Why Some Aldi Shoppers Refuse To Buy The Fan-Favorite Grill Master Collection Box

Aldi is well known as a grocery store where shoppers can reliably find a bargain. The shelves are stocked with almost entirely private-label products — over 90% — which helps the chain get away with selling nearly everything on the cheap. This sales tactic is very effective at drawing shoppers into the store, but it can run into a roadblock when Aldi brings out higher-ticket items. One of the Aldi products hitting shelves right now is a frozen selection of meats called the Grill Master Collection, which carries a $65 price tag. The box is amply filled, with 7.37 pounds of steaks, pork chops, burgers, and chicken, but many shoppers are hesitant to toss it in the cart. In addition to the high price, all of that meat is hidden behind cardboard, so shoppers don't have a chance to inspect the goods before buying.

"It seemed pricey for a 'good luck on the contents' box," writes one Redditor, voicing the anxiety any shopper is likely to feel about spending $65 on a single item at the grocery store. Another voice in that same thread replied, "Exactly. I'm not buying any meat that I can't see." The box promises high-quality contents, featuring some of the best steak cuts available at Aldi, like USDA Choice ribeyes and New York strips, but without being able to personally inspect the meat, it is just too much of a gamble for many shoppers.

Some Aldi customers have yet another bone to pick with this package. As they see it, with some portion of the box being given over to pork and chicken, it might not even be a very good deal.

At the current price, meat in this box comes out to roughly $8.82 per pound. That's an excellent price for the finer cuts of beef, but for frozen chicken breasts, it's pretty pricey. To determine if this Aldi box is actually a good deal, we're going to need to do a bit of math.

The contents of this collection are two 10-ounce USDA Choice ribeye steaks, two 10-ounce USDA Choice New York strip steaks, two 6-ounce USDA Choice bacon-wrapped top sirloin steaks, eight 4.5-ounce beef burgers, two 8-ounce boneless pork chops, and two 7-ounce chicken breasts. A USDA Choice ribeye at Walmart goes for about $15 per pound, which would be about $18.75 for the pair in this box. New York Strips are only about $14 per pound at Walmart, making their value in this box about $17.50. The pair of sirloins would cost around $12 based on prices at other similar grocers. That brings us to roughly $48.25 for the steaks. Now for the less expensive items.

A cost of $6 is a pretty average per-pound price for pork chops, but chicken breast is only about half that, so together those only add around $8.63. That brings the total to $56.88. The burgers make up 2.25 pounds of ground beef, and with prices around $7 a pound right now, that'd be about $15.75. That brings the grand total to roughly $72.63, or a little under 12% above the ticket price.

There is a slight discount in buying this Grill Master Collection, but it's probably only worth it if you actually want all those meats. Plus, without the ability to inspect the goods, you could be disappointed with the quality of the more expensive cuts. Some folks did report finding these boxes marked down to just $40 last year, however, and at that price, it's a no-brainer.