13 Mistakes Seasoned Aldi Shoppers Never Make

People love shopping at Aldi thanks to its affordable prices and high-quality products, but the store is a bit different from other grocery stores you may be used to going to. Its stores are smaller than most large grocery chains, and it tends to stock fewer products than its competitors. Additionally, most of those products are from the store's own in-house brands. This can make shopping at Aldi seem tricky if you're not used to how it works. Therefore, it can be easy to make mistakes when you're at the popular budget chain.

Once you start shopping at Aldi more, you might realize the error of your ways and start adjusting your shopping habits accordingly. Until then, though, it's a good idea to read up on how to avoid the mistakes that seasoned Aldi shoppers never make so you can avoid them too.

You might notice that the groceries are very competitively priced when you start shopping at Aldi. Compared to other local grocery stores, you might notice that your grocery bill is significantly lower when you shop at Aldi. Ever wonder how the chain gets its prices so low? Well, a lot of it has to do with staffing. You may notice that there's nobody from Aldi coming out to the parking lot to collect your shopping basket — by not hiring these workers, the store can keep its labor costs, and therefore its prices, lower.

This is why you'll need to bring a quarter to use the shopping carts at Aldi. Slide a quarter into the provided slot on the cart, and it'll unlock. Once you're done with the cart, return it to the same place where you got it from, and you'll get your quarter back. Remember to make sure you have a quarter on you before you head to the grocery store.

You may have experience with coupon clipping if you're the kind of person who's always trying to get the best deal when you shop for groceries. It's an excellent way to cut costs on the foods you're already buying, and if you're serious about couponing, you can get some pretty incredible deals. However, it's important to know that you can't use manufacturer coupons when you shop at Aldi.

First of all, there aren't many Aldi products that you can find coupons for, since the store mostly stocks its own brands. That being said, Aldi does carry some select name-brand products. According to the chain, it works out the lowest possible prices with these manufacturers and therefore doesn't accept any coupons from customers. You'll have to save those coupons for use at another grocery store instead. But don't worry — thanks to Aldi's relatively low prices, you'll still probably save a decent chunk of cash compared to the prices you'd get at other grocery stores that do accept coupons.

At a lot of grocery stores, you may not even think twice about reaching for a paper or plastic bag. After all, they're usually free, right? Well, not at Aldi. Another way the store cuts costs is by not providing its customers with free bags. If you want to get a bag at Aldi, you'll have to pay for either a paper or a reusable one. The paper bags aren't too expensive, but why spend more money than you have to?

That's why it's a rookie mistake not to remember to bring your own reusable bags to Aldi. Let's be honest: A lot of us have tons of reusable bags sitting at home, often going unused for months at a time. Remember to bring those bags with you so you don't have to purchase a bag at Aldi. Not only is it a smart way to cut your costs a bit more, but it also helps reduce waste in the process.

At a lot of grocery stores, there are two people working at every checkout station. First, there's the cashier, who actually scans your items and checks you out. Then, there's someone who stands there to bag your groceries for you so you can grab your bags and head out the door once you're finished paying. But Aldi isn't like a lot of other grocery stores. In an attempt to cut down on staff (therefore helping to keep the store's prices lower), Aldi doesn't hire any baggers. This means that you're going to have to bag your groceries yourself. Expecting someone to help you is a mistake that a seasoned Aldi shopper would never make.

If you're not used to doing this task yourself, it can take some getting used to. But ultimately, it's not that hard, and that extra bit of effort seems worth it if it helps get you lower prices on your groceries.

Any shopper who's new to Aldi may be blown away by the store's low prices. That may mistakenly lead them to assume that Aldi offers the cheapest deals on about any product you can find in a grocery store. While Aldi's prices generally are quite competitive and will be lower than a lot of other chains' prices, that doesn't mean that every product is automatically less expensive than it would be at other grocery stores. Therefore, if you're committed to finding the lowest prices consistently, you should compare the unit prices at Aldi to similar products at other places.

Some items that tend to be much cheaper at Aldi include nuts like cashews, jarred pasta sauces, sparkling water, and some types of produce, like avocados. On the other hand, you might not get the best savings on items like olive oil or salad kits. You might want to snag these types of products at another grocery store.

There's a somewhat commonly held belief among some Aldi shoppers that all Aldi produce is bad. But it's a mistake to assume that this myth is true. One Redditor asked the Aldi subreddit why the fruit at the chain is always bad, but there were plenty more commenters who said that they'd never had bad experiences with the produce at their local Aldi and that they regularly found fresh and perfectly edible fruit there.

Ultimately, like any other grocery store, the quality of produce you get at Aldi depends on a variety of factors. Some specific locations might get better produce than others, so if you find that the closest Aldi to you has fruit and veg that's going off, you might want to try a different location. It's also possible that you'll find fresher items at some points in the week, closer to when produce deliveries arrive. Before you write off Aldi produce altogether, visit different Aldi locations at different times of the day and week, and you may find that the fruits and vegetables you buy there are as fresh and crisp as can be.

It's exciting to see interesting new products popping up at the stores you frequent, which is why you might want to check out Aldi Finds. These are new, seasonal, and often limited-time products that appear in Aldi stores on Wednesday. That's why you may want to visit the store on Wednesdays. You'll get the first chance to check out the new Aldi Finds, allowing you to pick the best of the bunch.

Oftentimes, these aren't food products, so keep that in mind. You'll generally find seasonal kitchen tools, apparel, and even decor in this section of the store. If you can't figure out where the Aldi Finds section is, ask an employee at your local Aldi, and they should be able to point you in the right direction so you can see what the section has in store. Even if you don't buy anything, it can be fun to see what's new in stock.

You have to do your grocery shopping whenever it's most convenient for you. That may mean stopping by your local Aldi on your way home from work or on the weekends when you have a bit more time in your schedule to grocery shop and meal plan. However, it's important to realize that Aldi is a smaller grocery store than most, meaning that there's not a lot of room inside. Additionally, Aldi has removed its self-checkout lanes, so you have to wait for a cashier to become available to check you out.

This means that it's generally not a great idea to shop at Aldi during peak hours if you can avoid it. Peak hours tend to be in the afternoons and early evenings. Not only will you be fighting the crowds to get the items you need from the store, but checkout may take longer than normal.

One of the things we love best about Aldi is the store's very generous return policy. It's always a bummer when a product you purchased ends up being bad or defective, since it makes you feel like you wasted your money. And if you want to get that money back, you have to take a separate trip back to the store to get a refund. But Aldi really makes it worth your time. The chain's "twice as nice" return policy allows you to get both a refund and a replacement item, so you're basically getting an item completely for free. 

There are some restrictions, though. First, this policy only applies to food items. Decor, accessories, and apparel don't count, nor does alcohol. You need to bring back the defective product, along with its packaging and a receipt. If you don't have the receipt, you can get an Aldi gift card for the value of the returned item. This policy makes shopping at Aldi even more appealing for those trying to save money.

These days, if you visit a store regularly, it makes sense to have that store's app on your phone. It can make the shopping process a bit easier — and in the case of Aldi's app, it may even help you find the best deals. When you download this app, use the store locator to show you all the Aldi locations in your area. Additionally, it'll allow you to see the Aldi Finds section without having to physically go into the store. This can help you determine whether you want to make a special trip for these specific seasonal items.

Even more appealing is the fact that the Aldi app will display the store's weekly ads, which can help you pinpoint the best deals. We love to base our meal plan around these deals so we don't end up spending too much on groceries. And if the prices of your favorite products drop, you'll be the first to know when you use the Aldi app.

If you've been doing your own grocery shopping for quite some time, then you probably know a lot of the brands that you already like. Maybe you're a fan of Annie's mac and cheese, or perhaps you know that you specifically like Sara Lee bread to make sandwiches with. But if you're really attached to these products, then Aldi might not be the best place to shop.

Sure, Aldi carries a few name-brand products, but over 90% of the items the store stocks are from its own private label brands. While these products are often quite similar to familiar name-brand products, they may not be identical to what you're used to. Looking for your favorite name-brand products at Aldi, then, is a mistake that seasoned shoppers tend not to make. Keep this in mind the next time you're making your grocery list for Aldi.

Before you head to your local Aldi, it's always a good idea to think about how you're going to pay for your groceries. Like most grocery stores, Aldi accepts several different forms of payment, including credit and debit cards, cash, and contactless payment methods like Apple Pay. However, there are a few forms of payment that Aldi doesn't accept. Checks, for instance, cannot be used to pay for your groceries at Aldi, and the store also unfortunately doesn't accept WIC benefits. That being said, Aldi does accept SNAP benefits in the form of EBT cards.

Therefore, you shouldn't bring your checkbook with you to Aldi expecting to pay that way. Similarly, you should find a different store to shop at if you're looking to spend your WIC benefits. Instead, opt for a different form of payment, and you shouldn't have any issues when you make your way through the checkout line.

If you shop at Aldi a lot, there are probably certain products that you know and love, products that you decide to purchase again and again. But assuming that your favorite Aldi products will be around forever is a big mistake. Many products at Aldi — even ones that garner tons of fans — can be discontinued at some point, leaving store shelves forever. Earth Grown Meatless Italian Sausages, once a favorite amongst vegetarians, for instance, are now missing from the refrigerated section, as are some of the best sparkling water flavors.

You may want to consider stocking up on non-perishable products you really, really love to ensure that you still have access to them for at least some time after they leave store shelves, but it's not always obvious when certain items are going to be pulled. Ultimately, you have to accept that your favorites may one day disappear. At least you know that there will always be interesting new products popping up at the grocery chain.