Senior Raegan Coupland at the opening of Aldi March 13. Isaac Green | Collegian
Shoppers rose before dawn to see the budget grocery store’s new Hillsdale location
Hundreds of people lined the sidewalk outside Aldi early the morning of March 13 in anticipation of the grand opening of the grocery chain’s new Hillsdale location at 3751 W. Carleton Road.
As the parking lot filled up, drivers took to leaving their cars along the ditches that line both sides of W. Moore Road before joining the ranks of shoppers dressed in warm clothes and armed with coffee.
Hillsdale resident LaTasha McClung said she got to the store at 7 a.m., good enough to land her a spot as one of the first 100 customers to walk through the doors when the store opened at 8:45 a.m. Her reward was a gift bag filled with samples of Aldi products and gift cards.
“I usually drive to Coldwater, so I’m glad I don’t have to do that anymore to make my bruschetta and things like that — everything that would cost top dollar in regular stores,” McClung said. “I save so much money.”
While just the first 100 customers received gift bags, attendants handed out free Aldi tote bags, coupons, and key chains to everyone who attended the grand opening.
The key chains are designed to hold the quarters that shoppers must use to unlatch the red locks chaining shopping carts together outside the store. After checking out, shoppers can return their cart to retrieve their quarters by re-engaging the lock.
In an effort to streamline the check out process and further its goal for a cleaner planet, Aldi asks that shoppers bring their own reusable bags when visiting the store, according to the company website. Those who don’t can buy from a selection of paper bags or Aldi-brand reusable bags at the front.
After visiting the store for the first time last Sunday, sophomore Mikayla Manna said she thinks Aldi will be the place she shops most often moving forward.
“It’s smaller so I find it easier to find things in it, and it seems like their produce and things in general are just cheaper,” Manna said.
These low prices are made possible by a variety of cost-saving strategies — stocking fewer items, operating smaller stores, and staffing fewer employees than most large grocery chains, according to the Wall Street Journal.
“Normally, I go to Meijer or Walmart, but it will be nice to have more options for everyone,” Manna said. “I like to make things from scratch, typically, so having fresh ingredients is nice.”
Hundreds lined the sidewalk outside Aldi before the store opened at 8:45 a.m. Isaac Green | Collegian
While Hillsdale’s store looked like a typical Aldi she has seen at home in Nebraska, Manna said the one difference was that it is almost all self-checkout at the front.
David Schwartz, a three-year Hillsdale resident, also said his family used to grocery shop at a different Aldi location before moving to the area.
“We’re excited to have a lot of the brands back that we used to buy,” Schwarz said. “I think we’re still gonna go to Kroger, but there are some brands that we really love here.”
Operating more than 2,000 stores nationwide, the Hillsdale location marks the 114th Aldi store to open in the state of Michigan, according to the company website.
“Our stores are designed to make grocery shopping smarter, faster, and easier,” Webberville Vice President for Aldi Ryan Fritsch said in a press release. “We’re excited to open our first Aldi store in Hillsdale and introduce local customers to a new, more affordable way of shopping.”
The new store will be open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and will provide curbside pick up and grocery delivery options.
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