Aldi Is Welcome Addition for Moundsville Shoppers
Joselyn King Trending
MOUNDSVILLE -- A new kind of shopping experience is now available to those needing to purchase items in Moundsville.
The new Aldi store opened Thursday morning on the site of the former Shop'N Save at 200 Lafayette Ave. along W.Va. 2 and near Walmart. As part of the grand opening celebration, Aldi passed out "golden tickets" to the first 100 people to enter the building. Each was worth from $10 to $100.
The store also is offering customers a chance to win a $500 Aldi gift card now through Nov. 19, with entries being accepted inside the store.
For William Murphy of Washington Lands, the new Aldi represents "something different," an alternative to Walmart or Kroger. The idea of a new experience -- and receiving a gift card -- inspired him to go line up outside the store at 10 p.m. Wednesday.
When the doors opened just before 9 a.m., he was the first to enter, and his efforts netted him a $100 gift certificate.
"I'll spend it on fruits, meat, deli food ... healthy food," Murphy said.
Moundsville City Manager Rick Healy arrived early and was given a pre-opening sneak peek of the store.
"As I've said many times before, the city welcomes any new business, but a business of this level is amazing," he said. "We're so glad to have them here in Moundsville.
"It's just a beautiful store -- a wonderful addition to Moundsville. "
Healy added when he arrived Thursday morning he noticed the long line of people extending through the plaza.
"It just shows the dedication of our community to our local businesses," he said.
Healy also expects more business to spring up near Aldi, who now owns the existing plaza.
"I believe there is room on this property for additional improvements," he continued. "I would hope something comes along, but at this point we don't know.
"Moundsville is developing. There is construction going on all over the place. This is just another peg in the wheel of everything that is happening."
Rory Garr, director of real estate and construction for Aldi, was present and was complimentary to the city and community.
He said it took about six months to complete the project, which included the demolition of the former Shop'N Save that was previously located there. Work began last spring.
"We were excited to take an abandoned building down, and put our new store up," he said. "This was a typical Aldi's building, and we presented it as the latest prototype of an Aldi's store with all the bells and whistles we like to put in to make it look nice, as well as efficient to run and energy efficient."
The new building consists of about 22,000 square feet of space, he noted.
Aldi stores have their own brands and some national brands. It sells dairy and eggs, fresh produce, fresh meat and seafood, deli meats and cheeses, frozen foods, bakery items and bread, snacks, breakfast items and cereal, beverages, pet supplies, household products, personal care, and seasonal products.
The Aldi shopping experience is a little different than the typical grocery store. To access carts, patrons are asked to give a quarter that is refunded when the cart is put back.
Bags are available for a cost so customers are encouraged to bring their own reusable bags.