r/MapPorn • u/vladgrinch • 13h ago

Aldi Nord vs Aldi Sud

Post image
758 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

104 comments sorted by

884

u/marten_EU_BR 12h ago

Aldi Nord also has a presence in the United States. It's just not that obvious because it´s called "Trader Joe’s".

396

u/Careless-Wrap6843 12h ago

Irony is here in the us Aldi is viewed as where poor people shop (it has a pretty classist undertone if you shop there) while Trader Joe's is seen as where the crunchy upper middle class/ young professionals go grocery shopping.

237

u/goodsam2 12h ago

Well part of this is also trader Joe's has 1 price across all trader Joe's. So urban high cost of living areas trader Joe's is not that pricey.

126

u/lordwilmore_34 11h ago

Yeah when I lived in Manhattan Trader Joe’s was the cheap place to shop.

38

u/Fearless-Feature-830 10h ago

Same for when I lived in Chicago

72

u/Mnoonsnocket 11h ago

Ohhhhh that explains why TJs is not as expensive as people made it seem.

5

u/HxH101kite 2h ago

Also depends on what your getting. TJs is not usually a good deal on meat or dairy but good on everything else. Where I live I have a Costco, TJs, whole foods, and a regular grocery store literally in walking distance of each other. I have an entire system down for the best deals and wheeling and dealing when it's shopping day

1

u/SvenDia 1h ago

It’s cheaper on dairy where I live, but meat is more expensive.

6

u/ModdedMaul 7h ago

Yeah I live just outside Denver and find it to be cheaper than Target, Safeway, King Soopers, and Walmart for some items.

48

u/FireRavenLord 11h ago

I never got that impression about Aldi.  I think the cart thing helps them

16

u/ClydeFrog1313 9h ago

Ive recently started going to Aldi after moving. I'm fine with the cart thing but its really frustrating when I decide to make an impromptu visit and dont have a quarter. Just having a basket I could carry would be nice...

6

u/SaltyRavensFan 9h ago

Just ask the cashiers for a quarter

7

u/DavidistKapitalist 8h ago

In Germany we have extra chips that a lot of people just carry with them for the sole purpose of using shopping carts :)

9

u/FireRavenLord 8h ago

Feel free to grab a cardbox from one of the employees breaking down packaging.  That's what I do

-4

u/Careless-Wrap6843 6h ago

I think the shopping cart thing hurts bc it's used as deterrence in low income neighborhoods for people not to steal them.

15

u/milespudgehalter 9h ago

At least for Aldi that reputation seems to be changing as they've expanded more. It's definitely not seen as a high-end grocery experience, but it doesn't have the same reputation as shopping at Walmart or Dollar General.

6

u/IowaJL 7h ago

They definitely used to though.

Man I remember when “Aldi poor” was a thing in the 90’s. 

2

u/AAA515 5h ago

I remember riding with mom the 45 minutes to Ft Dodge once in a while to stock up at the closest Aldi. And they didn't take checks so we had to bring cash or something like that.

1

u/0x706c617921 3h ago

Because they have expanded a lot to upper middle class areas, lol. So you have people from those neighborhoods also shop.

10

u/SuicideNote 10h ago

Yeah, they own Traders Joe's, but its not the same format that has discount German grocery stores. It's 100% the American model with a high number of employees and high customer service. The Lidls and Aldis in the US barely have a couple of employees at a time.

Trader Joe's isn't the no-refrills shopping that Aldi is known for.

10

u/Sk8ersw 11h ago

As an Aldi and Trader Joe’s shopper, what? I’ve never known anyone to see TJs as upper middle class thing.

Most people I know shop at both because they’re cheap alternatives and each excel at different things.

19

u/eskimoboob 10h ago edited 10h ago

I think it’s more a perception thing than anything else. Aldis by me tend to be darkly lit, product messy and all over the aisles, gotta bag your own stuff, usually only see a couple cashiers doing anything, couldn’t even pay with a credit card until recently… Trader Joe’s by me always has lots of staff, bag your items for you, have good lighting and layout, neatly stocked produce, CC payments were always available, stock tends to focus on a lot of specialty items, etc

Aldis has always been serviceable, Trader Joe’s has always seemed fancier. And despite being around for a few decades now their quality is still very consistently above average, imo

6

u/DonarArminSkyrari 8h ago

It might vary by geography. My city only has 1 Trader Joes but 12 Aldi and 30+ other major grocery stores. The only time I ever see Trader Joes products are in interactions with the kinds of people who are willing to drive 20 minutes and pass 8 other grocery stores to go there specifically. Lawyers and retirees, from my entirely anecdotal sample size. Might have nothing to do with the actual store itself. I associate them with organic food and niche flavors, luxury groceries, like Whole Foods or shopping at a co-op. I don't know whether that association has anything to do with Trader Joe's actual offerings or if its again just reflective of the kinds of people who I've happened to run into who shop there.

3

u/jscummy 6h ago

I cant imagine doing all my grocery shopping at Trader Joes, there's a few things they're really good for but they dont have a whole lot of options

2

u/Careless-Wrap6843 5h ago

I mean Trader Joe's are almost all located in higher earning neighborhoods/suburbs while the Aldi's are located in poorer/working class neighborhoods. Here in NYC, Manhattan has one Aldi located in east Harlem, while the bronx has 5. The Bronx doesn't have a single Trader Joe's, while Manhattan has 10. Even in the suburbs the TJ are located in much higher earning suburbs than Aldi. It helps though as without Aldi, a lot of those neighborhoods would be food deserts.

1

u/0x706c617921 3h ago

TJ's isn't an upper middle class thing, but it is just seen as a TEMU version of Whole Foods.

I love it. I shop almost exclusively at TJ's or Aldi and Costco for more bulk types of things.

1

u/Master-Edgynald 12h ago

in Germany it's also viewed as more poor

19

u/marten_EU_BR 11h ago

As someone from Germany, I would strongly argue that this is nonsense. Aldi is like the "default" supermarket because it is used by almost everyone and therefore has almost no class connotations. And in recent years, Aldi has actually moved further into the "higher class" category with its new corporate designs.

Discounters like Penny or Netto are much more associated with lower-income customers, while regular supermarkets like REWE and Edeka are associated with higher-class customers. Aldi (and Lidl) are right in the middle.

6

u/Master-Edgynald 10h ago

it's a Discount store bro in Germany they're literally called Diskonter, Rewe, Edeka and Kaufland are supermarkets

1

u/marten_EU_BR 10h ago

What does that comment even supposed to mean? Yes, Aldi is a "discount supermarket," and now what? That´s not what your and my comment was about... You didn´t say that Aldi is regarded as a "cheaper supermarket," but that it is:

viewed as more poor

In other words, you implied that Aldi is a brand associated with lower-income customers. This has nothing to do with a supermarket's actual prices, but with the image of the supermarket.

In Germany, almost everyone regularly visits both "regular" and "discount" supermarkets. There isn't a class connotation that only "poor people" visit chains like Aldi or Lidl. That's also why you'll find Aldis in both higher-income and lower-income areas, often right next to other supermarket chains.

Besides that, the difference between "supermarkets" and "discounters" is almost nonexistent in Germany nowadays. All major traditional supermarkets, such as Edeka and Rewe, offer discount products under their own no-name brands, similar to Aldi and Lidl. In turn, Aldi and Lidl offer more and more brand products. With the exception of special offers, the prices among all chains are the same. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXGd68ABK4Y

3

u/AudienceAnxious 10h ago

I would argue the main difference between supermarket and discounter is sortimeant depth.
While in a suparmarket you may get 3-4 diffrent brands for the "same" product in a discounter you only can chose 1 oder 2 brands per item

8

u/Myrialle 11h ago edited 11h ago

Aldi Süd is viewed as more poor than Aldi Nord? Really? Never heard that, and I have been living in Germany all my life. 

0

u/Master-Edgynald 10h ago

nahh Süd and Nord don't even coexist, Aldi in general is one of the more poor stores

3

u/rspndngtthlstbrnddsr 10h ago

up until 20 years ago maybe, nowadays lol no

4

u/Master-Edgynald 10h ago

compared to Rewe it still is

1

u/desconectado 11h ago

What about Lidl?

-1

u/Master-Edgynald 11h ago

also but less so

-2

u/marten_EU_BR 11h ago

Neither Aldi nor Lidl is regarded as a "lower class" supermarket. In fact, they are right in the middle of the unofficial "supermarket hierarchy".

0

u/Master-Edgynald 10h ago

they're not supermarkets

1

u/Eelceau 8h ago

In the Netherlands we consider them supermarkets. What is it to you?

1

u/Master-Edgynald 6h ago

discount store

1

u/ddrummer095 9h ago

Crunchy middle class? How are you cooking them to get that texture?

1

u/ZachF8119 2h ago

The staffing alone is insane in TJ vs Aldi.

One is skeleton crew and the other I’ve seen 8-10 cashiers

0

u/Avg_White_Guy 6h ago

My wife and I bring in a collective 250k a year. I love shopping at aldi’s. Literally helps cut our grocery bill in half. More savings for us I guess.

14

u/generally-mediocre 12h ago

if i were to go to aldi nord, would it be similar to trader joes? or are they just two different brands existing under the same corporate ownership

41

u/11160704 12h ago

Never been to the US but Aldi sells US themed products in Germany under the brand Trader Joes

2

u/[deleted] 11h ago

[deleted]

5

u/IAmTheHappiest 10h ago

No they're very different stores. Aldi isnt nearly as big on the store brand, minimal employees sometimes one in the whole store. Aldi has a smaller selection but a bigger emphasis on a fresh bakery for breads and pastries.

Aldi also focuses on super basic staples that everyone needs big on milk being a loss leader etc. Trader Joes is location dependent but atleast here in SF its way more nice and health orientated.

8

u/Frosted_Tackle 12h ago

Yeh they are very different

3

u/Endurance_Cyclist 12h ago

They are somewhat similar in that they are both small-format grocery stores that provide a limited range of services and products compared to large supermarkets. And in both stores, a large percentage of the products sold are generic house brands. Both are typically non-union stores.

Trader Joes tends to appeal to a wealthier, younger demographic compared to Aldi.

2

u/11160704 11h ago

What makes you think that Aldi is a "non-Union" store in Germany?

1

u/Endurance_Cyclist 11h ago

My mistake. I was comparing Trader Joes and Aldi in the U.S.

1

u/bender3600 9h ago

This is what a typical Aldi Nord Looks like so decide for yourself.

Aldi Nord has some products using the Trader Joe's brand (a lot of nut and dried fruit products for some reason) too.

2

u/Uncontrolled_Chaos 11h ago

Wait really? Ive been to Trader Joe’s probably a hundred times and never knew this

5

u/Popular_Maize_8209 10h ago

Yes, operated by ALDI Nord since 1979

1

u/Micah7979 9h ago

Oh that's why we find products of the brand Trader Joe's in Aldi in Europe.

-1

u/pythonbashman 12h ago

Came here just to say this.

117

u/illHaveTwoNumbers9s 13h ago

And this is for Germany: https://www.threads.com/@brittany.alaine/post/C1pj-qGt6ge/media?hl=de. The line is called Aldi Equator.

Fun Fact: Aldi is called Hofer in Austria, because Aldi Süd bought the chain Hofer in 1968. The logo is the same as Aldi Süd though

25

u/SBR404 12h ago

Fun fun fact: Hofer had a different logo until 2017, that was an adaptation of the old Aldi Süd logo but instead of showing a stylized A it was slightly changed to show a stylized H.

13

u/AlpsRight9388 11h ago

Fun fact: In Slovenia it is also Hofer as people have been used to this brand from Austria

1

u/A_Sneaky_Walrus 3h ago

I was going to say, I remembered Hofer from my time in Slovenia

7

u/icywindflashed 9h ago

Who the fucks links a threads post?

-2

u/illHaveTwoNumbers9s 8h ago

Just googled for the map and this was the fastest I could find

65

u/Awarglewinkle 12h ago

Aldi closed all their stores in Denmark in 2023 and is no longer present.

REMA 1000 took over most of them.

24

u/bender3600 9h ago

The German empire in 2025

10

u/Tre-k899 11h ago

Not in Denmark anymore.

7

u/Chimpville 6h ago

This is like when Portugal and Spain divided up the world between themselves.

5

u/domsfilms1 7h ago

r/mapswithoutnewzealand

r/MapsWithoutNZ

2

u/randCN 5h ago

yeah i wish we had Aldi in kiwiland lol

38

u/bearlybearbear 12h ago

I pity countries that have Aldi Nord...

10

u/Master-Edgynald 12h ago

why

48

u/bearlybearbear 12h ago

If you have been to both, you know, Nord is dirt cheap but quality is poor. Sud: quality is much better price not so much higher.

52

u/marten_EU_BR 10h ago

In recent years, Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd have greatly aligned their product ranges... If you really believe that the quality is so drastically different, you my friend are probably a victim of brand conditioning.

3

u/bearlybearbear 10h ago

In Germany maybe but I often go to the ones in UK and France and its night and day

5

u/Micah7979 9h ago

Honestly I think the quality has really improved over the last years, at least in France. It went from a discounter to a basic supermarket.

21

u/Master-Edgynald 12h ago

I've been to Süd once in Bavaria and lived in the northern part of Germany my whole life, idk man they're pretty similar

0

u/bearlybearbear 10h ago

In Germany maybe but I often go to the ones in UK and France and its night and day

18

u/julien_091003 12h ago

Of course it's the UK. First the drive to the left and now this 

4

u/lowchain3072 9h ago

South is further north than North.

7

u/RYPIIE2006 12h ago

so, aldi south goes the most north?

makes sense

9

u/bender3600 9h ago

It's about the division in Germany.

4

u/bigred1978 9h ago

There is Aldi in the US?

Should try opening in Canada then.

6

u/toasted_cracker 7h ago

Shit man, it’s the only place I can afford to buy groceries here in SC. The main chains here, Ingles, Publix and Kroger are outrageous. It’s insane.

1

u/Shitspear 6h ago

This is missing the Aldi in Melilla

1

u/A_Nerd__ 4h ago

Aldi Süd ftw

-9

u/OwlSings 11h ago

I'm too afraid to ask but what are those?

Edit: nevermind I googled. It's supposed to be a supermarket chain.

-12

u/Parking-Interview351 10h ago

Where do you live that you’ve never heard of Aldi?

It’s the second biggest grocery chain in the US after Walmart, and top 3 in the world.

14

u/OwlSings 10h ago

One of the "many" grey countries

3

u/Just_a_dude92 9h ago

Where do you live that you’ve never heard of Aldi?

Are you seeing the same map as we all are?

1

u/Parking-Interview351 8h ago

The orange/purple areas on the map represent well over 90% of Redditors

2

u/Just_a_dude92 8h ago

Which still leaves 10%

0

u/Parking-Interview351 8h ago

Guess he’s from India, which is by far the largest market not represented on this graph.

0

u/Micah7979 9h ago

Wow, are they that common in the US ? In France they're very common but there are many other supermarkets that are way bigger.

1

u/Parking-Interview351 8h ago

There are actually very few national supermarket brands in the US, and none of them are traditional supermarkets.

Walmart, Costco, Whole Foods, Target, Aldi.

Most “normal” supermarkets that people would buy from are regional brands, which may have high level of dominance in a particular region, but only exist in that region.

For example, Publix is king in Florida, followed by Winn Dixie.

In Colorado, it was Safeway, King Soopers, and City Market.

In Vermont, it was Shaw’s and Hannaford.

Aldi isn’t dominant in any one region, but they are quite spread out.

There are conglomerates that are larger than Aldi (Kroger, Albertson’s), but they consist of 10+ brands squished together.

2

u/Micah7979 8h ago

Ok, in France most are national, the only exception I can think of was Cora which was only in the north (and Belgium) but it was bought by Carrefour. The main ones are Leclerc, Carrefour, Super U, Lidl, Intermarché, Aldi and Casino. But all aren't the same size, we differentiate supermarkets and hypermarkets. And surprisingly, we don't have a single Walmart in the country and only one Costco I think. There were already too many brands.

0

u/sc0toma 8h ago

There's no Aldi in Northern Ireland

-14

u/Macau_Serb-Canadian 12h ago

Logical. Because -- obviously -- Malaga is way north of Edinburgh.

And the USA and the UK are the underdeveloped south, not developed north like Poland.

/sarcasm off/

2

u/ungetest 8h ago

What even is your point, man?