Aldi is opening its first Tucson grocery store

A German discount grocery store, known for its cart rentals and popular “aisle of shame,” is opening in Tucson.

Aldi bought vacant land at Tucson Marketplace at The Bridges, near Park Avenue and Interstate 10, for $2.2 million, records from the Pima County Recorder’s Office show.

City records show the store will be about 20,000 square feet in size, located on the west side of Park Avenue near the Pima JTED Innovative Learning Center and the WaterWalk Tucson hotel.

It is one of 800 new locations the grocer plans to open in the U.S. by the end of 2028.

“Our growth is fueled by our customers, and they are asking for more Aldi stores in their neighborhoods nationwide,” said Jason Hart, Aldi’s CEO. “With this commitment to add 800 stores in the next five years, we’ll be where our shoppers need us while positively impacting the communities we serve.”

Aldi plans to invest over $9 billion on its national expansion.

More than 90% of the store’s products are exclusive to Aldi, with prices about 50% lower than national brands.

Shopping carts are a quarter to use, and the quarter is returned when the cart is returned.

The store does not carry single-use bags, so shoppers can bring their own or buy reusable bags.

Items are displayed in their original shipping boxes to save on restocking shelves.

Aldi does not offer pharmacies, banking or check-cashing services, which they say is another avenue to reduce costs.

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A unique offering is the “Aldi Finds” aisle — a single aisle of merchandise that changes weekly with items that are not groceries, such as floaties for the pool, kitchen gadgets, gardening tools, jewelry, clothing or pet accessories.

It is known as the Aldi “Aisle of Shame” by shopping fans who have created a Facebook page to share their finds.

The Albrecht family founded Aldi’s in Germany in 1961. In 1976, the first U.S. store opened in Iowa and the chain has grown to more than 2,000 stores in 36 states.

While the grocer is making its Tucson debut, it already has a presence in the Phoenix area with 12 locations.

The Tucson land sale closed earlier this month and a timeline of construction has not yet been announced, nor have local job numbers.

Aldi will join Walmart and Costco at the busy intersection and over 50 retailers, including restaurants, hotels, entertainment venues and residential projects.

There are hundreds of homes for sale or for rent under construction and a recently opened apartment complex at The Bridges.