# At the Aldi's today...I saw a prepper!!!



## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

We go like 5 times a year. So we get looks. To say the least. 

We saw a prepper. We were walking and gathering. The wife says to the husband, how many jars of sauce were we gonna get.... Me being a generally nosy fella. I over heard in an obvious way, You know looking at them. I'm never subtle, (I'm sure none of you would think this of me) LOL. I showed them our "list" and said this makes it easy.

Anyway she says "we are getting food for winter and you should too." I said "Definitely, We always shop 3 months at a time.

That was it but it was strange to see a fellow prepper/hoarder. 





Were any of you at Aldi's in Binghamton, NY today? LOL


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## Guest (Oct 4, 2009)

I see a prepper or stocker-upper in public stores maybe once every couple of years LOL. It's always fun to see them.


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## Stormy_NY (Dec 8, 2007)

The wife is heading there tomorrow Stan ..... Did you try there new coffee yet .... Our little General Store (They shop there too) had a little bag .... We tried the French Roast. 

We really have to time it right one time ..... We can go to Nurchi's and get some pizza.


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

I don't think I've ever seen a fellow prepper. Once in a while I'll see several women shopping together with one heaping basket or maybe two. But they're obviously shopping for a church, daycare or shelter of some sort. It's not the kind of food a prepper would have.

I do get looks from people when I clean out a shelf of some staple on sale, but rarely does anyone say anything.


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## Guest (Oct 4, 2009)

Mom_of_Four said:


> I do get looks from people when I clean out a shelf of some staple on sale, but rarely does anyone say anything.


I'm used to those looks....


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## themamahen (Jun 26, 2005)

Well luckily i live in a town thats 80+% LDS (mormon) and Everyoneeeeeeeee shops like that here. most people have 4-8 children too.
matter of fact Huge case lot sale at our store this week with 50# of wheat for 12.00 and 25 of oats for 12.99 I bought 300$ and i said "oh boy" the cashier just smiled she said "You did good so far today ive had several 900 and one 1200.00


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

themamahen said:


> Well luckily i live in a town thats 80+% LDS (mormon) and Everyoneeeeeeeee shops like that here. most people have 4-8 children too.
> matter of fact Huge case lot sale at our store this week with 50# of wheat for 12.00 and 25 of oats for 12.99 I bought 300$ and i said "oh boy" the cashier just smiled she said "You did good so far today ive had several 900 and one 1200.00


That must be nice - I go someplace with my four kids and often get looks and even comments about all the kids. :croc: At least at Costco they're used to people having $300-$500 bills....my last one was $500.


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## bee (May 12, 2002)

LOL!!! And I get "looks" when I buy a "flat" of tuna or dogfood.......of course we are rural enough around here that my "gathering" trip thru a neighboring county did not seem to raise any eyebrows. In the open bed of my pickup I had 4 half bushels of golden delishous(sp) apples and nearly 30 lbs of winter squash as well as bag feed for the poultry. The apples were 10 dollars a bushel if you bought 2 bushel and I collected the squash in several stops at farm stands along my route. I am determined to try as many kinds as I can this season to see what I like best to grow next year.I have learned tho not to expect seed to "come true" as these field grown produce is ALWAYS cross pollenated; you should see the neck squash my Mom grew from her saved seed from the pink banana squash that she bought last year!


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## Jakk (Aug 14, 2008)

I dont know that I have ever come across a prepper in our neck of the woods. I love to look in other peoples carts to see what they are buying and its usually a weeks worth of food. I also get a lot of looks because I usually have three or four kids with me. We homeschool so most of the questions directed towards us are "why arent they in school?".


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## mpillow (Jan 24, 2003)

I used to work at a major grocer and I did see people shop like that a lot....and I would ask them if they lived out on an island or in the mtns....it was usually one or the other....my really big favorite customer was a cook on a ship whose father worked at the store....he rented a uhaul on shopping day!


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## Pouncer (Oct 28, 2006)

Large baskets are common here, and many people I know "stock up" when there is a particularly good sale on something. I am one to grab a half dozen, or dozen of something if it fits into our diet, for example. We've had no case lot of canned good sales in a couple years though, darn it. But I do try to expand the variety by adding something different about every month or so.


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## Scott in Florida Panhandl (May 10, 2002)

I only see them here the day before a hurricane!


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## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

I've only seen one that I can say there's no doubt they were prepping. It was several years ago. They had a straight axle box truck and were buying buy the pallet load. 

I happened to be nearby one of the employees and ask what was gong on. She told me that those people only shop once a year and they always came in and ordered what they wanted in advance so the store would have it in stock for them. She said they spent over $8000. that day. (keeping in mind that was over 15 years ago so that might be the equivalent to spending $20,000 or more today!)

That was in my pre-prep years. At the time I thought they were probably from a cult.  

Now I wish I would have done the same thing way back then. Heck, I'd love to go shopping today with a truck and a fork lift! :bow:

I have prepper friends that I go shopping with every once in a while. None of us shop like we prep. We buy normal things in normal amounts, but we go to different stores so the cashiers won't think it's odd that we are buying so much. When we get home, our vehicle is always packed to the max. I always assume other preppers shop the same way I do so as not to stand out in the crowd. :shrug:


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## Blu3duk (Jun 2, 2002)

One of the local REAL ESTATE sales folks goes shopping once a year over to Montana, makes a three day even out of it with his family, takes a horse trailer and spends about $15,000.00. he says forst off there is no sales tax in Montana, so it saes him the 6% tax in Idaho yet he lives here and expects goods and services that benefit from those taxes] and justifies the 140 miles one way from those savings. He told me that it is a challenge to buy for a year and has made a game of it with his family for many years, saving only perishable items like milk and such to be purchased here that would not last a year [he raises chickens and has other stock too]..... I guess since we live in such a rurtal town it aint difficult to see folks stock up during certain times of the year, canning supplies sell out in August so those that know buy them in June/july when the pre-season sales happen.... and so on.

I like Costco too, and find it hard for me and the wife to get out of there without spending between $250 and 750 dollars.... and that usually figures out to about 30 items for some reason....lol so we tend to not go there, but ive seen other folks with carts loaded up and most of them are not prepper types at all...... but one never knws any longer, just what we do look like to others..... shoot I was called "normal" by a relative just the other day.... must have been a slip of the fingers when she was typing!

William
Idaho


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## anniew (Dec 12, 2002)

Stan,
Missed you by one day...which Aldi's did you go to? The one in JC or the one on Upper Front St.?
Also, did you ever get a lease signed? Good rates these days...


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## TundraGypsy (Feb 25, 2005)

As a suggestion, you might ask someone working at the store to get you what you need from the back of the store, instead of cleaning off the entire shelf of sale items. No reason to get the attention of others that you are hoarding or prepping.  People get a little uptight when you arrive at the checkout with a cart full of a single sale item and there is nothing left for them. Of course, there may not be more in the back either...oh oh! 

I buy a little here and a little there as to not draw attention to myself.


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

Most of the stores I go to have a limit on how many you can buy of sales items. And if something has been sold out on the shelf, they will never bring out more, or admit if they have any.


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## Riverrat (Oct 14, 2008)

Lately we have been finding that a lot of stores are having sales and only ordering in small amounts of stock, then run out early and say there are no rain checks available. This way they get you into the store, and hope you will buy other things while you are there. We do not get to many strange looks when buying in bulk, this is still a very rural province and a lot of people but this way.


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

anniew said:


> Stan,
> Missed you by one day...which Aldi's did you go to? The one in JC or the one on Upper Front St.?
> Also, did you ever get a lease signed? Good rates these days...


We go to the one near Maines. We went there too. 

Yeah, we signed in the summer, with HESS.


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

Mom_of_Four said:


> Most of the stores I go to have a limit on how many you can buy of sales items. And if something has been sold out on the shelf, they will never bring out more, or admit if they have any.





Riverrat said:


> Lately we have been finding that a lot of stores are having sales and only ordering in small amounts of stock, then run out early and say there are no rain checks available. This way they get you into the store, and hope you will buy other things while you are there. We do not get to many strange looks when buying in bulk, this is still a very rural province and a lot of people but this way.


That's the reason we go to Aldi's their regular prices are less than most places "sale" prices. I figure they know people come in and buy by the case. They keep huge piles of the stuff still in the cardboard boxes. Just for instance. They had canned corn and green beans for 39 cents. The rest of the veggies were 55 cents. Condiments are like a buck. Coffee is 4 bucks for the big can. Pasta is like 70 cents a pound.

For Us it's just over an hours drive one way but well worth it. Especially if you have a good amount of cash to spend. Heck we generally go up first thing in the morning on a Saturday, have breakfast. It's better to shop with full bellies keeps the junk out of the cart.  Shop till the car is full. Head home and we are home and have the stuff put away by noon.


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## ihedrick (May 15, 2005)

I'll ask also before clearing the shelf. I haven't ran into any other preppers (but my mom is slowly comming around). The other day I found Hillshire Farm smoke keilbasa 50 cent each...bought two cases.


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## suzyhomemaker09 (Sep 24, 2004)

stanb999 said:


> That's the reason we go to Aldi's their regular prices are less than most places "sale" prices.




Makes me laugh when I see "case sale" at Kroger chains in town...$.50 for a can of green beans is not a good sale price hen Aldi's has them daily for .49 a can.


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## cvk (Oct 30, 2006)

I think I caught me a prepper yesterday--she walked out of the store with two kids and TEN cases of tomato soup. Generally they are hard to spot. We try to blend in. It was the middle of the day. Nobody seemed to think it looked strange. Nobody paid a bit of attention.


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

stanb999 said:


> That's the reason we go to Aldi's their regular prices are less than most places "sale" prices. I figure they know people come in and buy by the case. They keep huge piles of the stuff still in the cardboard boxes. Just for instance. They had canned corn and green beans for 39 cents. The rest of the veggies were 55 cents. Condiments are like a buck. Coffee is 4 bucks for the big can. Pasta is like 70 cents a pound.


I've been to the Aldi's about 10 miles from us, and it was stocked full of off-brand and Chinese products. No Del Monte, no Green Giant, and not even a store brand I recognized from Food Lion or wherever. They carried some Chinese made Hamburger Helper type boxed foods, but I wouldn't buy them. Maybe it varies by store, but ours is awful.


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## Guest (Oct 5, 2009)

Mom_of_Four said:


> I've been to the Aldi's about 10 miles from us, and it was stocked full of off-brand and Chinese products. No Del Monte, no Green Giant, and not even a store brand I recognized from Food Lion or wherever. They carried some Chinese made Hamburger Helper type boxed foods, but I wouldn't buy them. Maybe it varies by store, but ours is awful.


That's why I won't buy hardly any generic or store brands (besides the fact I can get name brands much cheaper anyway for most products). A very large percentage of generic and store brand products come from 3rd world countries, especially China.

An example is how canned vegetables and fruits are done. In many cases, they are grown, processed, and canned in China or elsewhere in plain cans with no labels. They are sent here by container loads on pallets by ship. Then when they get here, the labels are added. 

I do buy store brand mac and cheese for donating, not for my own use. 

I will also buy store brand coffee when it says "Made in the USA" on the label. In that case, the beans aren't grown here, but processed here.

I will also buy store brand olive oil. It usually comes from Turkey or around that region. Muslim countries tend to be clean.


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

ladycat said:


> That's why I won't buy hardly any generic or store brands (besides the fact I can get name brands much cheaper anyway for most products). A very large percentage of generic and store brand products come from 3rd world countries, especially China.
> 
> An example is how canned vegetables and fruits are done. In many cases, they are grown, processed, and canned in China or elsewhere in plain cans with no labels. They are sent here by container loads on pallets by ship. Then when they get here, the labels are added.
> 
> ...



The products I've bought and found in Aldi's come from that third world, back water, area known as Canada. The stuff is labled you know.

I was worried as well initially. But the stuff isn't canned over seas.


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## GoldenCityMuse (Apr 15, 2009)

Regarding country of origin, they all say where it is from, you just have to look ALL over the label to find out. Sometimes 'off' brands are just as good as the 'name' brands, sometimes not.

What I spend more time looking for is foods without artificial colors, flavors, etc. The name brands are really bad about adding FDA lake colors to their products.


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

GoldenCityMuse said:


> Regarding country of origin, they all say where it is from, you just have to look ALL over the label to find out. Sometimes 'off' brands are just as good as the 'name' brands, sometimes not.
> 
> What I spend more time looking for is foods without artificial colors, flavors, etc. The name brands are really bad about adding FDA lake colors to their products.


Here is all the brands made at the same plant...

Here is the company website.
http://www.lakesidefoods.com/products/products_overview.htm


Aldi's is in here.
Yep, the 39 cent greenbeans.

ALBERTSON'S, HAPPY HARVEST, BEST CHOICE, FOOD CLUB, BOGOPA, VALU TIME, HILL COUNTRY FARE, HEB, LAURA LYNN, KROGER, NO NAME, NORTH PRIDE, SCHNUCKS, SHOP N SAVE, SHOPPERS VALU, CUB FOODS, DIERBERGS, FLAVORITE, IGA, BEST CHOICE AND THRIFTY MAID.


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## Dutchie (Mar 14, 2003)

stanb999 said:


> Were any of you at Aldi's in Binghamton, NY today? LOL


No, but I was at Aldi's in Broken Arrow, OK on that day, stocking up.


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

Dutchie said:


> No, but I was at Aldi's in Broken Arrow, OK on that day, stocking up.


That would be a bit of a trip for me. LOL


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## Guest (Oct 5, 2009)

stanb999 said:


> The products I've bought and found in Aldi's come from that third world, back water, area known as Canada. The stuff is labled you know.
> 
> I was worried as well initially. But the stuff isn't canned over seas.


Do they say "Product (or Produce) Of", "Made In", or "Distributed By" ?


stanb999 said:


> Here is all the brands made at the same plant...
> 
> Here is the company website.
> http://www.lakesidefoods.com/products/products_overview.htm
> ...


Where did the ingredients come from?



Dutchie said:


> No, but I was at Aldi's in Broken Arrow, OK on that day, stocking up.


There's an Aldi's in Oklahoma?


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## stanb999 (Jan 30, 2005)

ladycat said:


> Do they say "Product (or Produce) Of", "Made In", or "Distributed By" ?Where did the ingredients come from?
> 
> There's an Aldi's in Oklahoma?


Aldi's is a discount grocery imported from Europe. 
They aren't one of those dollar type or salvage type stores.
If you go to the website from the cannery they say the produce comes from the area, so it's fresh. 

The cans are a product of Canada and distributed by ALDI'S .



I know you want to think that the Del Monte and green giant is better. But the fact is they are the ones who move over seas.


Here is a link about Green Giants move to Mexico...
http://www.sustainer.org/dhm_archive/index.php?display_article=vn380freetradeed


Here is a portion.

For four decades cutters and packers at the Green Giant frozen-food plant in Watsonville, California, prepared vegetables grown in the Pajaro and Salinas valleys. The workers were mostly women, paid about $7 an hour. Over the years the work force was gradually reduced by labor-saving machinery. But in 1990 came a reduction that was not at all gradual. The company announced that it would lay off 370 of its 520 workers.

The layoffs were ordered from a corporate boardroom in London. There a conglomerate called Grand Metropolitan decided to move Green Giant food processing to the town of Irapuato in Mexico. Workers in Irapuato get $4 an hour. The area around Irapuato will grow less corn and beans for domestic use and more vegetables for export, to help pay Mexico's -- and Grand Metropolitan's -- debts.


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## Guest (Oct 5, 2009)

stanb999 said:


> Aldi's is a discount grocery imported from Europe.
> They aren't one of those dollar type or salvage type stores.
> If you go to the website from the cannery they say the produce comes from the area, so it's fresh.
> 
> ...


Green Giant and Del Monte are NOT better!!!!!!!!!!! I emailed them and got my answer. I posted that a couple years ago.

For Green Giant and Bird's Eye, I get frozen when they are a good price, but I look at the back to see if they say "Product of USA". Except sometimes they say nothing, so it's a guess. Green Giant in particular buys veggies from 40 different countries!!

I mostly get Cascadian Farms. They are mostly grown in Mexico, BUT USDA inspectors from here fly there periodically to test the soil and make sure they are properly organic.

Short of growing your own, most grocery shopping is a crap shoot.


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## Dutchie (Mar 14, 2003)

ladycat said:


> There's an Aldi's in Oklahoma?


There's 13 of them. Ponca City, Owasso, Tulsa, Broken Arrow, 4 in OKC, Moore, Midwest City, Enid, Bixby and Bartlesville.


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

I think I read Aldi is owned by a German company. the chocolates they get in for the holidays are da bomb. Usually german or belgian. I look at all the cans in every store, and have started canning and drying Pennsylvania mushrooms, because for some strange reason, you cant find any except chinese.
FTR, Wegmans has had their canned veggies all summer for .39, and ziti, spaghetti and macaroni for .69 lb. All product of USA


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

Costco and Meijers.com both sell canned mushrooms by the case - product of USA. I looked far and wide because most canned mushrooms are Chinese.


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## Guest (Oct 6, 2009)

Mom_of_Four said:


> Costco and Meijers.com both sell canned mushrooms by the case - product of USA. I looked far and wide because most canned mushrooms are Chinese.


That's good! "Product of" does mean they were actually grown here. "Made in" would only mean they were canned here, and has no relevance to where they were grown.

I haven't bought any canned mushrooms in a long time because I simply can't find any that didn't come from China.


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

thats good to know, but either is not local, and its just cheaper to dry. I guess a good point here is to
read the labels, see where this stuff is grown and processed
Aldi is probably more benign than many other discount grocieries, with good chocolate as a plus
JMO
PS...Hi Amy and Stan


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## Tracy Rimmer (May 9, 2002)

Riverrat said:


> Lately we have been finding that a lot of stores are having sales and only ordering in small amounts of stock, then run out early and say there are no rain checks available. This way they get you into the store, and hope you will buy other things while you are there. We do not get to many strange looks when buying in bulk, this is still a very rural province and a lot of people but this way.


We're pretty rural here, too, Riverrat -- but I get the strangest looks.... even from wholesalers!

I buy a lot of my beans in 100lb bags from a wholesaler in Winnipeg. Once a year or so, I go in and pick up a pre-placed order, and stop at one of the big wholesale clubs on my way back out of the city. Even the guys on the loading bay at the wholesaler's look at me funny. Most of their trade is out of province, I believe, to organic bulk stores.

The wholesale club place that I buy my staples like baking soda, salt and sugar from should be used to bulk orders (I would think), but I get strange looks there when I buy multiple 50lb bags of sugar, and 10lb boxes of baking powder, etc.

I, too, am beginning to think it might be wise to NOT buy in bulk like this -- no sense in drawing attention to the size of your purchases. Of course, Winnipeg is a bit of a drive, I doubt anyone is going to follow me home from the wholesalers, but...


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## Riverrat (Oct 14, 2008)

Or buy in a strange city. We go to visit family in another part of the province, and that is where we buy most of our bulk. To far for someone to follow us home.


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

beaglebiz said:


> I think I read Aldi is owned by a German company.


Yep, Aldi's is from Germany. (Aldi's means Girlfriend's in German). That's why you have to stick a quarter in the cart to unlock it (for those that have never been there you get the quarter back when you return the cart). All grocery stores we've been to in Europe do this (we've shopped in Germany, France, Italy, Austria and of course Hungary as we lived there for a few years). They are all over Europe. 

Wish our's had 49 cent cans! Ours are currently 59 cent and up! The 79 cent peaches are $1.49 now - amazing how the prices have changed in the 2 1/2 years we've been living in Europe....but still much lower than European prices!!


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## Stormy_NY (Dec 8, 2007)

So the wife buys a case of water from Aldi's ...... I just happen to llok on the back of the label ..... 

SOURCE: Erie County water supply........ :nono:


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

Is the water bad in Erie county??
In the part of PA where I live, we are famous for our artesian springs and clean mountain water.
Also note that aquafina, dasani etc is really just purified tap water, so the Aldi stuff is no better or worse


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## booklover (Jan 22, 2007)

We used to live in Germany. While Aldi is, indeed a German company, I guarantee you that the products are very much different from there to here. However, as with most things German, quality is the most important factor in anything, and I concur that their quality is very good.

They also own Trader Joe's and I like their products, as well.


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## Guest (Oct 7, 2009)

Speaking of food sources, watch this video. Note the part where beef from Uruguay is mixed in with American beef and all ground together. It eventually ends up on the grocery store meat counter, schools, and other places.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HA8iyzYnXuc[/ame]


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## CottageLife (Jul 20, 2009)

Stormy_NY said:


> So the wife buys a case of water from Aldi's ...... I just happen to llok on the back of the label .....
> 
> SOURCE: Erie County water supply........ :nono:


LOL! So you just bought water that would otherwise come out of your tap, but is now in a plastic bottle?


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