Unwritten Rules To Know Before Visiting Aldi

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There's nothing more disconcerting than walking into a new store for the first time and not knowing the rules, which is especially true at Aldi since it's probably not like other grocery stores you've visited. But don't panic; you won't be left looking like a deer in headlights if you know what you're walking into. If you know just a few unwritten Aldi rules, you'll be ready to shop like a pro and take advantage of the same deals as seasoned shoppers.

The unwritten rules at Aldi start with how to get your cart and end with what to do with it when you're done shopping. You'll also need to know several bits of information about store etiquette, from what items in the store are fair game to how to make life easier for your cashier. Plus, you'll need to know the best time to shop. Most importantly, there's a certain coin you'll always want to bring with you every time you shop, and ways to pay it forward for people who forget. Once you know these 10 unwritten rules at Aldi, you can walk in and shop with confidence from day one.

The first thing that might throw you for a loop, even before you walk into the store on your first trip to Aldi, is that all the carts are chained together outside the store, and you'll need a quarter to unlock them. However, the good news is that you'll get that quarter back when you're finished, as long as you return the cart and rechain it as you found it. So, you might have to bring a quarter with you to get a cart, but think about it more like a cart deposit since you get it back after you're finished and connect the cart back to the chain.

The purpose behind having to use a quarter to get your cart is really for your benefit. People tend to want their quarter back, so Aldi uses that psychology to ensure that people don't leave their carts in the middle of the parking lot. If customers are returning their own carts to the building, the grocery store doesn't have to hire someone extra to do this job. Then, ultimately, those savings are passed on to you, the customer.

Some customers go as far as to purchase shopping tokens so that they're never caught without a way to get a cart. For example, the Andibro stainless steel shopping trolley token goes on your keychain and fits into the slot in place of a quarter.

It can be a little disconcerting stepping into Aldi for the first time if you don't know what to expect, especially when it tends to look a little different than your typical grocery store inside. One of the first things that you'll notice is that many of the products on the shelves are still in their original boxes. And, yes, you're supposed to shop out of them. It's yet another strategy the company uses to keep prices low, since it doesn't have to hire extra employees for stocking shelves, since placing boxes on the shelves takes far less time.

The good news is that the boxes have cut-outs that make them easy to look into and remove the products. If one empties, you're more than welcome to dig into the next box behind it to get what you need, not waiting for an employee to come by and put out new products or move products forward. Something that we've noticed is that boxes don't always have just one flavor of a product inside. For example, you might find one box that contains three flavor variations of its product, like salad dressing mix. This means that the most popular flavor may be gone, leaving only the other flavors behind. But you can still shop the boxes behind it on the shelf in hopes your favorite flavor is still available.

Another thing to know about Aldi is that the products come and go quickly and are often only available for a limited time. There are certainly products that you can always count on being available, like your favorite brand of oat milk or chocolate. However, there are other products that you may not see until the same time next year or never again. So, if you find that you really like something, you might want to stock up lest it be your last chance because what's on the shelves is all that's going to be available.

Aldi advertises its Aldi Finds on its website weekly to let you know what new things are coming to the store and when. There are often specific aisles and shelves dedicated to both food and non-food Aldi Finds items that the store is offering for a limited time. Although you'll also find these items interspersed between standard items throughout the store on dry goods shelves and in the refrigerated and frozen sections of the store.

Something to keep in mind is that some items are seasonal and will come back around again, like spaetzle during German Week (which happens twice a year) or seasonal items like stollen. However, you might have to do a little research online to see if it's a regular product or something you have a good chance of never seeing again.

If you ever see lines outside of your local Aldi in the morning before the store opens for the day, it's either because customers want to grab a highly desirable new Aldi Finds item or take advantage of price cuts. While this isn't a phenomenon for every location or every Aldi Finds drop, it still happens at certain places.

If there is something listed on the Upcoming Aldi Finds list that is a must-have for you, it's a good idea to know what day of the week your location puts them out and show up early to get it, since all the Aldi Finds are limited stock. Some locations drop items on Wednesday mornings, while others drop them on Sunday mornings or even Mondays. The employees will stock the night before, and then the new items will be available when the doors open the next morning. We've even seen them close off the aisle and disallow purchases from the new stock until the next morning. Some items go viral before or after they drop, causing early morning rushes or even long queues.

Something else to be aware of is that some locations also discount their old Aldi's Find products and perishable foods nearing their expiration dates. If there's a certain day of the week when this tends to happen at your location, that also might be why you see a queue in the morning before the store opens.

Customers were thrilled to find self-check lines in some Aldi stores in 2021, which were meant to be more efficient. However, many a person has gone through the self-check line and rung up all their groceries to be met with the surprise that they can't pay with cash in the self-check lane. There are signs at the kiosks to remind you that it's a no-cash payment system, but we have to admit that the sign can be easy to miss.

Luckily, if you know about the self-check lane not taking cash from the get-go, you'll be prepared or get in the correct line. Credit cards and debit cards aren't the only payment options at the self-check counter. There are digital payment options as well, like Apple and Google Pay. Plus, you're able to pay with SNAP debit cards. The good news is that Aldi does still accept cash payments; you just have to pay a cashier. If there's not a checkout lane with a cashier available, you can ask an employee to open a checkout lane for you. 

Interestingly, some locations are now removing self-check lanes altogether. It seems that too many people were walking off without paying for all their groceries in some stores. Luckily, they're not disappearing everywhere.

Something that takes people aback the first time they notice it is that, unlike most stores in the U.S., the cashiers at Aldi are seated, and they're super fast. But what most people don't know is that the cashiers are super fast and seated because they have checkout goals to meet. So, it's common courtesy to do everything you can to keep from slowing down your cashier. In fact, there are some things you can do to help your cashier along.

If you notice, the conveyor belt that feeds your grocery items toward the cashier is a long one. So, go ahead and load it up with products so that the cashier can get to them quickly when your time comes to check out. If you have time while the person ahead of you is checking out, you can organize your items by type or by how fragile they are. If your items are in a box, take them out. Don't ask them to slow down because it affects their score. Also, have your payment method ready to pay as soon as the cashier is done. Even better, go ahead and tap or stick your card in the machine as you're being rung up if you're paying with a card.

Aldi cashiers have a whole system when it comes to what to do with your cart during checkout. It can be a little confusing even if you've shopped there a few times, so we definitely wanted to mention it. Once you know how it works, it can help you help the cashier to get you out the door faster if you're not using the self-check option.

First of all, you need to know that the cart that you rent with your quarter and use to shop in the store (Cart 1) is not the same cart that you'll be leaving with (Cart 2). When you get to the cashier, you'll have all your groceries in Cart 1, and it's your job to get the items in Cart 1 onto the conveyor belt for the cashier to check out. The cashier has Cart 2 waiting to receive all of your grocery items at the very end of the checkout lane, where you would expect them to bag your groceries in other grocery stores. As they ring up the items from the conveyor belt, they'll place them all into Cart 2. Once they're finished and you've paid, you'll move Cart 1 (now empty) into Cart 2's spot, and roll Cart 2 (now yours for the time being) out of the grocery store and to your car, before placing it back in the chained corral.

Besides your quarter, you may also want to bring reusable grocery bags with you when you visit Aldi because you don't get free bags at checkout. Not offering free grocery bags at checkout is another feature of the grocery store that helps keep prices low, since you have to pay for any grocery bags you take from the store. Of course, the other bonus is that you're doing your part for the environment by not leaving the store with disposable plastic bags that you may never use again.

Besides bringing your own reusable grocery bags, there are some other options as well. One is just to take your groceries straight to your car, like you would at places like Sam's Club or Costco, where they don't offer bags. The other option is to collect empty boxes as you meander around the store and plan to use those to place your groceries in so that they're easier to get from the car to your kitchen. Some locations even have big hoppers full of empty boxes that customers can grab from.

Now, if you really do find that you need a bag or two to transport your groceries out of the store, you can buy them in the store. So, don't fret if you've got your arms laden with children, plan to walk home from the store, or just like using bags. You'll usually find both paper bags for sale as well as reusable Aldi-branded bags that you can use next time you shop.

Maybe it should go without saying now that you know that the name of the game at the register is speed, but we're going to say it anyway: Don't try to bag your groceries at the register because it will just slow the cashier down. The groceries go into your cart, and then you take care of them elsewhere, not anywhere near the cashier.

If you look in front of you once you're finished with the cashier — probably either straight ahead or closer to the doors — you'll notice a countertop available for customers. The countertop is where you can place your bags or boxes and sort all your groceries. Sometimes, you might even find extra boxes on the countertop that other customers have left behind. Since you don't have to worry about slowing the cashier down, you can take all the time you need as long as people aren't waiting behind you to use the counter space. 

Some people bypass the sorting counter altogether and just take their groceries straight to the car, either for efficiency's sake or because they've forgotten to bring bags inside — not unlike big box warehouses. If the weather's nice and nobody's gunning for your parking space, you can take time to sort or bag your groceries right in your trunk instead of using the store countertop.

People can be generous with their quarters at Aldi, especially since many people have found themselves quarterless at the cart corral at some point and know how it feels to need one and be without. There are three ways we've seen people pay their quarter forward, and hopefully their coin karma will pay off for them next time they accidentally come to Aldi changeless.

Probably the most common way we see people pay their quarter forward is to offer their cart to someone walking into the store. It's common courtesy to offer to pay for the cart with the quarter you have in your hand, but many people will wave your quarter away. Additionally, if there's nobody to give their cart to when they're done, some people will return the cart to the cart corral but leave the quarter in the slot on the cart rather than reattaching it to the chain and having it eject. Then, the next person who comes along can get the cart without having to spend any money, which can be helpful if they forgot to bring change.

If you end up shopping at Aldi without a quarter and don't have anyone offer you a cart or find one with a coin already inserted, your next course of action is to look on the window ledge next to the carts. Sometimes, people will leave quarters on the window ledge for customers who forget to bring change.