One day, I snuggled into a friend’s zip-up sweatshirts and complimented her on how cozy it was. “Thanks, I got it at Aldi.” A few weeks later, another friend, knowing my love of salad kits, was shocked I wasn’t an Aldi shopper; that’s where she always stocked up on leafy greens.
It felt like everyone was suddenly singing Aldi’s praises. I was initially hesitant—I considered myself a longtime Target loyalist—but my curiosity won out (as usual) and I ventured into a store. Then again. And again. And I’ve found that while Target and similar stores have sharply raised prices, Aldi has stayed lower.
Consider me an Aldi convert. I’m a regular now.
Unfortunately, Aldi is by no means a one-stop shop. From the beginning, I was warned by a friend that bananas would turn brown before I could blink. And across my own aisle strolls, I’ve found that some of Aldi’s items are overpriced, and a few food items don’t taste up to snuff.
Today, I’m going to highlight several items that you should not buy when you visit Aldi based on either poor reviews or a poor value proposition. By all means, stop in for other items. But consider yourself warned before you buy anything on this list.
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Skip These Aldi Items (Trust Me)
Aldi’s story starts in 1910s Germany, when Anna Albrecht opened a single grocery store. Her sons eventually took over the business and began expanding rapidly under the moniker “Albrecht-Diskont.” In the 1960s, the pair shortened the name to Aldi (Albrecht-Diskont) … and also ended up splitting the businesses between them after a family argument.
Point being: Aldi is rooted in discounts and affordability. But that doesn’t mean every item is priced lower than the competition. And while not often, its discounted prices occasionally reflect a cheaper quality of product.
So while I and many others love most of what Aldi offers, the following items should earn a spot on your not-to-buy list.
1. Bananas
Let’s start with the item I foreshadowed: bananas. My friends and I agree that Aldi is not the place to purchase your bananas—and we aren’t alone in that opinion, either. Reddit commenters find the ripening rate baffling, too.
As one user said, “Bananas go from green to brown … and unfortunately [I] can’t bring myself to eat a brown banana, so this is an issue for me,” one user says. “I try to carry them home so gently but they’re always brown by the time they’re not green?” says another puzzled Redditor, adding that they’ve “never seen anything like it.”
Unless you’re specifically buying bananas to make some tasty bread, keep walking past that fruit.
2. Coca-Cola
The best Aldi deals typically come from the store’s own brands. But when it comes to name-brand products—see: Coca-Cola—the prices are sometimes higher than the competition.
For instance: As of the time of writing, a 12-pack of 12-ounce Coca-Cola cans comes out to $8.75 at Aldi. You can get the same quantity for $8.29 at Target—and if you’re a Target Circle member, they currently have an additional deal where you’ll save 30% off three 12-packs. (And sales like that are fairly common.)
Aldi’s store-brand equivalent is Summit Cola, which is currently priced at $5.19 for a 12-pack of 12-ounce cans. If you don’t mind buying generic, you can save money. But if you’re a Coca-Cola purist who gasps when someone drops another brand in your hand, you’re better off getting your cola fix elsewhere.
Related: 10 Best Trader Joe’s Shopping Tips
3. Deli Meats
I personally don’t eat deli meats, but I do know from walking around that Aldi doesn’t have a deli counter. There is no way to get freshly sliced meat or have a worker slice meat at the thickness you prefer. You can buy pre-sliced meats, but from what I’ve seen online, many consumers aren’t impressed.
Reddit comments frequently described the deli meat as “disgusting.” Others complain that the meat is too thinly sliced.
So if deli meat is a household staple for your family, you might want to stock up elsewhere.
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4. Coffee
Coffee drinkers aren’t always coffee lovers. Sometimes, it’s just about the caffeine—and if your creamer-to-coffee ratio is high, Aldi coffee would likely work just fine for you.
But if you take your coffee black, or if you’re a stickler for freshness, consider other options.
That’s largely because the vast majority of Aldi’s coffee offerings are pre-ground, and pre-ground coffee is typically ground weeks or even months before it’s bought. Aldi’s whole-bean options are limited, so it’s difficult to find coffee you can grind yourself for a fresher, more flavorful cup.
I’m a self-admitted coffee snob who can absolutely taste the difference between freshly ground beans and pre-ground joe. I don’t buy from Aldi, and neither do many of my fellow coffee aficionados.
Also, coffee prices fluctuate as growing conditions impact supply. So, if you worry about prices going up in the future and want to stock up for a few months, whole beans are the better bet. (Just remember: Even whole-bean coffee has a shelf life, though you can extend that life by keeping them stored airtight in a cool, dark place.)
Related: 10 Senior Discounts for Restaurants + Grocery Stores
5. Cheez-It Crackers
Cheez-It is another name-brand product that Aldi sells at a more expensive price than its competitors—possibly in the hopes that you’ll opt for their brand instead.
If you want a big bag of Cheez-It crackers from Aldi, you can typically only find 7-ounce boxes at $2.65 each, so about 38¢ per ounce. By comparison, Walmart sells 12.4-ounce “Pantry Size” and 21-ounce “Family Size” boxes, at $3.77 and $5.87 per box, respectively. That’s 30.4¢ per ounce for the Pantry Size box and 28¢ per ounce for Family Size—both of which easily beat Aldi’s meager box on value.
Of course, you could always opt for Aldi’s generic Savoritz Baked Cheese Crackers, which are only $4.19 for a 21-ounce box, which comes to a bargain-basement 20¢ per ounce. But they might not have the same exact Cheez-It flavor you’ve come to love.
Related: Frugal vs. Cheap: What’s the Difference?
6. Broccoli Cheddar Soup
Broccoli cheddar soup is one of my favorite types of soup, but I’ve seen so many disparaging comments over the past couple years that I’ve actually avoided trying it myself.
A quick check of recent comments include the terms “vile” and “absolutely disgusting.” One Redditor called it “easily the worst thing I’ve ever bought at Aldi. Another says “the only reason to explain its existence is possibly some money laundering scheme or an Aldi Executive’s relative owns a soup factory.” Bonus points for creativity.
Sure, you could potentially jazz it up with extra broccoli or a variety of spices. But at that point, you’re losing one of the core benefits of premade soup: convenience.
Said differently: Consider getting your cheesy broccoli fix elsewhere.
Related: Cooking Costs Heating Up? Here’s How to Save Money Cooking
7. Cat Litter
You’ll notice I haven’t included any reviews directly posted to Aldi’s website. That’s because the site—which, by the way, launched a very poorly received redesign in late 2024—doesn’t include product ratings or reviews.
If you want Aldi product commentary, you have to look elsewhere—Reddit’s r/Aldi is a favorite of mine, as is Aldi Reviewer, an independent review site. It’s generally more positive than not on Aldi’s products, but the site and commenters alike were down on Heart to Tail Scoopable Cat Litter, the only cat litter offered by Aldi.
The reviewer said the litter “has some problems with dust and smell” and “liquid waste doesn’t always clump well,” adding that she prefers to buy Tidy Cats litter instead. She wasn’t alone. Commenters were largely in agreement, noting the litter “doesn’t clump correctly,” is “very dusty,” and is “a huge waste of money.”
Related: 10 Pros + Cons of Pets During Retirement
8. Toothbrushes
Maybe your dentist forgot to give you a new toothbrush at your last appointment. Maybe you like to have a spare in your suitcase for traveling. Whatever your reason for needing a new toothbrush, Aldi isn’t the best place to buy them.
To start, they have no electronic toothbrushes, which dentists frequently recommend and many people prefer. But even if you want a classic manual toothbrush, Aldi’s selection isn’t the most cost-effective. A two-pack of toothbrushes at Aldi costs $2.15, so roughly $1.08 per brush. Meanwhile, a two-pack at Walmart only costs $1, or just 50¢ apiece.
Given that Walmart’s toothbrushes boast an impressive 4.7-star average rating (out of five possible stars), it’s exceedingly unlikely the reason Aldi’s toothbrushes are more than twice the price is because they’re twice as good as Walmart’s brushes.
Related: What Is the 90/90 Minimalism Rule?
9. Deodorant
Aldi doesn’t have any of its own generic deodorants, and it offers just two name-brand choices: Secret and Old Spice. Unless you enjoy one of those brands, you’re out of luck.
And if one of those is your preferred brand, you can probably buy it cheaper from another store.
Secret’s 2.6-ounce Powder Fresh Deodorant currently costs $4.39 at Aldi. The same deodorant at Walmart only costs $3.97. At Aldi, Old Spice’s 3-ounce Pure Sport Deodorant costs $4.49. Comparatively, Walmart offers a slightly bigger 3.4-ounce option for only $4.47. (And for even bigger savings, Walmart offers a two-pack of the Old Spice deodorant for $7.97.)
Aldi’s deodorant prices don’t stink, but they don’t exactly smell great, either.
Related: Walmart vs. Target: 10 Big-Box Price Comparisons
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10. Paper Towels
Paper towels made this list for both product quality and price.
“Stay away from their paper products,” warns one Redditor. “I agree with other comments that paper products on sale at other stores are always cheaper and of better quality,” says another.
Meanwhile, a two-pack of Aldi’s Boulder Ultra Paper Towel, which has 120 sheets per roll, costs $4.39. That comes out to about 1.8¢ per sheet. Meanwhile, a two-pack of Walmart’s Great Value Paper Towels, which have 110 sheets per roll, is priced at $2.38, or roughly a penny per sheet.
Unless you’re an Aldi shopper who wants to get everything they need in one place, there’s no compelling reason to buy paper towels at Aldi.
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As even novice investors probably know, funds—whether they’re mutual funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs)—are the simplest and easiest ways to invest in the stock market. But the best long-term stocks also offer many investors a way to stay “invested” intellectually—by following companies they believe in. They also provide investors with the potential for outperformance.
So if you’re looking for a starting point for your own portfolio, look no further. Check out our list of the best long-term stocks for buy-and-hold investors.
Related: 10 Best Monthly Dividend Stocks for Frequent, Regular Income
The vast majority of American dividend stocks pay regular, reliable payouts—and they do so at a more frequent clip (quarterly) than dividend stocks in most other countries (typically every six months or year).
Still, if you’ve ever thought to yourself, “it’d sure be nice to collect these dividends more often,” you don’t have to look far. While they’re not terribly common, American exchanges boast dozens of monthly dividend stocks.
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