The Curious Cult of Aldi
How an 80-year-old German discount chain became America’s hottest grocer.
It’s not every day New Yorkers line up in the predawn chill to get their hands on some hot new German goods. But that’s exactly what happened on a November morning in downtown Brooklyn. Adrianne Murray and her two daughters were waiting on the sidewalk by 6:06 a.m., hoping to secure a spot among the first 100 people to file into America’s newest Aldi supermarket. The Murrays were excited enough to visit yet another location of their favorite grocer, but doubly so because they had the chance to snag a reusable Aldi tote filled with free products and a coupon that would make the store’s famously cheap goods even cheaper.
For years the Murrays had to schlep to New Jersey to get their Aldi fix. Once, Adrianne confessed, she bought a pair of “very chic” teal automated salt and pepper grinders, the kind of impulse buy that many die-hard Aldi fans proudly post about online. For the faithful, the thrill is somewhere between those of a Supermarket Sweep episode and a flea market, with its streamlined selection, curveball oddities and the perpetual hope that today’s visit might bring a truly insane deal—say, a $2.99 bar of Fairtrade, responsibly sourced chocolate. As Sarah Murray, one of Adrianne’s daughters, put it while waiting outside: “I like the hunt.”