Palm Desert Aldi to open Thursday, May 19

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The Coachella Valley is slated to get its third Aldi store in Palm Desert.

The market will open at 8:30 a.m. on May 19 at 72-543 Highway 111 – in the old’s David’s Bridal next to Aaron Bros. in the Desert Crossings Center.

Aldi will offer up gift certificates to the first 100 shoppers, sweepstakes, and product sampling – and if it is like the other recent openings in Palm Springs and La Quinta, you are going to want to get there early.

Aldi claims to save shoppers up to 50 percent by selling knockoffs of over 1,000 of the most frequently bought national brands. Its stores are built smaller than a regular grocery store, similar in size to Fresh & Easy or Trader Joe’s, and shoppers bag their own groceries.

Aldi plans to open a total of 45 stores in California in 2016 and will open another 6 locations on the same day in Bakersfield, Calexico, La Puente, South Gate, and Vista.

Related: If you shop at Aldi, you will definitely want to bring this with you.