I think it's luck of the draw. I bought a dehydrator last summer at Aldi's was so pleased with it at first. I use it for making sweet potato chips for my dogs treats every month or so. Last week, I pulled it out & set it up. In the morning,there were half-dried chips & a dead dehydrator. I bought a better one, knew I shouldn't have tried a cheap one in the first place. So often the really cheap appliances break, it's so wasteful..

You gotta admit, people are strange. They'll complain about a 25 deposit (which you get back when you return the cart) at Aldi's, yet think nothing of paying $30-$50 to walk into Costco or Sams! And there you DON'T get your deposit back! I'd go to Aldi far more often if it was more conveniently located for me but I still go there occasionally. You have to know your prices because not everything is a bargain, but I still like the stores. It's sort of a garage sale trip because you never know for sure what they'll have. So if you like something and they have it, you might want to stock up because it might be a long time before you get it again. I've always seen good produce and excellent meat. Meat prices are fair, but quality is excellent. I always caution people that you probably won't be able to do all your shopping there (but then again, same applies to the warehouse clubs) but considering the savings, it's worth the trip for me. Every store can have a section, especially produce, picked over so one trip during a busy time is a bad way to judge a small store. Even big places aren't always well-stocked. I'm not crazy about the canned goods I've gotten there. I can usually do better on sales at the other stores. I do buy some junk food but eggs, milk, bagged salad are almost always far cheaper than anywhere else. They have a frozen pecan pie that's the best I've had, but again, they don't have it often. There's a frozen pizza that is actually quite good and they have pork sausage patties that are the best I can buy. They have a 12 grain bread that is great and much cheaper than at other stores and they have gourmet cookies that are great. I also like the muffins and bread sticks. Their spaghetti sauce is fairly cheap but only mediocre. They have an excellent pizza sauce, at least that I like, although it's more expensive. They often have excellent and cheap fruit and I've never been disappointed in their grapes. I don't know where they get them but I seldom find grapes that good in the other grocery stores. I usually make a trip there when I need sausage. I consider it a "Mini Walmart" since both stores I bring a list and seldom get everything on the list. They just don't have it all the time. Product mix changes often. I really like the size of the store. I can handle it. However it gets packed and people buy a lot of items there so you might have a wait at the checkout on busy days. They've extended their hours so that's an improvement. Their cleaners are generic/store brand like you get anywhere else and the prices are OK, but not great. I can generally do better on cleaners at Walgreens or Target but I bought some bleach there that was a reasonable price and face it, bleach is bleach for my use. I think a lot of people who have big disappointments about Aldi might have some unreasonable expectations. They will not always be cheaper on everything, no different than any other store. They will not carry the variety that Walmart will carry. They do require cash since margins are slim. If you go in expecting too much, you'll be disappointed. I wish they had more consistent inventory, a few more items, but there's a price to be paid. Again, it's a store for some of your shopping. I made up a list of things I like and didn't like there and consult that before going to the store. I also track where there's better prices. By knowing prices I know if I'm getting a good deal or not. I hope other stores pay attention that a neighborhood grocery store CAN survive in today's market. I'd like to see the small corner grocery store come back. Otherwise I might just go to the delivery services. They're actually a reasonable alternative. I say GOOD FOR THE CASHIERS! to be able to sit. The cash only is an inconvenience but I understand not wanting the check & credit card losses when you're working on such slim margins. The deposit for the cart? Brilliant! Saves labor and wear and tear on the carts. Yes it's slightly inconvenient to walk to the side of the building but I'm OK with that. Often I'll see someone loading their car near me and just give them a quarter and take the cart - saves them from walking back and forth again and saves me time and walking too. It's a unique store with very unique sales approaches. I find their history to be interesting. This is not a new store by any means. Oh, and yes, if you will only shop Whole Foods, you won't like Aldi!

Barb - FWIW A few years ago I bought a cheap mandoline at Ross/TJ Maxx - I was thinking it was smaller/cheaper/more flexible than a food processor. It works well enough to be dangerous. The blades are very sharp but the part that holds the veggies is crap. Resulting in me holding the veggies in my hands gingerly and thinking to myself this is stupid. I looked into a better one the next time I was doing a kitchen splurge. Turned out the better mandoline and a cheap Target KA food processor cost the same. So I have a cheap mandoline and a cheap FP - sigh. I use the FP 90% of time, but I did use the mandoline a few nights ago to crinkle cut zucchini for chips.

Well, if you're talking about the larger mat, I wouldn't worry so much about ''Made in China'' since it won't likely be heated or go in the oven. If you think about how long your crust/dough will be on the mat, I think any problems are negligible. Even so, like with anything I guess it would depend on how much you use it. I still like parchment paper for the oven, so I'm not overly worried about using it. Our stores will be getting them in tomorrow. I keep going back for this, and hope I can finally score! Yes, I'm buying two when I finally see them in person, as I really like my mats for dough and would love to have something larger. Two will cover my entire work surface. I ran into a lady at the store who was going to buy them for Christmas gifts. I guess she knows people who cook!