What I Liked and Disliked about Instacart Grocery Pickup at Aldi

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Over the last few months I’ve placed two Aldi grocery pickup orders using Instacart. I was prepared to hate the service, but guess what? I’ve had great experiences! Here are the things I liked – and the one thing I disliked – about using Instacart at Aldi.

1 – I love that you get Aldi’s low prices without Aldi’s store experience.

I’ve always been honest with you when it comes to how much I hate shopping in Aldi, but the low prices and good quality keep me coming back! I can’t tell you how nice it was to pull into Aldi’s parking lot and drive away minutes later with a trunk full of groceries!

2- I really liked using the Instacart app.

I created an account with Instacart and selected my local Aldi store. Working from my grocery list, I searched each item and added it to my cart. I created the order early in the week and was able to add things up until the minute the emloyee began shopping my order! Here are a few tips about using the app:

• You have the ability to be very specific with your replacements. If the item you wanted is out of stock, you can tell them exactly which item is your second choice. It’s a little tedious to do this for each item, but in my opinion it is worth it!
• Turn on push notifications so that you know when the employee is shopping your order. They can send you messages in the app if they have any questions while they shop.
• Allow the app to see your location – your groceries will be ready as soon as you arrive at the store!

3 – Bags are labeled with their contents

Be aware that since you can’t use your reusable shopping bags, you’ll have a small fee for purchasing the paper bags Aldi provides. Both times I’ve used this service it’s been less than a $1 charge. However, the employee labels the sealed bags with general terms to make life easy: bread, frozen, dairy, etc. So nice!

4 – Aldi employees shop the order

At least in my store, my pickup order was shopped by an Aldi employee. This increases the chances of them finding everything I ordered and makes it more likely that my substitutes will be acceptable.

[October 2021 Update: I definitely recommend doing a pickup versus delivery. With delivery, an Instacart employee shops your order and delivers it – and the results aren’t nearly as wonderful. For best results, choose grocery pickup and let someone who works in the store shop your order.]

Here’s what I didn’t like: the produce selections

Aldi has amazing produce prices, but you do have to be really picky and make sure it’s fresh. I got brown lettuce, moldy berries and prepackaged salads that were really close to their sell-by date.

Because of this, I’ll use Instacart for my big Aldi hauls where I stock up on canned goods, baking supplies and frozen items. When I want a lot of produce, I’ll just go in and get it myself.

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You can watch my grocery haul and hear more thoughts on the pros and cons of using Instacart right here!

Get started with Instacart: Here’s my link to get $10 off your first order over $35!

In the video I mentioned earning cash back through Ibotta’s digital coupons – click here and add to your savings!

More Grocery Content:

• How To Save Money On Your Groceries in 2020
• My Top 3 Tips for Shopping at Aldi
• Planning for a Successful 2 Week Aldi Grocery Haul