5 Reasons Why Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs Love Selling on Whatnot

The original poster on Reddit, an Aldi fan for sure, totaled up a basic grocery list consisting of 22 items from Aldi and concluded: “All I can say is, wow. I know I’m preaching to the choir here but these savings are insane.”

The Redditor also provided grocery list totals for several other popular grocery stores to compare the Aldi list to. They also made sure to note that they get their grocery shopping done in the Chicagoland area, so that could definitely explain why the numbers may be a little different where you live. Knowing that, here’s what they came up with:

• Aldi: $60.40
• Walmart: $74.80 (24% higher)
• Jewel: $83.90 (39% higher)
• Whole Foods: $103.51 (71% higher)

We did the heavy lifting and concocted a similar grocery list for Trader Joe’s. For reference, see the Aldi bill above, and the TJ’s bill in the bullet points below:

The Trader Joe's List

1. Tiny Fruity Cuties Cereal (like Fruit Loops) $3.99
2. Everything but the Bagel Seasoned Crackers (This was the most similar TJ’s product to Aldi’s cheese crackers we could find, plus most of TJ’s crackers average around $2.99 anyways.) $2.99
3. Saltines (TJ’s no longer sells their version of saltines, but according to one Redditor, they were $1.99.) $1.99
4. Avocado oil$7.99 (Two more dollars than Aldi!)
5. Organic black beans $1.19
6. Unscented deodorant $4.99
7. Brownie Truffle Baking Mix $3.97 (Two more dollars than Aldi!)
8. Romaine hearts (We weren't able to find an organic option listed on TJ’s site.) $2.99
9. Large eggs $4.99
10. Multicolor peppers (Only organic is listed on TJ’s site.) $2.99
11. Green peppers (Only red organic peppers are listed on TJ’s site.) $3.99
12. Seedless cucumber (The only comparable option TJ’s has for the Aldi’s list above is the Persian cucumbers.) $2.49
13. Mild cheddar cheese (The only comparable option TJ’s has for the Aldi list above is the Shredded Unexpected Cheddar Cheese.) $4.99
14. Cilantro (This isn’t listed on TJ’s site, but they do sell it in-store. Various sources report different prices for cilantro. Abillion forums say it’s $1.29, but Taste of Home reports $1.99. We're averaging the two for a final item price.) $1.64
15. Tuna pouch $1.79
16. Hummus (Only organic is listed on TJ’s site.) $2.99
17. Yellow onion (Assuming 1 since the quantity isn't clear in the Aldi list above.) $0.99
18. Red onion (Assuming 1 since the quantity isn't clear in the Aldi list above. TJ’s doesn’t have red onion listed on their site, so we're also assuming it’s a similar price to their yellow onion.) $0.99
19. Carrots (Assuming 1 since the quantity isn't clear in the Aldi list above. Only organic is listed on TJ’s site.) $2.49
20. Avocados(Pack of 4, like Aldi.) $5.99
21. Celery (TJ’s doesn't have celery listed on their site, but they do sell it in-store. For this comparison, we're assuming it’s the same price as Aldi’s celery.) $1.69
22. Potato chips (TJ’s doesn't have baked chips like Aldi does, so we went with the most basic potato chip option to compare, the Ridge Cut Potato Chips with Sea Salt.) $3.99

Aldi vs. Trader Joe's: The Price Comparison

Aldi’s total came to $58.75 without tax, while the Trader Joe’s total ended up clocking in at $68.14 without tax for (mostly) similar items on the Aldi list. That means that TJ’s only came to cost $9.39 more than Aldi for a very comparable haul. 🤔

So, who really wins the Aldi vs. Trader Joe’s debate? If you were to measure it solely by the numbers, it’d be Aldi – though the margins aren’t as big as they are at, say, Whole Foods (71% more, remember?!) or drastically big in general.

Aldi vs. Trader Joe's: Who's The Winner?

Both Aldi and Trader Joe's definitely have their respective charms. While Aldi boasts a fan-favorite ‘aisle of shame’ and a streamlined store design, Trader Joe’s never stops the flow of fun, new products that keep fans in a chokehold. If you’re set on choosing a clear winner, we say go with your heart – going off of this basic comparison, you’ll honestly end up spending a similar amount of money shopping at Aldi vs. Trader Joe’s.

1. Not everyone's parents can put them through college. 

"My parents are wealthy, but I grew up in a place where many of my peers' parents were super, duper, crazy wealthy, so I had a skewed understanding of wealth," shared one user.

"It was really eye-opening for me when I went to college. I didn't have to take out student loans; my parents were able to just pay for it. But I had friends who, even with financial aid, had to work their [behinds] off year-round to cover the cost of school. I realized pretty quickly just how privileged I was and that I did, in fact, grow up with wealth."

2. Country clubs aren't the only kind of "clubs" out there. 

"When I was confused about people on Maury complaining their spouse was at 'the club,' and I couldn't figure out what type of country club would let people like that through the front security gate," admitted another user.

3. Not everyone views their parents as good role models. 

"Becoming an adult and realizing that I have extremely good role models as parents because when they have disagreements, they talk them out, and I have never, ever, heard them argue or badmouth each other," one user revealed.

"I also realized that as a kid, my parents got me mental health help that I needed even though it was expensive and continued that care for as long as I have needed it," they added.

"A third [wake-up call] that doesn't seem like much but has had a huge impact was being taught financial literacy from a young age; to budget my money and only buy the things I really, really want."

4. Many people have never left the country.  

"My parents loved to travel. By the time I was 16, I had been to every continent aside from Antarctica. I didn't realize that this was privileged behavior until I went to university, and most of the guys I met had never left the country," a user shared.

"In fact, I grew up thinking I was less privileged because everyone at my school was just obscenely rich. Like, all their stuff was high-end designer stuff while I was in Converse."

5. Some families cannot afford to have pets. 

"My dad was an engineer, so professional wealth, but... probably hearing about a kid whose family had to give his dog away due to the cost in elementary school," another user remembered.

"Giving away our dog wasn't on the radar or even on the table. But it was only out of the question because my parents had the money for it to be out of the question."

6. Owning multiple properties is not the norm. 

"When I learned that not everyone has a summer cottage or trust fund, and not all grandparents have weekend and summer homes," a user noted.

7. Exposure to cultural education isn't a given. 

"I didn't think I grew up in a wealthy family, but when I started high school, I was part of a group of girls who became close friends with me. Apparently, they thought it was very weird that I knew things that I considered cultural knowledge, like the history of some important building in the city or the fact that I actually knew about art and went to museums quite often," detailed a user.

"All this because my parents made me go to museums and theaters my whole life growing up. Apparently, that's not a normal thing for normal parents to do with their kids, and asking your parents if they can take you to the ballet is not something a teenager would normally ask."

8. Some people have never been able to fill up their tanks at the gas station. 

"In college, I went on a road trip with friends, and one asked how much money he should put in the gas tank. I told him to fill it up," recalled a user.

"He kept asking, 'Okay, how much should I pay?' and I kept saying, 'Fill it up!' It turned out he had only ever put $10 to $15 at a time, and it had never occurred to me that some people never fill their gas tanks to the top."

9. Seeing how families abroad make do.

"I realized how privileged I was when I spent a summer with my great-grandmother in a small village in rural Hungary. No indoor running water, the only phone was at the church, and everyone came out to touch the rental car we drove there in. This was in the late 1980s," recalled a user.

10. Learning that not everyone takes their first flight as a child.

"I have been flying around the world since I was 4 months old. When I was 16, my friend told me she'd fly for the first time in an airplane, and I was shocked," said another user.

"I told my dad that I couldn't believe it took her 16 years to fly! I got a stern talk after; my dad is very humble despite it all."

What are some popular Severance season 3 theories?

During a panel at Bell Works in New Jersey (where the show is filmed), Britt Lower revealed a theory the whole Severance cast is "getting a kick out of [is] Ricken being a goat," she tells People. "I think that's everyone's collective theory. You never know."

Michael Chernus (who plays Ricken in the show) says that "people have all kinds of theories about Ricken that he's a goat or that he's an Eagan or he's part of the board. I think, you know, we don't see a ton of Ricken in season 2, so I think the fact that he isn't around much makes him seem very suspicious to some people."

Fans love getting caught up in the theories, but for the team behind-the-scenes, it's a little tricky to navigate. "You have to like take all that with a grain of salt and sort of appreciate that everybody has different ideas, but we have to have our own sort of clear idea of what we're doing that is independent of that," executive producer Ben Stiller says.

However, that doesn’t mean he turns a blind eye to online chatter, saying, “I'll read a theory and I'll be like, 'Oh I wish we were making that show because that sounds cool.' But generally, I have to sort of turn the other way," creator Dan Erickson agrees.

Is there a season 3 of Severance coming?

Yes, Apple TV renewed Severance for a season 3 on March 21, 2025.

“Making Severance has been one of the most creatively exciting experiences I’ve ever been a part of,” executive producer and director Ben Stiller says in a statement. He jokes that, “While I have no memory of this, I’m told making season three will be equally enjoyable, though any recollection of these future events will be forever and irrevocably wiped from my memory as well.”

“I couldn’t be more excited to get back to work with Ben, Dan, the incredible cast and crew, Apple and the whole Severance team,” executive Adam Scott (who also plays Mark) adds. “Oh hey also — not a huge deal — but if you see my innie, please don’t mention any of this to him. Thanks.”

When is Severance season 3 coming out?

We don't have an official Severance season 3 release date yet, but we do know it won't take another three years for new episodes to come out. (We all remember the three-year wait between seasons 1 and 2).

During an appearance on New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce, Ben Stiller promises that "the plan is not, definitely not" to release Severance season 3 in 2028.

Who's in the Severance season 3 cast?

Based on the end of season 2, we can include the Severance season 3 cast to include all our favorite stars:

• Adam Scott as Mark Scout: a Lumon employee leading his team in Macrodata Refinement (MDR). In the real world he's mourning his late wife Gemma.
• Britt Lower as Helena Eagan/Helly R.: one of Mark's coworkers with a shocking outie identity: she's the daughter of Lumon's CEO.
• Dichen Laman as Gemma/Ms. Casey: Mark's wife in the real world and the wellness counselor on Lumon's severed floor.
• Zach Cherry as Dylan George: another of Mark's coworkers who's the first one to be awakened outside the office.
• John Turturro as Irving Bailiff: a Lumon employee who works with Mark.
• Christopher Walken as Burt Goodman: a severed Lumon employee who's the head of Optics and Design (O&D).
• Tramell Tillman as Seth Milchick: Lumon's Manager on the severed floor.
• Patricia Arquette as Harmony Cobel: Lumon's manager during season 1 who lives as outie Mark's neighbor Mrs. Selvig.
• Jen Tullock as Devon Scout-Hale: Mark's sister, who's pregnant in season 1.
• Michael Chernus as Ricken Hale: Devon's husband and a self-help author.
• Sarah Bock as Eustice Huang: the severed floor's new Deputy Manager in season 2.

What happens at the end of Severance season 2?

The Severance season 2 ending is truly devastating. In the final moments of the episode, outie Mark and Gemma finally reunite in the moment we've been waiting literal years for. They decide to make their escape, but when they slip back into their innie selves, Mark S. decides he doesn't want to sacrifice himself for his outie. He stays with Helly at Lumon while Gemma (who had managed to escape, reverting to her outie self) looks on, screaming his name and beating on the door.

Where does Severance film?

Severance has been filmed in locations like New Jersey's Bell Labs, as well as various locations around New York, including York Studios, Kingston, Nyack, Marine Park Golf Course, Ulster County, and Beacon.