Why shopping at ALDI might not save you as much as you think!
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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.
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.
‘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.
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!
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.
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