ALDI

LOVE this place. I do all my grocery shopping here and save tons of $$$!

When my mom first described shopping at her local Aldi (a discount grocer that started in Germany) the only image I could see was Mike Meyers on Sprockets with Aldi as a sponsor. «You will save because we will tell you to save!»
The concept is pretty wild. Limited name brands, minimal size selection (if you want ketchup, there will be one box with one size, not 3 shelves with 14 different brands with 4 or 5 sizes each), simple setup (food is displayed in boxes, not shelved) and cash or debit only. This, plus rent-​a-​carts and charging for bags, and they are REALLY able to keep costs low.
The store at Illinois and Hampton was the first to open in the OC. It is the size of a CVS, and I was surprised to get in and out of there in about 15 minutes on my first trip. The store is clean and easy to maneuver; there are only about 4 aisles. I’ve never had trouble parking there, and getting in and out easily.
They don’t carry everything, but if you are willing to buy generics (the bulk of their offerings are made private label for Aldi) then you can probably do 80% of your shopping there. And the prices are CHEAP.
Items that I got that I was fully satisfied with: ketchup, window cleaner, bread, hotdog/​hamburger buns, fresh produce (though selection is limited, again just the basics), milk, gelato. Actually, the gelato was really great.
Items that I got that were meh: boxed mac & cheese, tortilla chips, frozen chicken/​beef. Note: the meh on the frozen meats was due to the freezing. It was no better or worse than any other frozen meat.
Occasionally they have special buys of brand name items or household items. I got a great shelving unit for my garage for $ 25 once.
4 stars is for the fact that I can’t get EVERYTHING I want there, and because of the nature of the products, there is not much organic, natural or higher quality/​less processed foods.