Both Aldi and Grocery Outlet Bargain Market are some of the most well known discount supermarket chains in the United States. Both offer great deals to hundreds of thousands of customers annually. But if you are deciding between the two, which one is better? In other words, which one should you shop at?
To help you get an answer to this question, I compared these two stores based on 3 major decision factors that most shoppers consider before they go to a store. These 3 factors are:
- Price
- Quality
- Variety
By the end of this article, you should have a good idea as to which one of these stores is better for you, Aldi or Grocery Outlet.
Which is Better: Aldi or Grocery Outlet? Grocery Outlet is cheaper than Aldi across multiple different shopping categories. Grocery Outlet also offers better quality products and more options to pick from in their stores.
Is Aldi More Expensive Than Grocery Outlet?
Price point is one factor that many shoppers consider before they go out shopping. In many cases, shoppers will choose the store that offers the best prices or the best bang for buck. So, when comparing prices between Aldi and Grocery Outlet, which one was cheaper?
Something to note is that I looked at their store brand label for these items as it gives the best idea of how much cheaper or expensive a product is in a comparison.
| Category | Aldi Brand | Grocery Outlet Brand |
| Beverages | ✓ | |
| Baking Goods | ✓ | |
| Canned Goods | ✓ | |
| Dairy | ✓ | |
| Dry Goods | ✓ | |
| Frozen Foods | ✓ | |
| Personal Care | ✓ | |
| Cleaners | ✓ | |
It seems that Grocery Outlet is cheaper across multiple shopping categories. More specifically, Grocery Outlet is cheaper in the beverages, baking goods, dairy, dry goods, and personal care categories.
Aldi is cheaper in the canned goods, frozen foods, and cleaners section. To take advantage of the best prices at both of these stores, you can optimize your shopping to where you buy the cheaper items at each store based on this analysis.
If you are a shopper that enjoys savings and prioritizes price, then Grocery Outlet is the better option for you.
Product Quality: Aldi vs Grocery Outlet
The quality of products at a store also can be a make or break decision factor for many shoppers. Typically, customers like to get the best quality products out there, so it is important to see if Aldi or Grocery Outlet has better quality.
To see which one is superior, I looked at the FDA’s recall database to figure out which store has had more recalled items in recent years. This would give a good idea as to which store sells higher quality items. In other words, the store with fewer recalls is likely to sell higher quality products at their store.
| Category | Aldi Recalls | Grocery Outlet Recalls |
| Animal & Veterinary | 0 | 0 |
| Biologics | 0 | 0 |
| Cosmetics | 0 | 0 |
| Dietary Supplements | 0 | 0 |
| Drugs | 0 | 0 |
| Food and Beverages | 31 | 4 |
| Medical Devices | 0 | 0 |
| Radiation Emitting Products | 0 | 0 |
| Tobacco | 0 | 0 |
According to the FDA’s website, Aldi has significantly more product recalls in recent years. More specifically, Aldi has almost 8 times as many product recalls as Grocery Outlet. This suggests that Aldi has lower quality products.
Aldi: 31 Product Recalls
Grocery Outlet: 4 Product Recalls
Something to note is that 31 product recalls is quite high in comparison to other grocery stores that I have analyzed over the past few months. For reference, other grocery stores’ product recall count ranges from 2-24, so Aldi’s count is very high.
If you are a shopper that priorities product quality, then Grocery Outlet is the better option for you to shop at.
Product Variety: Aldi vs Grocery Outlet
Although it’s not as big of a factor compared to the previous two, product variety still is something to consider when shopping at these stores. In other words, which store is going to give you more options to pick from?
Something to note is that both stores are considered supermarkets, which means they both carry the same type of products. By definition, they should carry a similar amount of items in their stores.
| Total Aldi Products | Total Grocery Outlet Products |
| 1,400 products | 10,000 products |
Strangely, Grocery Outlet carries significantly more items than Aldi. More specifically, Aldi carries 1,400 products whereas Grocery Outlet carries 30,000 products. In other words, Grocery Outlet has 7 times the amount of items as Aldi.
This means that you are likely to find many more options at Grocery Outlet in comparison to Aldi. So, if you are a shopper that prioritizes product variety, then Grocery Outlet is clearly your winner.
Which One Should You Shop At: Aldi vs Grocery Outlet?
When to shop at Aldi: Aldi has higher prices, lower product quality, and less product variety. It is hard to say what instances that Aldi would be better than Grocery Outlet. While Aldi does provide very good discounted prices, they are not as good as Grocery Outlet.
When to shop at Grocery Outlet: Grocery Outlet offers lower prices, higher product quality, and more product variety. If any of those things are factors that you prioritize, then Grocery Outlet is better for you.