While we at the Seniors Discount Club are always up for a bit of bargain hunting, especially at the supermarket, we believe in practising it ethically. Unfortunately, not everyone shares these values.

Recently, a new ‘scam’ was discovered by a shopper at their local ALDI supermarket – and it left honest customers in shock and outrage.

An ALDI customer shared her distressing observations about an ‘appalling’ new supermarket scam that she's allegedly witnessed multiple times at her local store.

Taking to a popular Facebook page for ALDI shoppers, the customer detailed her experience of seeing fraudulent customers swapping free-range eggs for ‘caged’ ones in an attempt to pay less.

The shopper uploaded photos alongside her post. Credit: Facebook

This deceitful tactic allows dishonest shoppers to take home the premium $6.49 free-range eggs at the lower ‘caged’ egg price of just $4.39.

While it might be saving them a dollar or two, this kind of behaviour is not only unethical but also illegal.

Hesitant to confront the culprits due to her own mental health, the concerned shopper asked for advice on how to address the issue with her local store.

‘It’s my second time seeing ALDI customers swap cage eggs to free range,’ she said.

The shopper asked for advice from her fellow customers. Credit: Facebook

‘I’m the type of person that’ll shy out if I were to confront them due to my mental illness. Any advice, please?’ The shopper continued.

The post caught the attention of other social media users, who encouraged her to speak to the store’s management.

Many customers were astonished by the audacity of the scammers.

One ALDI shopper expressed their disbelief, saying: ‘Imagine doing that – and only to save $1 or $2? That’s absolutely ridiculous.’

Another added: ‘To think that people would swap over a dozen eggs and risk getting caught for shoplifting? Such disgraceful behaviour.’

‘That’s dreadful. At the end of the day, it’s theft,’ one stated.

‘That is a new low. Wow,’ another wrote.

While one more added: ‘Really! That’s horrid on every level. What, people care about the welfare of hens but are not prepared to pay for it?’

‘I purchase free range. If someone had swapped my eggs for caged, I would be furious! We pay good money for them! Please, please report this!’ One furious shopper explained.

Furthermore, the scam has exposed a stark level of hypocrisy among these individuals.

While the whole idea of buying free-range eggs is to support ethical chicken farming practices, these scammers are ironically making a choice to be unethical in their actions.

As one commenter highlighted, ‘It’s so ironic. Wanting the ethical eggs so bad you’ll be completely unethical and cause someone else to take home caged eggs? Thus, defeating the purpose?!’

Another echoed the sentiment, saying, ‘Why would anyone do that? That destroys the whole purpose of eating free-range eggs when you’re only supporting the caged egg company anyways’.

‘Just appalling on every level. The hypocrisy is that they are so concerned about hens that they want free range but are happy to steal to get them. Terrible business,’ someone else responded.

‘That’s unethical. What’s the point of swapping when the mindset is unethical already? Geez. It’s probably the same as stealing in this case,’ added one more customer.

Upon learning of the scam, ALDI management issued a statement condemning the practice. They said: ‘We have CCTV active in all our stores; this behaviour is clearly not acceptable, is theft, and will be treated as such.’

It pays to always keep an eye out for such fraudulent activities in your local supermarkets. Please feel free to inform store management when something seems like it needs to be corrected.

Together, we can maintain high integrity in our shopping experiences and ensure everyone has a fair chance to enjoy the benefits of ethical choices.

Key Takeaways

• An ALDI customer has spoken out about a new supermarket scam where shoppers swap eggs from a free-range carton to a pack of ‘caged’ eggs to pay a lower price.
• The dishonest customers are believed to be taking home the premium $6.49 free-range eggs at the lower ‘caged’ egg price of just $4.39.
• ALDI shoppers were quick to encourage the witness to speak to store management and speak out against the practice, calling it theft and disgraceful behaviour.
• An ALDI spokesperson condemned the practice, stating that this behaviour is clearly unacceptable and will be treated as theft.

Unfortunately, scammers are becoming increasingly more creative and more brazen by the day. Have you noticed anything similar happening in your local store? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!

 

[freedy50]

I'll file this under things that never happened.

I go to 3 or 4 local Aldis at various times and have never seen anyone hanging around by the eggs swapping them around.
I open boxes of the jumbo eggs myself just to check none are broken before I buy them.

I seem to be too honest to even think of doing this.

 

[Colette 3799]

I’ve seen this happen when buying eggs from the farm gate. They had small eggs already cartoned and the larger ones loose in a basket to put in carton yourself. People would swap the small ones with the loose ones to save a dollar. At least people weren’t getting caged eggs in this instance as all were hens on pasture but still theft

 

[Loubeauxarts]

Maybe stamp free range eggs on the shell so the checkout person can check at register. Just a thought

 

[Mr Chips]

I do not condone this practice and agree that it is shoplifting and should be treated as such but I do have a couple of comments.
I think maybe the poor souls who carry out this moronic act are people in need and it is going to get worse with the rising cost of living.
CCTV is basically useless as no one in the store management is likely to be watching the event happen. Even reporting it to the police as they would have better things to do.
For protection, especially during transport and carrying home, the eggs should be sealed in tight clear plastic wrap but unfortunately, that is an issue all by itself.
There is really no way of stopping this except when another customer who witnesses it has the fortitude to report it quickly. This can present its own risks though.
Have no answers but as I said I do not condone it.

 

[Rosalie30]

I don't think the word 'scammer' accurately describes these people. These are 'shoplifters' - plain and simple. Report this to management or security.

Finding staff in an Aldi store is like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack. Good luck with that!

 

[Thecheesequeen]

Or a checkout person, there is always a worker around the self checkouts

My two closest Aldi stores don’t (yet)have self serve checkouts.

 

[Suzanne rose]

I do not condone this practice and agree that it is shoplifting and should be treated as such but I do have a couple of comments.
I think maybe the poor souls who carry out this moronic act are people in need and it is going to get worse with the rising cost of living.
CCTV is basically useless as no one in the store management is likely to be watching the event happen. Even reporting it to the police as they would have better things to do.
For protection, especially during transport and carrying home, the eggs should be sealed in tight clear plastic wrap but unfortunately, that is an issue all by itself.
There is really no way of stopping this except when another customer who witnesses it has the fortitude to report it quickly. This can present its own risks though.
Have no answers but as I said I do not condone it.

If they are poor and desperate why swap it for a better egg !!

 

[Gsr]

What a lot of trouble to go to for a couple of dollars, and the risk of getting a criminal record just wouldn’t be worth it. I work at Bunnings and the latest scam there is stealing a rechargeable battery out of a rechargeable gardening kit so they don’t have to buy a new battery. There is also an increase in the number of thieves swapping old boots for new, or putting thongs in boot boxes and putting the box back on the shelf and walking out wearing the new boots. I know people are struggling but there is no excuse for being a thief.

 

[Mr Chips]

If they are poor and desperate why swap it for a better egg !!

Think about what you just said. It's always nice when people answer their own questions.

 

[Mr Chips]

What a lot of trouble to go to for a couple of dollars, and the risk of getting a criminal record just wouldn’t be worth it. I work at Bunnings and the latest scam there is stealing a rechargeable battery out of a rechargeable gardening kit so they don’t have to buy a new battery. There is also an increase in the number of thieves swapping old boots for new, or putting thongs in boot boxes and putting the box back on the shelf and walking out wearing the new boots. I know people are struggling but there is no excuse for being a thief.

Sometimes there is no alternative.

 

[BlackWolf]

Could put a safety seal. on to stop the swap, but I know everyone like me opens the carton to check for breakage. I think may stamping the egg itself may help and the person at the register checks to see if the correct eggs are in the carton.

 

[gordon1940]

It is a pity that Free Range Eggs cannot be easily identified. Could they be stamped with, say, a Green colored tick??

 

[Penny4]

I've never witnessed it, but a few people I know have seen people swap free range and organic ones in Woolworths. They wanted the dearer organic eggs.

 

[Joydie]

How interesting that all the comments here either condemn the person doing the swapping (rightly so it is theft after all) or take a potshot at the egg producers, but no one has paid a thought for the next customer who wants the free range eggs and is prepared to pay extra for them yet will unknowingly get the cage eggs. They are left paying money for something they are not getting and don't know they are not getting and with no way to obtain reparation for the theft. This is not a victimless crime and the victim is not the store but the next customer.

I thought I addressed it in my answer above yours. We were the victims of this scam. And we weren't happy!

They must be a shoftlifter with ethics!

It's pretty obvious that, unlike my husband and I, you haven't been affected by this. Instead of two large eggs in a recipe, I had to use three or four small eggs. We're small eaters, but instead of three scrambled eggs being enough for both of us as it usually is, we needed five. We got through the dozen in no time.

We're on a very limited income as aged pensioners and restrict ourselves to a dozen extra large eggs a fortnight. It's theft pure and simple and yes! I will get 'excited' about it.

 

[Kayer02]

This and going through the boxes, selecting the largest eggs and placing them in the box they intend to purchase, this practice puts the retailer in danger of selling underweight goods

This behaviour is beyond belief. and you also have to worry where those grubby little hands have been..Had they previously gone to the loo and forgot to wash their hands..Eek !! Disgusting shoplifting critters.

 

[chinkapook]

It is disgusting what they have done. They should be fined. Imagine buying free range and going home to find out they were caged ones

 

[chips]

I.ve seen it in Coles I reported it but nothing was done

 

[RhodaStarr]

While we at the Seniors Discount Club are always up for a bit of bargain hunting, especially at the supermarket, we believe in practising it ethically. Unfortunately, not everyone shares these values.

Recently, a new ‘scam’ was discovered by a shopper at their local ALDI supermarket – and it left honest customers in shock and outrage.

An ALDI customer shared her distressing observations about an ‘appalling’ new supermarket scam that she's allegedly witnessed multiple times at her local store.

Taking to a popular Facebook page for ALDI shoppers, the customer detailed her experience of seeing fraudulent customers swapping free-range eggs for ‘caged’ ones in an attempt to pay less.

View attachment 21885

The shopper uploaded photos alongside her post. Credit: Facebook

This deceitful tactic allows dishonest shoppers to take home the premium $6.49 free-range eggs at the lower ‘caged’ egg price of just $4.39.

While it might be saving them a dollar or two, this kind of behaviour is not only unethical but also illegal.

Hesitant to confront the culprits due to her own mental health, the concerned shopper asked for advice on how to address the issue with her local store.

‘It’s my second time seeing ALDI customers swap cage eggs to free range,’ she said.

View attachment 21886

The shopper asked for advice from her fellow customers. Credit: Facebook

‘I’m the type of person that’ll shy out if I were to confront them due to my mental illness. Any advice, please?’ The shopper continued.

The post caught the attention of other social media users, who encouraged her to speak to the store’s management.

Many customers were astonished by the audacity of the scammers.

One ALDI shopper expressed their disbelief, saying: ‘Imagine doing that – and only to save $1 or $2? That’s absolutely ridiculous.’

Another added: ‘To think that people would swap over a dozen eggs and risk getting caught for shoplifting? Such disgraceful behaviour.’

‘That’s dreadful. At the end of the day, it’s theft,’ one stated.

‘That is a new low. Wow,’ another wrote.

While one more added: ‘Really! That’s horrid on every level. What, people care about the welfare of hens but are not prepared to pay for it?’

‘I purchase free range. If someone had swapped my eggs for caged, I would be furious! We pay good money for them! Please, please report this!’ One furious shopper explained.

Furthermore, the scam has exposed a stark level of hypocrisy among these individuals.

While the whole idea of buying free-range eggs is to support ethical chicken farming practices, these scammers are ironically making a choice to be unethical in their actions.

As one commenter highlighted, ‘It’s so ironic. Wanting the ethical eggs so bad you’ll be completely unethical and cause someone else to take home caged eggs? Thus, defeating the purpose?!’

Another echoed the sentiment, saying, ‘Why would anyone do that? That destroys the whole purpose of eating free-range eggs when you’re only supporting the caged egg company anyways’.

‘Just appalling on every level. The hypocrisy is that they are so concerned about hens that they want free range but are happy to steal to get them. Terrible business,’ someone else responded.

‘That’s unethical. What’s the point of swapping when the mindset is unethical already? Geez. It’s probably the same as stealing in this case,’ added one more customer.

Upon learning of the scam, ALDI management issued a statement condemning the practice. They said: ‘We have CCTV active in all our stores; this behaviour is clearly not acceptable, is theft, and will be treated as such.’

It pays to always keep an eye out for such fraudulent activities in your local supermarkets. Please feel free to inform store management when something seems like it needs to be corrected.

Together, we can maintain high integrity in our shopping experiences and ensure everyone has a fair chance to enjoy the benefits of ethical choices.

Key Takeaways

• An ALDI customer has spoken out about a new supermarket scam where shoppers swap eggs from a free-range carton to a pack of ‘caged’ eggs to pay a lower price.
• The dishonest customers are believed to be taking home the premium $6.49 free-range eggs at the lower ‘caged’ egg price of just $4.39.
• ALDI shoppers were quick to encourage the witness to speak to store management and speak out against the practice, calling it theft and disgraceful behaviour.
• An ALDI spokesperson condemned the practice, stating that this behaviour is clearly unacceptable and will be treated as theft.

Unfortunately, scammers are becoming increasingly more creative and more brazen by the day. Have you noticed anything similar happening in your local store? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!

 

[RhodaStarr]

This is theft and should be reported to the Police. Maybe like the razor blades, free-range eggs may end up being locked up in a cage and only released by the roaming staff. I am fed up with people stealing all sorts of things from Supermarkets and other stores that are forcing the prices up. And we the honest fools are paying for it.

 

[ElizabethL]

This is stealing and should be treated as such.
I dont understand why either the cameras haven't captured this or a worker.
The lady who saw this should have reported it straight away instead of posting on line.

Exactly. She should have spoken to a team member straight away.