Ryan and Amanda Stack with their children Cash, 3, and Killian, 1. The family is the owner of a new Grocery Outlet near the corner of Newport Avenue and Irvine Boulevard in Tustin, California, on Tuesday, May 30, 2017. The store opens on Thursday. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The new Grocery Outlet near the corner of Newport Avenue and Irvine Boulevard in Tustin, California, on Tuesday, May 30, 2017. The store opens on Thursday. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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The “Power Wall” at the new Grocery Outlet near the corner of Newport Avenue and Irvine Boulevard in Tustin, California, on Tuesday, May 30, 2017. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Discounts tags dot the liquor sections at the new Grocery Outlet near the corner of Newport Avenue and Irvine Boulevard in Tustin, California, on Tuesday, May 30, 2017. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Employees price eggs before the opening of a new Grocery Outlet near the corner of Newport Avenue and Irvine Boulevard in Tustin, California, on Tuesday, May 30, 2017. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)



Discounts tags dot the liquor sections at the new Grocery Outlet near the corner of Newport Avenue and Irvine Boulevard in Tustin, California, on Tuesday, May 30, 2017. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Reusable grocery bags hang near the liquor section of the new Grocery Outlet near the corner of Newport Avenue and Irvine Boulevard in Tustin, California, on Tuesday, May 30, 2017. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The “Power Wall” at the new Grocery Outlet near the corner of Newport Avenue and Irvine Boulevard in Tustin, California, on Tuesday, May 30, 2017. The Power Wall has discounts on display as customers enter the store. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Coffee in a variety of flavors at the Aldi discount supermarket in Buena Park.

Shoppers wait in line to enter the new Aldi market in Fountain Valley last year.



Shoppers pack the isles at the new Aldi market in Fountain Valley last year when it opened. (JOSHUA SUDOCK, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)

A unique feature of Aldi markets is that customers have to bag their own groceries.

Ken Bandy of Dana Point, left, traveled all the way to Fountain Valley to shop at Aldi market when he heard they carried an assortment of hard-to-find German cheeses.

Aldi: By mid-summer, Aldi will have opened 38 stores in Southern California. Aldi, short for “Albrecht Discount,” is owned by the Albrecht family of Germany. Its parent company has ties to the operators of Trader Joe’s; however, both companies are separately owned and operated. (STEVEN GEORGES, CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER)

Aldi: Last year the chain, which sells private-label groceries at deep discounts, opened its first stores in California under much hype. Analysts predicted the chain would disrupt the hyper-competitive Southern California grocery scene. Aldi maintains shoppers can save up to 50 percent on their grocery bills with their private label goods. (File Photo)



On Thursday, the bargain grocery market rivalry heats up with two bargain brands opening stores on the same day in central Orange County.

Tustin will welcome its first Grocery Outlet at the former Trader Joe’s at 12932 Newport Ave. Across town in Garden Grove, Aldi opens its fourth store in the county at 9901 Chapman Ave. in a former Anna’s Linens shop.

Grocery Outlet and Aldi entered Southern California more than a year ago with the intention of nabbing budget-conscious shoppers with their deeply discounted groceries.

In Orange County, Grocery Outlet already has four stores, while Aldi had three locations. Aldi has not opened a new store in Orange County in more than a year. Grocery Outlet last opened a store in summer 2016.

Amanda and Ryan Stack, the owner-operators of the Grocery Outlet in Tustin relocated from the Sacramento area to open the discount grocery store.

As a reminder, here’s a lowdown on the two stores:

Grocery Outlet: Discounts on brand names

Grocery Outlet calls itself the “T.J. Maxx of food.” The store sells name brand name groceries at discounted prices.

How Grocery Outlet saves: The store claims to offer savings of 40 to 70 percent off other retailers. Unlike Aldi, it offers name goods with familiar names. It buys overstock or discontinued items and sells them with large markdowns.

Former Fresh & Easy locations: The company’s Costa Mesa, Westminster and La Habra stores are in former Fresh & Easy locations. Company officials previously told the Register those spaces were the right fit for the brand. In Tustin, Trader Joe’s shifted to a bigger spot on Irvine Boulevard, opening up a spot for Grocery Outlet.

Expansion: The chain opened its first Orange County location in December 2015 in Costa Mesa, and was quickly followed by the debut of its second location in Westminster. Locations opened later in La Habra and Orange. The chain also will be part of the remodeled Woodbridge Village Center, the Irvine Co. said in April.

Grocery Outlet previously operated stores in Buena Park and Fountain Valley but shuttered those locations a few years ago when their leases expired.

On Thursday, June 1 customers in Tustin will receive a free lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a $10 minimum purchase while supplies last. The lunch will be provided by Pats Famous BBQ & Private Chef Service. On Saturday, June 3, the first 100 customers in line will receive a 25 percent off coupon. The first 500 will receive a reusable bag.

Grocery Outlet locations in Orange County:

Westminster: 15412 Goldenwest St.

Costa Mesa: 1835 Newport Blvd.,

La Habra: 2001 Whittier Blvd., La Habra

Orange: 1803 E Chapman Ave.

Tustin: 12932 Newport Ave. (open Thursday)

Irvine: 4730 Barranca Pkwy. (scheduled to open Sept. 21)

Aldi: Private label goods

Aldi, short for “Albrecht Discount,” is owned by the Albrecht family of Germany. Its parent company has ties to the operators of Trader Joe’s; however, both companies are separately owned and operated.

How Aldi saves: Aldi maintains shoppers can save up to 50 percent on their grocery bills because they are selling store brands, instead of costly national labels like Cheerios and Tide. Stores also reduce labor costs by filling shelves with cardboard cases of food and by having shoppers bag their own groceries.

No frills look: The average Aldi is 10,000 square feet, with five main grocery aisles. California stores, however, are slightly larger with colorful graphic wall displays and a contemporary tile flooring. Aldi stores carry about 1,500 items, but California stores will stock about 1,750. The small-format, no-frills stores have no service departments, also reducing labor.

Private labels: The chain, with its U.S. headquarters in Batavia, Ill., sells private-label copycats of the 1,500 most popular groceries such as Frosted Flakes and Heinz Ketchup. Every item is designed to match the quality and taste of its name-brand equivalent.

Specialty goods: Aldi, which has family ties to Trader Joe’s, share one similar strategy with its cousin: exclusive products. Besides knockoffs, Aldi has certain products made exclusively for them, similar to Trader Joe’s. Aldi’s version of a Two Buck Chuck is the Winking Owl. Moser Roth chocolate bars from Europe are also exclusively made for Aldi.

Locations: Orange County stores are in Garden Grove, Fountain Valley, Anaheim and Buena Park with new locations planned for Westminster and Laguna Woods. In Los Angeles County, Aldi plans to open a store in Downey on June 1. By mid-summer, Aldi will have opened 38 stores in Southern California.

In Garden Grove, the first 100 shoppers at the grand opening will receive a “golden ticket,” a gift card in various amounts; one person will win produce for a year. The store opens after the 8:25 a.m. ribbon cutting.

Aldi locations in Orange County:

• Buena Park: 8351 La Palma Ave.

• Anaheim: 275 S. Euclid St.

• Fountain Valley: 17070 Magnolia St.

• Garden Grove: 9901 Chapman Ave. (open Thursday in the former Anna’s Linens)

In the works:

• Laguna Woods: 24270 El Toro Road (formerly Vons)