German grocery store ALDI has become increasingly popular in the U.S. for its low prices on quality goods, but the supermarket offers way more than just a great deal on produce. In a recent Reddit AMA, one employee from a Northeast U.S. branch of the chain shared what it's really like to work at the store. A spokesperson for ALDI, Liz Ruggles, also divulged some helpful insider secrets about shopping there.
Here's everything you need to know before you start writing your shopping list.
There's a reason it's so inexpensive.
"We're obsessed with value, and by taking a simple approach to grocery shopping, we're able to keep our costs down," Liz recently told PopSugar. "We don't have hidden expenses because we choose to save shoppers money rather than have nonessential grocery store services like in-store banking, pharmacies, and check cashing.
The company offers weekly deals on certain products.
Every week, the store offers a deal called "Special Buys" which includes discounted products from a specific department of the store.
The cashiers don't sit because they're lazy.
One Reddit user wondered why the cashiers were always sitting at the checkout line. "The register chairs are a German thing. I'm not 100% sure why," responded the anonymous employee. "But I like to think we sit because we bust our a**es cleaning and stocking when we aren't ringing."
You can return any ALDI-exclusive brand product for a full refund, no questions asked.
"We're so confident in the quality of our products that we offer a double guarantee, which means if for any reason customers don't like an ALDI-exclusive brand product, we'll give them their money back and replace the item," Liz divulged to PopSugar.
Baking soda can be tough to find.
Apparently, customers always struggle to locate baking soda in the store. For the record: Baking aisle, top shelf.
They sell knock-off Girl Scout cookies.
And they taste amazing. "I don't allow myself to buy them often," the employee wrote on Reddit. "I'll eat the whole thing by myself in like a day or two." Been there, done that.
Purchasing ALDI-exclusive brands is the easiest way to save a ton of money.
"Smart shoppers have found that switching from national brands to ALDI-exclusive brands can save them up to 50 percent on their grocery bill," Liz explained. And usually, the ALDI products are just as good.
The produce is as fresh as it is inexpensive.
The cheap produce is among the stores' top-selling product—so it's always fresh. "We get produce deliveries every morning," the employee revealed. "The turn around is very fast, so we don't have much waste. We just don't over-order, I guess. It's more typical that we are all out of broccoli by the time we close than it is that we have several extra cases that just end up in the trash."
(h/t PopSugar)
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