “fresh” berries, among other problematic produce. Reviews repeatedly point to inconsistencies within the produce department, with many customers complaining of mealy textures and short shelf lives. So while the company may sell these products at a lower cost, it comes with an added risk of not knowing how long the produce will last. 

Name-Brand Goods

While walking through the aisles at Aldi, you may be tempted to snag a familiar brand of mayonnaise or peanut butter. But though the name-brand products may be cheaper than they would be at other grocery chains, they’re still often priced higher than the Aldi-brand alternatives. So, if you want to save, you should opt for the more affordable — but typically still high-quality — Aldi-brand option instead.

Summit Soda

According to some reviews, Summit, Aldi’s own line of soda, doesn’t live up to the same standard that you expect from Coca-Cola or Sprite. Instead of buying a generic soft drink at Aldi, get a name-brand soda somewhere else. They’re about the same price as they are at Aldi, and odds are, you’ll find a coupon to get the soda on discount, whereas Aldi doesn’t even accept coupons.

Deli Meat

Depending on who you ask, Aldi either offers decent-quality deli meat, or some of their offerings in that department are slimy and disgusting. In any case, Aldi stores lack traditional deli counters, which means you’re stuck buying whatever’s been packaged, and you won’t have the option to get the meat sliced to your liking. You may want to go to a store that has a deli section where you can speak to someone and get the meat sliced to the perfect thickness instead.

Jarred Pickles

Aldi shoppers have taken to sites like Reddit to express dissatisfaction with the store’s brand of shelf-stable jarred pickles. Many say that the pickles are mushy and lack the crunch that fresh pickles tend to have, while the website Aldi Reviewer declared them to be “fine.” While those pickles leave something to be desired, others say that the store’s refrigerated pickles are actually quite tasty.

Cream Cheese

People online have described Aldi’s cream cheese as being “sour” or having a “metallic” flavor. Even those who are less critical of the product say it’s inferior to trusted cream cheese brands such as Philadelphia, which many shoppers consider to be well worth the higher cost.

Millville Crispy Oats

Millville Crispy Oats are Aldi’s take on Cheerios. But many people report that the cereal is awful, with one Redditor even saying that it tastes “like packing material.” Another declared it was “the only Aldi food that I’ve put directly in the trash.” Given that Aldi doesn’t accept coupons — while other grocery stores frequently discount their cereal — we’d suggest buying your cereal elsewhere.

Deodorant

In an interview with Yahoo! Finance, David Bakke, an Aldi shopping expert at the website DollarSanity, noted that the price of deodorant isn’t all that cheaper at Aldi. One brand of deodorant actually cost more at Aldi than it did at Target. If you’re looking to save money and smell good, we’d advise doing price comparisons at other stores and using a coupon to get the best deal.

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