Gainesville's new ALDI opens next week, with Golden Tickets on Nov. 5

Gainesville's ALDI finally has a date. The new store at 1210 E. U.S. Hwy. 82, at Grand Avenue, opens for a sneak peek on Wednesday, Nov. 4. The grand opening follows on Thursday, Nov. 5.

The state construction filing had aimed for an April finish. That date came and went, so we waited for ALDI to post a real one on its store page. It is there now.

Wednesday, Nov. 4: the sneak peek

ALDI calls the first day a sneak peek, but it is a full shopping day. Per the store page, you can "fully shop the store and find all your favorite ALDI products." If you want to see the place without the grand-opening line, Wednesday is the day.

Thursday, Nov. 5: the grand opening

This is the day with the giveaways. ALDI lists three:

• Golden Tickets. The first 200 customers get a numbered Golden Ticket worth up to $100. No purchase is needed. You must be 18 or older and live within 50 miles. ALDI puts the total prize value at $3,000.
• A bag of goodies. The first 200 customers also get a free reusable bag with ALDI products in it.
• A free shopping tote. Staff hand these out through the day while they last.

The giveaway starts when the store opens and ends at close or when the prizes run out. The full rules are on ALDI's terms page, linked below.

Hours

The store page lists 9 AM to 8 PM, seven days a week. ALDI does not post a separate grand-opening start time, so we expect the doors at 9 AM on Thursday. If you want one of the first 200 tickets, plan to be there before then.

Where it is

The store sits on U.S. 82 at Grand Avenue. State records list the building at about 20,000 square feet.