Aldi Reviewer Presents: The 2024 AR Awards

Hello, and welcome once more to the 6th Annual AR Awards! These awards, chosen by our staff, highlight the good, bad, and ugly of everything Aldi-related (with a bit of Trader Joe’s sprinkled in) that we covered during this past year.

Below, you’ll see several categories and the nominees and winners in each.

(Past awards: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019)

Before we go on, two things:

• One, when it came to product awards, we only considered nominees among the products we covered in some way during the last 12 months. If we didn’t cover the product during that time, we didn’t consider it. That means there could be legitimately good candidates that we just didn’t get around to covering.
• Two, lists like this are always subjective, which means one person’s favorite might be another person’s most hated. If you think there is a deserving product, feel free to let us know (politely) in the comments!

With that said, let’s begin.

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Regular Buy / Seasonal Favorite of the Year

Winner: Simply Nature Graintastic Organic Bread (Regular Buy)

We tried out some pretty cool Regular Buys this year, including a landmark pair of wraps and a delightful frappe mix. Our winner, though, was a brilliant imitation of Dave’s Killer Bread. High in fiber, low in filler, and solid in taste and texture, this everyday bread is about as healthy as you could ask bread to be.

Honorable Mention:

• Barissimo Caramel Crunch Ultra Premium Latte & Frappe Mix (Seasonal Item)
• Park Street Deli Wraps: Italian-Style Wrap + Turkey Club Wrap (Regular Buy)
• Elevation Kids Baked Oat Bars (Regular Buy)

Aldi Find of the Year

Winner: Ambiano The Everything Pizza Grill (Aldi Find)

Aldi never ceases to surprise in the middle aisle, and we had plenty of worthy examples this year, including a really cool modern take on a Dustbuster. Our winner in this category is — stop me if you’ve heard this one before — an imitation of another popular, if newer, brand. The Ambiano pizza grill copies the Chefman Everything Maker and Pizza Oven to great effect. This pizza grill makes crispy, flaky, hot pizzas, but it can also whip up other things, too, including eggs. For a niche kitchen appliance, we use it more than we would have thought.

Honorable Mention:

• Ambiano Cordless Handheld Vacuum Cleaner (Aldi Find)
• Crofton Two Burner Griddle (Aldi Find)
• Crofton 20-Ounce Stainless Steel Tumbler (Aldi Find)

Trader Joe’s Product of the Year

Winner: Trader Joe’s Magnifisauce

This TJ’s sauce is a compelling reproduction of the stuff McDonald’s puts on its Big Mac. The tangy sweetness not only makes for a pretty great beef burger, but it also goes well on other kinds of burgers, including the turkey kind. Whenever burgers are on the menu, this bottle can always be found on our dining room table.

Honorable Mention:

• Trader Joe’s Mini Cheeseburgers
• Trader Joe’s Mocha Latte Pretzels
• Trader Joe’s Caramel Coffee Almonds

Surprise of the Year

Winner: Aldi is Selling Disney Merchandise

Aldi is no stranger to licensed gear, but we hardly expected the grocer to trot out such a brilliant lineup of Disney fare that could be used at home or on vacation. By happenstance, we were just about to head out on such a vacation, and we got to put our Aldi Disney gear to use in the Happiest Place on Earth. We weren’t alone, either, as evidenced by what we saw with our own eyes and on social media. Even if you couldn’t make it to one of the resorts, this gear did a pretty sweet job of making you feel like you were at Disney World or Disneyland even while you were at home.

Honorable Mention:

• Benner Tea Co. Tea Advent Calendar (Aldi Find)
• Aldi Reformulates Lacura Face Care Products
• Aldi Sells Christmas Items Before Halloween

Disappointment of the Year

Winner: Aldi Discontinues Feminine Pads and Liners

Last year’s “winner” in this category was an Aldi dress, and Aldi clothing made a strong play to dominate the bottom again this year, including yet another set of dresses. However, they were overshadowed by Aldi’s decision to discontinue one of its core items — women’s pads. It’s hard to overstate how sad we were to see such an affordable necessity disappear, and we heard from many others online and off who said the same thing. It’s a big letdown from a generally likeable company.

Honorable Mention:

• Aldi Women’s Clothing: Dresses, Shorts, and Swimsuits (Aldi Finds)
• Ambiano Bladeless Fan (Aldi Find)
• Heart to Tail Cat Laser (Aldi Find)

News Story of the Year

Winner: Aldi Sets Growth Targets for New Stores and More Workers

For us personally, nothing matches the passing of our beloved Aldi Reviewer Cat in September and the adoption of our next Aldi Reviewer Cat. But in the larger grocery world, the big news came from Aldi, which this year announced new growth targets for additional stores alongside a growing workforce. The supermarket plans to open 800 new stores by 2028, and this fall pledged to add 13,000 new workers and raise national average starting wages. Aldi isn’t getting smaller, that’s for sure.

Honorable Mention:

• In Memoriam: Aldi Reviewer Cat (2006-2024) / Introducing the Next Aldi Reviewer Cat
• We Tried Out Aldi’s New Checkout-Free Aldigo Store
• Aldi Overhauls Its Upcoming Aldi Find Ad Preview

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Thoughts? Reactions? Lists of your own? Feel free to let us know in the comments!