Aldi Etiquette: Dos and Don’ts

Last Updated on September 17, 2019

Our Local Aldi / ALDI

Anytime a person goes to Aldi for the first time, it’s a little strange. We’ve previously documented some basics for the newcomer in our post Going to Aldi for the First Time: A Simple Guide. Here we’ll dig a little deeper into some of the dos and don’ts of Aldi etiquette.

Before You Go

Do: Bring your own bags

One of the big differences between Aldi and many other stores is that bags are not complimentary. You can purchase bags at checkout, but you’ll find things run a little smoother if you can bring some of your own. Reusable bags are invaluable if you shop regularly at Aldi.

Do: Bring a quarter

You’ll need a quarter to get a cart. (Don’t worry; you get it back when you leave.) It’s part of the system Aldi has devised so they don’t need to hire extra employees to return carts, and it ultimately saves you money. When you arrive, you simply slide a quarter into a slot on top of a cart, which releases the cart to you from the rest of the carts. When you leave, you plug the cart back in and retrieve your quarter.

Don’t: Expect to find everything

It’s a low-inventory store, and while we find well over 80%-85% of what we need, it’s probably inevitable that you’ll be unable to find a few key items. On the other hand, if you keep tabs on Aldi’s Special Buys, those elusive things you’re looking for may show up at special times of the year.

Don’t: Call it “Aldi’s”

The most common mispronunciation of the store, even by some longtime shoppers, is Aldi’s. It’s not: it’s Aldi, with no possessive at the end.

Aldi Shopping Cart Etiquette

Do: Feel free to give your quarter to a person returning their cart

It’s common and acceptable practice to approach a person returning an empty cart and offer them your quarter, and they, in turn, give you their cart. It speeds things up a bit by cutting out the returning person latching the cart and the arriving person unlatching it. (Just make sure, of course, that their cart is empty.)

Don’t: Give two dimes and a nickel to a person who is returning his or her cart

We’ve actually had this happen — a person came up to us, said, “I’ll take your cart,” and handed us change rather than a quarter. Technically, it’s the same amount of money, but it’s considered rude. Give them a quarter. My wife also once had a person hand her a fistful of change, and she later discovered she had been shorted a penny or two. It’s not a major loss, but for courtesy’s sake, don’t do this to fellow shoppers. If you need correct change, go into the store and ask a cashier to trade your loose change for a quarter. They will gladly do so.

Do: “Pay it Forward” if someone did it for you

Sometimes a Good Samaritan will hand off a cart with a quarter in it without asking for a quarter. Aldi doesn’t encourage this, and we understand why — the whole point is to create incentive for people to return their carts — but if someone does this, feel free do the same for the next person. It’s quite possible this pay-it-forward has been going on all day. If no one is around when it’s time for you to hand off your cart but you still want to pay it forward, simply put your cart in the cart collection area but don’t plug it back in, leaving it free for the next shopper to quickly grab.

Don’t: Leave your cart in the parking lot.

For some people, even the lure of twenty-five glorious cents isn’t enough for them to return their cart. So be a good person and return your cart. Remember, Aldi keeps their costs down by relying on customers to do a bit of work.

Aldi Aisle Etiquette

Do: Grab empty cardboard cartons if you need them

Sometimes you’ll see large metal bins with empty cardboard packaging in them. These are completely fair game for customers, and are actually left out in case people need them. I’m most likely to make use of them if I’m only there for a few items and didn’t grab a cart on the way in, or if I don’t have any bags, but they can also be useful in other ways. Just don’t gamble on them being there, because, depending on the time of day, they may not be.

Don’t: Linger too long in the aisles, especially on a busy day

Aldi stores come in various sizes, but many of the older stores have some narrow aisles, with alleyways between aisles especially tight. Be aware of your surroundings, especially during peak shopping hours.

Do: Ask questions of workers if you need something

I’ve found Aldi workers to be about as knowledgeable and helpful as any group of workers at any grocery store I’ve ever been to. Because Aldi stores are lean operations, with just a few employees, the people working there tend to know quite a bit about the store. A few months ago, for example, I couldn’t find a Special Buy item I was looking for. I wasn’t sure if it had sold out or hadn’t arrived. When I asked about it at the checkout, another worker in the next lane over said that she’d stocked those shelves and the product hadn’t arrived. (Delays sometimes happen with certain Special Buy products.)

On a related note, don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need assistance with a specific bulk item. I did that when I bought the Gardenline Two Person Swing, which was far too big to put in a cart. The Aldi cashier got someone out to help me put it on a flatbed cart and helped me get it out to the car.

Don’t: Forget to check for clearance items

On occasion, Aldi will clearance out products that have been on the shelf for a while. Some Aldi stores have specific endcaps for this purpose, while others will simply keep the clearance items on the shelf. What gets clearanced, by how much, and when can all vary from store to store, so we suspect it’s a store-level decision. Often the items will be small, but not always: we got our aforementioned Gardeline Two Person Swing for $50 … half off.

Aldi Checkout Etiquette

Do: Push your cart into the space right at the end of the checkout line when you get to the front

The general flow of the checkout aisle is to push your cart up to the front where the cashier can get it. Often, the cashier will use the cart immediately in front of yours to fill your groceries, then use your cart for the person behind you. Make sure your cart, once unloaded, is near the cashier so he or she can get at it.

Do: Use cash, credit, debit, or EBT

Aldi’s payment options have expanded nicely in recent years, including the glorious decision in 2016 to accept credit cards. You can use cash, credit, or debit, and debit users can even get cash back. Aldi also accepts EBT cards for qualifying items. According to Aldi’s site, they do not currently accept checks or WIC (Women, Infants, and Children).

Don’t: Try to use coupons

Aldi almost never* accepts coupons or other promotionals. Don’t try to use a manufacturer’s coupon; they don’t take them, and you might get an evil eye from people around you. And don’t even think about sharing or printing that thing you saw on social media for a big Aldi coupon — it’s a fake. Of course, you’ll find that Aldi without coupons is usually cheaper than many places with them.

Don’t: Run off with a cart if you didn’t pay for one on the way in

If you didn’t bring a cart in, don’t take the one the cashier is using. It’s not polite.

Any other etiquette suggestions? Share them in the comments!


* There is one isolated exception to the coupon rule: when a new Aldi opened near us years ago, that Aldi mailed out coupons for that specific store only. This is rare, though.

Save

About Joshua

Joshua is the Co-founder of Aldi Reviewer. He is also a writer and novelist. You can learn more about him at joshuaajohnston.com.

10 Comments

  1. I did give someone two dimes and a nickel one day in the parking lot, but I asked first. I got to the store and discovered my cart quarter that I keep in the console was gone. So I waited for someone to load their groceries and asked if they would take my change for their cart. I never considered going in and asking the cashiers for a quarter. I’ll keep that in mind if it happens again.

  2. Out of politeness, I feel I can’t easily say no when someone asks if it’s okay if they can give me dimes and nickels instead of a quarter. Accepting their small change means I have look for another quarter to put in my “Aldi quarter spot” in my car for next time. So even if someone says it’s okay when you ask, they may still privately be a little bummed about having to find another quarter for themselves.

  3. I always let the person behind me in the checkout line go ahead of me if they’re carrying just a few items. Everybody at my ALDI seems to do this.

  4. Please don’t take a cart without paying for it. I work at Aldi. We cashiers have to pay for carts with money from our cash registers. Taking a cart is the same as steeling money right out of our register.

  5. I am on oxygen and occasionally am out of breath by the time I put my bags in my trunk and am unable to get the cart returned and leave it in the parking lot.

  6. An easy way to insure you don’t get change rather than a quarter is to just “pay it forward” and give your cart away. This is especially kind at my Aldi’s which has quite a few Seniors’.

    If you go to Aldi’s once a week and do it every time – total yearly cost is $13. Not a bad cost for a simple kindness!

  7. I’m glad I checked this site. Stopped going to Aldi years ago because they only took cash, nice to see they take debit and credit cards now, will be shopping there from here on out.

  8. Holland Thomas

    I was shopping at Aldi with my dad and grandmother today, and a thing they often do is they’ll get separate carts as to not mix up the groceries. When we went to check out the cashier started questioning them about why they had each rented a cart instead of just one and they got into a whole ridiculous argument about it. My family was very angry about it but I feel like I should take the cashier’s side because they’re the one who work there and I’m sure they knew what they were talking about. Can anyone tell me if there is a rule at Aldi about only renting one cart at a time? Is it considered rude to rent two at a time?

    • We actually sometimes get two carts ourselves to separate the products we review from those we don’t. It’s not considered bad form to get two carts if the situation warrants it (the only exception being maybe if it’s so busy in the store that carts are in short supply). Based on what you’ve reported, I’m surprised that anyone gave you any grief about it, but that’s just me.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *