Aldi Employees Hate This Customer Checkout Fail

Aldi is famous for many things, from affordable prices to a surprisingly high-quality selection of store-brand goods (many with cult followings). However, new and experienced Aldi shoppers alike know that the chain is also noteworthy for its unique, lightning-quick checkout process. Unfortunately, not every customer helps keep this process moving, especially those guilty of one mistake that's particularly irritating to cashiers. 

This common customer fail is not being ready at checkout. On Reddit, some users who claim to be Aldi employees note that customers hold up the checkout process for various reasons. This includes everything from customers being on the phone when their turn to checkout arrives to not unloading groceries onto the belt quickly. One of the most egregious offenses is committed by those who realize they've forgotten an item on their list and need to go back to the shelves to grab it mid-checkout. As one user wrote, "Don't spend 10 min deciding if you want to get some of the things in your cart." Some other common fails that frustrate Aldi employees and fellow shoppers alike include customers putting their items on the belt in the wrong order (it should be heaviest first) or not having their cash or credit/debit card ready to go.

It may not appear that way, but the checkout process at Aldi has been optimized to maximum efficiency, much like the rest of the store. In order to cut costs, Aldi stores allegedly operate with a small staff, including few cashiers, according to current and former employees on Indeed. This can lead to uncomfortably long lines if they don't work swiftly. For employees, it's not just about the customer experience or corporate bottom line, either. 

Aldi employees report that the store tracks their items scanned per minute, which serves as a key metric for their performance. Efficiency is even the real reason Aldi cashiers sit behind the register. Research by the company discovered that sitting increased the number of items scanned per hour. Aldi also helps cashiers speed up checkouts by placing multiple barcodes on its store-brand products, avoiding the need to search for them and manipulate items to get them to scan correctly.

In addition, this desire for efficiency is the primary driver of Aldi's bagging policy. Cashiers simply scan and place the items back in carts, letting customers handle the sometimes delicate process of bagging on their own while the cashier checks out the next person. While Aldi can be a bit daunting to shoppers, the experience should run smoothly as long as they're paying attention — especially at checkout.