In Praise of the Aldi Middle Aisle of Random

As a noted cheap-skate (a habit from which Jane is desperately trying to cure me), I positively enjoy a regular shopping visit to that king of discount supermarkets: Aldi.

Apart from their Almost-Nearly-Famous brand names - on which I have waxed lyrical before - there is one superb feature that brings me back over and over again:

THE MIDDLE AISLE OF RANDOM STUFF

The middle aisle of random stuff in a huge table stretching from the very front of the store to the very back, carry all manner of bargain goods in no particular sense or order. Yes, there's beer. Yes, there's discount toilet paper and snack foods. But also items you will never dream of buying in a supermarket (or any other shop, for that matter), yet will still somehow find their way into your trolley.

I've seen - with my own eyes:

• A chainsaw  
• A bird table  
• Roller blades  
• Welding goggles  
• Double inflatable air bed  
• Ten pound lump hammer  
• A BMX bike  
• Cuddly Toy  
• Fondue set

 
On any other day, these might be prizes on the conveyor belt round of The Generation Game, or the worst ever edition of The Price Is Right. But this is where I go to get my food for the week. But man, I love that chainsaw