ALDIS deals and some FAST shipping!

WOW. I am IMPRESSED. Just yesterday I posted about the great deals I scored at the Half Off Depot website for Knoxville, and it's funny because I was telling a coworker about them and she was all set to have me help her place an order for the hair salon certificate... then she decided not to. Why? Because she wanted to be able to use it for her daughter this weekend. I told her that shipping normally takes about a week and that's not bad considering it's only $1 and some change to ship.

Guess what was in my mailbox TODAY? Both of my certificates! I'm not going to count on this to happen again but kudos to Half Off Depot!

Anyway, I had the day "off" today so I decided to introduce my mom to the local ALDIS food market that opened up this past Spring. For those who aren't familiar, ALDIS is a great little mini grocery warehouse. A lot of their products are one-off brands that are very similar to (if not actually made by) name brands, but they do NOT sell rejects or outdated items. Still ALDIS comes with a few quirks:

• They don't accept coupons. Their website basically states that they keep their overhead and prices low enough that they don't have to. Part of that low overhead includes a "stack shelving" system using just the grocery flats, bringing your own bags and doing your own bagging, and paying a 25-cent deposit to "unlock" your cart (which you get back upon return... less employees to run around after them).


• They take only cash, debit cards, or food stamps.


• Their produce has gotten mixed reviews from store to store, but I think that's because they lack the fancy cooling/misting shelving of bigger stores. Still, if you can find out when their deliveries are and shop the next day, their prices are better than grocery stores.


• They offer a double your money back guarantee for all of their products. If you don't like it, they will give you your money back PLUS a new item. I've had a couple of things I wasn't CRAZY about, but not enough of a difference to ask for a refund. Overall, their off brands are quite good.

Because of all this you'll find that most ALDIS items are at least $1 off grocery stores if not more. Before I started couponing I thought they were HEAVEN, which is why I took my mom shopping there. I personally find that the best deals are on things like their meats and produce on a regular basis. Otherwise, I can usually get most other things for even cheaper or free on a good sale with the right coupon... but if I needed it NOW without a coupon, ALDIS is where I'd head.

While following Mom around I jotted down a few things that were looking good and tempting:

Cattleman Bacon-Wrapped Beef Filets, $1.99 ea.

Roseland Asstd Pork Chops, $1.99/lb

Tyson Chicken Drumsticks, $1.29/lb

Grainger Ground Beef, $1.69/lb

Cornish Game Hens, $2.29 ea.

Sea Queen Fish Filets, Crunchy, $2.99

Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers, $2.49

Mangoes, $0.69 ea (Mangos are $1.00 at Kroger this week on sale for reference)

Pineapplea, $1.99 ea (I've seen these on sale here for $.99 but this is a good deal compared to Kroger)