TC hearts supermarkets and has since he was a kid. In this ponderable he delves into the arrival of yet another option in his area–
Aldi in the USA. Read on! – the editor
When I arrived in Las Vegas in 2007, I had to get a new supermarket. Being a supermarket junkie, I was in semi unfamiliar territory. I left behind Pathmark, Casels Market, Acme, Wawa, and of course the family legacy, Shop-Rite.
[See “Everything for the Can-Can…“]
Walmart Supercenters had not hit New Jersey then, nor Super Target, Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe’s were a dream. The invasion of Dollar General was years away.
When I arrived, it was Albertsons, kind of like Acme, Vons, a unit of Safeway, Smith’s and Food 4 Less, now part of Kroger, a one off Glazier’s Food Marketplace, run by a family that ran several Shop-Rites in Philly. Several Whole Foods Market opened here, and Trader Joe’s amazingly were in the same parking lot as Kmart. The UK even beckoned, with the Tesco invasion brought by Fresh and Easy.
Vegas Viewed as Volatile…
Vegas has a volatile grocery market. The crossroads of the USA here made the expansion of Walmart for groceries the main store for eats. The buying power the yield has toppled many a grocery retailer.
Hence back home, Pathmark, along with the rest of the A&P stores, went out of business. Acme expanded in its wake, Wawa headed to Florida. The Supercenters arrived, even giving Shop-Rite a run for its money.
Vegas wasn’t immune to change. Food 4 Less left, locations closed or became Smith’s, the dominate Kroger brand here, Glaizers sold to Smith’s, Vons became part of Safeway, and now share a weekly ad with Albertsons, Fresh and Easy became a memory, a victim of the recession. Kmart yielded, and invited a Winco Foods. A new supermarket has not happened in years, a few renovations, that’s it.
Enter 2024 and New… New!!
So the big news this year is… Aldi is coming to Las Vegas. Finally.
[See more here…]
This is not my first time at the rodeo of Aldi. They had a short lived stay in New Jersey, a budget food store with cash only sales and self bagging. Not exciting, and it left quickly. The Aldi of 2024 is much different.
But first… What is the same?
You still need a quarter to rent a shopping cart. There is still self bagging . The product mix improved, to say the least. It took the good things about shopping at Trader Joe’s and made it more accessible, and affordable. However, no pharmacy, no bank branch, no fresh meat counter, no fresh bakery, NO SUSHI!
The only upgrade, is card payments, but that cashier still sits when ringing out your order.
You read that right. I’ll repeat the “cashier sits when ringing out your order.” See for yourself as there is a compelling business reason.
The expansion starts at two locations, one near me. Only caveat? No shopping from home option (alas a new normal for me)! Furthermore, Instacart will not deliver (bummer!!).
Their expansion in the USA has me curious. I noticed they just purchased the owner of Winn-Dixie in the Southeast, keeping the division while using locations as new Aldi stores.
With the Albertsons and Kroger pending merger tied up in court as the FTC claims it will eliminate competition, raise prices and eliminate jobs, there’s a bit of … flux here in Vegas. Walmart exploded already so they are a little late to that party. That merger may let dormant brands hit Vegas, such as Grand Union and Piggly Wiggy, if the sale of overlapping stores goes through to C&S Wholesale Grocers.
That’s a Wrap…
This is another ongoing story in my world. I feel my mom is chiming in, knowing my affection to new supermarkets. My Aunt Doris is chiming in too (I truly enjoyed going to brand new Publix stores when visiting her in Florida). Speaking of Publix, soon I will be back on track with my annual trip to Florida so I’ll be able to get my “fix” of all grocery market concepts (even an existing Super Target!). Come to think of it, I could (and most likely will) to do a test run at Aldi when I visit my brother Paul in May. But first thing’s first on that trip… Gotta get my Wawa fix!
This is, as they say, a developing story, so… stay tuned!
Thanks for reading and hanging out with me!–TC
—30—
Saw an interesting story in the WSJ on Tuesday, that included this:
>> Nearly every aspect of Aldi’s operation revolves around saving money. The small-store format means cheaper rent, lower energy costs and fewer employees. A narrower selection means Aldi can purchase products from suppliers in larger volumes, at a cheaper price. <<
https://www.wsj.com/business/retail/rising-food-prices-send-more-shoppers-to-aldi-aa7fe750?st=fya4xukoqhabkt1&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink