Why Can’t I Find Advertised Aldi Finds at My Local Store?

I often see people remarking on Aldi social media pages that their local Aldi stores “never get” all of the cool limited-time specials — called Aldi Finds — that they see other people talking about online. It’s common to read comments like, “My store doesn’t get that stuff.” Some people even insist that their store doesn’t just miss out on a few specials here and there but actually does not receive the majority of advertised Aldi Finds.

Generally speaking, Aldi has plenty of incentive to make sure advertised Aldi Finds make it into stores. It does the store no good to promote products that never arrive. In fact, back in 2021, post-pandemic supply chain issues were enough of a problem that Aldi publicly announced products that were running behind.

Supply chain issues are not as much of a problem now. So why do some people still say that their store isn’t getting Aldi Finds?

Let’s dig into what might be going on.

Why Can’t I Find Advertised Specials at My Local Aldi?

There are several explanations as to why they might not be on shelves.

Reason #1: It might be related to the day you shop. When my family or friends lament that their local Aldi stores “don’t get” the advertised Aldi Finds, I usually ask them what day they’re going shopping.

The Aldi ad now resets on Wednesdays in all locations. That means new Aldi Finds are usually set out in time for store opening on Wednesdays. For some stores, that could mean that Aldi Finds are hitting shelves on Wednesday morning. In a few stores, products might even get put out a little earlier, like on Tuesday afternoon.

If you really want something, your best bet is to go to Aldi at opening time on Wednesday, or possibly even the afternoon or evening before if your store has a history of setting things out early. If you instead wait to shop until the weekend, the most popular specials may already be gone. And if you shop on Mondays or Tuesdays, the middle aisle shelves may look especially bare because it’s the last day of the weekly ad cycle. I’ve dropped into Aldi on Tuesday afternoons and seen the empty shelves myself. 

Reason #2: The store sold out right away. This can happen, too. Aldi Finds are a “while supplies last” thing. Each store gets one shipment, and after that sells out, they’re not restocked until the next year, or whenever Aldi decides to bring them back, if ever. It’s similar to the small seasonal aisles in regular grocery stores, big box stores, or even dollar stores; they get shipments of certain products that don’t get restocked. That is to say that Aldi is not the only business that has limited availability with certain products. 

Some Aldi Finds sell out in a matter of minutes, or hours, or by the end of the day. Others might linger for a week, or for several weeks, or even a couple of months. It all depends on how popular the product is and how busy your store is.

It also depends on how many of the product in question your store received. With big-ticket large Aldi Finds like treadmills or swimming pools, Aldi does not want pricey inventory lingering for months and taking up big amounts of shelf space that is needed for upcoming new Aldi Finds. As a result, some stores may receive just a couple of these large items, and they may sell out quickly. I’ve seen Aldi customers express frustration over showing up to purchase a popular large item and discovering the store only got two or three of them. This leads into my next point …

Reason #3: The store received few or none of them. In our experience, different stores can receive different quantities of an Aldi Find. It can depend on things like the size of the store, the location, and other factors. A big store in a busy area might get eight of a large item, while a smaller store might only get two. If you go to a small store in a small town, you might not get as many as an Aldi in a big suburb.

In addition, a specific product might occasionally not make it to Aldi stores due to supplier issues, quality concerns, or some other complication. This doesn’t happen often, but it can happen.

Reason #4: The store was delayed in receiving Aldi Finds. My local stores still see occasional delays in receiving certain weekly specials, but it’s much less of a problem these days because pandemic-era shipping snarls seem to have mostly worked themselves out. If I don’t see a product I want during the week it’s advertised, I keep an eye out for it the following week, and there’s a decent chance I’ll find it. Sometimes it just takes a little time for things to show up.

Closing Thoughts:

In my many years as an Aldi shopper, there are not many instances I can think of where a product never showed up at all. The most plausible explanation if an Aldi Find is missing from store shelves is that it already sold out, especially if you’re shopping toward the end of the weekly ad cycle or if it’s an extremely popular product. Or, it’s possible a product might be experiencing shipping delays, which are less common these days but do sometimes still happen. In the most rare instances, a specific product might never make it to stores because of quality concerns or an issue with the supplier.

If you’re having trouble finding Aldi Finds, try to change up your shopping patterns if you are able, including getting to the store as close to Wednesday morning as you can. (Some stores might even put things out the evening before.) Also be aware that different Aldi stores may get different quantities of products, so if you are fortunate to live in an area with more than one Aldi, you might also experiment with different locations.