3 Things You Must Know About Shopping at Aldi

If you like to save on groceries, you’ll really like Aldi, the discount supermarket chain. The secret to its success is simple: no frills, low overhead and cheap store brands.

But shopping at Aldi has its quirks. Here are three things you should know.

1. Want to use a shopping cart? Bring a quarter. Aldi requires a 25-cent deposit, but you'll get it back if you return the cart. The system means Aldi isn’t paying employees to round up carts from the parking lot.

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2. Be prepared to bag your own groceries. Aldi asks shoppers to pitch in at checkout to keep labor costs in check and speed up the line. And speaking of bags: Bring your own. Otherwise you'll be charged.

3. Leave the coupons at home. Most of Aldi's products are store brands, so coupons for name-brands don’t apply. Leave your checkbook at home too. Aldi only accepts cash, credit or debit.

Take a look at even more things you must know about shopping at Aldi.

Browne Taylor joined Kiplinger in 2011 and was a channel editor for Kiplinger.com covering living and family finance topics. She previously worked at the Washington Post as a Web producer in the Style section and prior to that covered the Jobs, Cars and Real Estate sections. She earned a BA in journalism from Howard University in Washington, D.C. She is Director of Member Services, at the National Association of Home Builders.