New Grocery Store in the Works to Replace Giant Store on Monroe Avenue

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Del Ray residents will likely be getting a new grocery store in the near future, with a new chain grocery store replacing the Giant grocery store on Monroe Avenue, according to planning documents filed with the City.

Aldi, which recently unveiled plans to open a store in West End Alexandria, has filed papers showing plans to operate at 425 E. Monroe Ave., the location of the current Giant.

The Giant store in Old Town closed in February after 64 years and the Giant at Bradlee closed in the summer of 2013. The Bradlee store was replaced with a Fresh Market.

The Del Ray Giant’s lease runs out in February 2016, according to a manager on duty at the Giant store in Del Ray.

The ALDI grocery chain store is known for offering discounts. Most (90 percent) of the brands in the store are ALDI brands. Another way it keeps costs down is by not accepting credit cards; the grocery store explains that by not accepting them, the store does not pass along the fees to customers.

Another no-frills experience that keeps costs down: You’ll bag your own groceries and pay a quarter to “rent” a shopping cart (you’ll get your quarter back when you return the cart) — more savings for customers since the store doesn’t have to pay anyone to go hunt down shopping carts in the parking lot.

You’ll also see cost savings by bringing your own shopping bag (if you don’t bring your own, they’ll charge you for their long-lasting bags).

ALDI has its roots in Germany (ALDI is short for Albrecht Discount). In Germany, almost 90 percent of Germans shop there, according to an article in Slate.

The store has about a dozen locations in Northern Virginia. The Chantilly store that opened two years ago has no frills: No music, no bank and no pharmacy. (Read Yelp reviews of the Chantilly store here.)

“We keep a close eye on our competition. If you want to get a basket of goods for $50 at a traditional grocery store, that same basket of goods will be 30-50 percent higher than at ALDI,” Jeff Baehr, Frederick Division vice president for ALDI, said at that store’s ribbon cutting.

The Del Ray store hours, according to paperwork filed with the city will be:

• Monday-Friday: 9a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Saturdays: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Sundays: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

There may or may not be wine and beer sold at the Del Ray store — the company decides to offer that option depending on the difficulty of securing permits.