Aldi's time

The New York Times runs a nice feature on Sept. 6 on Aldi. From a customer who likes to shop Aldi from time to time, there is no substitute for low prices: From the last three graphs of the NYT feature:

Aldi’s no-frills approach appears to be paying off. There are more than 950 stores in the United States, and it plans to add 100 in the next year. (It has 8,500 worldwide.) Supermarket News estimates that sales last year were $5.8 billion. By comparison, Wal-Mart’s grocery sales in 2006 were $92 billion, according to the Food Marketing Institute, which listed Aldi’s 2006 sales at $3.3 billion.

Of course, shopping at Aldi is hardly the same experience as shopping at Wegmans or Whole Foods Market, or the local Kroger or Safeway. Those stores spent the last decade catering to shoppers’ desire for convenience and more upscale products like artisanal cheeses, fresh-caught fish and organic produce.

Aldi ignored the trends and stayed focused on price. For now, at least, shoppers are rewarding that decision.