Why So Many Aldi Customers Aren't Buying Bananas Anymore

Aldi is the most popular store in the U.S. (seriously, YouGov released statistics). Yet the store has an Achilles' Heel, and it seems to be yellow. Shoppers are usually battling to brainstorm ways to use up overripe bananas, but Aldi seems to be presenting a different issue: Bananas that won't ripen. Customers have clocked onto the disappointing pattern, and it's beginning to dissuade them from purchasing Aldi's bananas. Scratch that yellow Achilles Heel; it's probably green.

That stubborn coloring is becoming a point of contention, and customers are taking to social platforms like Reddit to air their grievances. "It's now day 6, and they're still green," an exasperated customer commented on one thread. Frustratingly, it doesn't seem to be just a waiting game, either: "I'll buy them green, and in a few days they've either got freckles or are mushy and browning," another shopper added, "Aldi def isn't my first choice for bananas. They never look good to me." The unpredictable ripening is understandably sending customers elsewhere. "Whenever I need to go to Aldi and Wal-Mart, I just get them at Wal-Mart because they are generally 10 cents/pound cheaper and higher quality," admitted one Reddit user. It might be worth dodging this fruit next time you visit Aldi — or at least research how to ripen a banana fast.

Banana ripening isn't as mysterious as it sounds: Let's take some confusion out of the process. First, the fruits you see in supermarkets aren't ripened on trees. Instead, bananas are harvested while green and then carefully exposed to naturally produced ethylene gas, which controls their rate of ripening. It's a bit of a delicate balance. Other factors, like temperature, interfere with this natural process, too. In fact, a cold spot in a refrigerator is sufficient to delay ripening. Conversely, warmer storage is one of the hacks that will ripen fruit much faster. 

Harvesting, transit, and supermarket storage all dictate a single banana's ripening. For customers, most of the influential steps have occurred before they've even picked up the banana. Still, that doesn't mean a slow-ripening fruit is totally hopeless — post-purchase storage matters. Pick a warm spot, and if in doubt, bag it up. Placing stubbornly green bananas in a paper bag is a tried-and-tested ripening accelerator. As the bananas release ethylene, it traps gas and ramps up exposure. With a little extra help? It's possible to convert even the darkest green banana.