How Do You Return a Product to Aldi?

Sometimes a purchase doesn’t work out, and you need to return an item to the store for a refund. Sometimes this is the case with products purchased at Aldi. You might be wondering whether Aldi accepts returns. You might also wonder how easy the return process is. And where do you even take a return in the store? After all, Aldi doesn’t have a dedicated customer service counter or returns area in its stores.

Does Aldi Accept Returns?

The discount retailer does accept returns and offers refunds or exchanges, and the process is not difficult. I’ve shopped at Aldi for years and have returned several things.

Just like Aldi is different with its cart deposit system and with the way it relies on customers to bag their own groceries, returning a product to Aldi may not feel the same compared to other stores.

So the following are a few helpful things to know when you want to return a product to Aldi.

How to Return a Product to Aldi:

First, bring your product plus any packaging and the receipt if you have it to your local Aldi store.

As with most retailers, the return process will go more smoothly if you have your receipt. Hanging on to your receipt is valuable because the Aldi website states that “a receipt is required to receive a refund in the original form of payment. Customers who do not provide a receipt will receive an ALDI Merchandise Credit gift card equal to the current retail price of the returned item.”

So if you want your money to go back on your credit or debit card, don’t lose or throw away your receipt. More importantly, if you want to get back the full price you paid for a product and not just receive the clearance price, keep your receipt. I recommend getting into the habit of placing receipts in a specific location in your house — a drawer, a basket, a file folder, etc. — and storing them there until you know for certain that you won’t need to return anything.

Get in line with other customers waiting to check out with the cashier. 

Aldi saves money by not staffing a separate customer service counter like traditional grocery stores, and that savings gets passed on to you. Because Aldi does not have a dedicated customer service area or a counter devoted to returns the way stores like Walmart or Target do, I’ve found it’s easier to just go through the regular line to get to the cashier. Aldi checkouts have a reputation for being fast, so you’ll soon get to the front of the line.

Of course, if the cashier isn’t busy ringing up customers, you can approach them directly. In the past when I had returns, I sometimes approached a cashier from the bagging area, without going through the line, because this was a common practice among customers. In more recent years, it seems like stores have been busier, so I’ve gone through the line with the regular customers because it makes things more fair and no one is “cutting.” 

When you get to the front of the line, explain to the cashier that you have a return. 

It’s pretty simple from here on out. The cashier knows what to do and will take it from here.

If you have your receipt and you paid for your item in cash, you’ll be refunded with cash. In my experience when I pay with a credit card or debit card and return an item with the receipt, sometimes I get the refund put back on the credit card and sometimes they pay me back with cash. I’m not quite sure why that is.

And again, if you don’t have a receipt, you’ll receive a little card with a store credit equal to the product’s current price. This is standard practice in any retail establishment if a customer doesn’t have a receipt to prove when they purchased an item or how much they paid.

Is There a Time Limit for Returning a Product to Aldi?

If you buy a computer/electronic product at Aldi, there is a time limit on returns. If you buy a computer/electronic product, you have a 90-day window to return it. You also must bring the receipt and original packaging. This is the one case where it appears you must have a receipt in order to get a refund.

The Aldi website states: “Computer/Electronics return policy: Returns with a receipt will be honored within 90 days of the original purchase date. Product must be returned with all contents and in original product packaging.”

With all other products, Aldi does not indicate that there is a time limit for returns. Just keep in mind that if you don’t have a receipt and you return an item that you purchased a year ago, you’ll be given a store credit in the amount of the item’s current retail price, which is likely to be greatly marked down.

What is the Twice as Nice Guarantee?

The Twice as Nice Guarantee is a little perk that Aldi is specially known for.

The Aldi website states:

We believe we have the best quality products around.  We’ve designed and tested our brands to meet or exceed the national brands in taste and quality. We’re so confident in our products that every item in our stores is backed by our unbeatable Twice as Nice Guarantee.

If for any reason you are not 100% satisfied with the quality of any product, we will gladly replace the product AND refund your money. To receive the Twice as Nice Guarantee, the product packaging and any unused product must be returned to your local ALDI store manager.

Aldi notes that the Twice as Nice Guarantee does not apply to non-food items, alcohol, national brands, and non-quality related issues. So essentially, the guarantee applies to Aldi house brand food.

For items not covered by the Twice as Nice Guarantee, a refund or replacement will be offered. Also keep in mind that some non-food products might be covered by a warranty, in which case you’ll want to utilize the warranty company contact information that came with your product.

I have not personally used the Twice as Nice Guarantee, but I’ve seen people on social media talk about using it. If you have used the guarantee, we’d love to hear about your experience in the comments.

A Few Final Tips:

I’ve been shopping at Aldi for much of my life, and I have some experience with returning products to Aldi. Here are a few final observations.

1. You may feel embarrassed or like you are imposing by bringing a return through the checkout line to a cashier, but Aldi cashiers are used to processing returns. They know what to do, and the return process is easy.
2. Returning a product to Aldi is a quick experience. A cashier can handle your return in a minute or two.
3. You can return an Aldi product to any Aldi store. If you live in an area that has multiple Aldi stores, you can return an Aldi product to an Aldi store that is different from where you purchased it. I’ve done this a couple of times when it made sense to visit a different store for a return depending on what other errands I was running that day.

My experiences returning items to Aldi have been easy and no-hassle. Aldi employees deal with returns quickly and professionally, and you are soon on your way with your money back.

Have you returned a product to Aldi for a refund? How was your experience? Share your story in the comments.

(Photo by GotCredit)

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