What it's like to shop at the grocery store that's quickly becoming a threat to Whole Foods

This Aldi store was easy to access with a small, convenient parking lot.

In order to use a grocery cart, I had to pay 25 cents. I got my quarter back at the end of the shopping trip when I returned the cart. This system saves Aldi from having to employ someone to round up shopping carts from the parking lot.

When I walked inside, I was struck by the tidy, no-frills layout of the store.

Food is displayed in its original cardboard packaging, so employees don't have to spend time removing it from boxes and displaying it on shelves.

I didn't immediately realize that this wasn't Kellogg's cereal. Aldi's private label brands do a good job of mimicking the packaging of many major brands.

In fact, almost everything in Aldi is made by private-label brands. That's another way that Aldi keeps its prices so low.

A few major brands are available, however, like Coca-Cola, P&G's Pringles, and Pepperidge Farm's Goldfish.

The German grocery chain has more than 8,000 stores around the world and is rapidly expanding in the US.

Aldi recently revealed plans to open roughly 600 stores over the next three years as part of a $3 billion expansion in the US, bringing its total number of stores in the country to 2,000.

The fresh produce section featured tons of fruit, vegetables, and even a small selection of organic goods.

Most of the produce is pre-packaged, and it sells for much cheaper than competitors' prices. According to our recent price check, three pounds of gala apples cost $2.99 at Aldi and $4.41 at Walmart, and a whole grapefruit cost $0.79 at Aldi and $1.28 at Walmart.

Upon close inspection, I found that all the fruit and vegetables appeared perfectly ripe and fresh.

A selection of salad ingredients included organic lettuce and spinach.

There was also a section devoted to fine cheeses and other dairy products.

Aldi sells lunch meat, but there are no deli or bakery counters.

It has recently started selling more baked goods, however, like this cheesecake.

I was surprised to find toys and other general merchandise in Aldi.

Electric stoves, turkey fryers, folding chairs, coffee urns, mixers, baking sheets, and knife sets were among the items available.

Many of the items were seasonal, like this holiday wrapping paper and decorations.

Aldi also sells some pet products.

There were no lines at the checkout, which could have been due to the fact that we visited the store in the early afternoon on a weekday.

Overall, I was impressed by the store's cleanliness, convenience, and the quality of its fresh produce. What really won me over, however, were the low prices. I don't think I could find everything on my grocery list at Aldi, but it's well worth an extra trip for the savings.