Aldi is best known for offering a no-frill shopping experience and ridiculously low prices
on groceries, as well as home goods and other items.
But before you join the crowds, be forewarned: there are a few things you should never, ever
do when you're shopping there.
No, seriously.
You're going to want to keep some loose change in your wallet or your car if you plan to
shop at Aldi regularly.
Why?
Because Aldi requires all shoppers to put down a small deposit before using one of the
store's carts.
Inserting a quarter into a special slot "unlocks" a single cart for use.
Forget your quarter and you just can't get a cart, period — they're all chained up.
After you're done shopping and you replace your cart in the corral, you'll get your quarter
back.
It's pretty simple after you've done it once or twice, but it can be intimidating and confusing
on your first shopping trip.
Of course, you're always welcome to shop without a cart, but that might make your shopping
experience more challenging, especially if you're loading up on groceries for the week.
The 25-cent deposit is one of the ways Aldi keeps prices low — instead of hiring extra
workers to wrangle up carts in the parking lot, they get shoppers to perform this task.
Pretty clever, and shopping cart accidents?
Avoided!
"Uh, oh."
If you're planning to hit up your local liquor store before or after shopping at Aldi, think
again.
Aldi has an incredible selection of award-winning wines and beers — no extra trip needed.
Plus, as with all Aldi products, the wine and beer options are super affordable.
Aldi has it all, and then some, when it comes to alcoholic beverages.
Red wine, white wine, rose, sparkling wine, imported beers, premium beers — the list
goes on.
And if you're overwhelmed by all the options, you can't really go wrong with Aldi's "Wines
of the Month," which are trendy, new, seasonally appropriate wines selected by Aldi's expert
buyer.
The grocery chain also picks a "Beer of the Month" and notes which food items to pair
it with, which is handy if you need some meal-prep inspiration.
Aldi also offers a rotating selection of limited edition, specialty items, and also has its
own wine label called Winking Owl with 10 varieties to choose from.
And you better believe it's cheap.
We all know we're supposed to bring our own reusable bags to the grocery store, since
this simple step helps keep more plastic bags out of the landfill.
But actually remembering to bring them is a true struggle.
Even when you keep your reusable bags in the car, it's still hit or miss.
Well, you don't want to make this mistake when you shop at Aldi — otherwise, it'll
cost you.
Another way Aldi keeps overall prices down is by charging customers for shopping bags.
And since you're likely shopping at Aldi to save money in the first place, paying for
shopping bags is counterproductive.
Keep in mind that this small fee, which is usually a few cents, may be on top of any
fees that your city or town charges for single-use bags, a practice that is becoming more common
across the U.S.
If you forgot your reusable bags at home or you just don't have any, you're in luck.
Aldi has its own line of branded reusable bags available for purchase at stores.
If bags just aren't your thing, feel free to grab a large empty product box or two from
the store.
If you find yourself painstakingly scouring the aisles for your favorite brands while
shopping at Aldi, you're wasting your time, unfortunately.
Aldi carries very few brand names.
Instead, the chain stocks its shelves with so-called Aldi exclusive brands — in fact,
more than 90 percent of products in most Aldi stores are store-branded.
This is yet another way that Aldi helps its customers save money.
The grocery chain is able to keep prices low because there are no hidden costs associated
with their products, such as money spent on advertising and marketing like you'll find
with name brands.
There are a few national brands here and there, but not many.
The chain began offering these products so that customers could do more of their grocery
shopping at Aldi — some people have super strong brand preferences, after all.
You may also find a nationally branded product on Aldi's shelves because the grocery chain
wasn't able to source something similar of the same quality.
And don't fret about the quality of these Aldi exclusive brands.
They're just as good, if not better, than the national brands you're used to buying.
Aldi makes quality a top priority, even while keeping prices as low as possible.
If you're taking a road trip, or visiting a new city on business, or spending some time
with a relative you don't get to see nearly enough, you might pop into the local Aldi
to pick up a few things.
But prepare to be surprised when you look at the price tags of items you usually buy
at your local Aldi — they might be higher or lower than you're used to, depending on
a few factors.
That's because Aldi charges different prices depending on the store location.
The grocery chain takes into account local rules, consumer demand, competitors, production
and operating costs, and local market conditions when setting prices.
And since all of these factors can vary widely, so do Aldi's store prices.
If your local Aldi store drops the price for an item you've already purchased at that same
store, you can ask the store manager to give you a small refund.
Just be sure to bring your receipt with you.
But Aldi doesn't offer price-matching because it says its prices are almost always lower
anyway.
There are rare occasions where another retailer beats Aldi's price, but even so, the chain
doesn't make exceptions because they're able to help you lower your overall grocery bill,
week after week.
Whether you're paleo, keto, gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, or just plain hungry, Aldi has
got something for you.
It's a mistake to believe that just because its prices are lower, Aldi offers substandard
products or generic foods that aren't healthy.
The chain is super transparent about product sourcing and quality.
On the Aldi website, you'll find extensive detail about Aldi's commitment to the well-being
of animals, the use of pesticides on fruits and vegetables, sustainably-raised or wild-caught
seafood, and other related topics.
Aldi also uses easy-to-read product labels to clearly and accurately note which products
are organic, non-GMO, gluten-free, kosher-certified, and beyond.
Fun fact: Aldi aims to transition to 100 percent cage-free eggs by 2025.
The grocery chain has also removed certified synthetic colors, added MSH, and partially
hydrogenated oils from all of its store-branded products.
And that makes your decisions easy!
"Yes.
Yes.
Yes."
We've all been there.
Scrolling Facebook on your phone, you stop when you see a deal or offer that seems too
good to be true.
You click the link and save the coupon to your phone.
Voila, extra savings, right?
Not so fast.
If you see what looks like an Aldi coupon on social media, you should know that it's
a scam.
As a rule, Aldi never offers online coupons, period.
The only coupons Aldi offers are either sent in the mail or handed out in the store, so
be wary of anyone or anything pretending to offer you an Aldi coupon online.
They may be after your personal information or, worse, your credit card number.
"And for what?
For a little bit of money."
There's nothing more frustrating than getting home from the grocery store and digging into
a tasty snack you just bought, only to discover that it's not quite what you expected.
You're probably kicking yourself for wasting a few bucks on something that turned out to
be gross.
But not at Aldi.
Low prices aside, Aldi is also first-class when it comes to customer service.
Case in point: The "Twice as Nice" guarantee.
This initiative means that if you're not happy with a product you bought at Aldi, the store
will not only replace it free of charge but will also give you your money back.
You get what you paid for — and then some.
That level of customer service is what keeps people coming back for more, even though they
have to do a little extra work to shop at Aldi.
Bonus?
There's no risk in trying something new!
While you're scanning Aldi's website or weekly ad each week, be sure to give yourself extra
time to peruse the Aldi Find section — you do not want to accidentally skip these deals.
Aldi Finds items range from home decor to outdoor gear to shoes, clothes, and household
staples — and they're almost always offered at ridiculously low prices.
In the summer, you might find a treasure trove of affordable camping gear and lawn equipment.
Other times, well… there's just no telling what you're going to find, then realize you
desperately need.
This section is often full of items that would make great gifts, especially if you're stumped
on what to buy a particular friend or family member.
If you don't take advantage of these Aldi Finds, you're seriously missing out.
Aldi Finds are often such a good deal that they sell out on the first day, so you'll
want to act quickly.
In fact, it's not unusual to see a line forming outside the store before it opens on the day
Aldi Finds are stocked.
Sure, you can take advantage of Aldi's low prices any day of the week.
But there's actually some strategy involved to get the absolute lowest prices and best
deals at Aldi.
Wednesday is the absolute best day to shop at Aldi, because Wednesdays are when employees
typically add 40 to 50 new items to the Aldi Finds section.
And Wednesdays also mean new promotions, so you can get lower prices on certain fruits,
vegetables, and other staples.
But don't show up late in the day on Wednesday and expect to snag everything on your Aldi
Finds list, especially around the holiday season.
When a product sells out, that's that.
Aldi often doesn't restock these limited offers.
Another way that Aldi keeps prices down is by keeping staffing numbers low at each store.
If you expect to see dozens of employees leisurely wandering around the store, available to answer
your questions or gab about produce, you're out of luck at Aldi.
On average, the chain keeps 10 employees on staff at each store.
This, of course, means that each employee is tackling more job duties than your average
grocery store worker, switching from cleaning to stocking the freezer to unloading boxes
to running the till at a moment's notice.
As a shopper, this means you shouldn't expect to be making idle chit-chat with employees.
And you might be shocked at how quickly they rush you through the checkout process.
In fact, employees are even timed on how fast they can perform certain tasks, such as scanning
items or unloading pallets.
It's not bad, just different, and you should be prepared before you head to Aldi.
If you're a night owl or early riser who likes to get the week's grocery shopping done while
the rest of the world is fast asleep, prepare for some bad news if you plan to do most of
your shopping at Aldi.
The chain doesn't stay open super late, closing most stores at 8 or 9 p.m. sharp.
Most stores open around 9 a.m., which is long after many people have gone to work.
Aldi is only open during peak shopping hours, which in most cases means that early mornings
and late nights are out of the question.
This is yet another way Aldi keeps costs down; instead of keeping the lights on and paying
employees to work when there are just a handful of shoppers in the store, Aldi simply shuts
down.
If you want to shop at Aldi, you'll need to rearrange your schedule, instead of expecting
the store to accommodate you.
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