Aldi in Ballwin: Where a Recovering Food-Snob Finds Good Taste in Value

It pains me to admit the fact that I'm a food-snob in recovery. Although I was raised by a mother who could stretch a dime into a 10-dollar bill, I'm guilty of conspicuous culinary consumption. This was until I rediscovered the supermarket in Ballwin.

Until recently, I'd always associated the Aldi stores with only the basic generic necessities such as flour, eggs and milk.  I never deemed it the sort of place that one with a selective vegetarian palate might find useful. However, after much prodding from my beloved mother, I revisited the chain a couple months back and have been a faithful follower ever since.

According to Wikipedia, Aldi in the US is a division of the same Germany "ALDI Einkauf GmbH & Co. oHG" company as Trader Joe's. Having frequented Trader Joe's, I can see many similiarities with what Aldi has to offer. Although the packaging and product names are different between the two, some of my favorite gourmet foods like hummus, guacamole and various "diet" snack foods are at both chains. However, the Aldi stores appear to remain geared toward necessities, while Trader Joe's dabbles in more fanciful fare.

What’s impressed me the most of my Aldi shopping excursions has been the exceeding freshness of the fruits and vegetables, along with the affordability of items that are grown in the US. For instance, one pound of green beans marked as a “Product of USA” sold for $1.49 and was packaged by Front Row Produce, a St. Louis company. At 69 cents a head, the cabbage I bought (although packaged in California) also was grown domestically and was a great deal.

If you are looking to save money and eat well, give the store located at 14654 Manchester Road a try. You may be pleasantly surprised at what you find.