Events, Happenings & Cool Stuff

ALDI

I had received a flyer in the mail last week announcing the grand opening of ALDI.  I had noticed the building going up on 98N with a sign saying “Coming Soon ALDI”.  I had often wondered what ALDI was, so I opened the flyer.  This is when I first realized it was a discount grocery store.

The first ad which caught my eye, was advertising milk for $2.79 a gallon.  I took a second look, thinking it was for a ½ gallon, but it was in fact for a gallon.  This is an incredible price for milk.  I then noticed a $5 coupon valid if you spend $30 or more.  I cut out the coupon and marked my calendar for Sept. 25, the Grand Opening.

On the 25^th, I checked my calendar and noticed today was the day I could buy discounted groceries.  Noting that ALDI charges $.25 for a cart, $.06 for a paper bag and $.10 for a plastic bag, I grabbed a quarter and a couple of canvas tote bags and headed off.

Vultures looking for a parking space

As I approached the store, I was amazed at the traffic waiting to pull into ALDI’s parking lot.  Like everyone else, I waited.  After sitting in my car for 15 minutes, I was able to pull into the lot.  Since there was no available parking, many people were sitting in there cars waiting for other patrons to come out.  As they walked to their vehicles, the “vulture-like” swarms wanting their parking spot slowly followed them.  I opted to avoid all of this, and parked in an adjacent lot.

Quarter in hand, I walked over to get a cart.  An employee was standing over at the carts assisting patrons.  As I waited for her help, a patron was returning her empty cart.  The employee told me to take her empty cart and she handed the woman a quarter.  I wasn’t too sure why she gave her a quarter, then the attendant informed me the $.25 for the cart was returned to you when you bring your cart back.  I asked her if she wanted my quarter and she said, “No, I’ll just get it from you when you bring the cart back”.  I thought to myself, I had to park so far away, I wasn’t planning on schlepping the cart back.

I walked around the corner and attempted to enter the store.  There was a line of people waiting.  When I was finally able to enter, I was amazed at how many people could fit in such a small area.  It’s not that store is small or that the aisles are narrow, there were just a lot of shoppers, like myself, looking to save some money.  Many of the patrons would stop square in the middle of the aisle to read product labels.  Had they been courteous of other patrons and stopped to either the left or right side of the aisle, others would have sufficient room to pass.

As we all seemingly took baby steps through the store, I had no choice but to view almost every item.  The prices were amazing!  Many of the products had unknown labels to me, but the contents appeared the same as brand name items.  I did see a few items with recognizable labels, but the prices were only slightly lower than your average grocery store.  Since I was already in the store, I placed a few “off-label” products in my cart as I browsed, including a gallon of milk. 

As I continued my way through the store, I was very surprised to see the amount of stock still available.  With so many people in the store, one would think they would begin to run out of product.  This wasn’t the case at all; every item was plentiful and readily available. 

Have I gone over budget?

As my cart began to fill with bargains, I began to worry.  My concern was for two reasons.  First, I could only imagine how long the lines would be at the checkout since there were so many people.  Second, I hadn’t kept a running estimate of my spending while shopping, I was nervous I had gone over budget.

As I made my way to the checkout, I walked up to a register with only one patron in front of me.  I was pleasantly surprised to see the lines were not long at any of the registers.  I began placing my items on the conveyor belt and glanced toward the cashier.  She smiled at me and I noticed she was sitting down.  I thought perhaps she had a back problem or another issue which did not allow her to stand for an extended period of time.  I then noticed all the cashiers were seated.  I was amazed, this was the first store I have ever been to which allowed cashiers to sit.  Although she remained seated, she scanned every item quickly and effortlessly.  In fact, she had all my items scanned and placed back into an empty cart before I could pull my $5 coupon out of my wallet. 

As I fumbled for my coupon, I held my breath in anticipation of the total.  She then announced my total of $39.42 and I let out a huge sigh of relief.  I handed her the coupon and my total was reduced to $34.42.  For the amount of products I purchased, I thought I was well over the fifty-dollar mark!  After payment, she handed me my receipt, smiled and thanked me for shopping at ALDI.  She was very polite, efficient and appeared almost eerily happy to be working.

I walked over to the counter, bagged my items in my tote bags and headed out the door.  After loading my bags into my car, I considered returning my cart, but the walk back to the store was quite lengthy.  I noticed another abandoned cart nearby, so I pushed my cart over and left it next to the other cart.  I got into my car and headed home feeling accomplished in the amount of money I saved.

If you are looking to save money on quality food for your family, ALDI is definitely the store to shop.

A well deserved 2 thumbs up

I rate this store a 10 of 10 for Savings, a 10 of 10 for Customer Service and a 10 of 10 for Cleanliness.  Although I had to spend a larger amount of time in the store than anticipated, I cannot fault the store for inconsiderate patrons.  One also has to consider, I did visit on the “Grand Opening”, hopefully the next time I visit (and I will definitely visit again) the store won’t be so crowded.

I also give extra kudos and two HUGE thumbs up to ALDI for allowing the cashiers to be seated while working.  It truly shows how employee comfort makes them go the extra mile in efficiency and provide outstanding customer service with a smile!

-TLP

I had the pleasure of visiting Home Essentials on North Kentucky Ave. in Lakeland, FL.   I’ve been living in Lakeland for 10 or so years now, but I have never been to this store.   This shop was amazing, the customer service, not so much.

I was treating my niece to lunch one afternoon when we were interrupted by the ring on her cellular phone.  I thought it was a tad rude for her phone to ring during our meal, but she excused herself and walked outside for a few moments.  When she returned, she explained it was a friend of hers on the phone.  Her friend was headed to Home Essentials and asked if we would like to meet her there.  I was about to decline, but then I thought of returning home to an empty house, so I accepted the invitation.

When I approached the store, I had no idea what to expect.  The only “Home Essentials” I’ve heard of is the Sears store on the south side of town.  When I first walked in, the store seemed a bit cluttered.  The displays were set up everywhere and the displays were set up to separate the sections of the store.  I was thankful my niece didn’t have her 2 year old son with her.  He would have had a field day and most likely knock over everything.

The more I poked around, the more I began to enjoy this store.  They carry everything from stoneware to infant clothing.  They have candleholders, flatware, wall hangings and even decorative holders for displaying art and plates on the walls.  My niece and her friend were most interested in the selection of “crocs”.  Not knowing what a “croc” was, I thought they really liked ceramics, I was embarrassed when I found out they were shoes!  Once they stopped laughing, they showed me the shoes…they look like a combination of rubber and foam.  Whatever floats your boat.

After a half hour of shopping, they were ready to cash out.  The cashier, who spent the majority of her time on the phone, was nice enough to hang up when they placed their items on the counter.  She rang up their purchases, bagged the items and we left.

If you are looking for a gift for a difficult person to buy for, Home Essentials should have something to satisfy.

This store rates a 9 of 10 for unique product, a 9 for cleanliness but a 4 for customer service.  I had to rate customer service as a 4, “Jane” did eventually hang up the phone.

-TLP

Hello Lakeland!

Allow me to introduce myself; I am “The Lakeland Phantom”.  If you haven’t heard of me and you are a business owner in Lakeland…Shame On You!

My purpose is quite simple; I visit various locations throughout Lakeland, FL and write about my experience.  Some of my experiences have been good, some bad and some downright ugly.  I’m sort of the “Mystery Shopper” you don’t have to pay.

Since this is posted on a blog, and I have the good ole’ First Amendment on my side, I will be very honest in all my postings.  Don’t fret too much; although I will enlighten my readers with my opinions, they are in fact just that, my opinions.  I will also respect the privacy of everyone I encounter at your place of business and will never reveal his or her real name or identity in any way.

Consider yourself warned Lakeland; you never know when I will strike!  Be sure to check back often and see if you have been “Phantomed”!

-TLP

PS. Kudos to Mike & Tracey for allowing me to post on this site!