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ALDI 101: How To Shop At Aldi

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ALDI 101: How To Shop At Aldi | gimmesomeoven.com

ALDI 101 continues! For those of you who are just tuning in, I am taking a mini-break from recipe posting to share a 3-part series with you about one of my favorite places – ALDI! After my first post yesterday on Why I Shop At Aldi, we are continuing today with How To Shop At Aldi. Then be sure to tune in tomorrow too for What To Buy At Aldi.

As I mentioned yesterday, I do about 50% of my grocery shopping at Aldi and am a huge fan of the store. But without a doubt, there are a few quirks that differentiate Aldi from traditional grocery stores. So I thought it would be fun to do a little “how to” post about the entire shopping experience there — from planning your trip, to arriving, to finding your way around, to checking out, and then leaving with your bags and boxes of affordable Aldi goodness.

For those of you who have never set foot in an Aldi before, I really hope this will inspire you to give it a try. (And then you totally have to report back and tell me how it goes!!)  For those of you who haven’t been in years, or even those of you who go regularly, hopefully there will be a tidbit or two in here that you didn’t know that will make your shopping experience all the more Aldi-tastic. :)

Again, this series is not sponsored, endorsed, or in any way associated with the store. This is just something I wanted to do for fun to hopefully start a conversation about even more affordable grocery shopping, and share with you some of the reasons I really like shopping at Aldi!

Here goes…

ALDI 101: How To Shop At Aldi | gimmesomeoven.com

Planning Your Trip To Aldi: Store Hours & Weekly Ads

Store Hours

I mentioned yesterday that one important thing to note when planning a trip to Aldi is that they are not a 24/7 grocery store. They are only open during peak business hours, which in the US is typically 9am-8pm Monday-Saturday, and 10am-7pm on Sundays. So pencil that into your schedule!

Weekly Ads & Specials

Weekly ads are one of my favorite things about Aldi. In contrast to most grocery stores that publish their weekly ads the day they go into effect, Aldi always publishes their weekly ads and specials 2 weeks in advance every Wednesday. And the specials are always amazing!

ALDI 101: How To Shop At Aldi | gimmesomeoven.comThe weekly ads are usually condensed to a simple 4-page flyer, which can be found on their website, on their cool new app (where you can also find stores and create grocery lists), or you can even sign up to have the weekly special offers emailed to you. Then of course, once you are actually in the store, the current weekly ad flyer is available for you to pick up right as you walk in the door. And the upcoming week’s ad is posted in the window as you are leaving.

In addition to the weekly ad, don’t forget to check out these amazing specials which are posted on their website and marked in the store:

  • Special Buys — Every week, Aldi has a section in the middle of the store called “Special Buys”. The special buy items are usually all over the map — from food, to housewares to everything in between! Often they are mostly grouped around a theme, like the SuperBowl or Valentine’s or next week, for example, is apparently an Italian Pasta theme with everything from fresh pastas and sauces, to fancy olive oils, to stainless steel pasta pots, etc. They are totally worth checking out, as I have found all sorts of random things there over the years. And when those items go on clearance, they are even cheaper!
  • Fresh Meat Special Buys — Every Wednesday, Aldi publishes a fresh meat special buy, which is usually an amazing deal. (This week is an entire pot roast set with veggies for $7.99!)  These are advertised online and in stores, but be forewarned — they usually disappear quickly.
  • New Low Prices – Aldi also has an entire page on their website that they update whenever prices drop on certain items. It’s practically like another great weekly ad in and of itself.

Or You Can Skip The Planning…

…and be spontaneous and just show up to see what’s in the store that week! Again, the weekly flyers are always available just inside the door, so at minimum, be sure to grab one when you arrive.

 

ALDI 101: How To Shop At Aldi | gimmesomeoven.com

Arriving At Aldi: Carts, Bags & Boxes

One of the important distinctions about shopping at Aldi is that they do not provide you free bags or carts to carry your groceries. As I said yesterday, Aldi was green before “green” was cool. ;)

You can either bring your own reusable shopping bags to use when you grocery shop, or you can use Aldi’s carts, bags or boxes.

Carts

ALDI 101: How To Shop At Aldi | gimmesomeoven.comAldi always has a large section of carts housed just outside the front entrance, and they are technically free to use — but you have to pay a quarter to release a cart, and then your quarter is returned once you turn it back in. Or you can be a “quarter angel” and leave your quarter in the cart to surprise the customer coming after you. :)

This may go without saying, but just in case you’re iffy about releasing the cart, there is usually a tiny box up by each handle where the chains are connected. Just pop your quarter into the slot and pull. Then you’re ready to go!

Boxes

ALDI 101: How To Shop At Aldi | gimmesomeoven.comAnother option instead of (or in addition to) a grocery cart is to grab one of the cardboard boxes throughout the store where items are displayed, and then use it to help carry your groceries. Trust me — you are totally allowed to take the boxes (provided they are empty or at least mostly empty). In fact, Aldi encourages it because then there is less for the checkers to clean up around the store.

Sometimes people also leave leftover boxes in the bagging area near the register. So if you end up needing an extra bag or box when you’re checking out, be sure to peek ahead and see if there are any boxes you can take for free.

Bags

ALDI 101: How To Shop At Aldi | gimmesomeoven.comAldi also provides plastic and paper grocery bags that you can buy to take your groceries home. But heads up — if you go in expecting to buy a bag, they are only available at the checkout (not at the entrance). So you need to find a way to carry your groceries until the checkout. But once you do reach the checkout, they are generally located just underneath the grocery checkout belt where you lay your groceries. You can choose paper or plastic, and they are each a few cents.

You can also reuse old Aldi paper or plastic bags that you have bought on a prior shopping trip. Just be sure to tell your cashier that, otherwise they will charge you for them again.

 

ALDI 101: How To Shop At Aldi | gimmesomeoven.com

Finding Your Way Around Aldi: Store Layout, Pallets & Labels

Store Layout

ALDI 101: How To Shop At Aldi | gimmesomeoven.comOne of my favorite things about Aldi is that the stores are all laid out very similarly. In fact, I can’t speak to many other cities around the world, but at least in Kansas City, our Aldi stores are practically identical. (Although you cannot legally sell alcohol in grocery stores in Kansas, so the wines/beers/etc. are only available in Missouri.)

In general, Aldi stores basically have three long aisles. When you first walk in, there should be a place to pick up the weekly ad. Then typically there are a few of the specialty items just inside the door as a preview. Then the aisle are comprised of the following sections:

  • Dairy
  • Frozen Foods
  • Pantry Items
  • Snacks and Sweets
  • Beverages
  • Wines/Beers/Sangria
  • Refrigerated Meats
  • Household Items
  • Pet Food
  • Special Buys (you can’t miss it — this is usually a section in the middle of the store with all sorts of random items from the Weekly Ad!)

I will go into more detail about the specific items in the store in tomorrow’s What To Buy At Aldi post.

But in general, know that 95% of the items in the store are the Aldi brand. And typically there is only one (or maybe two) options for any one specific product. So for example, there is only one type of baking soda. You don’t get the option of 5 different brands and packaging. This helps keeps the prices low and focuses the store’s inventory.

Pallets & Labels

ALDI 101: How To Shop At Aldi | gimmesomeoven.comThe other thing about Aldi is that they are unapologetically “no frills”. They don’t invest in tons of fancy signs and displays, and the money they save there helps keep your prices low! Case in point: the way their food is displayed. Unless it is in the refrigerators or freezers, all of the items are generally store in cardboard boxes on pallets.

And the price for each item will either be clearly printed on labels above or below it. I love it because you don’t have to squint down at teeny tiny labels to see the price on each item. The pallets (which now happen to be tres popular on Pinterest) also help for easy stocking for the employees.

 

ALDI 101: How To Shop At Aldi | gimmesomeoven.com

Checking Out At Aldi: Lines, Paying, Cart Swap, Bagging

Checkout Lines

ALDI 101: How To Shop At Aldi | gimmesomeoven.comOk, I feel like the first thing I should say about the check up lines is that they move FAST. So don’t be dismayed if you walk up and there are a few people in front of you with full carts. The cashiers at Aldi are super-crazy-unbelievably-ninja fast, and (fun fact!) nearly every item in the store has two barcodes on the packaging. So when they go through the two-sided scanner, they pretty much always scan the first time. (Brilliant, Aldi!!)

But a few important things to know about keeping up your end of the speedy checkout process.

  • You are responsible for unloading all of your items onto the checkout belt. Don’t leave them in bags or boxes. Unpack every single one for speedy scanning.
  • If you plan to purchase a paper or plastic bag, go ahead and pull them out and set them on the checkout belt along with your groceries. Or at least, hold them up so that the cashier can see them. 

How To Pay

ALDI 101: How To Shop At Aldi | gimmesomeoven.comYou have three options for paying — cash, credit, debit or EBT card. (Edited: ALDI now accepts credit cards — yay!)

The Cart Swap

While you are paying, the cashier might surprise you by doing the Aldi Cart Swap. You might not even notice — often it happens so quickly!

When the cashiers are scanning your items, they will usually place them in a cart that is already waiting there at the end of the checkout (not the cart you have been using). So once you have paid, you have a cart full of groceries waiting for you. Rather than hold up the line and wait for you to unload the cart so that it can be reloaded with groceries of the person behind you (remember, things are moving quickly!), the checker will just do a cart swap and send you and the grocery-loaded cart to the bagging station. And then they will sub in your cart as the replacement, which you leave behind.

Sometimes this can work a little differently, depending on whether or not you have tons of groceries, or whether you had a cart to begin with. But in general, the idea is that you are not supposed to hold up the line by leisurely bagging your groceries right by the check out. Thus…

Bagging

ALDI 101: How To Shop At Aldi | gimmesomeoven.comAldi customers are encouraged to bag their groceries in the bagging area just beyond the checkout. It’s nothing fancy — usually just a long counter, and sometimes there are a few extra cardboard boxes or bags there that you can use. The idea is just that you can take your time bagging groceries however you would like there, while the checkout line can continue to move uninterrupted.

 

ALDI 101: How To Shop At Aldi | gimmesomeoven.com

Leaving Aldi:

ALDI 101: How To Shop At Aldi | gimmesomeoven.comAnd voila! You now have your groceries, you’ve saved a lot of $$$, and you are ready to go home and cook some recipes from Gimme Some Oven!!! Ok, ok, or you can go home and enjoy your groceries however you’d like. ;)

On your way out of the store, be sure to check out the flyer for the next week’s ad which is posted on the doors as you leave, as well as being available in a print flyer that you can take home.

Also don’t forget to turn in your cart. There are no cart bays in the parking lot, so the hope is that you will return it right where you found it.

Then you can say hasta la vista, bebe — until next time!

ALDI 101: A 3-Part Series On Shopping At Aldi | gimmesomeoven.com

Coming Next:

Tomorrow the final post will be What To Buy At Aldi. Then don’t forget to check out yesterday’s post on Why I Shop At Aldi.

ALDI 101: How To Shop At Aldi | gimmesomeoven.com

What are some of your tips for shopping at Aldi?

 

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114 comments on “ALDI 101: How To Shop At Aldi”

  1. You forgot to mention ALDI has virtually no customer service, tries to avoid issuing rain checks, and has limited selection

  2. One tip i have to make the ninja cashiers move even faster is to take a second when you putting your items on the belt and organize them from heaviest and toughest to lightest and weakest. It makes it easier and quicker for them to stack your cart full. Which is also the biggest complaint I have heard from people about Aldi’s is sometimes a cashier will literally toss items helter skelter without care into the cart. Doing this tip elevates both problems. But if a cashier is tossing your items stop him/her and ask them to be more careful.

  3. I decided to try out Aldi’s tomorrow and I feel more confident about that decision from reading your post. They were very informative and delightful at the same time!

  4. My neighbor sent me your Aldi 101 as a guide, since our neighborhood store is opening TODAY. Very cool! I appreciate all your valuable info written in such a helpful and amusing way :)

  5. Do you have an actual PDF or form with the layout of the store?? and maybe even a grocery list you can print and just check off what you need??
    thanks

  6. Would you please list what county the products are from?

    • Most of the produce is seasonal and is from the USA. Some items are from other countries and since these items are usually sprayed with pesticides by the US when arriving into our country, I usually skip those.

  7. Lovely explanation. Learned alot eventhough I have shopped there.

  8. Aldi’s is always my 1st stop on shopping days, then my local health food store and then a fill-in for any other items at Walmart Superstore. Last week at walmart strawberries were $2.99 and $1.17 at Aldi’s for the same size container.

  9. Very helpful entry. Went to Aldi for first time,and was lost at check out procedure. Now I can go back informed . Thank you. Every question was answered. Love the store. Items I bought were equal to all the brands I have,always bought in the past.

  10. I like to clip coupons from my local grocery store to take along to Aldi (shop Aldi first, then the bigger grocery store). While Aldi doesn’t take the coupons, at least I can check if their prices are lower than even the sale prices at the larger grocery store! Great way to save even more money!

  11. Ali,
    Thanks for posting information about Aldi. I love this store. But I am skeptical about their meats?? Can you provide more insight. Thankd

    • I’m not sure if anyone has replied yet, but as an Aldi employee, I can assure you that the meat selection is of excellent quality. We get the same brands (Tyson chicken and pork, IBP beef) that all the big name stores get. We just package it in our private label (ex. Kirkwood chicken) in order to save you money. We are also extensively trained in inspecting the meat for quality.

  12. At the local Aldi around here, if you spend $80 or more you get a $10-off coupon for your next order of $40+. I try to only hit Aldi about once every three weeks for stuff, but although I try to keep it to milk, cream, butter, canned tuna, tacos, and a few other things, there always turns out to be some really great seasonal specials, which can (sometimes) put me over $80.

    There’re a lot of things I don’t care for at Aldi, but for general staples they’re great. They only have bleached flour and only one size of everything, though that one size can be generous for the money, like 24 oz of salsa for $1.80. They do have some AMAZING things like 200g German chocolate bars for $2. Their frozen pizza is the best around; their canned tuna is low-end mush, but just as good as Chicken of the Sea and about $0.30 less. They recently started selling a BIG jar of mixed nuts for about $12 – a huge deal.

    Yes, the cashiers will just throw everything in the cart (assuming you rented a cart) so if you’re wise, you’ll bring a cart-size box (@18″ x 24″) and keep it on the cart’s bottom shelf until you’re in the front of the check-out line; get the box in the other cart FAST ’cause those cashiers are in a hurry!

  13. Went to Aldi today for the first time at the recommendation of a friend. OMG. I was impressed by the prices. I’m terrible at making decisions so the limited selection is great. It’s my new grocery store. Love that you have to pay to use a cart. Saw that when I went to Italy and wished American stores did it. And their produce was pretty fresh. No rotten fruits or vegetables. None that I saw anyway.
    I’m going to the new one in Denton Texas. Opened last year in May.

  14. I am from Germany, Aldis home country. In Germany it is normal having to pay for bags and having to pack your own groceries in every supermarket, not just Aldis. Also you always have to insert a quarter in the shopping cart and bring it back.
    The only thing different at Aldi is the packing area – only the cashier will not put your stuff in another cart for you, you have to do that yourself and you have to use the cart you used to do your shopping. They have really long conveyor belts so all your groceries will fit, but you better be fast because the belt ends right after the cashier! I think this is a really great system because I hate it when I have to wait just because other customers are too slow. Aldi makes them speed up.

  15. I shop at Aldi in Illinois. I almost never take bags or boxes, seems a waste to sort and fill just to unload and sort at home. I have a few small square laundry baskets I bring in the car. When I come out with a full cart, I sort items into the baskets like this: cold/frozen, boxes/cans; fruit/bread/soft. That way, nothing gets squashed, and if I’m in a rush, I can put away the cold/frozen and leave the rest for later. Easier to bring into the house this way too!

  16. I love Aldi, it has been around a long time. It certainly helped my single mother raise 5 kids. I love how it has evolved, and I think that it has some of the bests chocolate bars anywhere, also the pasta sauce, and salad dressings are delicious. I like that things that are new and trendy even make their way and our store in West Virginia even offers Organic milk! You are a fool if you do not take advantage of the steals here, why pay more? I’ve been blessed the cart quarter Angel 3 times, and I’ve passed it along every time too!

  17. Could not figure out why all the junk in the first aisle?

    Margin leaders, maybe?

  18. Your posts have given me the confidence to shop at Aldi. I too grew up with a preconceived notion about Aldi and have avoided it for that reason and also as getting the cart out with .25 seems confusing. Like somehow I won’t be able to get it out. So silly I know. I’ve heard great comments lately from friends and acquaintances who shop there so I’m going this week!

  19. Every week I shop at aldi and walmart.  I have a list for what is the best buy at each store.  I have nnot found any products that my family does not like from aldi.  I do save money by shapping at aldi.  I buy most of my meat at walmart.

  20. I’ve only seen one comment about produce.   This is my biggest gripe in other stores.  Is it fresh, whiole produce or the pre-packaged cast off stuff like Wal-Mart offers?  The lettuce is the biggest offender.

  21. I could just hug you for publishing this. As an employee of Aldi, one of my biggest complaints is that I wish that there was an Aldi Guide to give customers tips. We are very different from your typical grocery store. This is perfect…you made excellent points, gave great tips! I thank you!!!!

  22. I bought bottles of water 24 pack and it smelled from mildew. When I bought it I didn’t smell it until it was in my home. It smelled up my whole kitchen and after I threw it out the smell remains. I dont’ understand how Aldi can sell mildew products. I am very upset by this. I still can’t get the odor out of my house.

  23. Just read you are in Kansas City, so no Publix :-) Thanks again!

  24. Have you every purchased any of the “easy home” products from aldi? There is a back massager as part of the special buys this week and I’m not sure if it’s worth trying or if it’s a waste of money.  Do you have any info or experience with aldi’s return policy? 

  25. For all the nay-sayers, just remember Aldi is not for everyone! You have to remember this is affordable, bargain shopping to feed yourself and your family. I live in New Jersey, and have only recently come across Aldi but I love that I can get a 10 lb. bag of white rice for 5 bucks and other affordable, pantry stocking items (e.g. oils, flour, etc.) that often are overpriced other places. I also love everything they do to keep prices down for their customers. Go Aldi!

  26. Nice Blog…couldn’t say it any better.  I love Aldi too. At first I.thought it was off brands. Later I learned they.at top line imports. Pasta is as good as Barilla.  

  27. The one constant problem with Adli is the staff. They are NOT CUSTOMER FRIENDLY and lack knowledge.

    Would rather pay more elsewhere to have better service.

  28. I came across your blog as I was talking to someone about Aldi..I love Aldi, but I did not know about the weekly special email list. I signed up right away!!! I can find a decent amount of stuff at Aldi and I usually shop there first and then fill in my shopping list at other stores. I have been a regular customer for a bit so I wasn’t sure if I would find a tip that would be helpful, but the email list did it. Thank you! :)

  29. I love seeing how much Aldi is growing in the U.S. Great news – as of March 2016, Aldi accepts credit cards: Via, MasterCard, Discover and American Express.

  30. I love aldi homewarde products but I would liked to know if they do laybys on products priced over $500?

  31. One of my new tricks to shopping at Aldi is to bring a laundry basket. I keep it empty under the cart when shopping and when unloading my groceries I put it in the next cart where they will put the groceries after scanning them. No bagging necessary! I usually bring a couple of small bags for the heaviest items like juices. As long as you put the basket in the cart quickly the cashiers don’t seem to mind. The cashiers are timed by management so youvdont want to hold them up at all.

  32. Without a doubt the best suggestion i could make would be to get yourself a set of trolley bags. Not expensive and save soo much time after checkout and loading into car. I am approached EVERY time im at the checkout for info on these bags. www.trolleybags.com

  33. Just came across this article! Great job! I’m a fan of Aldi and my tip would be this: Use collapsible CRESBI crates there. I bought some at an Earth Day event in Ohio but theres also an online store. The crates are lightweight but sturdy and the 4 pack I have came with a carry bag to put them all in and a collapsible cooler insert. Now I don’t have to mess with boxes and the crates are easy to pack and carry. They can open them in the cart they’re packing and just put your stuff in them. Stack the other 2 on top when the first two are full.

  34. Aldi is great but their prices have raised a lot in the last couple of years. It’s no longer cheeper to shop there. :(
    What I might get for $90 at Walmart or Kroger is now about $150 at Aldi. I’m sad & miss Aldi. I really do with other grocery stores have bagging tables though. I end up using the self-checkout for a week’s worth of groceries so that I can bag my own since the cashiers/baggers sort of suck. (A weeks worth of food will fit in 3 bags, while still able to separate dry, fridge, & freezer stuff. They don’t separate and would take about 10-15 bags to get it all done. Lol).

  35. I don’t agree with the last post about Aldi prices – I find them WAY cheaper than any other store, consistently. They are almost always cheaper than even the sale + coupon price at the other stores.
    I agree on being intentional to protect your delicate items from being bashed at checkout – I manage it. I unload my mashables at the very end & hold out my hands to receive them immediately upon scanning from the cashier with a smile. I also find that since I make a point to be friendly and kind to the cashiers they are very responsive to any request I have. A little kindness goes a long way!

  36. You didn’t mention their double money back guarantee – my FAVORITE thing about Aldi! Unsure about something? Try it – if you don’t like it, bring it back with your receipt and they will give you your money back AND replace the item! So it’s risk free to try things (one exception – by law, they cannot give refunds on alcohol). So, for example, I tried several of their coffees until I found the one we liked best and now that is the one I buy each week.
    I’ve returned special buy items, produce (sometimes onions are not great), frozen items (I disliked one of their frozen treats), and coffee. No hassle at all.

  37. Just shopped for the first time at Aldi after reading this first, so I was prepared for the cart and brought my own bags. I’ve shopped Trader Joes before and this is the super no-frills version. Limited selection, and very few name brands But unlike TJ’s its dirty, dingy, low-lit, and mostly pre-packaged produce. Dairy, meat and frozen similar to TJs though.. There was also only one employee in the store!

  38. I’m trying to find a few of your old burlap shopping bags you used to sell.

  39. I use an electric wheelchair, went into Aldi for the 1st time ever. My wife recently passed so shopping is new to me.
    Everything looked so confusing I left without buying anything. After reading you description of shopping at an Aldi I will go back.

  40. The one and only time I went to Aldis, the clever told me that my cart was now her cart. I didn’t know how to react.

  41. My little story of Aldi. In 2009 I went into a brand new Aldi store they opened in St Cloud Florida. I was skeptical of course I wasn’t used to walking into a store with groceries piled up in boxes; neatly I must say however, different. There weren’t name brand items as I am used to; however, as I walked through the store I became less and less skeptical …. ? LOL!
    I noticed that there was a double back guarantee if I wasn’t a happy customer. Also I went home and tasted the Aldi products that I bought and lo and behold I was hooked. And since then I have been an Aldi Girl!
    I always have my Aldi quarter and I love giving the cart away to people that are going into the store. Sometimes I leave the quarter in the cart when I put it back and sometimes the person just hands me the quarter and takes the cart happily. I think it’s pretty awesome. I love the food and my husband and I are hooked on basically everything in the store. Everything is always clean, fresh and a lot of things are organic… oh my goodness I love everything organic in the store. And the price is always right. Now my brand is Aldi yay.

  42. For those questioning Aldi produce, I can tell you this. Having driven over the road semi for years and picking up produce from many ports of entry around the country and picking up produce in country destined for Aldi warehouses, they are the pickiest when it comes to accepting produce.

    Many times they will not take it for some reason and that produce ends up going to other large, well known grocery retailers and they gladly accept it. I have no doubt that Aldi only accepts the highest quality produce, yes there are times of year when certain produce will not be as good as normal but that is a seasonal issue that all grocery stores have to contend with.

  43. I really think this is a stupid way to shop, I am going on 80 and for the seniors in town this is bad. I would never go in an Aldi because being limited I would never be able to buy over 1-2 items at a time. Wasted trip

  44. Thank you for being so informative. I just moved across the street from an Aldi in Philly. Your article was very helpful

  45. I am an obsessed fan of Aldi too! Not sure anyone else has mentioned this but the cashiers are superstars in more ways than just super-speedy. It also appears to be Aldi’s policy, when lines are long and opening another register, to actually walk up to the person who’s next in line, and offer them the opportunity to unload their items at the newly opened register. This has NEVER happened to me ANYWHERE else! When playing the line-switching game, I’m almost always bound to be disgusted when another register opens and the LAST person in line rushes over before I can get there. This common courtesy at Aldi has made me a forever fan!

  46. I wish to have read this article before trying to shop there. I was in a rush and didn’t take a cart because didn’t notice where they were kept. Once inside I just grab one that was on near the cash registers. The employees just eyed me but told me nothing. They ask me, after I paid, to please return the cart because it was for the cashier. I don’t have any idea what they were talking about but it was OK for me since the carts have that thing hanging with the chain, I supposed that those were “special” carts or something for workers. So I went out, unload the cart, and returned the cart inside the store where I took in the first place. When I was back they still were unsure to speak to me and explain that I was doing something wrong. I guess the same has happened with other customers but, since I know the kind of people that use to shop in that particular area [lots of snubby people], they now try to avoid confrontations. Gonna get it right the next time!

  47. Aldi’s just opened near me. I have shopped at Aldi before & could not remember if I needed to take my own reusable bags. Google led me to your article which answered any questions I had about shopping at Aldi. Looking forward to shopping this morning. Thanks for the info.

  48. Love this article but as a Brit I found a couple of things surprising. I am a big fan of UK Aldi and find that many of their products are better than branded equivalents that cost a third more. I guess Aldi has stuck to its tried and trusted European style formula as we never have someone to pack out groceries for us unless it’s a fundraiser for the Boy Scouts. We have been charged for bags for years and are encouraged to buy ‘bags for life’ for years. If the bag for life breaks the store will replace it free of charge.

    If you visit the UK you are 99% certain to need a £1 coin to get a trolley (cart) regardless of the supermarket.

    The displays in Aldi are certainly more utilitarian than some other stores, but it makes no difference to the taste so why worry!?

    The cashiers at the tills are A-MAZ-ING – friendly, fast and I’ve never had a problem.

    I like the fact the range is smaller – simple, good price and less distance to cover. If I need something they don’t stock I just grab it elsewhere.

    Aldi has made a HUGE impact on the UK groceries market. They are growing fast and offering genuine competition to the smug, sluggish bigger stores, long may they reign!

  49. Nicely written!! I love Aldis also!!! Thank you!!

  50. Thank you for taking the time to explain the Aldi experience and I’m looking forward to hearing about your favorite items!