We’ve all heard or read it somewhere before – ALDI is the ‘cheapest’ grocery option among the major supermarkets across the country.

This is why many find ALDI an alluring place to shop. Just recently, a reporter with a $50 budget put three of Australia’s top supermarkets to the test to find out which one would give her the most value for money. By the end, ALDI was the clear winner. You can read the details of her ‘experiment’ here.

As great as that sounds, there’s still one reason why shopping at ALDI isn’t as budget-friendly as we think.

Journalist Mary Madigan was considering buying a three-in-one bathroom heater, an exhaust fan and light in ALDI’s middle aisles when she realised that shopping at the ‘cheapest grocery store’ is costing her more.

‘ALDI has long been heralded as the affordable place to get your groceries – the oasis of bargains. Sure, it isn’t as glitzy as Coles and Woolworths, but you can buy more for less,’ she stated.

And while she agrees with most people (to an extent) that ALDI is one of the most affordable places to go grocery shopping, she could also sympathise with those who are ‘sick of hearing’ why ALDI is the ‘best’ out of the retailers in the country.

ALDI has always been the cheapest grocery store option, but can it really help you save more in the long run? Credit: emirkhan bal/Pexels

This comes after one anonymous shopper vented out their frustration at being told to just ‘shop at ALDI’ to solve their budgetary needs.

‘Stuff is cheaper at ALDI, yes. Some stuff. A lot of stuff, but not all of it. And OK, cool, you save a few bucks on a shop. Awesome. I have ten more dollars this week! I’ll definitely get a house with that ten dollars,’ they said. You can read the rest of the shopper’s rant – and what other social media users had to say about it – in this article.

Ms Madigan shared that if people really wanted to save money by shopping at ALDI, they’ll have to resist the urge to check out the ‘middle aisle’.

‘And good luck with that,’ she stated.

‘The iconic Special Buys section of every ALDI store is crammed full of bargains, with new stock released every Wednesday and Saturday. It isn’t uncommon to see droves of people lining up outside an ALDI, clambering to get their mitts on anything from televisions to gumboots,’ Ms Madigan continued before saying that ‘the aisle of dreams weakens us all’.

She then said that while you might think you’re ‘saving a fortune’ by purchasing a coffee at the retail giant, it’s not as impressive when you come out of the store with a tent or a new drill.

‘“Savings” may actually be a misnomer,’ she explained.

Is ALDI truly ‘budget-friendly’? Credit: ALDI Australia

‘Are you actually coming out ahead financially?’ She asked before claiming that the Special Buys aisle, which is always situated right in the middle of the store, features ‘anything and everything’ that people don’t necessarily need.

‘Want a pair of skis? They’ve got it. A heater? It’s there. A new yellow toaster? No problem. Its middle location makes it almost impossible to avoid, and the temptation is hard to ignore,’ she stated.

Ms Madigan continued to say that she knew she wasn’t the only one ‘struggling against the pull’ of the middle aisle.

According to the journalist, a Facebook group made for bargain-hunting mums shared their concerns that ALDI isn’t the most budget-friendly supermarket because the middle aisle was ‘a money pit’.

One shared that they were only able to ‘survive their ALDI trip’ by keeping their eyes away from the middle aisle. ‘It takes a lot of willpower,’ they added.

Another admitted that they stopped coming to the store with their credit card to mitigate their ‘compulsive spending habits’.

‘I started taking cash instead, and I find I have that in my mind as I fill the trolley,’ the shopper claimed before admitting that the plan wasn’t ‘foolproof’.

‘I do buy things from the middle aisle depending on what they have,’ the shopper added.

One more shared that the middle aisle eventually saw her break up with the retailer.

‘I no longer shop at ALDI,’ the shopper stated.

Others shared their techniques to avoid falling for the ‘allure of the middle aisle’.

‘I go there first! Take what I think looks good, do my shopping, and then if I really want the item or really need the item, I’ll get it,’ one wrote.

The shopper explained that by tackling the middle aisle first, the ‘thrill’ of looking at the discounted items wears off by the time they get to the cash register. ‘There’s less chance of impulse buying a camping chair,’ they added.

Ms Madigan then said she put a call out on her social media pages to ask more ALDI shoppers what they’ve been buying from the store – aside from their weekly food shop.

‘One confessed she’d bought everything from “thermals [to] gardening supplies,” adding she’d also bought pickles in bulk,’ the journalist shared before adding that another shopper claimed they’d become distracted during grocery shopping.

This led the shopper to buy ‘arts and crafts for the kids, children’s books, and slippers’ instead.

One admitted to buying a unicycle, while another revealed they ended up buying ‘an air fryer, snowboarding gear, and a kilo of olives’ while out grocery shopping.

One customer secured an ‘office chair, lawnmower and meat slicer’ in one shopping trip.

Another bragged they’d grabbed a ‘70-inch television for $800’. ‘Cracker deal,’ they said.

Key Takeaways

• ALDI is considered the cheapest grocery option, beating Coles and Woolworths in a $50 shopping test.
• However, shoppers may struggle to save money at ALDI due to the allure of the middle aisle's Special Buys section, which features a variety of non-grocery items.
• Some customers have found ways to avoid or manage the temptation of the middle aisle, such as using cash instead of a credit card or visiting the aisle first to let the 'thrill' wear off.
• Shoppers have purchased a wide range of items in addition to their groceries, from snowboarding gear to office chairs and even unicycles.

Members, has the middle aisle of ALDI been your downfall or have you found a way to resist the temptation? Share your stories and tips in the comments below!

 

[mOiOz]

It's not fair to blame Aldi for YOUR compulsive buying, or the bank, for giving you a credit card. YOU are the one who accepted it.
It's almost as ridiculous as shoplifters blaming shops for displaying such lovely goods they can't afford to purchase!
My only gripe with Aldi is that they don't have home delivery... very sad, because it's the elderly and disabled who need the discounts most of all, but cannot acquire them.

 

[Chrisalis]

Did you actually need all those things you bought from the middle aisle? I check the catalogue and only go into ALDI if I know they have everyday items I want to purchase or something from the middle aisle that I need. Nothing else gets bought.

 

[Wendyfraser]

We’ve all heard or read it somewhere before – ALDI is the ‘cheapest’ grocery option among the major supermarkets across the country.

This is why many find ALDI an alluring place to shop. Just recently, a reporter with a $50 budget put three of Australia’s top supermarkets to the test to find out which one would give her the most value for money. By the end, ALDI was the clear winner. You can read the details of her ‘experiment’ here.

As great as that sounds, there’s still one reason why shopping at ALDI isn’t as budget-friendly as we think.

Journalist Mary Madigan was considering buying a three-in-one bathroom heater, an exhaust fan and light in ALDI’s middle aisles when she realised that shopping at the ‘cheapest grocery store’ is costing her more.

‘ALDI has long been heralded as the affordable place to get your groceries – the oasis of bargains. Sure, it isn’t as glitzy as Coles and Woolworths, but you can buy more for less,’ she stated.

And while she agrees with most people (to an extent) that ALDI is one of the most affordable places to go grocery shopping, she could also sympathise with those who are ‘sick of hearing’ why ALDI is the ‘best’ out of the retailers in the country.

View attachment 17409

ALDI has always been the cheapest grocery store option, but can it really help you save more in the long run? Credit: emirkhan bal/Pexels

This comes after one anonymous shopper vented out their frustration at being told to just ‘shop at ALDI’ to solve their budgetary needs.

‘Stuff is cheaper at ALDI, yes. Some stuff. A lot of stuff, but not all of it. And OK, cool, you save a few bucks on a shop. Awesome. I have ten more dollars this week! I’ll definitely get a house with that ten dollars,’ they said. You can read the rest of the shopper’s rant – and what other social media users had to say about it – in this article.

Ms Madigan shared that if people really wanted to save money by shopping at ALDI, they’ll have to resist the urge to check out the ‘middle aisle’.

‘And good luck with that,’ she stated.

‘The iconic Special Buys section of every ALDI store is crammed full of bargains, with new stock released every Wednesday and Saturday. It isn’t uncommon to see droves of people lining up outside an ALDI, clambering to get their mitts on anything from televisions to gumboots,’ Ms Madigan continued before saying that ‘the aisle of dreams weakens us all’.

She then said that while you might think you’re ‘saving a fortune’ by purchasing a coffee at the retail giant, it’s not as impressive when you come out of the store with a tent or a new drill.

‘“Savings” may actually be a misnomer,’ she explained.

View attachment 17408

Is ALDI truly ‘budget-friendly’? Credit: ALDI Australia

‘Are you actually coming out ahead financially?’ She asked before claiming that the Special Buys aisle, which is always situated right in the middle of the store, features ‘anything and everything’ that people don’t necessarily need.

‘Want a pair of skis? They’ve got it. A heater? It’s there. A new yellow toaster? No problem. Its middle location makes it almost impossible to avoid, and the temptation is hard to ignore,’ she stated.

Ms Madigan continued to say that she knew she wasn’t the only one ‘struggling against the pull’ of the middle aisle.

According to the journalist, a Facebook group made for bargain-hunting mums shared their concerns that ALDI isn’t the most budget-friendly supermarket because the middle aisle was ‘a money pit’.

One shared that they were only able to ‘survive their ALDI trip’ by keeping their eyes away from the middle aisle. ‘It takes a lot of willpower,’ they added.

Another admitted that they stopped coming to the store with their credit card to mitigate their ‘compulsive spending habits’.

‘I started taking cash instead, and I find I have that in my mind as I fill the trolley,’ the shopper claimed before admitting that the plan wasn’t ‘foolproof’.

‘I do buy things from the middle aisle depending on what they have,’ the shopper added.

One more shared that the middle aisle eventually saw her break up with the retailer.

‘I no longer shop at ALDI,’ the shopper stated.

Others shared their techniques to avoid falling for the ‘allure of the middle aisle’.

‘I go there first! Take what I think looks good, do my shopping, and then if I really want the item or really need the item, I’ll get it,’ one wrote.

The shopper explained that by tackling the middle aisle first, the ‘thrill’ of looking at the discounted items wears off by the time they get to the cash register. ‘There’s less chance of impulse buying a camping chair,’ they added.

Ms Madigan then said she put a call out on her social media pages to ask more ALDI shoppers what they’ve been buying from the store – aside from their weekly food shop.

‘One confessed she’d bought everything from “thermals [to] gardening supplies,” adding she’d also bought pickles in bulk,’ the journalist shared before adding that another shopper claimed they’d become distracted during grocery shopping.

This led the shopper to buy ‘arts and crafts for the kids, children’s books, and slippers’ instead.

One admitted to buying a unicycle, while another revealed they ended up buying ‘an air fryer, snowboarding gear, and a kilo of olives’ while out grocery shopping.

One customer secured an ‘office chair, lawnmower and meat slicer’ in one shopping trip.

Another bragged they’d grabbed a ‘70-inch television for $800’. ‘Cracker deal,’ they said.

Key Takeaways

• ALDI is considered the cheapest grocery option, beating Coles and Woolworths in a $50 shopping test.
• However, shoppers may struggle to save money at ALDI due to the allure of the middle aisle's Special Buys section, which features a variety of non-grocery items.
• Some customers have found ways to avoid or manage the temptation of the middle aisle, such as using cash instead of a credit card or visiting the aisle first to let the 'thrill' wear off.
• Shoppers have purchased a wide range of items in addition to their groceries, from snowboarding gear to office chairs and even unicycles.

Members, has the middle aisle of ALDI been your downfall or have you found a way to resist the temptation? Share your stories and tips in the comments below!

 

[Wendyfraser]

We look at the middle aisle as we shop but very rarely buy anything. Aldi is great for grocery shopping, we just resist the temptation of the middle aisle

 

[Dougal]

We’ve all heard or read it somewhere before – ALDI is the ‘cheapest’ grocery option among the major supermarkets across the country.

This is why many find ALDI an alluring place to shop. Just recently, a reporter with a $50 budget put three of Australia’s top supermarkets to the test to find out which one would give her the most value for money. By the end, ALDI was the clear winner. You can read the details of her ‘experiment’ here.

As great as that sounds, there’s still one reason why shopping at ALDI isn’t as budget-friendly as we think.

Journalist Mary Madigan was considering buying a three-in-one bathroom heater, an exhaust fan and light in ALDI’s middle aisles when she realised that shopping at the ‘cheapest grocery store’ is costing her more.

‘ALDI has long been heralded as the affordable place to get your groceries – the oasis of bargains. Sure, it isn’t as glitzy as Coles and Woolworths, but you can buy more for less,’ she stated.

And while she agrees with most people (to an extent) that ALDI is one of the most affordable places to go grocery shopping, she could also sympathise with those who are ‘sick of hearing’ why ALDI is the ‘best’ out of the retailers in the country.

View attachment 17409

ALDI has always been the cheapest grocery store option, but can it really help you save more in the long run? Credit: emirkhan bal/Pexels

This comes after one anonymous shopper vented out their frustration at being told to just ‘shop at ALDI’ to solve their budgetary needs.

‘Stuff is cheaper at ALDI, yes. Some stuff. A lot of stuff, but not all of it. And OK, cool, you save a few bucks on a shop. Awesome. I have ten more dollars this week! I’ll definitely get a house with that ten dollars,’ they said. You can read the rest of the shopper’s rant – and what other social media users had to say about it – in this article.

Ms Madigan shared that if people really wanted to save money by shopping at ALDI, they’ll have to resist the urge to check out the ‘middle aisle’.

‘And good luck with that,’ she stated.

‘The iconic Special Buys section of every ALDI store is crammed full of bargains, with new stock released every Wednesday and Saturday. It isn’t uncommon to see droves of people lining up outside an ALDI, clambering to get their mitts on anything from televisions to gumboots,’ Ms Madigan continued before saying that ‘the aisle of dreams weakens us all’.

She then said that while you might think you’re ‘saving a fortune’ by purchasing a coffee at the retail giant, it’s not as impressive when you come out of the store with a tent or a new drill.

‘“Savings” may actually be a misnomer,’ she explained.

View attachment 17408

Is ALDI truly ‘budget-friendly’? Credit: ALDI Australia

‘Are you actually coming out ahead financially?’ She asked before claiming that the Special Buys aisle, which is always situated right in the middle of the store, features ‘anything and everything’ that people don’t necessarily need.

‘Want a pair of skis? They’ve got it. A heater? It’s there. A new yellow toaster? No problem. Its middle location makes it almost impossible to avoid, and the temptation is hard to ignore,’ she stated.

Ms Madigan continued to say that she knew she wasn’t the only one ‘struggling against the pull’ of the middle aisle.

According to the journalist, a Facebook group made for bargain-hunting mums shared their concerns that ALDI isn’t the most budget-friendly supermarket because the middle aisle was ‘a money pit’.

One shared that they were only able to ‘survive their ALDI trip’ by keeping their eyes away from the middle aisle. ‘It takes a lot of willpower,’ they added.

Another admitted that they stopped coming to the store with their credit card to mitigate their ‘compulsive spending habits’.

‘I started taking cash instead, and I find I have that in my mind as I fill the trolley,’ the shopper claimed before admitting that the plan wasn’t ‘foolproof’.

‘I do buy things from the middle aisle depending on what they have,’ the shopper added.

One more shared that the middle aisle eventually saw her break up with the retailer.

‘I no longer shop at ALDI,’ the shopper stated.

Others shared their techniques to avoid falling for the ‘allure of the middle aisle’.

‘I go there first! Take what I think looks good, do my shopping, and then if I really want the item or really need the item, I’ll get it,’ one wrote.

The shopper explained that by tackling the middle aisle first, the ‘thrill’ of looking at the discounted items wears off by the time they get to the cash register. ‘There’s less chance of impulse buying a camping chair,’ they added.

Ms Madigan then said she put a call out on her social media pages to ask more ALDI shoppers what they’ve been buying from the store – aside from their weekly food shop.

‘One confessed she’d bought everything from “thermals [to] gardening supplies,” adding she’d also bought pickles in bulk,’ the journalist shared before adding that another shopper claimed they’d become distracted during grocery shopping.

This led the shopper to buy ‘arts and crafts for the kids, children’s books, and slippers’ instead.

One admitted to buying a unicycle, while another revealed they ended up buying ‘an air fryer, snowboarding gear, and a kilo of olives’ while out grocery shopping.

One customer secured an ‘office chair, lawnmower and meat slicer’ in one shopping trip.

Another bragged they’d grabbed a ‘70-inch television for $800’. ‘Cracker deal,’ they said.

Key Takeaways

• ALDI is considered the cheapest grocery option, beating Coles and Woolworths in a $50 shopping test.
• However, shoppers may struggle to save money at ALDI due to the allure of the middle aisle's Special Buys section, which features a variety of non-grocery items.
• Some customers have found ways to avoid or manage the temptation of the middle aisle, such as using cash instead of a credit card or visiting the aisle first to let the 'thrill' wear off.
• Shoppers have purchased a wide range of items in addition to their groceries, from snowboarding gear to office chairs and even unicycles.

Members, has the middle aisle of ALDI been your downfall or have you found a way to resist the temptation? Share your stories and tips in the comments below!

I have an interesting anecdote about Aldi, but before I share it with you I need to make it clear that I don’t like shopping at Aldi for the reasons detailed below.

Unfortunately, I have no choice because I do the shopping for my wife, who is mobility-impaired so she can’t shop personally for her favourite Aldi products.

These are the reasons I don’t like shopping at Aldi:

* There is rarely more than one register open even at peak times, so the wait time to check out can be extremely frustrating.

Aldi are the only supermarket that doesn’t have self-checkouts, so you’ve no choice but to wait.

* When there is a rare PA announcement of a register opening, there is a typical 5-minute wait for the operator to actually get to the register.

I used to rush with others on seeing the displayed register number change from red to green.

However abandoned doing that because I found it better to stay in the now-depleted current queue and let others waste their time waiting for the other register to open.

* There is no service desk

So when you have a product to return, you have wait patiently at the usual single open register; then have a dialogue with the register operator whilst being frowned on by the long queue of waiting customers.

* Register operators do not bag your products.

Aldi obviously reckoned it would improve register operators productivity by not bagging.

However the operator takes the same time in sliding the scanned product towards you as they would in dropping it into a bag.

So the result is that there is no benefit to Aldi, but extra work for the customer.

To keep up with the operator’s scanning, the customer has to frantically throw the products into their trolley; then go to the customer counter to do the bagging: a classic case of double-handling.

And whilst the customer was at the register filling their trolley then paying, the register operator couldn’t serve the next customer in any case, so there is no increase in operator productivity.

* There are no product category signs in the aisles.

There is thus a continual need to find an Aldi staff member to enquire where a particular product is located (if you can find a staff member!)

Now the anecdote.

All Aldi’s products are priced to end in 9c.

Historically in all retail outlets, a $10 product for example would be priced at $9.99.

The philosophy was that naïve customers would regard the price as $9 instead of $10, so thinking they are getting a bargain.

That marketing ploy started in pre-history before credit cards, so the store got it’s 1c back as the customer had to pay $10 in cash.

Now that cash is in the minority, that practice has largely been discontinued because the store is losing 1c per sold item on credit card payments which adds up to a significant sum on the total annual sales.

The exception is Aldi where EVERY product is priced to end in 9c.

So Aldi naively believes that a customer seeing a product priced at 29c will think it’s 20c.

Recently as I was walking down an aisle at Aldi my eyes nearly popped out on seeing a product priced at 75c.

They nearly popped out again on seeing an Aldi staff member further down the aisle; I rubbed my eyes; yes it was an Aldi staff member actually on the sales floor!

“Excuse me” I said, with pointed finger, “There is a price error on a product down the aisle”

“Where about?” he said as he started to walk down the aisle.

We walked together to the shelf with the 75c product.

“Look” I said, pointing to the product “It should be 79c”

“Oh” he exclaimed, “thanks very much for letting us know, I’ll get it fixed straight away!”

As mentioned, Aldi Australia stores have the following defects;

• Typically only one register open
• Delay in manning an announced opening register
• No self-checkouts
• Operators don’t bag your purchases
• No signage in aisles
• All prices end with 9c
• Hard to find staff on the sales floor

 

[Thecheesequeen]

Agree with you wholeheartedly, except for the ‘no self-serve lane’. I hate self-service, and I hate Aldi. And I don’t find their groceries cheaper than plain label products from other supermarkets.

 

[Colette 3799]

I basically only shop there when I see something I need/want from the middle isle in the catalog. Then I might pick up a few groceries as well.

 

[Dougal]

Agree with you wholeheartedly, except for the ‘no self-serve lane’. I hate self-service, and I hate Aldi. And I don’t find their groceries cheaper than plain label products from other supermarkets.

All supermarkets (except Aldi) have self serve registers which benefits those customers who use them when they don't have the time (or patience) to wait in a long queue at the manned checkout.
The reason why Aldi don't have self serve is because the self serve area needs to be overseen by a staff member to monitor and assist customers; but Aldi regards cost savings on not providing staff as more important than customer service.

 

[Ricci]

Are there really that many people out there that have little or no willpower?
How can anyone in all conscience put items from the middle aisles into their trolley when they know that money is tight, and to buy that new gizmo means that other areas of your grocery shop is going to suffer?
I would be embarrassed to admit that I couldn't control myself when passing those bright shiny geegaws.

 

[Joy Rush]

I have an interesting anecdote about Aldi, but before I share it with you I need to make it clear that I don’t like shopping at Aldi for the reasons detailed below.

Unfortunately, I have no choice because I do the shopping for my wife, who is mobility-impaired so she can’t shop personally for her favourite Aldi products.

These are the reasons I don’t like shopping at Aldi:

* There is rarely more than one register open even at peak times, so the wait time to check out can be extremely frustrating.

Aldi are the only supermarket that doesn’t have self-checkouts, so you’ve no choice but to wait.

* When there is a rare PA announcement of a register opening, there is a typical 5-minute wait for the operator to actually get to the register.

I used to rush with others on seeing the displayed register number change from red to green.

However abandoned doing that because I found it better to stay in the now-depleted current queue and let others waste their time waiting for the other register to open.

* There is no service desk

So when you have a product to return, you have wait patiently at the usual single open register; then have a dialogue with the register operator whilst being frowned on by the long queue of waiting customers.

* Register operators do not bag your products.

Aldi obviously reckoned it would improve register operators productivity by not bagging.

However the operator takes the same time in sliding the scanned product towards you as they would in dropping it into a bag.

So the result is that there is no benefit to Aldi, but extra work for the customer.

To keep up with the operator’s scanning, the customer has to frantically throw the products into their trolley; then go to the customer counter to do the bagging: a classic case of double-handling.

And whilst the customer was at the register filling their trolley then paying, the register operator couldn’t serve the next customer in any case, so there is no increase in operator productivity.

* There are no product category signs in the aisles.

There is thus a continual need to find an Aldi staff member to enquire where a particular product is located (if you can find a staff member!)

Now the anecdote.

All Aldi’s products are priced to end in 9c.

Historically in all retail outlets, a $10 product for example would be priced at $9.99.

The philosophy was that naïve customers would regard the price as $9 instead of $10, so thinking they are getting a bargain.

That marketing ploy started in pre-history before credit cards, so the store got it’s 1c back as the customer had to pay $10 in cash.

Now that cash is in the minority, that practice has largely been discontinued because the store is losing 1c per sold item on credit card payments which adds up to a significant sum on the total annual sales.

The exception is Aldi where EVERY product is priced to end in 9c.

So Aldi naively believes that a customer seeing a product priced at 29c will think it’s 20c.

Recently as I was walking down an aisle at Aldi my eyes nearly popped out on seeing a product priced at 75c.

They nearly popped out again on seeing an Aldi staff member further down the aisle; I rubbed my eyes; yes it was an Aldi staff member actually on the sales floor!

“Excuse me” I said, with pointed finger, “There is a price error on a product down the aisle”

“Where about?” he said as he started to walk down the aisle.

We walked together to the shelf with the 75c product.

“Look” I said, pointing to the product “It should be 79c”

“Oh” he exclaimed, “thanks very much for letting us know, I’ll get it fixed straight away!”

As mentioned, Aldi Australia stores have the following defects;

• Typically only one register open
• Delay in manning an announced opening register
• No self-checkouts
• Operators don’t bag your purchases
• No signage in aisles
• All prices end with 9c
• Hard to find staff on the sales floor

 

[Joy Rush]

Is this world made up of wingers if you dont like the store ,dont go there ,do not become an author and write a composition about all the negatives ,try being a bit more positive you never know it may make the chore more enjoyable .

 

[Joy Rush]

Are there really that many people out there that have little or no willpower?
How can anyone in all conscience put items from the middle aisles into their trolley when they know that money is tight, and to buy that new gizmo means that other areas of your grocery shop is going to suffer?
I would be embarrassed to admit that I couldn't control myself when passing those bright shiny geegaws.

 

[Joy Rush]

I agree ,the world has changed and its time people appreciate things more

 

[Dougal]

Is this world made up of wingers if you dont like the store ,dont go there ,do not become an author and write a composition about all the negatives ,try being a bit more positive you never know it may make the chore more enjoyable .

As advised, I am obliged to shop at Aldi.

If it were not for that obligation, I would never set foot in an Aldi store.

 

[Joy Rush]

All supermarkets (except Aldi) have self serve registers which benefits those customers who use them when they don't have the time (or patience) to wait in a long queue at the manned checkout.
The reason why Aldi don't have self serve is because the self serve area needs to be overseen by a staff member to monitor and assist customers; but Aldi regards cost savings on not providing staff as more important than customer service.

 

[Joy Rush]

Aldi DO have self service checkouts now,at least in the ones I go to .People need to slow down and take deep breathes instead of rushing about and getting all frustrated about the negatives ,at least we have a choice of where we shop in Australia.

 

[RTS]

I have an interesting anecdote about Aldi, but before I share it with you I need to make it clear that I don’t like shopping at Aldi for the reasons detailed below.

Unfortunately, I have no choice because I do the shopping for my wife, who is mobility-impaired so she can’t shop personally for her favourite Aldi products.

These are the reasons I don’t like shopping at Aldi:

* There is rarely more than one register open even at peak times, so the wait time to check out can be extremely frustrating.

Aldi are the only supermarket that doesn’t have self-checkouts, so you’ve no choice but to wait.

* When there is a rare PA announcement of a register opening, there is a typical 5-minute wait for the operator to actually get to the register.

I used to rush with others on seeing the displayed register number change from red to green.

However abandoned doing that because I found it better to stay in the now-depleted current queue and let others waste their time waiting for the other register to open.

* There is no service desk

So when you have a product to return, you have wait patiently at the usual single open register; then have a dialogue with the register operator whilst being frowned on by the long queue of waiting customers.

* Register operators do not bag your products.

Aldi obviously reckoned it would improve register operators productivity by not bagging.

However the operator takes the same time in sliding the scanned product towards you as they would in dropping it into a bag.

So the result is that there is no benefit to Aldi, but extra work for the customer.

To keep up with the operator’s scanning, the customer has to frantically throw the products into their trolley; then go to the customer counter to do the bagging: a classic case of double-handling.

And whilst the customer was at the register filling their trolley then paying, the register operator couldn’t serve the next customer in any case, so there is no increase in operator productivity.

* There are no product category signs in the aisles.

There is thus a continual need to find an Aldi staff member to enquire where a particular product is located (if you can find a staff member!)

Now the anecdote.

All Aldi’s products are priced to end in 9c.

Historically in all retail outlets, a $10 product for example would be priced at $9.99.

The philosophy was that naïve customers would regard the price as $9 instead of $10, so thinking they are getting a bargain.

That marketing ploy started in pre-history before credit cards, so the store got it’s 1c back as the customer had to pay $10 in cash.

Now that cash is in the minority, that practice has largely been discontinued because the store is losing 1c per sold item on credit card payments which adds up to a significant sum on the total annual sales.

The exception is Aldi where EVERY product is priced to end in 9c.

So Aldi naively believes that a customer seeing a product priced at 29c will think it’s 20c.

Recently as I was walking down an aisle at Aldi my eyes nearly popped out on seeing a product priced at 75c.

They nearly popped out again on seeing an Aldi staff member further down the aisle; I rubbed my eyes; yes it was an Aldi staff member actually on the sales floor!

“Excuse me” I said, with pointed finger, “There is a price error on a product down the aisle”

“Where about?” he said as he started to walk down the aisle.

We walked together to the shelf with the 75c product.

“Look” I said, pointing to the product “It should be 79c”

“Oh” he exclaimed, “thanks very much for letting us know, I’ll get it fixed straight away!”

As mentioned, Aldi Australia stores have the following defects;

• Typically only one register open
• Delay in manning an announced opening register
• No self-checkouts
• Operators don’t bag your purchases
• No signage in aisles
• All prices end with 9c
• Hard to find staff on the sales floor

Aldi offers lower prices because they have less staff and don't assist with bagging. If they changed this their prices would have to go up.

 

[Isis]

We’ve all heard or read it somewhere before – ALDI is the ‘cheapest’ grocery option among the major supermarkets across the country.

This is why many find ALDI an alluring place to shop. Just recently, a reporter with a $50 budget put three of Australia’s top supermarkets to the test to find out which one would give her the most value for money. By the end, ALDI was the clear winner. You can read the details of her ‘experiment’ here.

As great as that sounds, there’s still one reason why shopping at ALDI isn’t as budget-friendly as we think.

Journalist Mary Madigan was considering buying a three-in-one bathroom heater, an exhaust fan and light in ALDI’s middle aisles when she realised that shopping at the ‘cheapest grocery store’ is costing her more.

‘ALDI has long been heralded as the affordable place to get your groceries – the oasis of bargains. Sure, it isn’t as glitzy as Coles and Woolworths, but you can buy more for less,’ she stated.

And while she agrees with most people (to an extent) that ALDI is one of the most affordable places to go grocery shopping, she could also sympathise with those who are ‘sick of hearing’ why ALDI is the ‘best’ out of the retailers in the country.

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ALDI has always been the cheapest grocery store option, but can it really help you save more in the long run? Credit: emirkhan bal/Pexels

This comes after one anonymous shopper vented out their frustration at being told to just ‘shop at ALDI’ to solve their budgetary needs.

‘Stuff is cheaper at ALDI, yes. Some stuff. A lot of stuff, but not all of it. And OK, cool, you save a few bucks on a shop. Awesome. I have ten more dollars this week! I’ll definitely get a house with that ten dollars,’ they said. You can read the rest of the shopper’s rant – and what other social media users had to say about it – in this article.

Ms Madigan shared that if people really wanted to save money by shopping at ALDI, they’ll have to resist the urge to check out the ‘middle aisle’.

‘And good luck with that,’ she stated.

‘The iconic Special Buys section of every ALDI store is crammed full of bargains, with new stock released every Wednesday and Saturday. It isn’t uncommon to see droves of people lining up outside an ALDI, clambering to get their mitts on anything from televisions to gumboots,’ Ms Madigan continued before saying that ‘the aisle of dreams weakens us all’.

She then said that while you might think you’re ‘saving a fortune’ by purchasing a coffee at the retail giant, it’s not as impressive when you come out of the store with a tent or a new drill.

‘“Savings” may actually be a misnomer,’ she explained.

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Is ALDI truly ‘budget-friendly’? Credit: ALDI Australia

‘Are you actually coming out ahead financially?’ She asked before claiming that the Special Buys aisle, which is always situated right in the middle of the store, features ‘anything and everything’ that people don’t necessarily need.

‘Want a pair of skis? They’ve got it. A heater? It’s there. A new yellow toaster? No problem. Its middle location makes it almost impossible to avoid, and the temptation is hard to ignore,’ she stated.

Ms Madigan continued to say that she knew she wasn’t the only one ‘struggling against the pull’ of the middle aisle.

According to the journalist, a Facebook group made for bargain-hunting mums shared their concerns that ALDI isn’t the most budget-friendly supermarket because the middle aisle was ‘a money pit’.

One shared that they were only able to ‘survive their ALDI trip’ by keeping their eyes away from the middle aisle. ‘It takes a lot of willpower,’ they added.

Another admitted that they stopped coming to the store with their credit card to mitigate their ‘compulsive spending habits’.

‘I started taking cash instead, and I find I have that in my mind as I fill the trolley,’ the shopper claimed before admitting that the plan wasn’t ‘foolproof’.

‘I do buy things from the middle aisle depending on what they have,’ the shopper added.

One more shared that the middle aisle eventually saw her break up with the retailer.

‘I no longer shop at ALDI,’ the shopper stated.

Others shared their techniques to avoid falling for the ‘allure of the middle aisle’.

‘I go there first! Take what I think looks good, do my shopping, and then if I really want the item or really need the item, I’ll get it,’ one wrote.

The shopper explained that by tackling the middle aisle first, the ‘thrill’ of looking at the discounted items wears off by the time they get to the cash register. ‘There’s less chance of impulse buying a camping chair,’ they added.

Ms Madigan then said she put a call out on her social media pages to ask more ALDI shoppers what they’ve been buying from the store – aside from their weekly food shop.

‘One confessed she’d bought everything from “thermals [to] gardening supplies,” adding she’d also bought pickles in bulk,’ the journalist shared before adding that another shopper claimed they’d become distracted during grocery shopping.

This led the shopper to buy ‘arts and crafts for the kids, children’s books, and slippers’ instead.

One admitted to buying a unicycle, while another revealed they ended up buying ‘an air fryer, snowboarding gear, and a kilo of olives’ while out grocery shopping.

One customer secured an ‘office chair, lawnmower and meat slicer’ in one shopping trip.

Another bragged they’d grabbed a ‘70-inch television for $800’. ‘Cracker deal,’ they said.

Key Takeaways

• ALDI is considered the cheapest grocery option, beating Coles and Woolworths in a $50 shopping test.
• However, shoppers may struggle to save money at ALDI due to the allure of the middle aisle's Special Buys section, which features a variety of non-grocery items.
• Some customers have found ways to avoid or manage the temptation of the middle aisle, such as using cash instead of a credit card or visiting the aisle first to let the 'thrill' wear off.
• Shoppers have purchased a wide range of items in addition to their groceries, from snowboarding gear to office chairs and even unicycles.

Members, has the middle aisle of ALDI been your downfall or have you found a way to resist the temptation? Share your stories and tips in the comments below!

If eyes can goggle mine are Definately goggling If you don’t have money to spend on incidentals don’t spend it! My pension sees a very close watch on the spending so I Aldi shop the necessities first. Yes I buy from the middle aisle, if I need not just want the product. Childrens things are so good and are put away for Xmas and birthdays. Having said all that I came home with a can of paint and nothing at home that I actually wanted to paint.

 

[Nana Zorak]

All supermarkets (except Aldi) have self serve registers which benefits those customers who use them when they don't have the time (or patience) to wait in a long queue at the manned checkout.
The reason why Aldi don't have self serve is because the self serve area needs to be overseen by a staff member to monitor and assist customers; but Aldi regards cost savings on not providing staff as more important than customer service.

This Thursday I took my thank you cards for the staff at my local Aldi store. I took a dozen each with a short message thanking them for their service & hard work because I know not many people go out of their way to say thank you to the invisible shelf fillers & till operators. I handed out 10 of the 12. As I really don't know how many are on a shift at once but knowing Pension Day is always busy. It was gratifying to know I had made so many young people happy & to feel appreciated. One of the girls told me what a difference it makes when someone says thank you. They will as they told me pin the cards up in the staff room to remind them of my gesture. I also don't like a self-serve till as I don't work for the stores that do have them.