PHOTOS: ALDI Holds Grand Opening for New Store in Alexandria

PHOTOS (see more photos at bottom of story; click on photos to enlarge): (1) Inside ALDI after customers were invited in after 9 a.m. (2) Outside ALDI Thursday morning (3) ALDI store manager Jason Freeman helps a customer Thursday morning at the store’s grand opening. (4) ALDI store representatives and Mayor-elect Allison Silberberg and Mayor Bill Euille were on hand for the opening of the store. (5) Shoppers entered to win free produce for a year. The drawing is expected to be held later Thursday. (6) The “ALDIfinds” aisle offers seasonal products for a limited time. (7) In addition to ALDI brands and regional brands you’ll also find national brands. (8) ALDI employees are seated in ergonomic chairs for comfort and faster checking at the register. (9) Register check-out area; restrooms are located to the right of the registers if you’re facing the parking lot. (10) ALDI polished the wooden beams that are original to the building. (11) ALDI offers wine and beer (12) the ALDIfinds aisle features ”Star Wars” merchandise (13) Produce is replenished daily (14) USDA Choice Strip Steak price Thursday was $8.49 per pound (15) Organic Baby Arugula for $2.49 (16) Mario Collina Prosecco $4.99 (17) Turtles, $3.99 (18) grocery carts are rented for a quarter (19) a sign at the front of the store shows what ALDI accepts at the register (20) outside the store Thursday (21) roses for $3.99

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ALEXANDRIA, VA — The rain was coming down Thursday morning but it didn’t dampen the enthusiasm for the grand opening of the new ALDI discount grocery store in Alexandria.

Crowds jammed the store at 4604 Kenmore Ave., in the location where a Magruders and Safeway were previously located. People were lined up outside the store before the opening at 9 a.m. After a ribbon-cutting ceremony with store representatives and Mayor Bill Euille and Mayor-elect Allison Silberberg, shoppers headed down the aisles after they were given grocery carts, gift cards and shopping bags.

The first 100 shoppers received gift cards for either $100, $25 or $10. Shoppers also entered a drawing for a free year of produce that one person will win.

The store offers deep discounts on store brands, regional and national brands. ALDI is especially proud of its organic line as well as its gluten-free line and is continually updating products based on feedback from customers, said Jeff Baehr, ALDI vice president.

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Store hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays. The store offers a “double guarantee” on its products, meaning if you are not satisfied with a product, you can bring it back for a full refund and you will also receive a similar product for free (click on the “double guarantee” link for details).

ALDI is continuing to hire employees and will be paying $13 per hour beginning in January; in addition to handling transactions at the register, employees also stock merchandise. Cashiers are seated at ALDI in chairs designed for ergonomic comfort and to help speed up transactions, store representatives said. The West End store has 15 to 20 employees total with 5 to 8 employees on hand during a typical day. Customers bag their own groceries; you can toss everything into your basket and use a wide shelf along the back wall to bag your items after you’ve checked out if you need more time, which a lot of people seemed to be doing.

The West End Alexandria site is the 14th store opening for ALDI in the region this year; there will be 17 in all, said Baehr, who oversees 73 stores in the region from Pennsylvania down to Virginia Beach.

Next year there are plans for 22 stores to open including the store in Del Ray. Jake Dipiazza, in charge of real estate for ALDI, said to expect the Del Ray store to open between July and September in 2016, with construction for renovations starting in February. ALDI is eyeing an opening between October and December for the Duke Street store, where Mango Mike’s was a fixture for many years.

Holiday hours at the new ALDI will be:

• Christmas Eve: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Christmas Day: Closed
• New Year’s Eve: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• New Year’s Day: Closed