Aldi lowering prices on 250 items, but is there a catch?

All of us have watched our grocery bills soar over the past four years, with $150 weekly shopping trips becoming $200 or more for many families.

And grocery inflation shows no sign of letting up. It is still up over four percent in the past year, outpacing the overall three-and-a-half percent inflation rate.

So the latest news from the discount grocery Aldi may come as a surprise.

Aldi has just announced that it is cutting prices on 250 grocery items for the summer, which will mean $100 million in savings to consumers.

The promotion runs from now until Labor Day at Aldi’s 2,300 locations in the US.

What will be marked down?

In a press release, Aldi said it is cutting prices on “seasonal must-haves including picnic necessities, BBQ essentials, travel-ready snacks and better-for-you foods.”

For example, it lists:

• Family Pack Chicken Breasts: Was $2.49, now $2.19
• Park Street Pulled Pork/Pulled Chicken: Was $7.49, now $6.99
• Season’s Choice Frozen French Fries: Was $2.79, now $2.49
• Season’s Choice Frozen Blueberries: Was $3.99, now $3.59
• Simms Summer Sausage: Was $4.89, Now $4.19
• French Baguette: Was $1.59, now $1.49
• Benton’s Cookie Thins: Was 2.99, now $2.69

Read the full list of discounts here:

Aldi Summer Savings by webeditors on Scribd

MORE: These apps will help you save money on groceries

But is there a catch?

There are two small catches or downsides.

One is that most of the price reductions are small, such as a $1.59 baguette reduced to $1.49.

You probably won’t notice it on a single item, but you will if you buy a shopping cart of these items.

The other downside is that these are primarily picnic and barbecue items for the summer.

Many of the items shoppers need every week, such as bread, cereal, milk and most fresh meat and vegetables, are not included in the price cuts.

However, those items already tend to be cheaper at Aldi, especially when it comes to breakfast cereal. Their house brands are often half the price of name brands.

As always, don’t waste your money.
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This article originally appeared on WCPO, Scripps News Cincinnati.