Aussie mum left shocked by this little-known ALDI checkout rule
- Replies 47
Many shoppers love to add a cheap bottle of wine or two to their weekly shop. And ALDI is one of the places where you can get amazing deals on groceries and alcohol (depending on your state/territory). However, what many shoppers may not know is the store's policy when it comes to the sale of alcohol.
Case in point: One Victorian mum was refused service because of ALDI’s baffling checkout rule – and this got many other Aussies talking.
The unsuspecting shopper sparked a debate about the store's rules regarding the sale of alcohol after being refused service when her child touched a bottle of wine at the checkout.
Wondering if this was a standard ALDI policy, the mum shared her experience on a Facebook group for fans of the budget retailer.
According to the woman, she was shopping with her eight-year-old and nine-year-old and was already at the checkout when the incident happened.
‘I treated myself to a bottle of wine. I put it on the conveyor belt, and when it moved forward, my wine moved quickly, and my nine-year-old put his hand on it to stop it from rolling away,’ she recalled.
‘The lady at the register then told me she had to call the manager to confirm she could sell it to me as “the kid touched it”. WHAT?’ She continued.
Many responded to her post, including another Aussie mum who had a similar experience of being refused service at ALDI. She shared that she tried to buy a bottle of wine while shopping with her eight-month-old baby and was informed that the age limit for purchasing liquor had been temporarily increased to 30 years of age as a festival was being held in the area at the time.
Despite offering to put the wine back, the woman claimed that she was denied service and even prevented from purchasing her usual grocery items, including fruit and bread, and was asked to go to another register to finish shopping.
In another instance, Melbourne mum Rachael also revealed that she was denied a sale when she tried to buy a bottle of wine. This time, the mum had her teenage daughter with her.
While she claims that the teenager didn’t enter the alcohol section at her local store, the ALDI checkout worker ‘refused to back down’.
‘Went to [the] checkout with groceries and one bottle of rose and was told I would not be able to purchase a bottle of wine because I had a child with me,’ she shared.
‘The teenager in question did not so much as enter the alcohol section of the supermarket either, so not like she was ‘picking alcohol out’ for me to buy. [The] attendant flatly refused to back down, so I left without my wine...is this a new law?’ She continued.
Rachael added that this rule was ‘very inconvenient’ for mums who want to do their groceries at ALDI and buy wine.
It is understood that a sale can be refused by an ALDI employee if a minor has handled alcohol. This is because it could potentially be purchased by an adult for the minor’s consumption.
According to ALDI’s website:
‘We adhere to the Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) and are always on the side of caution. Under the Liquor Control Reform Act 1998, it is an offence:
In order to ensure complete compliance with the Act, we do not allow alcohol to be sold to persons accompanied by a minor or to persons under the age of 18.’
This is because it is the store’s responsibility to refuse any customer who presents a risk and the discretion of the cashier to decline a sale should they have any doubts or concerns.
The maximum penalties for selling or supplying alcohol to minors on licenced premises vary per state. In NSW, it includes a fine of $11,000 and/or 12 months in jail. In Victoria, adults who break the law face fines of more than $7,000.
‘As a responsible retailer, ALDI Australia supports and adheres to all regulations for the purchase of alcohol, including Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA),’ a spokesperson for ALDI said in a previous report.
‘There are severe consequences for breaching laws and policies set in place by the Australian government involving the sale of alcohol. As such, ALDI faces heavy penalties should we sell alcohol to any customer who supplied it to a person under the age of 18,’ they explained.
Did you know about this rule? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!
Case in point: One Victorian mum was refused service because of ALDI’s baffling checkout rule – and this got many other Aussies talking.
The unsuspecting shopper sparked a debate about the store's rules regarding the sale of alcohol after being refused service when her child touched a bottle of wine at the checkout.
Wondering if this was a standard ALDI policy, the mum shared her experience on a Facebook group for fans of the budget retailer.
According to the woman, she was shopping with her eight-year-old and nine-year-old and was already at the checkout when the incident happened.
Other shoppers were shocked by the baffling rule. Credit: Markus Spiske/Pexels
‘I treated myself to a bottle of wine. I put it on the conveyor belt, and when it moved forward, my wine moved quickly, and my nine-year-old put his hand on it to stop it from rolling away,’ she recalled.
‘The lady at the register then told me she had to call the manager to confirm she could sell it to me as “the kid touched it”. WHAT?’ She continued.
Many responded to her post, including another Aussie mum who had a similar experience of being refused service at ALDI. She shared that she tried to buy a bottle of wine while shopping with her eight-month-old baby and was informed that the age limit for purchasing liquor had been temporarily increased to 30 years of age as a festival was being held in the area at the time.
Despite offering to put the wine back, the woman claimed that she was denied service and even prevented from purchasing her usual grocery items, including fruit and bread, and was asked to go to another register to finish shopping.
Another shopper was refused a sale while shopping with her baby. Credit: Magda Ehlers/Pexels
In another instance, Melbourne mum Rachael also revealed that she was denied a sale when she tried to buy a bottle of wine. This time, the mum had her teenage daughter with her.
While she claims that the teenager didn’t enter the alcohol section at her local store, the ALDI checkout worker ‘refused to back down’.
‘Went to [the] checkout with groceries and one bottle of rose and was told I would not be able to purchase a bottle of wine because I had a child with me,’ she shared.
‘The teenager in question did not so much as enter the alcohol section of the supermarket either, so not like she was ‘picking alcohol out’ for me to buy. [The] attendant flatly refused to back down, so I left without my wine...is this a new law?’ She continued.
Rachael added that this rule was ‘very inconvenient’ for mums who want to do their groceries at ALDI and buy wine.
It is understood that a sale can be refused by an ALDI employee if a minor has handled alcohol. This is because it could potentially be purchased by an adult for the minor’s consumption.
According to ALDI’s website:
‘We adhere to the Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) and are always on the side of caution. Under the Liquor Control Reform Act 1998, it is an offence:
(a) to supply alcohol to a person under the age of 18 and
(b) for a person under the age of 18 to purchase or receive alcohol.
In order to ensure complete compliance with the Act, we do not allow alcohol to be sold to persons accompanied by a minor or to persons under the age of 18.’
This is because it is the store’s responsibility to refuse any customer who presents a risk and the discretion of the cashier to decline a sale should they have any doubts or concerns.
The maximum penalties for selling or supplying alcohol to minors on licenced premises vary per state. In NSW, it includes a fine of $11,000 and/or 12 months in jail. In Victoria, adults who break the law face fines of more than $7,000.
‘As a responsible retailer, ALDI Australia supports and adheres to all regulations for the purchase of alcohol, including Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA),’ a spokesperson for ALDI said in a previous report.
‘There are severe consequences for breaching laws and policies set in place by the Australian government involving the sale of alcohol. As such, ALDI faces heavy penalties should we sell alcohol to any customer who supplied it to a person under the age of 18,’ they explained.
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Told her it was against store policy for a minor to touch alcohol but also refused to carry it to her car for her. In the end he compromised by putting it on the floor for her and she managed to manouver it with her feet over to and through the door where her son then picked it up and carried it to the car. That bottle shop lost my sisters business real quick.
