Why Can’t I Buy This Product at Aldi Anymore?

At Aldi Reviewer, we often get messages and comments like the following:

“My Aldi no longer carries the accent cabinet. Where can I get it?”

“I cannot find Aldi’s pie crusts in any store. I would like to place an order for two cases, please.”

“My family loves the gourmet crackers Aldi sold recently. I went to buy more and they were gone. An employee I spoke with said they won’t be getting more. I can’t believe Aldi would stop selling something that was so popular and profitable for them.”

“I want to buy some throw pillows for my mom’s birthday, but they are no longer available at my Aldi store. Help!”

First of all, and this is very important: we here at Aldi Reviewer are not Aldi. So don’t ask us to bring something back in stock or to ship you an order of tea. We can’t do it.

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, hopefully we can clarify matters for people who are urgently seeking specific Aldi products.

Aldi Sells a Combination of Everyday Products and Limited-Time Specials

The first thing to understand is that Aldi is a low-inventory store that sells a limited number of basic grocery and household items. It’s a great place to buy staples like bread, eggs, cheese, and butter. It’s also a good stop for toilet paper, facial tissues, paper towels, and laundry detergent. Aldi stocks these basics in all of its stores all of the time, and they are called Regular Buys.

The second thing to understand is that Aldi brings in a limited supply of new and unique merchandise every week. These are called Aldi Finds. These products are different each week and range from furniture to kitchen gadgets to camping gear to specialty foods like ice cream bars, tea, cheese, fresh meat, convenience foods, and more. It’s a good idea to check the Aldi ad each week to see what limited-time merchandise will be in stores.

Another important piece of info: Aldi Find items are usually (but not always) house brands that are specific only to Aldi, so you cannot buy them at any other retailer. You might, however, be able to find similar products under different brands.

After a Limited-Time Special Sells Out, It’s Gone

Here’s the key to understanding why all merchandise is not available all the time at all Aldi stores: each store gets a limited number of each week’s Aldi Find items, and once they are gone, they are gone. Sometimes Aldi Finds sell out in a day, or a week, or they may linger in stores for a month or two. It depends on how many were originally stocked and how popular the item is.

So, if you didn’t buy that SOHL Furniture Writing Desk when you saw it in the ad or in the store, chances are slim to none that you will find it at Aldi six months later. The same is true for gourmet chocolate, air fryers, steam mops, and all the other Aldi Find goodies the store rotates through its shelves.

You Can’t Order Out-of-Stock Aldi Products Online

Also, you cannot order Aldi Finds online in the U.S. Your local store will not take orders for you. You cannot get your hands on an Aldi Find you missed this way. (You can order Aldi Regular Buys through Instacart, though.)

While it may not seem fair or may not make sense initially, Aldi explains in this link that it has to sell special inventory quickly to make room for the next set of new offers. Aldi’s policy of offering certain items for a limited time helps it keep costs down while maximizing profits and maximizing the variety of products it makes available to customers. It remains a low-inventory store that is great for purchasing staples and basics, but if you are patient and keep an eye on the ads, you can buy many of the same items you might purchase in a big box store. This way, Aldi is able to maintain its small footprint with lower-square-footage stores and small staffs but still offer a variety of merchandise.

But Some Specials Do Come Back the Next Year

The good news is that Aldi Finds often operate on a repeating cycle. Aldi tends to sell camping gear and garden products and grills in the spring and summer, bedding and furniture and laundry organizers (for dorm rooms, but also for the average house) in the late summer and fall, and exercise gear around the New Year. Kitchen items like cookware, utensils, stand mixers, and waffle makers tend to come back around over time as well. In addition, you’ll find holiday-related limited buys right at the time you need them – gift wrap and Christmas tree storage bins during December, egg cookers near Easter, and pumpkin-flavored everything in the fall.

So if you missed a must-have Aldi Find, just wait a few months or a year. Chances are good you’ll find it – or something very similar – in stores again. (Although a few products never come back, for reasons that only Aldi knows.)

Another observation is that sometimes Aldi Find food items that sell well become Regular Buys that are in stock all the time. Just don’t count on it happening frequently.

Closing Thoughts

Ultimately, the moral of the story is that if you really want an Aldi Find from Aldi, buy it right away when you see it in the store because it won’t last. (And if it’s a food item that is frozen or has a long shelf life, buy multiples so you’ll have enough to last until the next time it appears in stores.) Sure, it might get discounted if you wait a while and you’ll get an even better deal, but once it’s gone, that’s it.