New grocer is eyeing Amsterdam [The Recorder, July 16, 1996]

[Retail Regents]

Archived online newspapers can provide some interesting information. In 1996, "Aldi's" had been eyeing the former P&C Market at the Five Corners strip mall and recently vacated Grand Union in Amsterdam Mall.

https://web.archive.org/web/19971016000111fw_/http://www.recordernews.com/1996/0716/

[BillyGr]

Odd in that story that they suggested that Aldi does not sell meat or produce.  While not quite the same as other markets, even these older stores always had both of those!

Also noticed them asking about an exemption from the item pricing law - they had the same issue in Rensselaer County when they wanted to build a store in the city of Rensselaer itself, and got an exemption there by providing a scanner where you could check the price an item was ringing up at (which was not a common thing in stores at that time).

Is that five corners the one that was just recently being talked about for demolition and getting funding to do so?  If so, they obviously never wound up there, nor in the old mall - didn't they (eventually) wind up somewhere up the hill on Route 30?

[Retail Regents]

The other oddity I noticed was "Aldi's" being based out of Pennsylvania - is it possible they had their headquarters there before moving to Batavia, Illinois?

If you're talking about that decrepit building with the weird pink trim at the Five Corners that was being talked about for demolition, it is indeed that building. They eventually did end up on Route 30, next to the freestanding Eckerd/Rite Aid store that is now empty.