Aldi is one of my favorite places to shop because of the low prices and their high quality store brand products. I do find that I miss items while shopping at Aldi though because of their store layout. Don’t get me wrong, the layout is what helps Aldi to keep their prices low by keeping their aisles stocked with product that arrives in its original shipping box on a crate. We’re not paying for pretty, nicely lined shelves of products at Aldi. We’re paying less because someone didn’t have to neatly arrange each item on the shelf and then rearrange it later after a dozen customers rummaged through the shelf looking for just the right product.
Aldi provides low prices for several reasons including putting your own shopping cart away, bagging your own groceries, and lower employee costs since the customer does do some of the work. Aldi frequently only has two to three employees in the store at a time because the store nearly operates itself. The customer has learned to reach for the next box when one is empty, and will often carry the empty box with them and use the box to carry their own groceries out, reducing Aldi’s need to discard them.
One useful thing to remember while shopping in Aldi is where each of their products are located. For the most part the items are located together based on whatever category they fit in to. The first aisle includes name brand merchandise, chips, baking products, cereal, snacks, and condiments. While these categories don’t include everything that is on that first aisle, it is a general idea of what is there.
I’ve found that if I make a list of items I need while shopping at Aldi in the order that the products are found throughout the store, it not only speeds up my shopping process, but I also don’t miss any items I had intended to purchase. Aldi’s layout is similar at all of their locations, and products are also usually located in the same area in each store. Aldi does carry seasonal items that can only be found during certain times of the year. I noticed on my last trip through the baking area that they had added coconut flakes, and a larger variety of dried raisins than they normally carry.
not neccessarily true about the low employee cost. the employee’s there do get paid good, but since they dont have to have 15 or 20, or even 50, employees there, they CAN get paid good, and have a good benefits package. if anyone is looking for work, i would recommend Aldi. But dont work there if you dont want to work hard.It would be your job to check peoples groceries, stock the shelves, help unload the trucks, clean the store, etc. THANKS for this article…
Thank you! Yes, I should have also stated that although employee costs are low it is due to the low amount of employees required, not necessarily their salary. I love Aldi, they have the fastest checkers I’ve ever seen!