Aldi Checkout Etiquette: What You Should And Shouldn't Do

Trying new things can be scary and overwhelming, but you don't really expect a grocery store to be a source of discomfort. One of the untold truths of Aldi, though, is that it is quite different from a lot of other stores and its quirks can be intimidating for new shoppers. Even veteran shoppers could be shopping at Aldi all wrong, but as long as you have the correct etiquette down, you'll be a pro in no time.

Aldi is one of my go-to grocery stores and I've been going there regularly for years. There have been some changes to the German grocery store over the years , but its principles of affordability and quality have remained consistent. I've picked up on a lot of Aldi's quirks and best practices through my own experiences and observations. After reviewing these guidelines for what you should and shouldn't do for checking out, you'll be ready to confidently navigate Aldi's unique business model and culture.

It may have been a while since you've had to check your pockets for change, as a lot of people use a card or even their phones to pay for everything. Well, Aldi shoppers know you need at least one quarter when going grocery shopping, and it's not for a claw machine. Aldi goers will need to rent their cart for a quarter, which is a major divergence from other popular grocery stores. Don't worry, though, you'll get your 25 cents back at the end of your shopping trip!

What might sound like an inconvenience is actually a fun part of the Aldi quirk, and this refundable 25 cents keeps grocery costs low. Aldi employs a skeleton staff, which means it pays the exact amount of people it takes to run its stores. By requiring shoppers to insert a quarter into their cart to use it, and return their cart to get their money back, Aldi has eliminated the need for employees to collect carts. This also ensures that the parking lot is not littered with unreturned carts.

One important thing to note is that you won't want to break out your lucky or special quarter for your Aldi trip. You likely will not walk away with the same quarter you offered up. We'll talk about this more later, along with how the carts play a big role in Aldi's unique check out model.

It's not the end of the world for Aldi first timers who come unprepared for the quarter-for-a-cart situation. In fact, Aldi has a cult-like following, and shoppers jump at the opportunity to convert newcomers. It's not abnormal for a shopper who is on their way out to offer their cart or quarter to someone just arriving in the parking lot. Usually, they won't take a quarter in exchange for their cart, which already has a quarter inserted into it.

When this happens, it's like the Aldi gods have shone down on you. For positive karma and all around good etiquette, pass this kindness forward when you're done with the cart. You could easily return the cart and pocket the quarter, but keeping the good vibes going is well worth the 25 cents. You should either hand off your cart in the parking lot, return the cart and leave the quarter in the slot, or remove the quarter and offer it to an incoming customer to maintain your Aldi karma.

If you're quarter-less and aren't lucky enough to be at the receiving end of another customer's good deed, all hope is not lost. Head inside to see if an Aldi employee can help you with your coin shortage. This simple Aldi cart hack comes from a Reddit thread, where Aldi employees have confirmed that it's valid. Apparently Aldi permits its employees to give out a certain amount of coins for customers who need one for carts.

Could you technically circumvent the entire quarter for a cart situation by simply not getting a cart? Yeah, but you'd actually be throwing a wrench in the checkout process by doing so. The carts are a key factor in how Aldi employees check customers out. Cashiers keep an empty cart at the end of each checkout station, which is used to load your groceries in after they're scanned. Once all the groceries have been scanned and paid for, you take the filled cart and leave your now empty one in its place.

This double cart strategy saves a bit of time and keeps the check out process moving quickly. This way, employees don't need to wait until the customer is done loading the belt and has made their cart accessible before offloading the scanned products. Now what happens if you didn't use a cart when shopping? There's either no empty cart for loading the next person's groceries or the employee must stop working the register to find a replacement cart. A lot of the time saved by the two cart system is forfeited.

Unless you are truly only running in for a bottle of water and a chocolate bar, please just opt for a cart. This also avoids the whole juggling act we've all inevitably gotten ourselves into when overly confident about our ability to shop light.

Aldi's entire business model is centered around affordability, and low prices come with some sacrifices. You're not going to see many sets of hands working the checkouts, because the store works with a skeleton crew. It is not uncommon to see only two, or even just one, registers open at a time. This can lead to some long lines at times, but that just makes checkout etiquette that much more important. The closer you adhere to the spoken and unspoken rules of the Aldi check out line, the faster and smoother the line will be processed.

We think it's also important to note that getting frustrated about a grocery store line isn't going to get you anywhere, literally. The only difference impatience will make is that you're standing in line grumpy rather than unbothered. Unrest can be contagious as well, so do yourself, everyone else in line, and the hardworking cashier a favor and take the possible long line in stride.

We'd already talked about how vital those carts are to the checkout process at Aldi, but you've got to see the two cart system all the way through for it to be effective. When you're coming to the end of the checkout process, the cart you've been using your whole grocery trip will be swapped with that of the person ahead of you in line. Your purchases will be loaded into their cart, and your cart will then be left empty for the person behind you. Please go with this flow.

There may be many reasons why you'd want to keep your original cart rather than swap, like you have a special coin in your cart and wish to keep it, or you've already sanitized your cart's handles. In order to keep your original cart, though, you'd have to transfer everything over and hold up the line. This completely eats all of the time saved by the trained cashiers.

There is exactly one exception to this rule of etiquette. If you have a child secured in the cart and didn't buy much. If it takes more time to get your kid out of the cart and into the new one than it does to transfer the groceries, then feel free to take this option. Transferring your child while the cashier is still ringing items up is a great way to navigate this hurdle, though.

If you shop at Walmart, Target, or any of the other major grocery chains, you've likely never seen the staff sitting down. While staff sitting on the job is often looked down upon by employers or customers, Aldi encourages its staff to let their bodies rest when they're able and provides them chairs to do so. This is actually the norm in a lot of countries outside of America, like the Netherlands and — you guessed it — Germany.

Americans historically have a unique relationship with work, a lot of people still thinking a job should be grueling if done right. The truth is, though, that there really is no good reason why a job should be a stress to our body if it doesn't have to be. Aldi allows its workers to sit, and their productivity does not suffer for it. In fact, Aldi cashiers are quicker at ringing up customers than those at stores that require their workers to stand for the entirety of their shifts. This increased efficiency may actually be the reason Aldi cashiers sit behind their register. So, instead of being upset that they're sitting, be impressed that employees can be so speedy while seated.

Baggers are another cost that Aldi has cut, so at the end of your checkout experience you will be responsible for bagging your own groceries. However, it's important that this doesn't take place in the checkout area. Employees (and other customers) want you to be focused on getting your payment through promptly instead of fussing with your groceries. Don't worry, though, because Aldi has an entire separate area for optimal bagging.

Upon completing your transaction, you'll be prompted to roll your cart over to the provided bagging area. It's just on the other side of the checkout area, usually against the window lined wall that makes up Aldi's exit area. Here, you will have plenty of room for your cart to hang out and a tall counter where you can place your bags and fill them however you wish to.

If the idea of bagging your own groceries makes you internally groan, we may have an Aldi bagging hack to make your life easier. Instead of bringing your typical reusable bags, bring collapsible crates or baskets. Place them in the empty cart open, and your cashier will likely just fill them as they would an empty cart. This may not work every time depending on if your cashier is willing, but is certainly worth a shot if you dread bagging your own groceries.

One way that Aldi cuts grocery costs for customers is that it never supply bags for free. Instead, customers are encouraged and expected to bring their own reusable bags for groceries. If you do not bring a bag or need additional bags, Aldi has them for sale right under the checkout belt. For a few cents, you could get a paper bag, but the store also offers insulated bags and reusable ones. Unlike other stores, you will not need to send your tote bags down the belt unless you are buying them, because you'll bag with them yourself.

There is one cool alternative to bought or brought bags, and it's kind of like a sweet little Aldi secret. If you have forgotten your bags and don't want to buy any more, you can use empty boxes you find on the shelves! The produce section has the best boxes, just be sure to take your items out of the box instead of setting a box full of stuff on the belt. Another lesser known fact, occasionally people buy more paper bags than they need and leave the excess. If you see bags on bagging counter, they've already been paid for and are free to use.

Aldi lines can be lengthy, however, there's a good reason for this and it really shouldn't take that long to get through the line — helping out with efficient loading can really make a difference. By loading your groceries on the belt quickly, the line moves a bit quicker. Speed isn't the fix-all key to efficiency, though. You'll need to be strategic when placing your items on the belt. Keeping them organized while you shop can help with this.

Aldi cashiers are known for being pretty speedy, and even though they're trained not to damage your groceries, things do happen. By attempting to organize your groceries, it'll make it less likely that more delicate items will get crushed. Put the larger, heavier items on the belt first, followed by those that could get hurt more easily. This will help maintain that the large items are on the bottom of the cart and the lighter ones are placed on top. You can also keep heavy objects in the cart itself.

Want to avoid those long, skeleton crew lines at Aldi? Opt for the self checkout! Some Aldi locations have implemented self checkouts, and at times customers can bypass lines all together. Though, there can be long lines here as well. Even when no line has formed, the self checkout in this grocery store chain comes with some limitations. Though it's not always posted, the powers at large that run the German store don't want you to go through self checkout if you have a large amount of groceries.

If you have 20 or more items, you should go through the regular line. Additionally, the self checkout may not be a great idea if you are buying any items that require employee intervention. This includes any markdowns that need to be manually inputted or alcohol purchases. Since there are very few people working, it could take quite some time to get an employee's help at self checkout, making the regular lane much smoother.

We've all witnessed less-than-savory customers, but only a select group of people have been on the receiving end of a grumpy Gus' canned goods tantrum. Service workers deserve the world, yet this is the type of interaction they get handed pretty regularly. Please, don't be this kind of customer.

Tantrums are one thing, but there are a lot of more subtle slights that could rub your cashier the wrong way. Ignoring their friendly greeting of, "Hi, how are you today?" is one. While you may not mean to do it, treating anyone as if they are invisible or not worth a response is not polite. Throwing or shoving money toward them is another rude thing grocery store employees don't like. If you're paying with cash, place it in their hands. Also, blaming the employees for company policy or something that is completely out of their hands is not only unfair, but it doesn't make much sense either. Your interaction with an Aldi cashier will likely be very brief, and a quick hello and thank you goes a long way.

We always want to treat our cashiers with kindness and respect, but there is a thing as being overly nice. Try not to talk the cashier's ear off, even if you're just trying to be friendly. It's not that Aldi employees don't like casual conversation from time to time, but sometimes customers can cross the line with what is appropriate discussion with service workers. Remember that these employees are not only trapped at their post, but more or less have to smile and bear whatever conversation you throw at them. A greeting, smile, and a bit of small talk is all you really need at the Aldi checkout.

Even if your cashier is a chatterbox, there's one major reason why you shouldn't hold up their line. Aldi times and scores each one of its employees, and each employee has a quota to meet concerning how many items they ring up each minute and/or hour. Customers can help the employees meet these quotas and high expectations by following these rules of etiquette. Every second saved in the interaction increases efficiency, and doing your part throughout the checkout process helps keep costs low and, more importantly, the employees in good standing.