‘Utterly baffled’: Shopper becomes furious over sneaky pricing switch-up

Navigating the aisles of your local ALDI can be a delightful treasure hunt for bargains, but one shopper's recent experience has peeled back the curtain on a potentially slippery issue: a confusing pricing situation involving bananas.

The incident unfolded when an ALDI customer, with an eye for both ripeness and budget, selected a mix of green and yellow bananas, only to find herself in trouble at the checkout.



The cashier, upon inspecting the fruit, decided to split the bananas into two separate charges, claiming that the yellow ones were a different variety and thus warranted a higher price.

This left the shopper not only puzzled but also peeling back layers of frustration as she was charged more for some of her bananas.


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A shopper was shocked to see the different prices of the bananas she bought at ALDI. Credit: Facebook


After querying the cashier, she was told that the green bananas were a smaller variety, while the yellow ones were a different one.

However, the shopper was adamant that she had picked all the bananas from the same pile without any clear indication of different varieties or pricing.

In Queensland, ALDI stores are known to sell two types of bananas–the Cavendish and the Havana–which should be merchandised separately and identified with stickers.

But according to the shopper, the bananas were all mixed, leading to her checkout conundrum.



‘Got lowkey suggested I was a dodgy customer today,’ she wrote on social media.

‘I did my usual behaviour...I went to the bananas and picked out some incredibly green-looking ones and also some more yellow ones (almost everything was green at the main spot), and I went with my shopping.’

‘Go to pay, and the cashier removes the yellow bananas and charges me differently for yellow vs green.’

‘I stewed internally for a moment, then asked why she charged them separately. She said, “Oh, the green bananas are smaller, so they’re (can’t remember the name) named banana, and the slightly more yellow is Cavendish.”’

‘I was like, “Huh? But I got them from the same table?” She’s like, “Fine, I’ll refund you–but next time, they’ll be priced differently.”’

‘Refund was $3 something, but I literally just chose them based on how they’ll ripen and that they’re mainly for a five-year-old, so I don’t need giant bananas.’


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The receipt showed different prices of the bananas the shopper bought. Credit: Facebook


The shopper was offended by how she was treated at the checkout.

‘They need to put stickers on their bananas or something if they’re going to charge based on visual alleged size because I was utterly baffled,’ she said.

The shopper's post on social media, complete with receipt photos, sparked a heated discussion among ALDI shoppers and former employees.

‘Ex-ALDI employee, they only stock one type of loose bananas and one in bags—I have no idea what that employee was going on about,’ a former worker said.

Another added, ‘Wow, this is just bizarre!’

A third added, ‘I’ll take notice next time. I always get half green and half yellow, thinking they are the same price.’

Another responded, ‘I used to work at ALDI, and this was not a thing.’



While some ALDI employees acknowledged the existence of different banana varieties in Queensland stores, others quickly defended the cashier.

‘She was probably just confused. We have recently sold three different types of bananas: Cavendish, Lady Finger and Havana. And that’s just in Queensland,’ one said.

‘I know other states have others, and staff transfer between regions often. I’d just let her manager know.’

Another said, ‘Good post to notify others to check if there are two types of bananas at their store.’

‘Some of the comments here are shockingly judgemental of the cashier. Clearly, there are two prices for two different types of bananas, and she gave a full refund.’



Speaking of bananas, another shopper was surprised to find something unusual inside a bag of bananas in a previous story.

And instead of dropping the bag and running for the hills, their next move was even more surprising. You can read more about the story here.
Key Takeaways
  • An ALDI customer was unexpectedly charged different prices for green and yellow bananas, assuming they were the same variety.
  • The cashier claimed the bananas were priced differently due to their different varieties, leading to confusion and a subsequent refund.
  • Photos of the receipts were shared on social media, showing the price discrepancy.
  • Some ALDI employees acknowledged the existence of different banana varieties with varying prices, while others were unaware, suggesting a need for clearer in-store signage.
Have you experienced puzzling pricing situations at your local ALDI or other supermarkets? Share your stories in the comments below.
 
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If the bananas are different variety and different prices, they should be displayed individually!
Exactly, clearly labelled and placed away from the other variety to avoid mixing of the two types.
 
Looking at the photos of the bananas they look like two different varieties to me.
Australia grows about 7 types of bananas .Cavendish (those in photo) Lady Fingers the smaller variety in supermarkets. These two varieties account for 99+% of bananas sold. The other varieties including Red Dacca,Goldfinger, sucrier,ducasse and plantains account for less than one per cent of sales.
In w/w yesterday put bananas on the scales momentarily while l grabbed a bag and two pictures appeared on the screen ,yellow and green with instruction to select.
This struck me as odd and a possibility of things to come
 
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never have I ever seen any alternative variety of bananas at Aldi.
 
never have I ever seen any alternative variety of bananas at Aldi.
Yes, I saw the same thing yesterday .I purchased 3 nectarines in Aldi yesterday, all rotten in the middle but firm outside. Also tried to purchase a punnet of tri coloured tomatoes, but all were full of fruit fly, and some were moldy. Very disappointing.
 
Last edited:
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Australia grows about 7 types of bananas .Cavendish (those in photo) Lady Fingers the smaller variety in supermarkets. These two varieties account for 99+% of bananas sold. The other varieties including Red Dacca,Goldfinger, sucrier,ducasse and plantains account for less than one per cent of sales.
In w/w yesterday put bananas on the scales momentarily while l grabbed a bag and two pictures appeared on the screen ,yellow and green with instruction to select.
This struck me as odd and a possibility of things to come
There is also a variety called Monkey Bananas. Very small and thin skinned
 
In my humble opinion if there are more than one variety on sale they should be plainly advertised as such i think you will find that it is illegal to not do so.
 
As often happens, customers pick things up and put them down in the wrong place, l imagine this is what has happened in this case.
l have picked up milk only to find when l get home it’s light milk instead of full cream because it’s been put in the wrong place
 
Yes, I saw the same thing yesterday .I purchased 3 nectarines in Aldi yesterday, all rotten in the middle but firm outside. Also tried to purchase a punnet of tri coloured tomatoes, but all were full of fruit fly, and some were moldy. Very disappointing.
Unfortunately it is all about money - so true of all the supermarkets.
 

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