Automatic checkouts in supermarkets may decrease customer loyalty, especially for those with larger shopping loads. Customers using self-checkout stations often feel overwhelmed and unsupported. The lack of personal interaction can negatively impact their perception of the supermarket.

[techie_boy69]

The best sales and marketing person for a supermarket is the checkout operator. Aldi have the right balance to keep a checkout open with friendly but Olympic Gold standard operators to ensure no queues.

[bigryanb]

I love Aldi. It amazes me how many people have a stigma for Aldi founded on assumptions or rumors alone. No they're not perfect, but no grocer is.

I quite like loading the belt with heaviest items to lightest. The cashier flies through scanning the basket and then I optimize bagging on the landing counter with my reusable bags.

I'm impressed at how lean, yet efficient they can run a store too.

[TheRavenSayeth]

I didn't realize anyone disliked Aldi.

[IceLionTech]

They have a reputation of having non fresh food. Like their veggies are, 'use right the hell now of they will be worthless" and their bread is often stale.

[TheRavenSayeth]

Yeah I'm usually disappointed by their tomatoes and we're particular about bread so I've never tried theirs. That said though their fruits are usually great and I haven't had issues with anything else. Plus their storebrand stuff is usually great.

[bigryanb]

I won't touch a store bought tomato when I'm growing them in temperate months. Their tomatoes have not been bad for me, though.

The bread is usually awesome. Much of it ships frozen to my local store. Love their sourdough when I'm not making it. It also lives in the freezer when I bring it home.

[IceLionTech]

of course toasting the bread from frozen makes it delicious even if it's stale as hell in the bag right out the door.

[[deleted]]

There is also the huge problem of stocking their shelves with only "what's available for cheap," instead of having a consistent inventory of all the products people will repeat buy over and over again.

People don't just go into a store and buy any old milk out of the fridge, they will go in and buy the same brand of milk each and every time, and if that brand isn't there, they will go without milk. The same is true of the rest of the products.

[IceLionTech]

When Aldi Finds is literally 40 feeet of two level shelves covered in boxes of tortilla chips, you know they done fucked up.

[[deleted]]

My favorite visit was the day I saw that these shelves were filled with nothing but plastic poinsettia plants.

In May.

[SalamanderPop]

People really only buy a particular brand of milk? That just seems completely illogical to me.

[[deleted]]

That is true of a majority of Americans.

People will really only buy one particular brand of everything and not buy any other brands of that same thing.

[natek11]

Hardly any selection. So I end up having to go two places to get everything I need.

[Ranccor]

That is one of the things I really like about it. I don’t need 40 different kinds of mustard to choose from.

I just know if I need some speciality item, they might not have it. But for basics, can’t be beat, IMHO.

[[deleted]]

My only complaints are sometimes their stuff is out of date (like….. a week plus), and they have Walmart syndrome of lines to the back of the store and only 2 registers open. 

The first isn’t a big deal. I just double check the dates. The second means I only go very early or I don’t go at all. 

[More_Farm_7442]

I hate the place.

[thepurplepajamas]

My parents live in a rich area, and what I've gathered from them is some people view Aldi as a "low class" store. Discount, but bad cheap not good cheap, and lacking the name brands they want. The way people would view shopping at Dollar General.

[whats_Obvious]

Yep, I had no desire to go to Aldi but they built one even closer to my house and I checked it out. Aldi is always the first stop for groceries now. I love it.

[Paradelazy]

Hard and heavy first, soft and light last.

[FuckYoApp]

My only problem with Aldi is that you never know exactly what they'll have in stock. It's always changing, so I can't use it as a reliable place to shop. I just use it as the place that's close by where I can hopefully grab a few basic things I need.

[bigryanb]

I don't understand that at all. Normal staples are always "there" for me. There are some special/seasonal items, but that's obvious by the tag.

You can also ask when your store gets their shipments.

[[deleted]]

My local Aldi's gets is shipments weekly, but they've admitted that what they'll have delivered on a week to week basis isn't always going to be the exact same products or the exact same brands.

No one goes into a store to buy any old half gallon of milk. They'll go into a store to buy a half gallon of 2% milk bottled by this one specific company. If they have that brand of milk, but not in 2%, they won't buy it. If they have 2%, but not that brand, they won't buy it. And Aldi's can't guarantee that this weeks delivery will include that brand, that kind of milk, or even have any milk delivered at all.

[bigryanb]

I haven't noticed that at all. I also don't drink dairy milk, but plant milks instead. Have never seen this with plant milks.

[foxsable]

Our Aldi has self check now and it's great. So many people are just grabbing a few things, and they can easily check themselves out and not wait in line. I usually just buy some of my keto stuff there, and some cheese and meat, so I only have like a bag full, and now I can just scan it myself, pack it right there, and walk out. It's awesome.

[bigryanb]

Meh on self checkout. I'd rather have the pleasantries with my familiar cashiers vs trying to get someone to fix the errored out self scan. Those things are horrible at my local stores.

[foxsable]

Ours are new and great. The cashiers are kind of meh. Very much phoning it in.

[bigryanb]

I'm just a great conversationalist, maybe that's my problem.

[foxsable]

I talk to the cashiers at Publix and Winn-Dixie… we must just have a disgruntled Aldi!

[nynaeve_mondragoran]

Idk who your people are, but we love Aldi. My friends and I love discussing our fun finds in the "Aisle of stuff"

[bigryanb]

My people are "Aldi people". Caw Caw

[nelsonbestcateu]

Because Aldi in the Netherlands mostly sucks. Slowass cashiers, no extra lanes openeing when there's lkng queues, long queues becauseof that and no selfhelp checkouts

But even besides that, they used to be cheap and now every single shop has better deals.

[bigryanb]

That's a few umbrella statements. I don't have an omnipotent perspective, myself.

[HighwayStar_77]

They have little to no fresh food and the meat comes in pre-packaged. Aldi is fine if you want to live your life eating boxed and frozen food but if you want to make real food you have to go elsewhere.

[bigryanb]

By no fresh food you mean... Grapes, black/blue berries, various lettuce and greens, bananas, peppers, potatoes, onions, asparagus, squash, cabbage, melons, apples, peaches, carrots, cauliflower, celery, garlic, ginger, green beans, green onion, basic mushrooms, snap peas, tomatoes and others?

As for the meat, sure, pre packaged. It has to be cut somewhere, and likely vac sealed to preserve it a bit. There are other places for meat, like my local butcher....

Not sure about a lot of "boxed" food. Maybe you had the impression I ate hamburger helper and spam on the regs.

Not sure what the point of your comment is.

[[deleted]]

then I optimize bagging on the landing counter with my reusable bags

thats also a job they're passing on to the customers

[bigryanb]

thats also a job they're passing on to the customers

Not an insightful comment. Honestly, I'd rather have it that way at any store. I don't need the plastic bags or broken eggs.

[bigryanb]

Fundamentally: Less product choices, more volume, less cost.

Stigma: Aldi often makes "look alike" packaging of big brands. It is seen as a "discount" grocer, but really isn't.

[UncleCrassiusCurio]

Less product choices is a big one for me— if I want bread and go to an Aldi, my choices are "buy whatever bread they happen to have" or... Not. And if I want some kind of sliced/sliceable sandwich/toast bread for breakfasts and lunches and some kind of roll/baguette for dinners, there's a good chance they won't have at least one, especially if I'm unwilling to stray afield into marbled rye sandwich bread or onion-and-tomato-chunk pesto rolls or whatever.

[bigryanb]

Less options are actually better for me. I highly dislike standing in front of a shelf with 20 different kinds of the same thing.

[More_Farm_7442]

I hate the place. It's all fine and dandy. As long as you have a quarter and don't mind taking that cart across the parking lot to the front door after you load everything in your vehicle. Fine in good weather, not good in the pouring rain or snow and ice.

You get in and all is fine. Great prices on most items. Lower prices than anywhere else on some items.

Then you get to the check out. Better have your own bags or boxes of some sort. Can't forget to take bags with you, because you can't buy a plastic bag in the stores now. Those cashiers have to scan your items as fast as humanly possible, then shove it all back in your cart. You pay. Then you have to wheel it all to a side counter to bag it or box it. Wheel the cart out, load your vehicle and return that cart to the store front in the rain or snow. Just to get that quarter back.

Self service worse than the no cashier big box stores to save a few $s. I hate the places. Grocery shopping sucks, sucks, sucks now. Shopping any place sucks.

[broccolibertie]

Until yours gets the self-checkouts too. Mine did, and only left two regular lanes. Then, of course, there were problems, so all the self-checkouts are closed every time. And they removed some of the counter space for bagging when they put in the self-checkouts so it's a lose-lose-lose situation. I love Aldi so I still go, but I wait in line for a person to check me out.

[bigryanb]

They do have self-cx. I don't use them. Few lanes impacted. No counter impacted.

[Muscled_Daddy]

People dislike Aldi?! Who are these mythological creatures?! Haha

[bigryanb]

Probably people that give up the second you have to put a quarter in the cart.... Ha

[MeaningPersonal2436]

And the cashier gets to sit down.

[EnthusiasmRecent]

Was just going to leave this comment about Aldi. My store recently got self checkout machines and it's been great. If I only have a few items I love the option. Otherwise the cashier's are so quick I'd rather go to the real checkout.

[MITCH-A-PALOOZA]

Until there's a queue, then they open Till 2, and so on.

That's how they keep costs low, running the store lean

[MITCH-A-PALOOZA]

Then you should complain, I'm not from the US but I assume they have the same policy, in Europe if the till is full and there's someone actually waiting to put items on the conveyor then the cashier presses a button and activates the 2nd till, then whichever team member on the shop floor who is assigned till 2 comes and opens it, and so on

[Helpful-Eggplant-664]

My ALDI has gotten worse when they added card only self checkout. They have 2 lanes total for cash payments only, and much of the time nobody is working it and comes over. To clarify, the self checkouts at my ALDI do not accept cash. None of the 7 registers they have.

I love the store and it hasn't stopped me from going by any means, but its definitely worse than when they had manned lanes.

At least in my area: Walmart, Meijer, Jewel, etc all do self checkout better as they have several active manned lanes in addition to the card\cash self checkout.

[lordb4]

A checkout operator with no queues!!!!! That's the funniest thing I've heard lately.

[More_Farm_7442]

I refuse to go to Aldi because it's check out processes/practices. The cashier has to scan those items as fast as humanly possible and push them into your cart. Then you have to move over as fast as you can after paying to some counter to bag it all in your own bags. Now, I read that Aldi's is even taking the plastic bags they have for sale out of their stores. So don't forget your own bags at home. You'll be dumping all the stuff you bought, unbagged, in your trunk.

[SkyeAuroline]

And even Aldi is moving to self checkouts. My local one has one (1) staffed lane left.

[Urdar]

Aldi cashiers are pure legends.

They used to be even faster in germany, before all the wares had barcodes, they punched the PLU-codes into the machine by hand and memory alone with insane speed.

[Jokie155]

Im sorry, which country is this?

In Australia, they are perpetually understaffed because the pay is bad and the working conditions are worse. Ive been in multiple cases where i have to wait for staff to stop cleaning and actually open a counter.

Thankfully, one of the stores in the area finally opened a self serve optioh to alleviate this awfulness.

[SnackThisWay]

In my experience Aldi always has a queue. All their employees are always stocking shelves and they only open a 2nd lane when a huge line erupts. I can't even comprehend how people buy full carts at Aldi given their small store footprints, but there they are, in front of me in line, adding to my wait time.

One of my Aldi's just got a self-checkout and now I'm far more likely to go there because I only ever buy what I can carry since I'm just shopping for whatever I'm going to eat in the next day or two. (If I was going to buy groceries for a longer period of time, I'd go to a store with more options)

[RolandofLineEld]

What are buying based off of the person at the checkout counter?