Growth is stupid way of comparing…
Growth is only relevant for stock hodlers(Not real numbers)
AkA 0.1% -> 1.5% 🥳1500% growth
50% -> 75% 😒 only 50% growth
“Last year, its stores attracted 924 million visits, making it the third-most visited supermarket in America after Kroger and Publix.” Later on the article says there are 1 billion visits annually, so it seems that Aldi had 10% of footfall, which is pretty impressive penetration.
“Aldi gets almost as much penetration as your mom.”
Yes, and in a saturated market like supermarket retail, “fastest growing” is mathematically guaranteed to be a company without so much penetration.
Also the article is a blatant advertorial for Aldi cooked up as a way of advertising on Reddit/Lemmy without having to pay. Don’t upvote it.
It’s like poetry.
There’s a great song about Walmart, you know.
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How so? Aldi is pretty dramatically different from every other grocery store here, both in how they’re set up and in their prices.
And treats their employees well and pays them well above the competition.
A thing i heard from someone here a few days ago. What was it again. Sketchy data handling in their bonus programme? Something like that.
Fine, let’s forget it.
I love how you’ve gotten up-votes for an unsupported statement with literally no backing in reality simply because it is contradictory to the general sentiment of the rest of the post and comment section.
The redditifacation of Lemmy is proceeding on schedule.
If the platform behaves more or less like reddit you can be sure the users will too. Lemmy was never going to solve the problem of obnoxious groupthink.
A store you can quickly get in and out of with a variety of everyday items at a reasonable price that seems to pay its employees well. What’s not too love?
Also, several in my area have implemented self checkouts that don’t bitch you out for every single item. I can scan everything from my cart and bag it up later at a counter or my car if the weather’s nice.
Rumor has it they’re pulling all of the self checkouts out due to theft.
All of the ones near/by me have had them removed and regular registers put back in.
When they initially put in the self checkouts the delay for scanning was set to similar to a manned checkout, and as someone who spent my formative years cashiering at a grocery store, I greatly appreciated being able to quickly scan through my stuff. They upped the delay between scans after a few weeks, so now its like 10 seconds before you can scan another of the same item, so I’ve just gotten creative in alternating items to scan faster
Also lets cashiers sit down.
Boomers are actively finding a way to be offended by that as we speak. “Back in my day, we stood on iron floor pads in slip persistent shoes for 12 hours a day and offered service with a smile!”
They already were offended by it fifteen years ago when I worked retail. Sitting on the clock looks “lazy”, according to my first boss.
I’m a (spanish) boomer. I reported one of my bosses to my company health & safety comission because the bastard physically removed our chairs (I was a bank teller at that time). He was reprimanded, the chairs were put back in their places and the guy hated me deeply for the months we had to work together.
I was (still am) member of an union, btw. And that made a difference.
Unions are absolutely necessary.
BoomersOppressors.
This is a class war, not a generational one. Don’t let the king convince the torch wielders that their enemy is the pitchfork wielders.
Fair. I’m certain there are gen x and millennials that expect “servants” to suffer as well.
Anyone who’s rich enough, basically…
Boomers
Stop with this shit
Sorry, I just got done reading a bunch of stupid Google reviews with old people shitting on our local Chinese food restaurant for offenses like not being welcoming, not smiling, and serving the wrong kinds of food. It’s annoying that there’s a generation of people who expect servants when they exchange money for a service.
I’m pretty close to being a boomer, my in-laws are. Nobody I know has a problem with that. Careful with your ageism.
My in-laws are more progressive than most and are deep boomers, I realize it’s not all of them. There’s enough of them that they do seem to standout as a general rule that want to perpetuate generational suffering. Granted, most of the worst offenders are gen x and millennial with the “grind set” mindset.
And why they’re the only one I’ll never know. All idling jobs should have a fucking seat, there’s no good reason for cashiers to be forced to stand
Back in the day when I worked at an American grocery chain they had a rule that you were not allowed to drink water where customers could see. Literally the only person who ever cared was the franchise owner. I’m sorry, I’ve been scanning and bagging hundreds of products for the last 3 hours during a holiday rush, I might need to wet my mouth between customers from time to time.
I wish more of mine had the self-checkouts. The ones that don’t, it’s a minimum 10 minute wait in line to check out. Never more than one cashier during the hours I go.
Then speak to someone about it.
Fun Fact: Around 30 years ago, Walmart tried to get into the German market and got completely obliterated.
Then the German discounters counterattacked and the rest is history.
Fun Fact2: This is just Aldi Süd(South). Aldi Nord(North) is also active in the US as Trader Joe.
Add on fun fact: Aldi South and North
arewere owned separately by 2 brothers from Germany.Edit: updated to past tense. Thank you kind stranger below to note that the 2 brothers are no longer alive
Listened to ‘No Such Thing as a Fish’ segment about them just recently. Original Aldi in general was founded on being frugal, but one of the brothers was so stingy that he didn’t want to sell cigarettes, considering that they would get stolen. They parted ways over that, which led to the two separate chains.
were. They’re both dead by now. It’s now owned by their children.
Gutes Video
Fun fact: Aldi are basically the only supermarket chain where they don’t force their staff to stand up, and provide all cashiers with chairs
We need to bring back right to sit laws in the US. They were passed in most states in the early 20th century, but most have been repealed with time and the general decline of labor rights. Those laws also were sexist and only applied to women. But we could absolutely use gender-neutral right to sit laws.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_sit_in_the_United_States
That’s so weird. I simply see no reason why all the other US-chains force their employees to stand behind the counter.
Cruelty is the point. Once again.
Boomers think that workers being miserable is good customer service.
the whole point of having minimum wage staff is for boomers to torture people, Karen cant wank unless she yells at an overworked single mother who has not sat down in 7 hours.
* in the USA
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Context already was clear mate, we’re in a thread about Aldi USA
You didn’t add anything new or useful.
Edit: huh, bad internet made me post two of the same comment
No, from context it’s not clear whether you’re talking about their American stores, their German stores, or both. It was a good clarification.
they’re really efficient and cheap in my experience. they sell no-bullshit products. they don’t spend much money on advertisement so they don’t have to add that money to their expenses and therefore prices.
supermarkets make most money with highly-processed foods. every processing step adds another middleman that wants a slice of the price and that already increases the price, so you pay $5 instead of $2 for the raw products, and then the supermarket thinks “well, let’s add a 10% profit margin” and makes that price $5.50 instead of $2.20, thereby further increasing the difference in prices. aldi mostly sells basic products that are not so heavily processed (at least where i live) so there’s not much extra costs there.
They also let the cashier sit down…
I have worked for two producers here in the UK that supply Aldi. Basically Aldi want to match the leading brand and be cheaper.
Neither of the companies i worked were the leading brand but the Aldi product we made (for both companies) match it.
As a norm I buy from Aldi knowing they always try to get the leading brand matching quality for less.
surely a fine indicator of things in the US
shopped at Aldi all my life. honestly, their product quality rivals local specialty stores. they lack variety, but the quality for the price is amazing.
I didn’t know what aldi was until I was like 26 and somebody showed me the unbelievably cheap wine. and the cart system… Aldi is a place of comfort and solace compared to the shit I’ve seen in other supermarkets
no longer have aldi, but winco is pretty sick
Cheapest eggs I’ve seen. Not everything is great quality. But, for certain items I’ll make the extra stop.
Paid $1.65 for eggs there the other day. Half the cheapest regular grocery store price in my area. Meats at Aldi aren’t so great. Cuts are tougher, and I’ve found that the per-pound cost is about the same as the lower prices at regular stores. Aldi’s stuff isn’t trimmed as well, and once you get the fat trimmed you wind up about the same $/lb. Chicken is still a decent deal there.
In Australia the eye fillet at aldi is at least the quality of regular supermarkets, but about 2/3 the price.
Seen as having bad standards compared to other EU chains, but a shining star by comparison to basically every chain in the USA
I don’t know that I would agree with that, what’s your metric for standards which sets Aldi above every other chain in the USA?
Aldi’s great, don’t get me wrong, I love several of their business decisions such as the quarter for a cart, allowing customers to take excess boxes to reduce clean up, and they let their cashiers sit. That said, they are an overstock/discount/outlet style store and don’t reliably have the exact product you might want. If you’re looking for good prices they will generally have something you want, but it might be a different brand or style. In my mind it’s like a Ross, Marshals, or TJ Maxx but for groceries. Another plus is that Aldi has interesting items not typically seen at other stores such as German or European items.
Other people in these comments mentioned that their Aldi looks nice while having good prices, but the 4 Aldi’s near me look like they are still in the 1990s. Other USA brands more reliably have staple items but might be more expensive. Publix, Harris Teeter, Kroger, Whole Foods, and Fresh Market are definitely nicer than Aldi in quality. Food Lion and similar stores are comparable quality and maybe just slightly more expensive, and then the Aldi clones are there too (Lidl, Trader Joes, etc).
I love several of their business decisions such as the quarter for a cart, allowing customers to take excess boxes to reduce clean up, and they let their cashiers sit.
I find this comment hilarious since all the things you’ve described are commonplace in all supermarkets across most of Europe, and you’re talking about them like they’re some innovation of Aldi’s.
They’re not so much “innovations” but rather just frugal decisions in my opinion. By doing the quarter for a cart thing they insure people return their carts to the front without an employee. In other stores an employee just goes to collect them from the lot. By allowing people to take the boxes you reduce the number of bags used at checkout and you need less employees to remove the boxes from the shelves.
These aren’t ground breaking ideas, they are things which make sense in a capitalist world to minimize costs while being efficient. That said they are also contributing factors to why Aldi feels like a discount store in comparison to other stores. As a consumer I don’t mind the extra hurdles going to Aldi evokes, but if I’m going to Aldi I already am taking a step down in “quality” by US terms.
These aren’t ground breaking ideas
My point is that these weren’t Aldi’s ideas to begin with.
I’m struggling to see where the person you replied you ever suggested that it was Aldi’s original idea. It was Aldi’s decision to keep those things, which are common in Europe, in a market where it is not common (US).
I love several of their business decisions
Not
I love Aldi’s idea of [insert list]
That is the point they are making.
Sure, and the point I’m making is that it’s amusing to see from the perspective of anyone for whom those things are the standard. I didn’t say they said anything, I said they were talking about it as though it was an innovation.
actually from what i understand aldi isn’t an overstock kinda place: their brands are all in-house brands, but they go to big manufacturers and say you can whitelabel your product for us and get exclusive access to our shelves or we will go to your competitor
it’s often the same brand products that are 2x the price everywhere else but without the marketing and mark up that comes with
in australia i’ve never really had an issue with aldi not having stock of anything - unless you’re looking for brand name things, but that’s not really what aldi is about
That’s really interesting, I wasn’t aware of that. The reason I assumed it was overstock because they don’t consistently have the same things and things they have will be weirdly specific. For example, the last time I went to Aldi (probably 2 weeks ago) they had a cooler full of pizzas from one brand that were all buffalo chicken and ranch. Looking at the online stock for my normal store they have 4 varieties of stuffed crust frozen pizza, two varieties of thin crust, and one variety of plain crust.
As for being out of stock, it’s rare that they will be completely out but rather they won’t have the option you got last time. For example the last time I went they had fettuccine but not spaghetti. I also like the german options (especially the Deutsche Küche soups), last time I went they had spaetzle and soup but looking online now they don’t have either.
I wonder if this is a US Aldi specific thing?
In the sense of Workers Rights
I don’t care about the rest
Except that Aldi US has different worker rights from it’s European locations. Basically they have what is required by their local jurisdictions and that’s about it.
They got rid of DEI language when the administration changed, employment is at-will in at-will states (you can be fired without cause), Time off is only guaranteed if the state requires it to be (unlike in Europe; doing a bit of research US Aldi typically offers 7 days of leave compared to 29 in the UK), healthcare is tied to the job just like the rest of the US, and they don’t have a corporate minimum wage so it’s just market competitive.
Let me know if you know something about the US Aldi that I am missing, but as I understand it basically the only thing going for US Aldi is they let their cashiers sit down.
I think I am just really far behind on shit tbh, I had no idea about that shit
ALDI ist the reference for discounter in germoney, and i’m pretty sure it’s the darling of the middleclass. LIDL is not doing a good job and lost marketshare (They deserve this because of their App shit). We don’t really have other european discounters, no one could survive the ALDI/LIDL Grinder here yet. So i can’t really compare to other EU discounter chains.
(They deserve this because of their App shit).
Completely agreed and turned me off to LIDL.
I’m aware, I’m also EU… Well UK, but we’re EU in my heart, fuck Brexit.
UK does have two more, but their market share is less, Iceland (very close 3rd place) and Farmfoods (almost dead)
How “buy European” is this? Doesn’t Aldi have completely separate, American, supply chains for the vast majority of the products…?
They have to otherwise they would be impossibly expensive, importation of goods is not cheap. Their strategy is to sell as many of their own branded products as possible making them as close to premium quality as possible without compromising price. (Unlike a certain grocery chain in Canada that I could mention)
The USDA and FDA regulations make it basically a requirement for food to be processed in the US, hence why there’s so many massive food processing facilities in the US. Based on the recalls they’ve been caught up in, Aldi works with the same white label processors as other grocery chains and quite clearly works with them to set the taste, quality & ingredient expectations and of course the price.
There is a noticeably less sugar in Aldi’s goods than most other brands, but I also see far more packaging errors in Aldi’s goods than other budget brands, for example. Their packaging is also heavier into recyclable materials and uses less plastic
It’s EU in their values, of having good pay and not expecting staff to do bullshit like unpaid overtime
Fair enough. Bit shocking as a European that a discounter that’s known to put enormous pressure on staff, is regarded as very good practice on the other side of the pond… Sure Aldi pays their staff well but they also time and micromanage cashierd for how many seconds it takes per scanned product for example
Coincidentally, from what I’ve heard, Aldi prints the barcode on all sides of the packaging, so the cashier doesn’t have to look for it. (Idk myself as there’s no Aldi where I am.)
Yes. Part of the reason it seems shocking to me that they are considered good practice in USA is things like this. Although the barcode thing is good and harmless, they try to make every little thing milliseconds faster, the cashiers at aldi don’t do small talk, they don’t have the time. If they are too slow at scanning, they get fired or that’s the rumour at least. They recently also started splitting cash registry, so they can process even more costumers per minute and must be even more of a robot and less of a human… At many other supermarkets, the cashiers know their customers, have small talk about the weather or the kids or so. Aldi kind of forbids it without literally forbidding it because forbidding would probably not be legal.
I mean, I don’t have a problem with the barcode thing since it saves empty effort of twisting the package around in one’s hand looking for the barcode. It’s a great design solution eliminating a small frustration that occurs hundreds of times a day. I’d be glad if my local supermarkets had that on the stuff I take to self-checkout.
Yes; it’s on at least 2-3 sides of all Aldi Branded products so they can scan faster.
I’m also EU, I’m going from what I’ve heard from an American friend that works there
Rural-ish American who’s moved a bit -
Currently my only significant options are national chains like Walmart & Dollar stores which are well known for being bad for their employees AND their communitees. Many of the employees of the former are paid poorly enough they require government assistance to afford groceries from the store they work at.
I’ve lived places with Wincos/Costcos & Market Baskets and those are much mote reasonable places that I’d compare with Aldi. The chairs thing is real when looking at piece of shit places like Walmart & Dollar stores - but I dont remember if MB &| Winco offers chairs to their employees.
There are often larger local chains that can be marginally better (food lion, tops, etc) but often their prices & selection won’t beat out walmart.
Aldi is a nice breath of fresh air for the customers.
I don’t know any employees personally, so I can’t vouch if they are treated significantly better than other stores like Market Basket/Winco.
I try to buy from local farmers where possible, but thats not always easy nor possible for some things.
Nor reasonably priced. Helpful to the farmer, yes, but pricy.
When you see it as black and white than Aldi equals any other US business - but i’d argue it’s a more gradual thing and there is an actual difference. First because the top company is European a larger part ends up in European hands and also it could mean difference in policies.
it’s entirely american aside from the name/ownership.
Trader Joe’s is Aldi Nord. Aldi is Aldi Sud. Same business model where they direct person from a supplier than put it under their own label.
Best kettle cooked potato chip on the market, less than $2. Their peanut butter is better than Jif, Skippy, or Peter Pan, and it’s only about $3. Mayo is exactly the same as Hellman’s, at less than $4. Great French Bread Pizzas for $3, and you don’t have to add more cheese and pepperoni when you get home.
Lots of great chocolates, cheese, snacks, etc. I know someone who has a charcuterie catering biz, and she sources EVERYTHING at Aldi, including the serving trays and utensils.
There’s the occasional dud, but almost everything is first rate, and much cheaper.
Yeah I get almost everything from Aldi because the quality is consistently comparable to name-brand while being significantly cheaper. Its also nice that the stores are so small so you can focus more on shopping and less on getting through the store itself
There’s a few items where I do prefer from other stores (particularly meats and fresh fruits/veggies as the Aldi ones tend to go off faster and are lower quality) but generally I’ll hit Aldi, then my local grocery store for the last couple of items from my list, thereby keeping me well-within my grocery budget and getting the best of both worlds. Plus I can usually get it all done within about an hour thanks to only needing to hit a couple of isles in the big grocery store
Tell me about these french bread pizzas and kettle chips.
I frequent aldi for essentials, but havent had these, but can look out for them. I frequently get their big thin crust pizzas.
The Kettle-cooked chips come in plain, BBQ, and jalapeno, and all three are exceptional.
The French bread pizzas are in the frozen section, 2 to a package. I always keep a couple on the freezer for a quick meal or snack if I get home late at night after work. I give them about 60 seconds in the microwave to thaw them out, then a few minutes on the air fryer to melt everything, cook the pepps, and crisp us the crust. Perfect pizza, and its only about $3.
For me I found they struggle to cook the very center in the microwave, so I’ll usually give them 60 seconds to thaw, cut it in half then another 60 seconds (or was it 30?) to finish cooking. Only problem is my kids very consistently try to steal them from me if I dare to eat them when they’re around so I’m quickly better off just making something else
I just use the microwave to thaw it, and then it’s going to spend some time in the air fryer, so it doesn’t have to be hot in the middle, or even warm. It will get to the proper temp on the air fryer.
For me, the most amazing part is that I don’t have to add extra cheese and toppings, like I always had to with Stouffer’s, it’s got plenty. First rate.
Use the micro-bake instructions on the package.
You won’t go back.
Thank you, I’ll look for them next time I’m there!
Eat your heart out Walmart :D
It’s trying!
Walmart and the Walmart family is a scourge on mankind, making billions off of workers and recommending their employees get food stamps.
Their downfall cannot come sooner.
I think it’s more a joke about how Walmart tried expanding to Germany in the 90s and failed spectacularly and hilariously.
and recommending their employees get food stamps.
i mean i also recommend everyone to get food stamps if they can because why wouldn’t you, it’s extra income.
The difference is, you’re not making billions off the people who can’t afford food on the wages you under pay them.
Not quite the same.
Literally been there since the 90s.
I feel like I went to aldi in the 80’s but I honestly can’t remember for sure but yeah its been a huge light for non wealthy americans.
Build one in my town plz
please come to Seattle
