If you're in a fishy mood and you love to shop at low-cost grocery stores, how do you choose between Walmart and Aldi? We're here to break down the seafood bona fides at these two retail giants.
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00:00If you're in a fishy mood and you love to shop at low-cost grocery stores, how do you
00:05choose between Walmart and Aldi? We're here to break down the seafood bona fides at these
00:09two retail giants.
00:12Anyone who's ever stepped foot inside a Walmart supercenter knows how extensive its aisles
00:16can be, and we're happy to report that the seafood section is no exception. Placed in
00:21close proximity to the rest of its meat, the chain's specific seafood offerings can vary
00:25by location. Generally speaking, though, you can expect to find some packaged and fresh
00:29crustacean options like snow crab and raw shrimp, whitefish variants like the ever-popular
00:34tilapia, oily fish like salmon, and a few hefty tuna steaks.
00:39But fresh seafood that's ready to be thrown right on the grill isn't all you'll find at
00:43Walmart. The frozen aisles are full of fish options that can be stored for longer periods
00:47of time, such as frozen fillets of various types, as well as pre-breaded and fried products
00:52like bags of fish sticks and white cod patties for sandwiches. Canned seafood like salmon,
00:57tuna, and mackerel can also be purchased for your pantry, as well as one-pot crawfish boils.
01:03The Aldi Corporation's origins can be traced back to Germany, with its American debut happening
01:07in 1976 with a single location in Iowa. The chain eventually grew to become one of the
01:13most beloved discount grocers in the United States. Aldi proudly reports that approximately
01:1790 percent of products offered in its stores are produced by its own in-house brands, which
01:22allows them to be priced at much lower rates than their standard name-brand counterparts.
01:26This rule also extends to the seafood products, the majority of which are marked with Aldi's
01:30signature seal. Within the fish section, you can expect to find ample fresh salmon variants,
01:35steelhead trout, and tilapia fillets.
01:38As far as the frozen offerings go, beer-battered cod fillets, fried catfish, gulf shrimp, seafood
01:43boils, and multiple unseasoned fish fillets are all up for grabs. Canned tuna, sardines,
01:48grilled Alaska pink salmon, and mackerel can also be found in the canned goods aisles,
01:52all ready to perhaps be spread on your favorite crackers.
01:56When deciding whether Walmart or Aldi should be the supplier for your next seafood platter,
02:01the number of mouths you need to feed should certainly be taken into account. This is because
02:05these two discount grocers package up their ocean picks a little differently. While Walmart
02:09tends to vacuum-seal double fillets or whole fish portions, Aldi generally sells mostly
02:14individual serving sizes of the same products.
02:17It was a lovely little fish."
02:21Neither of these techniques is inherently right or wrong, but it does make a difference
02:24depending on what you're shopping for. Generally speaking, buying in bulk ends up being simpler
02:29and more economical in the long run if you need to purchase more. So if you have a large
02:34family to feed, buying one or two of Walmart's bigger fish portions probably makes more sense
02:38than purchasing five or six of Aldi's smaller ones.
02:41On the other hand, Walmart's big portions may not be the best option if you're cooking
02:44for one. So if you are shopping to just feed mainly yourself, Aldi is a better option
02:49both in terms of cost and freshness.
02:52Seafood is a wide-ranging term, enveloping the entirety of ocean bites like crab, lobster,
02:57cod, haddock, ray, sturgeon, crayfish, scallops, and plenty more. Walmart and Aldi's array
03:03of seafood products match one another fairly closely, but there are some differences to
03:07be found, and whichever type you're craving will help to determine which store is right
03:10for you.
03:11Both Walmart and Aldi offer some of the most popular fish picks like salmon and tilapia
03:16in their cold aisles, but if you're a crustacean fan, Walmart should probably be your first
03:20stop. The retail giant offers both crab and shrimp in its fresh seafood section, options
03:25that Aldi only offers in frozen form. However, Aldi's salmon selection blows Walmart's out
03:30of the water. Not only does Aldi offer numerous salmon variants, while Walmart appears to
03:35only offer Atlantic as a general rule, the fillets themselves are praised heavily by
03:39shoppers for their quality and taste. So if salmon is your go-to on seafood night, then
03:44it's time to head to Aldi.
03:46Aldi's salmon for the win! What what?
03:50The sustainability of seafood sourcing is an important topic in the modern fishing industry.
03:55Ensuring that fish are caught ethically and safely is not only important for the fish
03:58themselves, but also for consumers and the planet as a whole. Therefore, purchasing fish
04:03that are sourced using economically safe practices is a significant consideration for many shoppers.
04:09If you're one of those shoppers, then you may just want to know that Aldi comes out
04:12on top over Walmart in this area. The nonprofit Greenpeace ranks national seafood brands according
04:17to a strict scale determined by policy, transparency, endangered species processing, and other aspects.
04:24Aldi currently scores around 67 percent in Greenpeace's overall seafood sustainability
04:29model. While that might not sound especially stellar, it is better than Walmart's score
04:33of 55 percent. Furthermore, Greenpeace also notes Walmart's lack of transparency regarding
04:38its fishing methods, which can be a major red flag for shoppers trying to make informed
04:42decisions about their seafood purchases.
04:45Tuna is among the most popular seafood options in America, and the canned version makes for
04:50a quick and convenient way to integrate more protein and extra omega-3s into your diet.
04:55When it comes to the best brand of canned tuna, everyone seems to have their own favorite.
04:59Whether it's Chicken of the Sea, Bumblebee, or Starkist, chances are you already have
05:04a preference that you'll reach for over any others. But what if the store where you're
05:08doing your shopping doesn't carry your regular brand?
05:10"'Tuna-bish!"
05:11"'Tuna-bish!' I've done a sleepover at Mike!"
05:16You could very well find yourself in this situation if you're shopping at Aldi. While
05:19the vast aisles of Walmart carry just about every tuna brand under the sun, you'll find
05:24a much narrower selection at Aldi. That's because Aldi primarily offers its in-house
05:29tuna brand, Northern Catch, as well as the occasional pack of Bumblebee. And that's
05:33about it. Although Northern Catch enjoys relatively positive customer feedback overall, switching
05:38to a new canned tuna brand is surely a dicey proposition for a lot of people. So if you've
05:43got your heart set on sticking with a specific brand, then you're better off heading to Walmart
05:47to stock up.
05:49Accidentally swallowing a bone is an unfortunate fate that has befallen many dedicated fish
05:54eaters. While most pin-like fish bones will pass through our bodies without any serious
05:58issues, they do come with the slight risk of becoming lodged in the throat, causing
06:02tiny cuts and tears in the esophagus or ripping the gastrointestinal tract due to their sharp
06:07edges. So it's definitely best to avoid swallowing bones if possible. But if the fish we purchase
06:13hasn't been properly deboned, our chances of ingesting them go up with every mouthful.
06:17When it comes to Walmart and Aldi, one of these stores may just have slightly cleaner
06:21products in terms of bones. Complaints of hidden bones in Walmart fish products tend
06:26to pop up relatively consistently on online forums, including the store's official website
06:31and discussion platforms like Reddit.
06:33Aldi's seafood, on the other hand, is mostly free of bony reviews, with many shoppers reporting
06:38just the opposite. As one person commented on the Aldi subreddit,
06:41"...I buy Aldi salmon weekly and have found one to two pin bones total in the years I've
06:45been buying."
06:46So if fish bones are a concern for you, you may just want to consider these customer reviews
06:50going forward.
06:52"...Please send me your bones today."
06:57When fresh oven-baked salmon just isn't getting the stamp of approval you hoped it would from
07:02your family, sometimes a round of frozen fish sticks is just what's needed to fill their
07:06stomachs. Pre-made seafood items like fish sticks, patties, and shrimp poppers can certainly
07:10help entice seafood-wary eaters to dive in, and they can also serve as the basis of a
07:15quick and easy meal on a busy weekday evening.
07:17And when it comes to finding the best selection of frozen seafood products, you could certainly
07:21do much worse than Walmart. The sheer number of frozen seafood items at the world's leading
07:26retailer far exceed the options at Aldi. Their offerings include butterfly shrimp, beer-battered
07:31fillets, and whitefish fillets, just to name a few.
07:34While you'll certainly be able to find some battered fillets and breaded fish sticks at
07:38your nearest Aldi, the selection won't be anywhere near as plentiful as at Walmart.
07:42If you don't eat processed and frozen seafood very often, then this more limited selection
07:46may not matter to you. However, if you want the freedom of choice that comes with more
07:50options, then Walmart is the place to go.
07:53With their similar business models, Aldi and Walmart have been compared to each other on
07:57numerous occasions, with their prices often closely examined. Business and financial websites
08:02such as AARP and Business Insider, as well as countless blogs and food publications,
08:07have all come to the clear conclusion that Aldi is less expensive overall.
08:11And this advantage certainly extends to the seafood aisle. Aldi doesn't post its fish
08:14prices online, perhaps because rates vary by location. But shoppers posting on Reddit
08:19have talked about the affordability of the seafood on multiple occasions.
08:23It's worth noting, however, that while people tend to note that Aldi's standard fish prices
08:26are lower than competing stores as a general rule, the sale prices found at other grocers,
08:31including Walmart, can sometimes beat them out. Thus, Aldi will likely give you the cheapest
08:35rates the majority of the time. But if Walmart is running a big sale, you may just want to
08:39stop there first and see if you can reel in an even cheaper catch.
08:46Just as price and selection are important when determining where to shop for seafood,
08:52accessibility is also a significant consideration. So when it comes to a shopper in any part
08:55of the United States trying to find a nearby location to grab some salmon or tuna, your
09:00chances are undeniably going to be better with Walmart.
09:03With over 4,600 locations scattered throughout all 50 states, Walmart's presence is nearly
09:08twice as wide-reaching as Aldi's. To be specific, Aldi has about half the total stores as Walmart,
09:13with around 2,400 locations in the U.S., with a concentrated presence in the eastern
09:18portion of the country. So if you, instead, live in the western half, you might be out
09:22of luck, as Aldi has virtually zero locations in this part of the country.
09:26This isn't an issue if you live in Florida, the state with the highest number of Aldi
09:30locations, but it may be a complete game-changer if you live in Washington state, where there
09:34is not a single one. Considering all this, we've got to declare Walmart the winner in
09:38this category, as its seafood is simply going to be easier for the largest number of shoppers
09:43to get their hands on.
09:45When it comes to declaring either Walmart or Aldi the overall winner of this seafood
09:49battle, the answer is rather simple — it's subjective. That may sound like a cop-out,
09:53but this isn't a one-size-fits-all situation. While you may consider Aldi to have the superior
09:58fish section after a side-by-side comparison, someone else could very well place Walmart
10:02in their own personal gold medal spot.
10:05The truth is that the best store for you is going to depend heavily on your individual
10:09preferences, needs, and location. Both stores offer high-quality, relatively cheap seafood.
10:14If you're cooking for yourself, prefer salmon with fewer bones, value sustainability, or
10:18live in the eastern half of the United States, Aldi comes out on top. However, if you're
10:22in a Western state, prefer a larger selection of frozen options, crave fresh shrimp or crab
10:28legs, or are trying to feed a larger number of people, then Walmart is the ideal fit.
10:32Either way, there's no absolute right or wrong choice when it comes to finding that perfect
10:36filet.
10:37Wherever you choose to shop, we wish you a flavorful and fishy day.
10:41Oh, fishy, fishy, fishy, fish!