A new Aldi store opened on 42nd Street in Times Square, drawing a crowd of more than 500 people who lined up to be among the first inside, according to the New York Post. The store, located between 8th and 9th Avenue, is the first Aldi location in Midtown Manhattan. Shoppers said the new store was a major draw in an area already known for heavy tourist traffic. A video shared by the X account “Vatnik Soup” showed the scene outside the store, with the overlay describing it as “POV: You just wanted to check out The German Aldi in NY.” The clip showed a long line of people stretching down the sidewalk, with the video’s caption attributing the turnout to demand for what it called “cheap and healthy European food.” According to Aldi’s official website, Aldi is a discount supermarket chain that originated in Germany, and the new Times Square location is one of the two Aldi stores currently operating in New York City. The line outside the new Aldi store reportedly reached 511 people at one point on the morning of the grand opening. First customers received gift bags Shoppers interviewed by the outlet said they were not lining up for promotional giveaways, but rather to see the new store for themselves. The store reportedly marked its opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and the first 200 customers were given gift bags containing snacks, olive oil, and beef sticks, among other items. Separately, Aldi is distributing “blind boxes” filled with surprise items to shoppers throughout the following week as part of a limited-time promotion. Grocery runs have occasionally drawn attention online for other reasons, including a dog who helped carry groceries in a separate viral moment. One shopper, identified as Tyre Washington, told the Post he lives two blocks from the new store in Hudson Yards and said he managed to purchase groceries before the location officially opened to the public. German discount chain Aldi opened a store in New York, and the line is crazy.People must be craving for that cheap and healthy European food! pic.twitter.com/cLcUYC3IZc— Vatnik Soup (@P_Kallioniemi) June 21, 2026 “This is the best thing that’s happened to this area,” Washington said. He also said that he previously used Aldi to cater his son’s wedding, adding, “If you’re talking about low prices, good quality food, there’s no match.” Another shopper, identified by the Post as Barbara Porteus, 71, said she has experienced claustrophobia since being trapped in a fire aboard a cruise ship years earlier, which she said left her with post-traumatic stress. Porteus noted that the new Aldi store is located below street level, and said, “the fact that I got in, came around and didn’t run out screaming” was notable to her, given her past experience. The Post reported that Aldi is widely known for offering groceries at lower prices compared to other major retailers in the area, citing Target as an example. Rising grocery costs have drawn attention elsewhere as well, including the widening price gap shoppers have noticed at other retail chains in recent years. The outlet also noted that Aldi stores commonly feature a rotating selection of seasonal and limited-time, non-food items, an aisle that some shoppers and social media users have nicknamed the “Aisle of Shame.” The video’s caption characterized the food sold at the store as “cheap and healthy.” The store’s popularity, according to the shoppers, appeared to stem primarily from curiosity about the new location and Aldi’s reputation for affordable groceries, rather than from the promotional gift bags or blind box giveaways.