With Wider Aisles, New Products,
Remodeled ALDI Opens To Shoppers
By LIBBY CUDMORE • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com
ONEONTA – The expanded aisles in the Oneonta ALDI weren’t planned because of COVID-19, but they make shoppers feel much safer.
“The aisles in the old store were so close, you couldn’t help but make contact with people,” said Alsada Wilson, Otego. “But now, two people can easily get through. That’s important these days, with the virus.”
Closed since July, ALDI on Southside reopened their remodeled store, one of 25 planned makeovers this year in the 80-store Tully Distribution Center region, increasing the store from four aisles to five and rearranging product locations based on new buying habits from their customers.
“There’s been an increased demand for fresh, healthy and organic products,” said Aaron LeFever, director of operations. “As such, we needed to increase refrigeration space. Now, we have 28 feet of shelving for meat, which we have a very high demand for.”
“At 12,000 square feet, it’s much easier to navigate than a big-box store,” said Aaron Sumida, Tully Division VP.
New to the store is the refrigerated “On-the-Go” section, right next to the entrance. which includes pre-made salads, snack packs and beverages. “We added this for the shopper who wants to duck in on their lunch break and pick up a healthy snack,” said LeFever.
“There are so many choices, I feel like I’m at Wegmans,” said Brenda Fleming, Oneonta. “I need a map to find everything!”
Because of COVID, the store did not do a formal ribbon-cutting, said Sumida.