Aldi Items That Are Completely Overpriced
If you love a good deal, chances are you have shopped at Aldi. This discount grocery store chain imported from Germany is a great place to save a few nickels and dimes — or even full dollars, if you opt for the Aldi brands instead of name brands. Aldi has had a lot of success in luring people in with its low prices, but sometimes those prices might not be as low as they seem.
While some items at Aldi are bad deals because of the quality, some items are just a bad deal, period. Many items that seem like they are listed at a good price point can actually be found in another store for much cheaper. Don't be fooled into thinking that the price at Aldi is lower on every product just because the chain is known for its discounts. If you really want to save, you have to be vigilant about comparing prices to other brands and stores (and don't forget to compare sizes, too!).
Luckily, we got the work started for you with this list of Aldi items that are completely overpriced.
Note that prices may vary by date and location.
Aldi's flour
Flour is a kitchen staple. We use it in everything from cakes to fried chicken to kids' clay art projects. Since we buy so much of it, we are always on the lookout for deals, and you won't find those deals at Aldi.
While flour isn't wildly expensive at Aldi, it does come in a smaller bag than you can find at other stores. Instead of getting ten pounds of flour like you can find at other stores, you get five, and you can't buy in bulk and save. You also aren't saving in general, because if you break it down and compare the price per pound at Aldi to the price per pound at other stores (many of which give you more flour at a time, resulting in fewer frantic runs to the store during Christmas cookie-making season), Aldi's price is much higher.
Aldi's Baker's Corner all-purpose flour costs 36 cents per pound. Walmart's private-label brand, Great Value, is genuinely a better value, costing just 28 cents per pound.
Anything with a brand name at Aldi
This next list item comes with a bit of a caveat. While it is true that Aldi's store-brand products aren't always cheaper than their name-brand counterparts at other stores, if we are talking about shopping at Aldi alone, the off-brand items are the way to go.
Buying name-brand items like Coca-Cola or Frito Lay at Aldi is a bad idea (unless you just really don't want to settle for a knockoff of your favorite products, which is understandable), because you can get the almost-identical Aldi-brand products for much less.
Oh, and all those coupons you cut out of the newspaper for those name-brand products you love? They don't work here. Aldi doesn't accept coupons, so you can't save money on name brands in this particular store, and you may actually end up paying more for them than you would somewhere else.
So, if you are truly interested in saving money at Aldi, your only real choice is to go with the store brand. If you have your heart set on name-brand items, you should probably shop somewhere else.
Aldi's meat
Buying meat at Aldi can be hit or miss. While Aldi's meat selection is cheaper than other stores when it is on sale, its everyday price is higher than many competing grocery stores. Some of those competing stores, like Trader Joe's, never put their products on sale, which gives Aldi an advantage, because it does offer weekly specials on some products. If you're visiting Aldi at a time when meat is not on sale, though, you will be losing precious money.
In other words, Aldi meat might be good for the convenience factor, but you're going to have to put in some work to get a good deal on it here. Not every type of meat is included in the store's weekly special promotions, so there's not always a guarantee that you'll get the meat you want at a price that makes your wallet happy.
Unless you really want to spend a lot of time calculating deals and keeping an eye on the specials, you would be better off buying meat at your local grocery store instead — especially if it's on sale.
Aldi's paper products
There are several reasons why you shouldn't buy paper products like toilet paper, napkins, and paper towels at Aldi. The first is the price. You can find comparable products at big-box stores for the same price — or even cheaper.
The second reason these paper products are a bad deal is that Aldi's store brand, Boulder, produces products that have been described as feeling flimsier than other brands. In other words, you're going to need a lot more Aldi-brand paper towels to pick up that spill. So you may think you're saving money by buying the store brand, but in fact you're not saving any money at all, and you're getting a product that is sub-par.
To make matters worse for Aldi, coupons and sales often make name brands like Bounty cheaper at other grocery stores than the regular, everyday price of Aldi's paper products. With this in mind, it would be a truly bad deal to get the Aldi brand when you know you can get a thicker, better-quality product somewhere else for less.
If you're thinking, "What difference does it make? All these products are just used and thrown away anyway!," then first of all, you must not be a true Bargain Betty. But you also might not realize that just because something is disposable, doesn't mean you have to sacrifice quality. You don't have to be a millionaire to enjoy strong, soft toilet paper in the bathroom — you just have to be a clever shopper.
Deodorant from Aldi
Deodorant is another item that all of us use every single day, unless we are in the mood to go au naturale (or to be a little stinky). Most people go through a lot of this stuff, so it makes sense that we would always be on the lookout for ways to get it at a cheaper price.
However, you shouldn't look to Aldi for that, as the deoderant just not worth it. There isn't much of a selection, and all of the deodorants available are from name brands (unless there's a special buy going on). With Aldi's no-coupon policy, the prices on these deodorants can't beat the prices at other stores, especially when these items are on sale or you can get a discount.
In fact, deodorant may even be cheaper at a pharmacy like Walgreens or CVS than it is at Aldi, which is really incredible, considering that the prices at pharmacies are usually much higher than what you would see in grocery stores. To get these low prices, you may have to sign up for CVS' ExtraCare or Walgreens' Balance Rewards program, but both of these are free to join, so there are really no downsides — unless you don't like your armpits smelling fresh and saving money.
Aldi's toothbrushes
If you have a big family, you probably go through a lot of toothbrushes. While some people don't switch them out very often, you really should be getting a new toothbrush every three to four months, and you shouldn't have to pay sky-high prices when you do.
There's actually a very valuable secret that will help you save more than 50 percent on the price of toothbrushes: Don't shop at Aldi, shop on Amazon.
At Amazon, you can buy 25 generic-brand toothbrushes for just $12.49, making each toothbrush a mere 31 cents. At Aldi, Dentiguard store-brand toothbrushes run around 52 cents per toothbrush, making them a no-no for bargain shoppers. Twenty-five toothbrushes could last you years, and even if you don't need all of them at once, the price point still makes it a better deal than Aldi, where you can get toothbrushes of equal quality for a higher price. So clear out your bathroom closet and head to Amazon instead of Aldi if you want to be a true penny-pincher!
Aldi's cereal (especially name brand cereal)
Do you love starting your day with a heaping bowl of Fruit Loops (we mean, a totally healthy adult cereal like Raisin Bran)? If so, you surely pick up a box of cereal or two at the store on a regular basis, so you're always on the lookout for ways to save on them. Unfortunately for Aldi customers, this store isn't the place for that.
A little digging shows that Aldi's prices on big-name cereals are usually less of a deal compared to other big-box supermarkets. At Walmart, you can buy a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch for $3, whereas the same amount of cereal will cost $4.27 at Aldi. To break it down further, that's a sum of 25 cents per ounce as compared to 26 cents per ounce. Both retailers sell the General Mills brand we all know and love, but when Aldi's charging over a dollar more for an identical product, it leaves a taste in our mouths that's anything but sweet.
Another argument for skipping the copycat cereal Aldi has to offer is that coupon websites, newspapers, and social media pages are constantly putting out coupons for name-brand cereal, so you can get even more of a discount on that already-low price at Walmart. You don't have to sacrifice the taste you love to get a deal — you can buy those name-brand Fruit Loops without feeling guilty at all, and without losing money unnecessarily.
Aldi bacon
Is there any food in the world more perfect than bacon? You can eat it with eggs, you can put it on burgers, you can even add it to spaghetti carbonara to make it extra fancy and delicious. The only problem is, bacon can be expensive. This prevents a lot of people from having bacon as often as they want, but with this tip, you just may be able to make all of your bacon dreams come true.
When it comes to uncured bacon (that is, bacon that is cured by soaking it in natural brines instead of by adding nitrates to the mix), you can find comparable deals at Aldi and Walmart. We acknowledge Aldi's strengths in the meat section but the chain struggles to match Walmart's famously low pricing. You can buy a pack of bacon from Walmart for as low as $3.24. Meanwhile, Aldi will charge you an extra 65 cents by selling it for $3.89. There's also a matter of portions, which Walmart tends to go bigger on to boot. Compared to the Never Any! Hickory Smoked Uncured Bacon's measly 12 ounces, Walmart's Great Value label carries Hickory Smoked Thick Slice Bacon in packages that double Aldi's at 24 ounces. For a little under $6, that equals 24 cents an ounce. This is great news for anyone who enjoys frying up a pan on lazy Sunday mornings, and with prices that jaw-dropping, eating bacon whenever you like doesn't have to be a luxury.
Aldi toiletries
Things like shampoo, soap, and mouthwash are usually products that people don't mind going with the generic brand for. Shampoo usually works the same way, whether it is store-brand or expensive name-brand (minus a bit of extra silkiness, maybe), and at the end of the day, your hair is still clean. The same thing goes for body soap, mouthwash, and even razors; one is usually just about as good as another when it comes to actually just doing its job.
Because of this fact, you would surely be tempted to fill up your cart with cheap, Aldi-brand toiletries the next time you're in the store. But don't! The price of toiletries is not just underwhelming, it is actually more expensive than at other stores and with a scanty selection of products.
Even in those instances when you'd rather splurge on name-brand shampoo or toothpaste, Aldi falls pretty flat on the discount front. Crest Complete Extra Whitening Toothpaste costs 87 cents more at Aldi than the exact same tube purchased at Walmart. By broadening your shopping options beyond Aldi, you don't have to squander your preferences for formal labels just to save a couple of dollars on your grocery run.
Seasoned nuts from Aldi
For a mid-day boost, you can't go wrong with nuts. Keep a handful in your pocket or lunchbox and you'll be running faster than the Energizer Bunny. These protein-pumped snacks usually come salted or roasted, but plenty of retailers have gotten adventurous with spices like chipotle and cayenne to zest things up. After all, healthy doesn't have to mean boring!. And because Aldi sells a decent selection of seasoned nuts at affordable prices, it's only natural that us bargain hunters would feel like we're scoring a deal. But do a little research, and you'll see that Aldi's pricing suddenly seems, well, nuts.
Picking out a snack that speaks to your tastebuds while also lasting longer than a week is where Trader Joe's gets the upper hand over Aldi. That's because a 10-ounce bag of Southern Grove Chili Lime Cashews will run you $5.79 at Aldi. Meanwhile at Trader Joe's, you can buy an entire pound of the store's Thai Lime & Chili Cashews for just $7.99. That's almost two dollars extra at Trader Joe's, but the significant difference is that you're getting double the product than you would at Aldi. Quite frankly, it's the product with clear superior value. What's now, in terms of sheer variety, Trader Joe's snack department completely blows Aldi out of the water.
Aldi's animal crackers
Animal crackers may be marketed to children, but you don't have to be a youngster to enjoy the fun shapes and yummy vanilla flavor. Adults, feeling moved by nostalgia (and a low grocery bill), may even pick up a box on their next Aldi trip when they see the chain's Barnum's knock-off, but this would be the wrong move. A little digging shows that, generic branding aside, Aldi's animal cracker prices were far from being the best deal on the shelf.
For example, a bag of Stauffer's Animal Snack Crackers from Walmart costs 15-cents per ounce, versus the 27-cents per ounce for Benton's Animal Crackers purchased at Aldi. Stauffer's costs more upfront at $4.88, but there's an important catch: each bag contain exactly 32-ounces, which remains a far cry from the piddly 13-ounce box Aldi sells for $3.49. Because of the smaller price-tag, Aldi only appears to offer the better value for your dollar. Plus, if you have a large family it makes more logical sense to splurge on the larger bag.
If you're tempted to graze when there's a jumbo-sized box in the house, then we certainly get the argument for buying animal crackers at Aldi. But when you see the savings offered at other stores, it makes shopping somewhere else other than Aldi worth every penny.
Aldi's chilled dough
You don't have to be a pastry chef to make biscuits or sticky buns. Just visit the refrigerated aisle of your local supermarket for chilled dough. It's a fabulous short-cut for our baking needs, and Aldi carries plenty of the essentials that are ready to pop into the oven. But be warned that if you purchase your pie crusts or dinner rolls at Aldi, the only thing you can count on saving is time — not money.
Even though Aldi's known for its bargains, you'll want to avoid purchasing refrigerated dough from the German retailer for the same reasons to avoid buying Kellogg's cereal or Coke products — there are bigger discounts on big-name brands elsewhere. Aldi shoppers may spend less money on a product upfront, but they will never see heftier reductions outside the weekly specials. Chilled dough from popular brands stands a better chance at traditional supermarkets, since store-wide promotions and manufacturer coupons can accelerate the savings further. When canned biscuits from the Bakehouse line are actually more expensive than marked-down Pillsbury at another store, it kind of defeats the purpose of shopping at Aldi in the first place, doesn't it?
Assuming you're strategic in your shopping habits, you can snag the brand you want and save a little dough when you check out other grocery stores besides Aldi. This is the strategy behind every self-proclaimed bargain-lover, and it hasn't let us down yet!
Fresh produce from Aldi
When it comes to stretching our dollars, buying bulk produce is an effective tactic. It helps us get creative with our cooking while preventing otherwise edible food from going to waste. Usually, it's a heck of a lot cheaper. But purchasing your fruits and vegetables from Aldi isn't such a ripe idea. The key issue has to do with quantity.
Because Aldi's stock is overwhelmingly sold in bunches, picking out individual goods yourself isn't possible like at regular grocery stores. Bulk packaging also rules out the ability to check for potential bruises or moldy spots. There's also the fact that buying fresh produce in bulk can only be a bargain if you intend to use all of it. For those craving apples throughout the week, springing for the 5-pound sack of Golden Delicious would probably pay off, but not if you only need one for a single recipe. In that case, you're not getting the steal of the century but just excess fruit spoiling at the bottom of your fridge.
Fruits and vegetables can get quite expensive, so sniffing out any opportunity to lower the total at checkout is always practical. Just consider your circumstances when purchasing fresh goods at Aldi. Depending on your shopping list, it might mean opting for another grocery store altogether.
Disposable razors from Aldi
Knowing how hairy us Homo sapiens can get, disposable razors are going to warrant a re-stock now and then. Those not particularly picky over the brand may be drawn to Aldi's selection of personal-use items that, while nothing fancy, will do the job fine. That being said, there's a superior offer to take advantage of. It isn't Aldi who pulls in the best offer on (generic) disposable razors, but a far less surprising source: Amazon.
You can buy a 100-count McKesson Twin Blade disposable razors set from the e-retailer for just $17.99, whereas Aldi's Lacura Men's Triple Blade disposable razors cost $2.95 for a pack of 4. That means every individual Amazon razor costs 18 cents. At Aldi, you're paying close to a dollar each. Amazon's alternative could certainly be cumbersome in households that have less storage space, but if it means spending a lot less annually, you'll be glad to have a stockpile of them on hand.
Finding hygienic products at competitive prices to those at Aldi isn't too difficult. You just have to do a little hunting. And with how many coupon codes exist for popular brands such as Gilette, it's not always necessary to settle for Aldi's knock-offs when the big names are just as affordable.
Aldi's cauliflower pizzas
Celiac and gluten-sensitive eaters, rejoice! You can have your pizza (and eat it too) by opting for a vegetable-based crust. Cauliflower is probably the most popular pick these days, though its price can skew rather high at most grocery stores. So to see Aldi, a budget-retailer, sell frozen pizzas made from the cruciferous veg is definitely intriguing. Take a closer look though, and you'll find Aldi's not hawking the best discount on the block.
After doing a little digging, it turns out Trader Joe's soundly beats Aldi with its own gluten-free pies. You'll pay just $4.99 for the Gluten Free Cheese Pizza with Cauliflower Crust at Trader Joe's versus the $7.99 Mama Cozzi's Gluten-Free Cheese Cauliflower Crust Deli Pizza. While you're going to receive slightly less product from Trader Joe's, the price-per-ounce is unequivocally on-point.
Maybe there won't be any leftovers the next day (booo) but it's clear Trader Joe's, as on many fronts, takes the crown on cost-efficiency when it comes to specialty foods. Maintaining a carb-free lifestyle doesn't have to weigh your wallet down. As we've clarified, all it takes is some thoughtful planning to see your grocery bill drop.
Aldi's cooking oils
Any amount of cooking we do will require olive oil. Our pastas and stews would be nothing without a swirl of this flavor-enhancing elixir, but it can really add up if we're not careful. Before driving to your nearest Aldi for a refill, make sure you're aware of the offers happening at other supermarkets. Depending on where you go, it's possible that you'll find the pantry staple at a lower price — yes, lower! — than whatever Aldi sells it at.
Ultimately, Trader Joe's is the spot for getting bigger bang for your buck on cooking oil. The Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or EVOO, if you're Rachael Ray) boils down to $5.99, whereas Aldi's version costs $8.29. That significantly cheaper product at Trader Joe's is especially surprising, considering the brand has a reputation for boutique pricing (those imports don't come cheap!). Another perk of the Trader Joe's extra-virgin olive oil: the size. The oil comes in a much larger bottle as opposed to Aldi's version, so there's no need to be precious about saving every last drop when you're making salad dressing or sauteeing a pan of chicken breasts for dinner.