This European grocery store with a cult following should terrify Walmart, Kroger, and Trader Joe's

Business Insider/Hayley Peterson

Aldi is one of the cheapest stores in the US to buy groceries. 

The chain's prices on fresh produce and packaged goods are roughly 30% lower than Walmart's, according to a recent price check. 

Aldi only sells a fraction of the brands that traditional grocery stores offers, however, so we decided to check out a store in Richmond, Virginia, to see how it compares. 

This Aldi store was easy to access with a small, convenient parking lot.

In order to use a grocery cart, I had to pay 25 cents. I got my quarter back at the end of the shopping trip when I returned the cart. This system saves Aldi from having to employ someone to round up shopping carts from the parking lot.

When I walked inside, I was struck by the tidy, no-frills layout of the store.