Aldi’s newly opened store in Washington, D.C., is husband material: clean-cut, clearly communicates values and checks all the boxes for must-haves.
Located at 5300 South Dakota Ave. NE, the store opened at the end of 2024 and marks the discounter’s second location in the nation’s capital.
It’s only a 6-minute walk from a Walmart, which has been a neighborhood staple for nearly a decade. However, that’s not surprising given that Aldi has been a fierce competitor to the mass merchant on grocery prices and even opened a store in 2019 that’s less than a mile from Walmart’s headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas.
The new location is the latest from the German discounter that has been on a store opening tear in recent years and is approaching almost 2,500 locations across 39 states and Washington, D.C. Along with Walmart, Aldi is contending with an increasingly competitive landscape of mass merchants and discounters as the likes of Grocery Outlet, Save A Lot and Lidl also ramp up their presence.
In many ways, it’s an ideal time to be a discounter as inflation, bird flu and other factors keep prices elevated and continue to rattle many shoppers.
Grocery Dive’s trip at the end of January to the new store revealed how Aldi is showcasing its personality with a shopping experience that not only highlights how low its prices can go but also why customers should — in Aldi’s estimation — choose to spend their grocery dollars there.
One-stop-shop
The store is roughly 24,000 square feet, according to local news outlet WTOP, and includes an array of perishables, center store staples and home goods.
Prepared foods and ready-to-eat meals are right next to the entrance, along with the produce and alcohol sections. While there aren’t any service counters or made-to-order stations, there are refrigerated deli cheeses and meats, juices, dairy and eggs. On the back wall and in standing cases, the store has frozen seafood, poultry, beef, vegetables, fruits and meals.
In the center store aisles, shoppers can find athleisure clothing, sofa covers, pet food, paper towels, tissues and grocery essentials, making the store a one-stop-shop for not only food essentials but also household goods.
In the fan-favorite Aldi Finds section, Grocery Dive spotted 90-second microwaveable basmati rice packets, spicy dill pickle chips, Karma probiotic water, Cheerios cereal and Tostitos salsas.
By the checkout area, there was a designated section of Valentine’s Day items, including candles, potholders with hearts on them, socks and heart-shaped decorations.
Clean, well-lit, wide aisles
While Aldi has a mix of store brand and name brand goods, its private label offerings are designed to stand out. Aldi’s Barissimo coffee packaging features eye-catching and colorful designs featuring donuts, a squirrel and chocolate cake visuals.
In the canned fruits and vegetables section, for example, each variety has a different color. Columns in the store feature Aldi’s signature colors of yellow, orange, red and blue stripes against a darker blue background.
Along with the menagerie of colors, the store was brightly lit, had wide aisles and — with the exception of a stray empty box in an aisle — was clean and well organized.
Prominent emphasis on sustainability claims and health attributes
Why shop at Aldi? The discounter clearly wants you to feel good about your health and that of the planet. Large and abundant signage and information on packaging throughout the store point out specific better-for-you and better-for-the-planet claims.
The wall behind the registers has a large visual explaining Aldi’s sustainability efforts, including reducing plastic packaging and cutting its greenhouse gas emissions. Signs by the cash registers say, “Bye bye, plastic bags. Reusable ones rule.” noting that the grocer phased out single-use plastic bags in 2023.
In-aisle signs throughout the store also market the grocer’s values. One promoting the Simply Nature brand says, “Just the good stuff (seriously). No synthetic colors. No MSG added.” Some point to Aldi’s low prices and while others note the grocer aims to raise $10 million by 2027 for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer.
Product packaging also clearly communicates sustainability claims, such as Rainforest Alliance certification on its Barissimo private label coffee. The store also has electronic shelf labels, which negate the need for thousands of paper tags.
The assortment and store design coupled with the messaging of its values and eye-catching merchandising made the Aldi store a feel-good place to shop.
