Posts Tagged “Thanksgiving”

Aldi Commits to Thanksgiving Dinner Prices Lower Than 2019

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BATAVIA, IL — This Thanksgiving season, ALDI is offering its lowest-priced Thanksgiving basket in five years – a full meal for 10 people at less than $47.* With reports showing grocery prices are up 50% across the industry on hundreds of items compared to 2019,** shoppers will get welcome relief at ALDI on their favorite Thanksgiving fixings.

Throughout the Thanksgiving season, holiday hosts can shop ALDI for all the fresh ingredients and award-winning products they need to assemble a beautiful holiday feast. Coming in at less than $4.70 per person, the meal delivers on the traditional, crowd-pleasing favorites that guests crave without the sales, coupons, minimum purchase requirements, loyalty cards and other hoops required to save at traditional grocers. The ALDI Thanksgiving shopping list includes a Butterball turkey with spices, gravy, rolls, mac & cheese, stuffing – plus the ingredients for cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole and pumpkin pie.

“Every day at ALDI, we are focused on finding ways to deliver the lowest possible prices for our customers – and this Thanksgiving is no different,” said Jason Hart, CEO, ALDI. “With 25% of U.S households now shopping ALDI, we know grocery prices are still top of mind for customers. We worked hard this Thanksgiving to deliver the best value and quality products so everyone can enjoy a traditional meal with family and friends without having to scale back.”

This inflation-busting holiday meal comes at a time when the popularity of ALDI is at an all-time high, and shopper demand is driving the retailer’s continued growth as it plans to open 800 stores over the next five years. Whether checking off a weekly grocery list or planning a holiday meal, ALDI is ready to earn the trust of new communities with shelves stocked with everything needed to satisfy families and impress guests.

Everything ALDI does, from using a quarter cart system and displaying products in their original boxes to having a smaller store footprint, helps customers save up to 40% on groceries compared to traditional grocery stores.*** For seven years running, ALDI has been recognized by the dunnhumby Retailer Preference Index as #1 in Everyday Low Price,**** providing unmatched value for millions of customers who rely on ALDI for high quality products at the lowest possible prices. 

*Availability may vary by store location and is subject to change. Pricing valid 10/16/24 – 11/27/24.?Assumes a 16lb Turkey.

**According to a NielsenIQ study published in the Wall Street Journal article “How Far $100 Goes at the Grocery Store After Five Years of Food Inflation.” April 4, 2024. 

***If you purchased all ALDI’s exclusive grocery brands instead of the competitors’ comparable items. Prices checked weekly and monthly. Your savings may vary. Competitors may offer lower priced branded/private label items. Savings per basket 16%-40%.

****According to the dunnhumby® ©2024 Retailer Preference Index

About ALDI U.S. 

ALDI is one of America’s fastest-growing retailers, serving millions of customers across the country each month. Our disciplined approach to operating with simplicity and efficiency gives our customers great products at the lowest possible prices. For seven years running, ALDI has been recognized by the dunnhumby Retailer Preference Index as #1 in Everyday Low Price.* ALDI strives to have a positive impact on its customers, employees and communities by being socially and environmentally responsible, earning ALDI recognition as a leading grocer in sustainability.** In addition to helping protect the planet, ALDI helps customers save time and money through convenient shopping options via in-store, curbside pickup or delivery at shop.aldi.us. For more information about ALDI, visit aldi.us. 

*According to the dunnhumby® ©2024 Retailer Preference Index.

**According to Progressive Grocer’s 2023 Top 10 Most Sustainable Grocers list.

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HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

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Presidential Thanksgiving proclamations and speeches have been popular throughout American history. Within the federal government, the tradition pre-dates the U.S. Constitution adopted in 1789, and was observed by the Continental Congress.

President George Washington issued the first presidential Thanksgiving proclamation but that was not officially observed as a concurrent tradition by every president until Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of Thanksgiving to be observed on Thursday, November 26, 1863.

Before Lincoln, Thanksgiving was generally promoted in government at the state level.

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt officially made the holiday the fourth Thursday in November in 1942.

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Aldi Slashes Prices on Thanksgiving Favorites

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BATAVIA, Ill. — To help customers spend less and seat more guests this Thanksgiving, ALDI is dishing out a big helping of savings on over 70 holiday classics.

Starting Nov. 1, and lasting throughout the entire holiday season, customers will see price reductions of up to 50% on items across the store. These items include seasonal favorites like gravy, potatoes, green beans, cranberries and pumpkin pie, as well as staples such as butter and flour*.

With these extra savings on top of ALDI every day low prices, the retailer expects shoppers to afford to invite three more guests to the annual feast** so everyone can take part in the holiday fun without blowing the budget.

As the holiday synonymous with delicious food and celebrating with loved ones, Thanksgiving shouldn’t break the bank or force hosts to make difficult decisions about which quirky cousins or neighbors to invite. High food prices have gotten in the way for far too long, and ALDI is taking charge to champion value in a way that only ALDI can. This Thanksgiving, customers can have their apple pie and eat it, too.

“Thanksgiving is all about gratitude, and we’re so grateful for our many loyal customers from coast-to-coast,” said Dave Rinaldo, President of ALDI. “With inflation still looming, we’re providing shoppers extra relief to make the holidays a time for celebration, not stress. What’s served on the Thanksgiving table is just as important as who’s sitting around it, so ALDI is delivering big savings on key items so there’s always room for more guests.”

At ALDI, a disciplined approach to operating with simplicity and efficiency gives customers great products at the lowest possible prices year-round. It’s why ALDI is one of America’s fastest-growing retailers. ALDI customers save up to 40% on their grocery bills as compared to traditional supermarkets and more than 15% compared to big-box discounters.

The price reductions will run until the end of the year so shoppers can continue to delight their guests with wow-worthy charcuterie boards, festive sides and more through the holiday season. From light bites and starters to fresh produce and baking essentials, some of the reduced-price items include:

*Product prices and availability may vary by location.

**Calculated based on an average 30% savings on a sample Thanksgiving meal for 10 people that includes popular dishes such as stuffing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce, rolls, charcuterie board, pumpkin pie and coffee. Excludes turkey.

About ALDI U.S.
ALDI is one of America’s fastest-growing retailers, serving millions of customers across the country each month. Our disciplined approach to operating with simplicity and efficiency gives our customers great products at the lowest possible prices. For six years running, ALDI has been recognized as No. 1 in price according to the dunnhumby Retailer Preference Index Report.* ALDI strives to have a positive impact on its customers, employees and communities by being socially and environmentally responsible, earning ALDI recognition as a leading grocer in sustainability.** In addition to helping protect the planet, ALDI helps customers save time and money through convenient shopping options via in-store, curbside pickup or delivery at shop.aldi.us.

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Wishing You a Blessed Thanksgiving

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Thanksgiving Proclamation, 3 October 1789

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By the President of the United States of America. a Proclamation.

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor—and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me “to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be—That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks—for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation—for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war—for the great degree of tranquillity, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed—for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted—for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

and also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions—to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually—to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed—to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord—To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us—and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New-York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

President George Washington

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Thanksgiving Forecast: Have a Blessed Holiday

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Thanksgiving, a Celebration of Our Blessings

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A35Prayers of thanks and special Thanksgiving ceremonies are common among almost all religions after harvests and at other times. The Thanksgiving holiday’s history in North America is rooted in English traditions dating from the Protestant Reformation. It also has aspects of a harvest festival, even though the harvest in New England occurs well before the late-November date on which the modern Thanksgiving holiday is celebrated.

In the English tradition, days of thanksgiving and special thanksgiving religious services became important during the English Reformation in the reign of Henry VIII  and in reaction to the large number of religious holidays on the Catholic calendar. Before 1536 there were 95 Church holidays, plus 52 Sundays, when people were required to attend church and forego work and sometimes pay for expensive celebrations. The 1536 reforms reduced the number of Church holidays to 27, but some Purtians wished to completely eliminate all Church holidays, including Christmas and Easter.

The holidays were to be replaced by specially called Days of Fasting or Days of Thanksgiving, in response to events that the Puritans viewed as acts of special providence. Unexpected disasters or threats of judgement from on high called for Days of Fasting. Special blessings, viewed as coming from God, called for Days of Thanksgiving. For example, Days of Fasting were called on account of drought in 1611, floods in 1613, and plagues in 1604 and 1622. Days of Thanksgiving were called following the victory over the Spanish Armada in 1588 and following the deliverance of Queen Anne in 1705.  An unusual annual Day of Thanksgiving began in 1606 following the failure of the  Gunpowder Plot in 1605 and developed into  Guy Fawkes Day on November 5.

Pilgrims and Puritans who emigrated from England in the 1620s and 1630s carried the tradition of Days of Fasting and Days of Thanksgiving with them to New England. The modern Thanksgiving holiday tradition is traced to a to a well-recorded 1619 event in Virginia and a sparsely documented 1621 celebration at Plymouth in present-day Massachusetts. The 1619 arrival of 38 English settlers at Berkeley Hundred in Charles City County, Virginia, concluded with a religious celebration as dictated by the group’s charter from the London Company, which specifically required “that the day of our ships arrival at the place assigned … in the land of Virginia shall be yearly and perpetually kept holy as a day of thanksgiving to Almighty God.” The 1621 Plymouth feast and thanksgiving was prompted by a good harvest.

Wishing all of you a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving.

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A Few Thoughts About What Thanksgiving Means to Me

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DSCN4604Happy Thanksgiving!  Come February HaulProduce.com will quietly celebrate its 5th anniversary of providing you with what I hope is information worth your valuable time ranging from active produce shipping areas, peak shipping periods, caution when needed about quality problems at shipping point, demand for refrigerated equipment, produce trucking rates, not mention health stories and other news related to perishables.  Unabashedly this site is a proponent of healthy eating and promoting the health benefits of fresh fruits and vegetables.  Fresh produce is a daily part of my diet.

Today, there are nearly 1000 subscribers to HaulProduce and I cannot thank each of you enough.  Since its inception nearly 1900 posts have been placed on this blog.

It has been three years now since retiring after 40-plus years traveling this great nation as a journalist writing about both the trucking and produce industries.  It was this knowledge gained from both industries that led me to create the Produce Truckers Network back in the 1980s.  At its peak it had over 60 radio stations across North America and also was on satellite radio for several years before its completion after 20 years on the air.  The same concept exists today with HaulProduce.

Although officially, retired, this outlet allows me to continue to doing something I love – and at the same time provide something useful to our subscribers.  At the same time it allows spending more time with my kids, grandson and my lovely wife of 49 years.

It is with all of this in mind I plan to fully enjoy Thanksgiving, to appreciate and give thanks for all the opportunities available in the United States of America.

I will thank the good Lord for all those “highway warriors” that deliver over 95 percent of the fresh produce to markets across this great nation, as well as being thankful for everyone else in the distribution chain from growers and shippers, to all forms of companies involved in the distribution chain.  It certainly doesn’t end up on our Thanksgiving dinner table by magic.

May God bless each of you and have a blessed Thanksgiving.

— Bill Martin

 

 

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Pie Shortages This Thanksgiving?; Canadian Cranberries

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002Canned pumpkin has become scarce in supermarkets in Illinois.  This is a huge concern for Thanksgiving.

Nestlé, whose Libby brand of pumpkin filling is the largest in Illinois, has said their yields of sugar pumpkins have declined as much as a third this year, due to the amount of rain in the summer.   Pumpkins require 90 to 120 frost-free days and, since they are a warm-season annual, are harvested from September through October.

Once Nestlé ships all their canned pumpkin, used specifically for pies, they will not have any to distribute until the new year.  However, there is concern that the issue may be more long-term and there may also be a shortage in 2016.

Illinois is, by far, the top sugar pumpkin producing state in the nation, with more than 19,800 acres harvested in 2014.

Canadian Cranberry Shipments

Amid a record season for Canadian cranberry shipments, most of Canada’s cranberry production is exported to the United States.  In recent years, Quebec surpassed British Columbia as Canada’s biggest cranberry producer.  New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and P.E.I. account for a much smaller share.  While the vast amount of fresh cranberries are shipped for the U.S. Thanksgiving, a relatively small amount will be for Christmas.

 

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Celebrating the Thanksgiving Holiday Tradition

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DSCN4822We take this opportunity to wish each of you a Happy Thanksgiving, and feel very blessed to live in the United States, which still offers so many opportunities.    If you were not able to make it home this holiday, we wish you safe travels and to be with those closet to you soon. 

Thanksgiving in the United States is celebrated the fourth Thursday in November.

In the United States, the modern Thanksgiving holiday tradition is commonly, but not universally, traced to a poorly documented 1621 celebration at Plymouth in present-day Massachusetts. The 1621 Plymouth feast and thanksgiving was prompted by a good harvest. Pilgrims and Puritans who began emigrating from England in the 1620s and 1630s carried the tradition of Days of Fasting and Days of Thanksgiving with them to New England.

Several days of Thanksgiving were held in early New England history that have been identified as the “First Thanksgiving”, including Pilgrim holidays in Plymouth in 1621 and 1623, and a Puritan holiday in Boston in 1631.  According to historian Jeremy Bangs, director of the Leiden American Pilgrim Museum, the Pilgrims may have been influenced by watching the annual services of Thanksgiving for the relief of the siege of Leiden in 1574, while they were staying in Leiden.  In later years, religious thanksgiving services were declared by civil leaders such as Governor Bradford, who planned a thanksgiving celebration and fast in 1623. The practice of holding an annual harvest festival did not become a regular affair in New England until the late 1660s.

Thanksgiving proclamations were made mostly by church leaders in New England up until 1682, and then by both state and church leaders until after the American Revolution. During the revolutionary period, political influences affected the issuance of Thanksgiving proclamations. Various proclamations were made by royal governors, John Hancock, General George Washington, and the Continental Congress, each giving thanks to God for events favorable to their causes.  As President of the United States, George Washington proclaimed the first nation-wide thanksgiving celebration in America marking November 26, 1789, “as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favours of Almighty God”.

In modern times the President of the United States, in addition to issuing a proclamation, will “pardon” a turkey, which spares the bird’s life and ensures that it will spend the duration of its life roaming freely on farmland.

Thanksgiving in Canada is celebrated the second Monday in October. The first Canadian Thanksgiving is often traced back to 1578 and the explorer Martin Frobisher. Frobisher, who had been trying to find a northern passage to the Pacific Ocean, held his Thanksgiving celebration not for harvest but in thanks for surviving the long journey from England through the perils of storms and icebergs.

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