Why You Should Think Twice About Buying Clancy's Chips At Aldi

For those who may not be familiar, Aldi is a German grocery store chain that has captured the hearts of shoppers. Business Insider mentions the chain's "huge cult following" and lauds it for its cheap prices and efficient checkout. Among other things, Southern Living even praised Aldi's bring-your-own-bag policy and the 25-cent shopping cart rentals because they keep prices low (and you get your quarter back when you return the cart). If you shop for groceries and live in the eastern half of the U.S., or in California or Arizona (via ScrapeHero), then you may already be aware of Aldi's many quirky benefits.

Peruse Aldi's website, and you'll find Clancy's potato chips, a brand exclusive to Aldi. In a blind taste test, Taste of Home named Clancy's "best overall potato chip," saying the chip has good fried-potato flavor and not too much salt. In true Aldi fashion, the price is right on the Clancy's line of snack chips. For example, Clancy's nacho cheese-flavored tortilla chips were only 89 cents for an 11-ounce bag in 2019, according to Kiplinger.

Setting aside the opinion of the panel of experts at Taste of Home, it turns out the Clancy's potato chips from Aldi have gotten some horrible reviews. Reviewers from unconfirmed purchasers on the consumer complaint website Pissed Consumer made a variety of bad claims about Clancy's. Many said the chips had been reduced to crumbs before they even opened the bag. Others thought the flavor was weak or bad. One person even found regular kettle chips when the bag said "salt and vinegar."

While Aldi chips are presented as look-alikes and inexpensive alternatives to certain name brands, they don't measure up to those bigger names, according to some reviewers. Kiplinger in 2019 recommended the $2.98 bag of Doritos over 89-cent bag of Clancy's tortilla chips, despite the huge price difference.

While Aldi can point to at least one stellar review for Clancy's potato chips, the bigger picture shows that Clancy's has a consistency issue — and a quality issue, too, when the Aldi brand is directly measured against the popular name brands it seeks to copy. Aldi shoppers love the store for its low prices and specialty items. But some potato chip fans would tell you that when it comes to Clancy's, you get what you pay for.