Aldis and Trader Joes came into my life – so try them maybe?

Aldis and Trader Joes – a successful pairing?
A minor league baseball incident

An umpire made an unpopular call during a minor league baseball game. Unfortunately, minor league baseball doesn’t have the luxury of instant replay.  Watch part of what happens next here:

In case you are wondering, the organ player started playing the song Three Blind Mice.  Then the umpire threw the organ player out of the game.

Prepaid cellphone plans

Then the New York Times did an interesting article.  They wrote about prepaid cellphone plans.  The article is entitled Prepaid Cellphones Are Cheaper. Why Aren’t They Popular? Prepaid telephone plans.  Now big companies would rather trap you into a two-year contract.  If folks knew more about what the plans offered, there wouldn’t be a rush to embrace two-year contracts.

And now the stores

Somewhere you will find a Trader Joes and/or Aldis.  It’s like throwing an organ player out of the game.  Perhaps the umpire could argue the organ player was “playing” during the game and we get into an argument about what is playing.  Or we buy the fancy two-year cell phone contacts, because we don’t know any better.  At least you will know better about checking out these two stores.

These stores operate in the United States.

• Wiki speaks of Aldis at Wiki on Aldis .
• They also speak of Trader Joes at Wiki on Trader Joes.
• And Trader Joes was the subject of a Favorable Forbes article at Forbes on Trader Joes .

Both are part of the same corporate umbrella, which is out of Germany.  Yet they are different as night and day – please forgive the cliche.

Trader Joes intro

If you go to Trader Joes, there are many store brands.  The store brand products are good and the price is better than commercial brands.  As an example, I can buy the Trader Joes brand of Earl Grey tea for around two dollars a box.  A compatible brand of Bigalow or Celestial Seasons tea is at least three dollars.  Now I can get the Target version of Earl Grey for two dollars – but it tastes flat (in my opinion).  The Trader Joes’ version tastes great and is well worth two dollars.

According to the Forbes article, “it now had a romantic travel and leisure image of the South Seas. Employees even wear Hawaiian type shirts. “

I like the free sample food and drink choice, which is found in the back.  Normally, I can get a juice, coffee, or some interesting food preparation.  And if I am lucky that day, an employee is there with some wines to sample.

There is also a wine called Charles Shaw, which only costs three dollars a bottle.  Yet it is comparable to bottles in the ten-dollar price range.

Aldis intro

Aldis is a discount store chain.  Recently they came up with 90 different Aldis truth. My favorite is Aldis truth #12: “We don’t match other stores prices because that means we would be raising ours.”  Not sure about that one.  I’m sure I could find comparable prices on some items at Walmart.

According to the Wiki article, “According to a 2002 survey conducted by the German market research institute Forsa, 95% of blue-collar workers, 88% of white-collar workers, 84% of public servants, and 80% of self-employed Germans shop at Aldi.”

In an article by the Consumerist at The Consumerist, it mentions that, “The article (i.e. New York Times) made an interesting point: Aldi is basically Trader Joe’s without the marketing.”

Not everything in an Aldis store is something I would by.  Take the eggs as an example.  I rather buy the organic eggs at the Dollar General for around the same price.  And I would skip the fresh fruit and vegetables.

Summary

Don’t think there is something deficient about stores specializing in store brands.  It’s almost like all the hype debunking Canada’s health care system.  Or the AARP attempts to comment on it.  They actually did an excellent job with 5 Myths About Canada’s Health Care System at AARP on Canadian health care.  And it’s better then Twitter’s current idea to make money.  It’s covered in The difficult challenge of media alignment Seth’s blog on Twitter

Academic and business blog posts

Here are some blog posts I recommend from academic and business acquaintances of mine:

• The Pros and Cons of Taking Kids on a Cruise Blog post
• The Complete Parent’s List of Education Hashtags on Twitter Blog post
• The 10 Biggest Breakthroughs in the Science of Learning Blog post
• 8 Predictions for the Future of Academic Publishing Blog post
• Can Working Moms Have it All? Blog post
• 10 Most Impressive Polyglots In World History Blog post
• 9 Signs Social Engagement Helps Student Retention Blog post
• How to Tie Dye a Shirt Blog post
• 8 Perfect Hobbies for Retirees Blog post
• The 10 Sins that Sabotage the Nanny / Employer Relationship Blog post
• 10 Ways to Incorporate Exercise into Your Child’s Day Blog post
• 10 Tips for Taking Your Charges Out to Eat Blog post
• About Different Types of Infant Formula Blog post
• How to Make Basic Bird feeders Blog post
• Tips for Keeping Kids’ Teeth Healthy Blog post
• The 10 Most Persecuted Academics in America Blog post
• Why It Makes a Difference Which Grass Seed You Plant Blog post
• 10 BYOD Classroom Experiments (and What We’ve Learned From Them So Far) Blog post
• 10 College Business Incubators We’re Most Excited About Blog post
• Preventing Common Summer Injuries Blog post
• 14 Inspiring Podcasts for Getting Out of Deb Blog post
• 8 Biggest Health Concerns for Adolescents Blog post
• 25 Libraries We Most Love on Pinterest Blog post
• 10 Ways to Scare Off Your Boyfriend Blog post
• * 10 Tips for Cleaning and Maintaining Patio Furniture Blog post
• Teaching Kids Good Sportsmanship Blog post
• 8 Tips to Care for Your Garden Blog post
• 10 Steps to Baby-Proofing Your Home Blog post
• 10 Scientific Facts About Successful Teams Blog post
• Ways Nannies Can Save on Health care Blog post
• The 10 Most Embarrassing Moments in NCAA History Blog post
• 100 More Incredible Lectures From the World’s Top Scientists Blog post
• A Quick Review of Safe Co-Sleeping Blog post
• 10 Big Ways B-School Is Different In China Blog post
• 8 Tips for Taking Care of Your Aging Parents Blog post
• 8 Pieces of Technology You Need in Your Home Office Blog post
• Piercings: The Hidden Dangers Blog post
• 15 Conflict Resolution Tricks Every Educator Should Know Blog post
• 100 Best Blogs for Journalism Students (Updated) Blog post
• Top 25 Smartphone Apps for Spanish Language Learners Blog post
• 10 Ways to Teach Kids to Manage Their Money Blog post
• 5 Ways to POKE Someone without Touching Them Blog post
• 10 TED Talks That Will Change the Way You Communicate Blog post
• 10 Nanny Interview Questions About Housekeeping Duties Blog post
• 10 Diseases that Actually Have Warning Signs Blog post
• 10 Ways to Dress up a Plain Cupcake for Your Child Blog post
• 10 Most Innovative Ways to Pay Teachers Blog post
• Top 25 Smartphone Apps for Family Nutrition Blog post
• 7 Things To Consider When Choosing a Gym Blog post
• * How to Properly Handle and Store Breast Milk Blog post
• 10 Tips to Toddler-Proofing Your Home Blog post
• Why Siblings Don’t Make Good Babysitters Blog post
• Why Should My Child Get Primary Braces Blog post
• 9 Things Cars Will Do in the Future (Besides Fly) Blog post
• 8 Surprisingly Counterproductive Productivity Apps Blog post
• 10 Great Spots to Find a WiFi Hot Spot Blog post
• 8 Classic, Over-the-Top Films About Mental Illness Blog post
• 50 Essential Links for the Parents of Gifted Children Blog post

Source: