ALDI Ribbon Cutting Friday in Fairfax City

Grocery and home goods store ALDI will be hosting a ribbon cutting and grand opening Friday morning, with special prizes for the first 100 customers.

When first announced in the spring, ALDI’s plans to open in Fairfax came with the added benefit of the redevelopment of a closed Office Depot.

ALDI is hosting the ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9 a.m. Friday at 11001 Lee Highway, followed by a special prize for the first 100 shoppers. Each will receive a golden ticket with prizes that include ALDI gift certificates, food products or a 90-second grocery grab.

Samples will also be available, as well as a sweepstakes for a year’s supply of ALDI produce.

The store will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday. ALDI accepts cash, debit and EBT/Quest cards.

The ALDI Model

With around a dozen stores in the Washington area, ALDI is known for avoiding traditional brands when stocking its shelves.

“We challenge shoppers to switch from national brands to our high-quality exclusive brands and save up to 50 percent without compromising,” said Jeff Baehr, Frederick division vice president for ALDI. “As important as price is, the only way to attract and keep shoppers is to have quality products.”

ALDI eliminates overhead costs by using a cart rental system where shoppers insert a quarter to release a cart and receive the quarter back upon the cart’s return. Other cost-saving practices include a smaller store footprint, open carton displays and encouraging customers to bring their own shopping bags.

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