Aldi Serves Up $40 Thanksgiving Feast For 10 Amid Rapid U.S. Expansion

Aldi, named by dunnhumby as the grocery store with the lowest everyday prices (excluding special sales or coupons), is back offering a Thanksgiving feast for ten at a record-low price of $40 for all the fixings, $7 less than last year’s deal. That works out to $4 per person, well under what a pumpkin spice latte costs at Starbucks.

The meal comes with a 14-pound turkey and all the fixings to serve up stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, mac and cheese, sweet potato casserole, rolls and pumpkin pie. It comes not as pre-packaged, highly-processed dishes, so home cooks can add their own special touches to the meal prep. A total of 21 individual products are included and are marked on the shelf as part of the deal, which will be available in store and online through December 24, so Aldi is extending the offer for Christmas dinner too.

“The Aldi commitment to low prices is unwavering,” said Aldi U.S. CEO Atty McGrath in a statement. “Saving our shoppers money is our mission everyday – but it is especially important during the holidays when we need it most.”

Fastest-Growing Grocer In America

The privately-held German company is the fastest-growing grocery chain and the third-fastest growing retailer in the nation after Dollar General and Dollar Tree, according to Coresight. Aldi currently operates 2,500 stores, having opened 100 new locations to date this year with plans to finish the year with more than 200 new stores and 800 by 2028.

Much of this year’s growth is credited to selective conversions of Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarkets, which it acquired from Southeastern Grocers in 2023. Currently concentrated in the eastern half of the U.S., Aldi continues its nationwide expansion with stores in California, Arizona and Nevada. According to company data, some 25% of U.S. households now shop at Aldi.

Aldi currently ranks as the nation’s third largest grocery chain by store count, after Walmart and Kroger and ahead of Albertsons and Publix.

While competitors, like Walmart, Costco and Kroger, surpass it in revenue, Aldi’s unique business model and relentless focus on low prices give it an edge to take market share from the established industry leaders.

Business Model Built For Growth

Aldi has become a haven for inflation-weary grocery shoppers. Shoppers can save nearly $4,000 per year on their grocery bills, according to a third-party cost analysis conducted in five regional markets. A family of four would spend about $10,610 on average per year buying national brands in a traditional grocery store or $8,741 if they opted for the store’s private labels versus $6,759 at Aldi for its private label products –about 90% of Aldi offerings are private label.

Aldi also stands behind its private labels with a “Twice as Nice Guarantee” return policy. If an item doesn’t meet one’s standards, it can be returned for a product replacement plus a full refund with proof of purchase. In dunnhumby’s “Grocery Retailer Preference” report, Aldi ranks fourth among quality-driven shoppers, following pacesetters H-E-B, Trader Joe’s, and Wegmans, an admirable group to be ranked among.

Besides Aldi’s price leadership, other aspects of its business model position it well for continued growth.

Designed For Shopper And Operational Efficiency

Aldi stores are designed for efficiency both for shoppers and employees. The average size of an Aldi store is in the 18,000 to 20,000 square foot range compared to a traditional grocery store which is typically twice as large or a Costco or Walmart store that can be ten times its size.

That lets shoppers get in and out of an Aldi store in half the time of a typical supermarket. And its scaled-down selection of around 1,500 core items solves the paradox of choice problem that often overwhelms shoppers in a typical grocery store.

From an operational standpoint, Aldi’s smaller footprint reduces costs to keep the lights on. Products are displayed in shipping cartons pulled right off the truck, allowing stores to operate with fewer employees than in a traditional supermarket, where items are stocked individually.

Checkout and carts are handled differently too. While Aldi stores now have self-checkout, if a customer goes through the line, they handle the bagging chore with their own reusable carryalls. The ritual of inserting a quarter to unlock a shopping cart, which is refunded once the customer returns it to the cart corral, keeps carts from getting lost and eliminates the need for staff to round up strays.

This, along with reduced reliance on single-use plastic bags, LED lights, solar panels, energy-saving refrigeration and a shift to natural refrigerants by 2035, has earned Aldi a place on Progressive Grocer’s “Top Ten Most Sustainable Grocers” list for the last three years.

Surprises Around Every Corner

Beyond stocking a selection of core products, Aldi regularly drops a wide selection of seasonal offerings. This year, it’s going all in on fall specialties, such as apple cider donuts and cider, butternut squash soup, maple leaf cookies, pumpkin cheesecake and Autumn ravioli in butternut squash and pumpkin flavors.

It also offers an “Aldi Finds” aisle of deeply discounted grocery and non-grocery items that has become a cult favorite. Rotating weekly, the items featured may have no coherent rhyme or reason – shoppers affectionately call it the “Aisle of Shame” – but the unexpected nature of items on display makes it a must-browse section of the store. It reportedly accounts for about 20% of revenue.

Friend To Shoppers This Holiday And All Year Long

As Aldi expands its nationwide footprint and caters to shoppers’ need to save both time and money, it is poised to continue taking market share from established players, with potentially a profitability level that others can’t match.

“Everything we do is designed to keep costs low for shoppers, from our smaller store footprints to our quarter cart system,” shared Scott Patton, Aldi U.S. chief commercial officer. “This year, we took a hard look at every part of our business to deliver what we believe are the lowest prices in the industry on a full Thanksgiving meal.”

Aldi was designed for such a time as this when many Americans are searching for ways to stretch their holiday budgets. Aldi’s Thanksgiving meal deal, at $4 per person and even cheaper than last year, is set to win over new friends this holiday season and convert many to loyal Aldi shoppers in the New Year.