Before Aldi arrived in South Florida I would occasionally stop by
Save A Lot to pick up cheap potatoes, plantains, onion and cucumber. I have never been too happy with the condtions at our local Save A Lot store, and I have not been there since
Aldi came to
South Florida. The other day, I was taking my kids to the playground near Save A Lot after school, and I decided to take a quick peak to compare Save A Lot's prices with Aldi.
As I remembered there were several products where Aldi and Save A Lot came really close in price, but the all in all Aldi prices are still lower than Save A Lot, and I would have saved $13.36, if I had bought all of the below products at Aldi instead of at Save A Lot.
Now, the price difference is not really that big, but the biggest difference was the condition of the stores. I cannot speak for other Aldi stores, but our South Florida Aldi store is clean, well-stocked and organized. I have only encountered apples in less than great condition once, and I have never felt there were any food safety issues. I did not list any meat prices in the
Aldi and Save A Lot price comparison below, because I would never buy meat at our local Save A Lot.
The first thing I noticed, when I entered the Save A Lot store was that there were fruit flies swarming over the produce - I did not buy any produce! I have never encountered a similar problem at Aldi. This is not the first time I have seen this at Save A Lot though, and it certainly does not make me want to shop there.
As I mentioned before I have bough potatoes, plantains, bananas, and frozen fries at Save A Lot in the past, but Aldi beat Save A Lot on all of the prices.
Now, where did Save A Lot beat Aldi? Sugar, canned peaches, cucumbers and onion rings. Save A Lot has an advantage over Aldi in three areas:
- Save A Lot accepts manufacturer coupons,
- Save A Lot has more national brand name products
- Save A Lot has lactaid milk
| Product | Size | Aldi | Save A Lot |
| Milk | 1 gal | $1.99 | $2.69 |
| Eggs | 12 ct | $0.99 | $1.49 |
| OJ | 64 oz | $1.79 | $1.99 |
| White Bread | 20 oz | $0.89 | $0.99 |
| Oats | 42 oz | $1.99 | $1.99 |
| Honey Nut Cheerios Store Brand | 14 oz | 12.25 oz $1.59 | $1.99 |
| Instant Oatmeal Store Brand | 10pk | $1.39 | $1.49 |
| Corn Flakes Store Brand | 18 oz | $1.29 | $1.39 |
| Grape Jelly | 32 oz | $1.39 | $1.53 |
| Flour | 5 lbs | $1.49 | $1.49 |
| Sugar | 5 lbs | $2.89 | $2.19 |
| Powdered Sugar | 32 oz | $1.29 | $1.35 |
| Brown Sugar | 32 oz | $1.29 | $1.35 |
| Tuna in water | 5 oz | $0.52 | $0.59 |
| Solid tuna in water | 5 oz | $1.09 | $1.39 |
| Yellow mustard store brand | 14 oz | $0.69 | $0.69 |
| Apple juice | 64 oz | $1.19 | $1.39 |
| Lasagna noodles | 16 oz | $1.19 | $1.39 |
| Whole Wheat Spagetthi | 12 oz | $0.89 | $0.99 |
| Frozen Peas | 16 oz | $0.89 | $0.99 |
| Frozen Corn | 16 oz | $0.65 | $0.99 |
| Frozen Onion Rings | 16 oz | $1.89 | $1.49 |
| Crinkle Cut Fries | 32 oz | $1.79 | $1.89 |
| Frozen Potato Puffs | 32 oz | $1.79 | $1.99 |
| Canned Black Beans (cheapest) |
| $0.55 | $0.59 |
| Canned Pineapple | 20 oz | $0.89 | $0.99 |
| Canned Peaches | 15.25 oz | $1.39 | $0.89 |
| Canned tomato sauce | 8 oz | $0.25 | $0.33 |
| Rice | 10 lb | $4.49 | $9.99 |
| Tortilla | 16 oz | $0.99 | $0.99 |
| Cantaloupe | each | $1.19 | $1.69 |
| Tangerines | 3 lb | $1.99 | $2.49 |
| Plantains | each | $0.25 | $0.33 |
| Iceburg lettuce | each | $1.29 | $1.49 |
| Red seedless grapes | 1 lb | $0.80 | $1.99 |
| Bananas | 1 lb | $0.39 | $0.49 |
| Cucumber | each | $0.59 | $0.50 |
| Baby carrots | 16 oz | $0.99 | $1.39 |
| Carrots | 2 lb | $1.29 | $1.49 |
| Potatoes | 8 - 10 lb | 10 lb $3.79 | 8 lb $3.69 |
| White potatoes | 5 lbs | $2.39 | $2.99 |
| Red potatoes | 5 lbs | $2.89 | $2.99 |
| Avocado | each | $1.09 | $1.69 |
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| Total |
| $55.67 | $69.03 |
Bold: indicates best price
Check out the latest comprehensive
grocery price comparison list between Aldi, Publix, Target and Aldi.
Do you shop at Save A Lot?
Interesting. We got a new Sav A Lot about a year ago and I have yet to go. It is a bit out of the way, but now I see I can stick with Aldi and not miss much. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteTo Cheryl: The list is not up to date. Also there are taste, texture, flavor product differences.
DeleteFor example today, May 3, 2016, ALDI Potatoes are
$3.69 for 10 lbs whereas Sav A Lot are 99 cents for 5 pounds or $1.98 for 10 lbs.
Sav A Lot posts their weekly flyer online so you can compare prices.
Who doesn't love a deal ? Al Schrader
Yes, Cheryl, if you have the Aldi close by, you are definitely better off sticking with them. I was sure that they were going to be closer on more prices.
ReplyDeleteNice comparisons; I however really prefer Save A Lot's produce and meat, it is much better quality than Aldis I think! scg00387 at yahoo dot com
ReplyDeleteThanks. We've had a sav-a-lot around here since before aldi opened, but its in a pretty rough neighborhood that i dont feel comfortable going in by myself with the kids, so I've never visited. occasionally we get a sale ad and some of the prices have tempted me, but I still haven't visited. I find Aldi's meat great quality, but overpriced. I always look for markdowns though. But here in dallas there are several hispanic grocery chains and they have the best meal deals. I have seen ground meat and boneless skinless chicken breasts as low as $1/lb so I try to stock up when I can, but I sometimes worry about the cleanliness at those too.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, it sure sounds like your Save A Lot is cleaner than ours.
ReplyDeleteAmanda, we also have stores like that with the cheap prices on meat, but I stay away from them. Before Aldi arrived, I only bought meat at Publix and Target due to safety concerns, and I am excited to be able to add Aldi to my list. I agree that it is expensive though, and I only buy, it if I can find a better deal than at Target and Publix.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great list I like to know where to buy things and save money!
ReplyDelete