Grocery Tales

Have you ever shopped at Aldi? If so, you know it has the lowest prices of any grocery store. It is a bare-bones store featuring mostly generic brands. I hit it, every now and then, when I happen to be near one and feel the desire to save a bit more money. Today I made the Aldi trip, and it was a real eye-opener.

In my neighborhood, we have a lot of places where we can buy groceries. Within walking distance, are modest corner stores, a gas-station convenience store, and a dollar store. A bit farther out, within about a one-mile radius, are bougie stores that include Kowalski’s, Lunds and Byerly’s, and the co-op. Still a bit farther out, within a few miles radius, I can shop at Target or Cub; the places I usually go for stocking up.

According to a story in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, “8 Twin Cities area grocery stores, ranked by affordability,” dated April 24, 2024, the most expensive store they shopped at was Kowalski’s, the cheapest two were Trader Joe’s and Aldi’s. Kowalski’s costs almost twice as much as the last two. (Yikes!)

But, for me, convenience usually wins out over other factors. And, Kowalski’s is close, easy to get to, has convenient parking, and is near my church. So, I shop there most often.

Today was my grocery shopping day. I had another errand which brought me near an Aldi’s. And, I recalled a recent conversation with my sister, Linda, saying that she is a big fan of that store, so I decided to shop there.

While standing in line to pay for my groceries, the elderly man in front of me was scrounging for cash to buy the few paltry items he had in his cart. He reluctantly handed back the coffee but was still short. He was about to give back the eggs when I stepped in and covered what he still owed, less than $2.

While checking out my items, The clerk explained that Aldi had recently raised the price of eggs to $3.75. “Is that a lot?” I asked. Honestly, I usually pay more than that for my free-range, organic eggs. She said yes, until recently their eggs were $1.75.

The elderly man kept thanking me and apologizing. I told him “No problem. I’ve been there.” Then, I realized how true that was. As a younger person, I had to watch the price of everything I put in my cart and worry if I had enough in my checking account to cover it.

Now, I am spoiled, thanks to my husband’s good pension, and my 20+ years in academia, which resulted in a decent pension and an average-sized Social Security check. It suddenly hit me, if I had to depend solely on Social Security, and my rent had gone up, that extra $2 for a carton of eggs would have been hard to cover.

It gave me a whole new perspective on how we take our good fortune for granted, and how inflation affects the most vulnerable amongst us. I’ll think about making fewer trips to the bougie stores, and donating what I save to a local food shelf.

P.S. If you haven’t heard, the latest Beth and Evie Mystery, Fatal Farming, is now available.