‘Never seen one this big’: Shoppers line up as Aldi opens 2 valley stores — PHOTOS
Aldi’s gamble on the Las Vegas Valley may pay off, as shoppers camped out to await the Thursday ribbon cutting for the discount grocer.
At the Henderson store at 621 Marks St., the line to get in stretched past the Walker Furniture store four storefronts away, with people decked out in their best Aldi gear and quarters in hand ready to unlock shopping carts.
Strapped into her motorcycle helmet, Elizabeth Griffin was perched at the front of the line at the Henderson Aldi for almost eight hours awaiting the grand opening.
“I’m serious, been here since 10:30 last night,” said Griffin, who has lived in Las Vegas for two years. “I haven’t even taken a nap, just been talking with people.”
At 8 a.m. on Thursday, Aldi opened the doors to two of its three planned locations, in Henderson and in North Las Vegas at 2106 W. Craig Road. The Henderson location celebrated the ceremonial ribbon cutting, with City Councilwoman Carrie Cox welcoming the new business and store manager David Jameson cutting the ribbon.
Jameson has been with Aldi for 24 years and has traveled across the country to open and manage its stores. However, he said he has “never seen one this big” in regards to its grand opening.
Behind Griffin in line was Sarah Culp, who rolled up at 11:30 p.m., decked out in Aldi gear head-to-toe, including her underwear. Culp is a self-proclaimed Aldi superfan and travels out of state to visit other locations.
“It’s kind of that thing where they’ve created that fear of missing out on great items,” said Culp, adding her most coveted item is her Aldi Christmas onesie.
At both locations, the first 100 customers received a gift bag filled with Aldi-exclusive products, a quarter-sized Aldi poker chip that can be used to unlock carts and a gift card as part of the Aldi Golden Ticket giveaway program. Shoppers can also enter a sweepstakes for a $500 Aldi gift card through opening weekend.
What to expect at Aldi
Aldi is known for offering shoppers savings on everyday grocery bills by using private labels and partnering directly with manufacturers.
The store also keeps prices low by having customers bag their own groceries, keeping employee counts down and encouraging customers to return their carts themselves by requiring a 25-cent deposit to check one out.
Aside from typical grocery store offerings, Aldi has the Aldi Finds aisle, which features 100 new items cycled out every week. Items in the aisle range from Conair hairstyling tools for $14.99 to an outdoor firepit for $49.99.
People who have shopped at an Aldi before, such as Shane Donovan, say the new Henderson location is the cleanest and largest they have visited. Donovan was the 72nd person to enter the line and used to frequent Aldi when he lived in Los Angeles.
“It is big and it is clean and it is fresh. I didn’t even have to use a Lysol wipe on the cart,” said Donovan. “My old Aldi store didn’t have this kind of design.”
For someone who eats a lot of plant-based foods, Donovan said shopping at Aldi makes it easy for him, offering items he can only get there, like the brand’s vegan ice cream, or Lenny and Larry’s cookies, which he said are priced lowest at Aldi.
“The pricing is great. Also for somebody, like me, that has dietary issues, I know what I can eat here,” said Donovan.
The Henderson and North Las Vegas store locations will be open every day from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The third Aldi location at 7150 S. Rainbow Blvd. was not part of the Thursday rollout, with plans to open in May.
Contact Emerson Drewes at edrewes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @EmersonDrewes on X.