Trucker here. You should see how they treat us at their distribution center, lazer lines help you back onto the dock. They have snacks and treat you like a person in the office. They have overnight parking out front and SHOWERS! They straight up handed me a list of restaurants nearby!!!
That's interesting. I used to drive trucks here in Germany. Aldi was (and maybe still is) one of the worst places to deliver. I know drivers who straight up refuse to make deliveries there.
YES! There is only one aldi in my area, and it's near my work, however that is a 45 minute commute. So I haven't gone there, expecting it to be the usual hannafords/market basket. Guess I'll give it a shot for my meal prep shit. If that works and they carry Goya I'll be sold. But seriously Goya is the shit, Mojo & naraja marinating your chicken for an hour, and then grilled/smoked with Adobo tossed on it makes meal prepping easy. Chop it up and throw it in some steamed veggies/rice with the left over marinade dripped through and you have a high protein, low fat, mid calorie meal that is smells good and tastes the same. 2 hours gets me 2 meals a day for 5 days, so i cheat on the weekends. Sorry for the rant, but that stuff is a must have.
You're not wrong@@willisswenson3843, but it is 500% easier to beeline for them without getting caught up with too much other crap. And the bread is right by the milk and eggs soooo....
7 months later... I just wanted to tell you that your video single-handedly convinced me to see if there was an Aldi near me. Turns out there is, and shopping there for 90% of my grocery needs has cut my grocery budget by a solid 20-30% every month AND massively cut my gas needs since it turned out to be surprisingly close. Thank you for your enthusiasm on this.
About 30 years ago my city got an Aldi store and they didn't use barcodes, all the staff had to know all the prices and they would throw your goods through the checkout at light speed whilst typing the prices in with one hand. A friend of mine was also an Aldi manager and she said the only difference between her and other staff (other than pay) was that she had the keys and counted the money, other than that they all did the same jobs, restocking, unloading deliveries, working the checkouts. The only negative about Aldi is you go in for bread and leave with a set of water skies and a mig welder
The Aisle(s) of Wonder always gets its prey. You thought you were cutting through the aisle to go look at some lettuce, but what actually happened is now you're having a cookout because you've loaded a grill into your cart.
As an ALDI cashier, my arms hurt, im constantly multitasking between chores, cleaning, and checking people out (as well as being customer service) and i gotta say, i love my job. 99% of people who shop here are so happy.
when a business treats their employees like people it really comes full circle in the attitude that people bring to the store and it's the best thing since sliced bread...thank you for your service
The first time I entered and Aldi was when I visited my brother in the navy in Virginia i walked in said and I quote WTF is this place I absolutely love Aldi I however live in Wyoming so we have Trader Joe’s both are wonderful
I worked at kroger and I bet its even less multitasking over at aldi. I had to bag groceries, work all the stupid anti-theft alarms that constantly went off for no reason, push carts in, clean the bathrooms, clean spills, put groceries back, and my work was never good enough for them apparently
I loved shopping at an Aldi in South Bend, IN. The store was always clean and organized. I could get in, grab a month's worth of staple food, and be checked out in under 30 minutes. The employees were awesome, and the duty manager fixed whatever issue one may find without any hassle. Now I live in a small southern town without an Aldi. Big sadness.
Brother, you were spitting straight facts with that “sitting is unprofessional” crap. I’ve never been told to stand all day at work by a man who didn’t have an office chair.
Yeah, pretty much. Always bothered me too. It doesn't make any sense. It's just incredibly obvious that the worker that stands all day is going to be more fatigued than the worker that's allowed to sit to do the same job and that fatigue leads to a loss of productivity.
My brother worked at Kroger for 13 years and Costco for 3 he's been at Aldi since lock downs and will never leave. Everything about it is better from management, schedules, coworkers, customers and work load. If you know you know. And believe me I've heard 20 years of grocery store drama it's the best
I was a manager for Aldi for 3 years and let me tell you, this is better than any training video or mandatory e-learning video I had to suffer through. Some of the newer stores have bakeries too, which is pretty cool.
My buddy's mom worked for a large chain that went extinct (I forget which), lost her job, then went through a few different stores until she settled at Aldi and apparently has never been happier at a job. Glad for her. Maybe I should start going there
@@tiagodecastro2929 As someone born and raised in the Netherlands, where Aldi is ALSO a well-known name, I think I know why that is. Because they use the *European* standard rather than the US one for their employees. As in: Cashiers aren't expected to stand for their entire shift, they have decent pay, and (probably) get decent benefits on TOP of all that. The stuff like Walmart and such? We don't really have that here. We have supermarkets/grocery stores. They sell groceries. Most of them have in-house bakeries for break, and a fresh meat section where they make their sandwich meats and stuff. There's a solid selection of brands available, even at the Aldi. But where at some stores there's 15+ types of brands for a single kind of product, Aldi will have like... 3 options to pick from, if they're feeling fancy. It's amazing. And as said in the video: It doesn't try to wring your wallet dry of every last cent. They respect your wallet and keep things reasonably priced.
@DragonKnightJin I wanted to bark back from your opening few comments, telling you to take your metric system and go home, but you drove a solid closing - which I 💯 agree with. Well said 👏
Believe or not, but my uncle was one of the main designers of the stores and also was in senior management of the entire company. He opened the market into texas which they are still developing.
"Just because you're making money and working doesn't mean you have to be uncomfortable for no fucking reason" [The United States Military will remember that]
"you're going to stand here, at this podium, for the next 5 hours and write in a book 'ALL CONDITIONS NORMAL' every 15 minutes, and not see another human being during this time." -"may i have a chair?" "no"
I’m a truck driver for Tyson Foods, second largest meat company in the world. Aldi is one of our customers, along with all the other supermarket and grocery store chains. They get same quality of meat as all the others: harvested from the same animals, processed in the same facilities. Difference is in the composition and what cuts they order, and that we slap their label on it. Love shopping at Aldi, though delivering to their warehouses suck (they’re slow to unload).
I was a receiver for Home Depot for a couple years. I was always shocked at how often I heard that our store was every trucker's favorite for the simple fact we were ready to unload them as soon as they handed me paperwork. I just wanted to know what the fuck all the other home depot receivers were doing if they wernt unloading trucks.
@@bunnieskitties293 I average 4 hours to unload at many of my customers. Sometimes upwards of 8 hours. I don’t get paid to sit in a dock door. So I love it when I can get in and out of there in a reasonable amount of time
I used to drive for Tyson. Who isn't slow to unload. But worse than that, I never picked up a load in Robard Ky that wasn't at least 8hrs. late getting loaded.
@@burtonholmes2096 Oh god. Robards, not my favorite but I haven’t had a late one out of there before. I usually always get stuck at one of the south plants, like Vienna GA. I forget which plant I was at before… supposed to be preloaded, get there, and they’re so behind they are live-loading everyone and I was the twelve truck in line. 12 hours later I got my call. That sucked.
The other thing I have learnt about Aldi in Australia is, if you see something in the middle isle and you think you might need it, buy it as you may never see it again.
Back in the days, the middle isle items were used to draw people in. i remember one of our first family computers was a very reasonably priced one from aldi. and people would go to their local aldi monday morning when they opened because they were limited to a few ones per market
@@unknown9274 I was wondering about that... A highlight of a trip to Aldi here in Germany is the "curiosity section". Metal trolleys full of the weirdest assortment of things you would not expect to find in a grocery store. Everything from drills to trampolines, vacuum cleaners, jigsaw puzzles, inflatable swimming pools... Basically anything to was cheap to buy in bulk at that particular week, sold at an exceptionally low price. Seems the international Aldi stores have that too
this is so painfully true. my husband and i saw a little card table for hella cheap in the middle aisle but we had taken his car so we didn’t really have room for it and thought, we’ll come back and grab it tomorrow, there’s several here so they definitely won’t sell out in like 16hrs. they were all gone by the next morning. we check every week for that card table to come back. it never has. it’s been over a year. i learned my fucking lesson.
@@N0b0dy2000 I get the mockery bc I used to think that way, but here’s the thing: the fact that we have food on the table at all is a blessing and a miracle.
@@mattbrown5511 - They'll probably set up a store near where you live soon. They've been rapidly expanding the past several years, including in the South.
This is 100% accurate for Aldi stores here in Aus as well. You guys ever get that Aldi cashier who before you've even started putting your groceries on the checkout belt just goes "Hey man just leave it in the trolley, I got it from here" and 100% accurately punches in the barcodes faster than a US congressman sells shares before wallstreet drama hits the news?
That's what happens when you actually treat your employees well instead of trying to baffle them with fake corporate culture BS. Aldi and Lidl expect their employees to work as hard as necessary and not a millimeter more while paying them well and treating them as the valuable commodity they are. This results in hardworking dedicated staff who only ever leave if offered far better options and often regard their time working there as a fond memory. In many ways they value their employees more than their customers because let's face it finding people to buy quality products at knockdown prices is a helluva lot easier than finding hardworking loyal workers.
Being faster than a congressman selling shares is phisically impossible, and you can't prove me wrong. Seriously, those guys would beat Flash if that was a competition
I've had carts full of products and the cashier just punches those codes in by looking at the product. No looking through a barcode or anything, purely from memory
Have no idea if you mean Austria, Australia, straia, or Austin TX but I wasn't aware they had aldis abroad I'm sure they're all better than Austin TX though!
My mom was the secretary to the man, Phil Neally, who met with the Albrecht guys and founded the US branch of Aldi and opened the first stores for the first 14 years that they opened here. Carl Albrecht even came to my parents wedding. He apparently even clicked his heals and saluted my dad in the receiving line. Anyways, sadly, we lost Phil Neally a couple years ago. That man was pivotal to getting Aldi here in America and making it was it is today. Me and my sister used to call him “Grandpa Phil” and he used to get us gifts for every holiday and birthday. He even gave us a guided tour through the warehouse and drive through freezer sections. I miss that man. Edit: showed this to my mom. She’s surprised that nobody mentioned that one of the Albrechts even got kidnapped after WW2.
The kidnappers wanted 7 Million for a ransom and to this day, that was the biggest ransom that actually got paid in germany. The kidnapped brother tried to deduct those 7 Million from taxes because they were ''business expenses'' :D
@@marcstark8747 of course they did, because they're misers. People think that being paid 18+ an hr for entry level job is so great. Go ahead and try it out yourself. See how long you last. The only reason people stay is because they need the fking money. Its a shit job, and they work you to death. They have extremely high turn over for a reason. I've never seen so many people buy into this corporate bullshit. Consumerism at its finest. Are you that lame, that you like the jingles in commercials too? Good god people make me sick.
I actually love this. American Walmart tried to gain a foothold in Germany, did everything exactly as they did in America, which made for an utterly strange experience for the average German customer, they spied on their workers like you do in good ol' USA, realized the labour laws in Germany are not there to protect the labour provider but the actual labourer, got caught up in legal suits, and left Germany. Few years later, German Aldi went to America, set up shop, cut the bullshit, did their thing, everyone loved it, boom success. It's like when a country invades another country, fails, then the invaded country invades back and succeeds.
As a publix bagger, when the cashier I work with asks, "Did you find everything you were looking for?" to the customer, I would wait for the moment to interject with, "That question is asked so that you second-guess yourself."
Honestly, most grocery stores in Flanders, Belgium are like that. Well, some do ask whether you have coupons or a card. But if you simply tell them (before they can speak), no coupons, no card. They'll get you finished ASAP.
As a German, I'm glad they've decided to come to the US were I live now. They even look the same in certain aldi stores, same floor tiles as the German stores. Very nostalgic
My dad was an Aldi store manger when he was 19 back in the 80’s. I’m sure that’s gotta make him one of the youngest Aldi manger’s ever. He told me he was back in the office one day and a limo pulled up, one of the workers came back to grab him and he was greeted by a guy in a black trench coat and black gloves. Karl Albrecht just happened to stop in to his store in the Chicago suburbs. He told him he had a nice store and asked him if he was he was being paid well, my dad in the moment said yes but he tells me he was too scared to say no. He showed Karl around the store and he was very impressed at the way my dad kept it. I guess he just happened to be visiting all the stores in the area that day. Random story that I always thought was cool.
Great anecdote. tho tbh if in the 80's i saw an older German dude walk up to me wearing a leather trench and leather gloves, i wouldn't immediately assume he was the store manager , rather a different organization if you know what i mean ;) lol
I love Aldi. Senior on a fixed income, I shop there almost exclusively. The quality is fantastic. The prices are good. I don’t have to walk through the store for an hour to get my groceries as I do at Walmart.
I watched this video with my wife on Saturday and we went for the first time the next day and wow was she impressed. We spent about thirty minutes even with my 7 year old son who usually makes grocery shopping take three times as long. There were only a couple things we didn't buy there that we had to get from another store but the check out was just like you said, groceries were off the belt in less then a minute and we only spent $81 when we usually spend between $150 to $200. My wife almost cried when she saw what the total was. Because of you we will most likely make this our regular grocery store from now on.
We always go to aldi first. We are generally one of the first people in line. Why? Discount stuff. If aldi has things going near date they will often put a red discount sticker on it. Imagine $1 off some Flatbread that's already cheaper than the grocery store. Or 50% off a pound of burger meat. Yup, it happens and I keep my freezer stocked. I know the store manager at the location we frequent as we are in there first thing every $groceryShoppingDay. I've asked about products with them and they take the feedback seriously. A couple of times they will tell me "oh we got something like we had last year that you liked". Their return policy if you don't like the product is astounding. The one thing to be aware of is seasonal items are there and gone quickly. So enjoy it while it is there. During the beginning of the pandemic I did the shopping for my household as well as 2 households of family who were at risk. Shared grocery lists that I organized by aldi aisle when I went in. 3 households shopping done, delivered, and watching TV in under 2 hours. (Aldi first, then box store for what we couldn't get at Aldi, assorted pharmacies for prescriptions, delivery, home.) I am a fan of Aldi and efficiency as you can tell. 😂
Did the same today with my son. Couldn't believe how little I paid. Effin' beef jerky for 2 bucks a bag and it's some of the best I've had (Simms brand).
I have worked in construction and I couldn’t imagine trying to pull wires through an attic and hearing the guy making up the electrical panel just going off about random shit. I would be laughing and wiping insulation out of my eyes.
I just spend almost 15 minutes watching the Fat Electron Guy ranting about a grocery store that we done even have in Canada...and I loved every second of it. God Damn is Nick a good story teller...
We don't have Aldi in Canada because that would be unfair to the the big five already here. Just like when a telecom company from the US wanted to set up shop in Canada and the government said no.
@@patjames9441 As someone who is a supplier to one of those telecom companies, they are a disorganized shit show that wouldn't exist without government protection.
G'day, Mike Australian navy and army veteran retired OK, I'm a crout migrant, came here as kid. Maybe I'm biased, dunno. I just love the fact that two brothers started a business during Germany's depression. You hit all the main points. Give people what they need. Not what they think they think they want. And do it cheaper than any other bloke. I am ex military and would sooner do an obstacle course, that hurts than go shopping. So, if I go to buy a pair of jeans and find a pair that fit, I buy 6 pairs. which I wear until they are rags, just so I don't need to go shopping. Is it me, or do blokes just think that way? Love your show. Thanks for your service. Quack, bang, out Mike. Love your work mate. ❤😊
On the note of "Aldi doesn't have a customer service desk," I can't think of the last time I've ever seen someone NEED a customer service desk at an Aldi.
They make the process of returns simple. Cashiers are usually able to complete a return or replacement super fast and it usually doesn't take manager input.
@the_fat_electrician german electrician here 🙂 I remember that when I was a kid in Germany, Aldi didn't even had barcode scanners because it was not fast enough. The cashiers had 3-4 digit codes memorized for all items in the store and would just punch them in a keypad at the speed of light. They even had competitions and the fastest ones would show their skills on TV in some game shows.
Aldi has saved my family so much money and time over the years. We try our hardest to stay away from the big stores. They never ever end well. Always put in a bad mood. With Aldi. I can drive, get our groceries, stock our kitchen for a week and half in less then hour. A true blessing.
Not all but many products, especially the own brands, meet European food standards. Because most stores are outside the USA and higher food standards apply there and you buy everything at once and import some of it into the USA. No bleach, chemicals and much fewer products contaminated with sugar...
"Founded in Germany in 1946." This is part of the reason that Aldi still takes deliveries exclusively by airdrop. ("Ist nicht broke, don't gefixen it, ja?")
Brutal german eficciency meets extreme logistics streamlining and a desire for "Preis-Leistungs-Verhältnis" meaning value or price to performance ratio.
as a german, i apreciate your unhinged loveletter to our style of grocery shopping. Most of our stores are layed out in this way. Some stores have taken the self checkout to the next level. some REWE locations just give you a little handheld scanner when you enter the store, you scan all items that you put in your cart and when you are done you just hold the scanner up to the register, tap your card and boom, you are done. no need ot touch your groceries in your cart, you just walk out and load them in the car.
Also, Aldi doesn't care if they sell you stuff for cheap. Aldi is not a grocery store. That is not where their money comes from. Aldi is a financial company. They deal in short term investments from 3-6 month. Their grocery items are just a way to get precisely that - money for 3-6 months. They don't pay their suppliers up front, because they argue the store can't immediately sell all of it. But if they only pay after 6 months, but sold most goods in one, they have money to speculate with. Just like McDonals doesn't sell burgers. They are a real estate business renting out physical store locations and their name as a franchise.
It also helps that the Competition in Germany is extremely high, and also very streamlined. They had to perfect it, or they would fail just like Walmart did.
I'm a German American and I love Aldi because its one of the only places in America I can get some German food. And yes the speed of shopping speaks to me on a personal level
Born and raised on aldi. My mom literally had the entire store memorized. She could write down her list every week, write the price down from memory and bring that exact amount of cash to pay for it because it was before they took debit/credit cards. I was impressed as a 5 year old and not gonna lie still am proud of her to this day for how she managed know exactly what she was gonna spend down to the penny.
Then Lockdown 2020 hit Now u can’t even bother with the shelf tag as prices change every single day!! Every store. They all have no shame and no shelf price guarantees anymore!!
@YeshuaKingMessiah yes things have changed since the 90s but they do offer a bit more selection and I love that they have random new food that will just pop in sometimes. I also believe their meat selection is much better now and is still less than Walmart. So even though their prices have gone up they are still less than any of the other grocery stores in my town.
The first time I saw an US supermarket it was clear for me that Aldi would annihilate the supermarket business once they would start their business in the US. And that's exactly what it's happening now. Great video, dude! 😂
As a former logistics engineer, Aldi was the gold standard. there is a number, called cost per line item, that Aldi is the king of. For example, Big Box Pharmacy on your local corner, strives to make the cost per line item less than $0.25, which is great, except that line item may in fact be a bar of soap, or maybe a case of doodads. Aldi's cost per line item, when i was in the industry, was $0.08, which doesn't seem like a big deal until you look at the line item, a pallet of bananas or a cart of milk, Aldi not only takes their buying power to account for low prices, but they also do not incur much of a price per line item which mean you, the consumer, don't pay the price per line item
@MP-qn1jw damn you just really hate aldi going into every comment and trashing it, they have everything you need not everything your insect brain wants
@@MP-qn1jw In Europe they usually have one "name brand" and one "Aldi brand" of everything. To top that, the "Aldi brand" is generally speaking of good quality, so you would have to be extremely loyal to "name brand" to pick their offering over Aldi's. You're sacrficing very little quality but you save a ton of money by picking their brand.
@@pitecusH Thanks for your reply. It's not necessarily brand loyalty, or quality, as much as it is taste. My taste buds are said to be shit, but I like what I like. Bailey's Irish cream, for instance, has many copies. Only one tastes the same, Kirkland which is a house brand for a warehouse club. I will drink Kirkland's & Bailey's Irish Whiskey because to me they both taste the same (delicious), but no others. Several bartenders have lost the bet when they challenged my ability to distinguish Bailey's from other generic or "house" brands. I am not saying no house brands are good, rather one house brand can not possibly match my choice of taste for all products. Aldi simply does not have the selection to complete my shopping list. It is much simpler & cheaper to fill my list at one store. The items may cost more, but there is a overwhelming value to me in one stop full service food shopping. Aldi is anything but. Just walking in to my grocery of choice, I save $0.25. Fuel & travel time = -$ too. I think it's great people like Aldi. Competition is good. However, it is uncalled for Napoleon to bash normal grocery stores as if it is a big conspiracy to rob customers of their hard earned money. The guy that posted this video is a POS for the way he bashes all other stores not labeled Aldi, and infers that shopping anywhere else is stupid. Well, IMO he is stupid & very Napoleon like (short & angry). Opinions are like butt holes, everyone has one and they all smell bad. Cheers!!
Recently started working at an ALDI while I'm in between jobs and looking for something within my trade. Have to say, I've been pleasantly surprised. They do expect a lot of work out of you and its usually constantly being on the go or having to handle multiple things at once, but they have the store down to a science. And it is very true, they want you in, grab your shit, and then get you out as quick as possible. The majority of the products are made in the same places as the name brand stuff with different labels. The cashier sitting down thing too. When they explained that, it was basically "ALDI did a study to see if cashiers rang up stuff faster sitting or standing, and sitting won". I can only imagine two German guys as the test crew for that and one just winks at the other like 'remember, go slower while standing'.
Yeah, hell no. German people would rather suffer than skew a test. Huge german family, german blood in my veins, german relatives, friends, german german german. We'd rather mash our fingers with a hammer than put out fraudulent data to make our lives easier. I'm not sayin it's right, just pointing out that the krauts really are like that.
Dollar General expects u to do EVERYTHING too, carts incl! I’m in back stocking, can’t hear the bell n someone’s yelling HEY is anybody gonna ring us up?? I’m in the bathroom cleaning it and can’t hear even with door open and someone’s yelling…outside in the pkg lot getting carts… Ppl have to go find the cashiers to check out! It’s just stupid SKELETON CREW DOES NOT WK unless there’s a complete skeleton. DG works a leg bone and a cheekbone. Very ineffectively to accomplish anything.
@@YeshuaKingMessiah Aldi does not have a skeleton crew, Aldi has a crew that is designed to work. At least in Germany, one cash register is always manned. There are a few more employees in the store to stock and do all the tasks, but the employee at the cash register is responsible to have a lookout how many people are in line and ring their coworkers in to man another register at a moment's notice. For a couple of years, all Aldi employees here in Germany have ear pieces so that they can directly talk to all the other employees to make such requests. They can also ask for prices or numbers of items they haven't memorized. There is a major difference between skeleton crews and what Aldi is doing. Aldi has optimized their numbers of employees in a store at any given time to run the store efficient. And yes, we have stores with skeleton crew here as well in Germany, and they are exhausting, and also dangerous for the employees. The worst company we had in recent years was a drugstore called Schlecker, who only staffed their shops one employee at a time and was prone to being robbed because of that.
I am a store assistant manager at Aldi in Lawton Ok. I also happen to be a huge fan of your channel since the beginning. Imagine my shock when I’m sitting in my vehicle on break at Aldi, scrolling my subs, and see a video by Fat Electrician about Aldi. I was like wtf is going on, thought I’d crossed into some weird parallel universe for just a second. 😂. Great video man
Genuine curiosity, have you ever worked other stores in retail? Would you say you've been more comfortable working there compared to previous jobs? I never gave it a second thought the few times I've shopped at Aldi but employees at Trader Joes genuinely seemed pretty upbeat and happy at their job. I never felt like I was getting a fake smile.
@@TheFirstCurse1it’s the state, dingaling. Oklahoma. The license plates used to say “Oklahoma is OK!” I used to quip it was because so many folks couldn’t spell mediocre. (I have a college degree from an Oklahoma university)
I have never been to an Aldi's but am one of those old people that always returns my cart instead of blocking a parking spot for someone else. After watching this I need to go to Aldi's just to see and appreciatte what you just shared! Thank you!
i didn’t discover aldi until i moved to north carolina and it changed my whole dang life. i’m a single person who eats pretty basic stuff, so i can buy groceries for the whole month for less than $100. it is glorious. and fun fact: i currently work at a high-end grocery store and i tell customers there all the time that i shop at aldi (but only when one of the bosses isn’t nearby).
Fayetteville here. I love shipping at Aldi cause I absolutely hate grocery shopping. I'm with The Fat Electrician. I wanna get in, get my shit, and get out so I can get back to the important stuff. Best fucking store ever
Growing up in Germany, i never appreciated how quick and painless a trip to Aldi was until my dad got orders to move to Florida and I stepped inside my first Wall Mart. Needless to say that was one hell of a culture shock... lol
Worked there for 3 years. The benefits are great and the pay is more than comfortable. The retirement savings account options are amazing. I'm only 27 and I pulled all that money out and took the 30% tax on it to buy a house. Aldi's is a great place. BTW, I left for a much higher paying job. I DID NOT quit because I hated it.
I am 60 and from Germany. We have had Aldi ever since I can remember. It was always great, good quality, low price. No joke. It has been around forever here.
The way I remember it Aldi in the 80 well into the 90s was a depressing place. The interior was as basic as one could imagine. Shit lighting, dirty floor, grim looking employees. Dreadful place. Aldi south was the first to turn things around and got an acceptable place. Spent absolutely nothing on the store was part of the philosophy but their remodeling helped them to the success they have now.
Nope. The chained shopping carts _increases_ the theft. Because now all you need is a quarter. Go there at 10pm (they close at 8pm) and see if you can't still unchain a cart with a quarter.
@@jeffsadon552it has been my experience that people will hand off carts in the parking lot, some don’t even want your quarter “nah, someone gave me this one, keep it going.” Or maybe it’s a St Louis thing.
As someone who got a college degree in psychology I find grocery stores to be fascinating for all of the reasons you explained in the first 7+ minutes. A supermarket grocery store is every (social) psychologists’ dream playground for people watching. Every single aspect of it is both marvelous and horrible at the same time
It's interesting that you say a supermarket is every psychologists’ dream playground, because here in Germany there is small town called Haßloch which, until recently, functioned as a testing ground for new products. Apparently the citizens of Haßloch come closest to the average German. New products were therefore tested there and if sales were successful, they were introduced throughout the entire country. Very interesting in my eyes but grocery stores stopped using the town as a test site, my guess is because the overall demographic of Germany changed so much in the last few years, that the town is not representative enough for the entire nation anymore.
Large chain grocery stores (Walmart, CostCo, etc) make me have contempt for the average person. It’s like watching slightly more capable cattle wander through pens. Randomly stopping with no regard for others. Just abandoning their cart in the middle of aisles. Fighting for 10 minutes for the very closest parking spot, when they could have just parked near the back of the row and saved 9 minutes. It’s kinda of depressing for me to people watch at these stores. It really is a psychologists dream and all our nightmare.
Nailed it. My fiance is a psychiatrist and she can not stand to be in large stores because of the wandering herds phenomenon. To add to your comment about abandoned carts. It never fails that I may need to get one thing from an isle, I know extaly where it is, I need 5 seconds to swing by and grab it but as soon as I round the corner there is a cluster of confused cart jokey's directly at the epicenter of where I need to go. Im usually a patient person but also agree with TFE. If I don't need to go get something else also giving them time to move, I 'll park my shopping cart at the very end of the next isle over off to the side and proceed on foot moving much faster to get what I need and back to my cart. Hopefully not having blocked anyone else from what they needed. Rarely ever happened but I quickly apologized and gth outta their way in turn. You aren't alone in what you said, nor is TFE on his not even slightly unhinged take on grocery stores.
The business model of Social Media and most of the "free" services on the internet. The petabytes of data companies like Google have on their users, is invaluable to marketing companies.
I use my "store discount" card for everyone else in line. If looking like the most _random_ goober out there messes with the data miners, *Mission Accomplished!*
I worked in an Aldi Distribution Warehouse. My job was picking orders that get sent to the stores. They had amazing benefits and I worked there through college. Now I'm an engineer and I stay in contact with my former supervisors
I've seen all the Fat Files videos to this point because the algorithm made sure I saw them, but THIS video earned a sub. ALDI saved our household when I lost my job 7 years ago and I regret NOTHING. If they can run knock off Peter Pan peanut butter, knock off Heineken, and knock off Kraft Mac when I'm broke, jobless, and depressed, and not only feed my family but make me feel like within the context of groceries, nothing's changed, they get the big win. Making sure wifey is sharing this to all her ALDI nerd FB pages tonight!
Same. Aldi saved us when money was tight (just just opened in town when I lost my job). Grown to love Aldi so much. Now, working and making g $120k yr, I still shop at Aldi.
They don't use hangers & racks but bins because of the "lizard brain". The boxes are you reducing their "waste output" The cashier sits because it maximizes the "pull rate" which is how much they bring across the scanner. They then scuddle back to the shelves & bins to do restocking, cleaning etc. They pay 14Euros😢€/hour for regular employees & pay their "apprentices" higher than most other companies in Germany. They can pay soo well because a literal skeleton crew is more than enough for the entire store all day long.
Working at a dollar tree, I can tell you that a large amount of time I could be working is instead wasted on customer calls asking stupid questions. It is remarkably frustrating.
@@Blasted2Oblivion German here… It has never even crossed my mind to call a supermarket. Like, what kind of questions are people asking? “Hello, do you sell apples? And, uh, what about eggs? Oh, and milk-do you have milk in stock? What about those Kellog‘s flakes? Is there gluten in it” I mean, unless you’re living in the middle of nowhere, miles away from the nearest supermarket, and there’s a chance you left your credit card at the checkout… there’s really no reason to call a supermarket.
@@paranora It is a lot of "Do you sell X" and it is frustrating. On rare occasion, it will be something related to if we are open for certain holidays which is more understandable since our hours are typically not updated online but those instances are very specific and vastly in the minority.
@@Blasted2Oblivion wow. That’s a complete waste of resources and having the store layout designed by psychologists to keep the customer at the store as long as possible. It would be way smarter to have the customer come to the store to find out for themselves and find 5 other items they don’t need but want. I remember I had a few calls like that when I was working at a hardware store but always was truthful and said they would actually get it for cheaper at the other chain that solved my problem having to look it up on the computer and their‘s spending more money than they had to. German efficiency.
Nice fun fact: I know Aldi in Germany since before the invention of bar codes: At that time the cashiers had to learn the price of all products by heart. There were no price tags on the product itself. So they typed in the price in the cashier mashine just by looking at your items at the beld. As a result, it often took even less time time than with todays bar codes.
They didn't type in the prices, but 3-digit codes. The cashiers knew every product's code by heart, that way prices could change without it changing anything for the cashier. That's why they were so fast.
@@ropeburn6684 still great job to know the item no by heart. do you remember how they sometimes shouted out to the other cashier asking a number for a new or saisonal item in orde to lose no time looking it up? happened rarely, but it was fun. cashier 1: "Helga, Avocado?" cashier 2: "346"
It wasn't the prices. They were typing in a three digit code. And boy were they fast. ALDI was the last supermarket to switch to barcodes and accept card payments.
I was an assistant manager at Aldi for 12 years and we DID type in the prices. The only thing that had code numbers were the produce. Fun fact: you had to run a test cart before your first shift of the week to ensure you were ringing any prices changes correctly. If you didn't, you couldn't work until you did.
When I went to Aldi in Germany, not only were the cashiers amazingly quick, but the customers had been trained from youth to get their stuff packed and out of the way for the next person. It was a beautiful thing not to ever wait.
@@MP-qn1jw if someone is to slow and to weak even just for packing their own groceries as well as not being capable anymore of carrying their purchased items across ALDI’s small parking lot to their car. Then its them already not legally allowed anymore to sit behind a steering wheel driving a car!
Well here in the states you can also order Aldi delivery, though you do lose out on some of the great prices, though it's still better than Walmart delivery. I'm disabled without a car and I'd say their delivery is pretty decent.@@MP-qn1jw
@@PPfilmemacher Wow, really? Do you use one bag for each item? Just because someone is not capable of lifting 10lbs, does not DISqualify them from driving. Driving has nothing to do with physical strength. What about someone in a wheelchair? How about a disabled 28 year old vet with one arm? Clearly YOU do not have the braincells to legally drive.
I've been to a local ALDI location a lot as a kid shopping with my mom, and I was always astonished with how quickly we would be in and out of the front door with a full cart of groceries compared to someplace like Kroger's or K-Mart. 20 years later, and not only is that same ALDI location still open, they're in the process of constructing another one close nearby to handle all the business they've been getting. 10/10, best grocery store.
the Aldi that was close to where I live was closed because it was too old or small to put a new one on other side of town. but i hardly shopped there anymore it was not worth going in there to just get a few items then have to run to another store to get all the stuff they don't sell.
When I was a kid and my mother was forced to go to Aldi it was an all day event. We would have to walk around boxes of groceries sitting waiting to be stocked. Searching for groceries that weren't expired or gone bad. Then finding things that weren't freezer burnt. After all that we would wait in line forever because there was only one line open even though they had 3 lines they only ever used just the one. Luckily we eventually no longer had to use the church card because my father won his lawsuit with veterans and got his benefits and we could afford to go somewhere else. About a year ago that Aldi closed. They couldn't compete with both the big box stores and the small local groceries
My Kmart in the early 2000s if you went in after like 7pm didn't even have cash registers open you had to check out at customer service lol But its a shame because Kmart was really affordable right on up to the end.
I had never been to Aldi prior to watching this video. I just got home from shopping at Aldi for the first time and you’re absolutely right. YOU just got them a new customer. This has to be the single best advertisement… Ever, and it’s 100% true
As a german, this is actually really interesting to hear. I never knew there was such a big difference in groceries stores in the US. Here in germany, as you might be able to guess, Aldi is also quite popular. But we have other popular chains as well, as they all work with a very similar concept. Efficiency is key. I could never imagine shopping at a store like you described in the first half of the video.
I’ve never had the pleasure of visiting Germany - my only foray into Europe was a visit in Southern Ireland (beautiful, by the way). Here in the U.S. many of our grocery stores are absolutely enormous. Our favorite chain of stores here in Florida is Publix, where they operate a pretty good deli (with some of the best sub sandwiches around), a seafood counter with freshly made sushi, a pharmacy, and a full bakery. Many even have dedicated seating areas with tables for eating your lunch. The craziest grocery stores are Super Walmarts, which are really more like a general store and a grocery store added together. You can buy groceries, clothes, tools, furniture, computers and electronics, gardening supplies, paint, tires and batteries for your car, pillows and bedding, fabrics and craft supplies, pet supplies, and sports and camping gear in the same store. Some of them even sell guns and ammunition! Many of them also have a few extra (small) shops up front, which might consist of banks, hair salons, mobile phone sellers, optometrists, fast food restaurants, etc. It can actually be quite overwhelming if you’re not used to it.
We have good Grocery Stores too, they are just good for opposite reasons as Aldi. At Woodman's you can find just about anything from just about any country, and it's cheaper then Walmart. If you want to make some obscure dish you heard about on youtube/tiktok, they are what you want. Three cheese aisles. And an in house liquor store that often had some very high end stuff. Mine has Octomore right now.
That pretzel vending machine at German Aldi was like mana from heaven. My boys still talk about it. I will say that Globus was also my favorite. Frikadellen or leberkase mit brotchen for like 2 euro? Yes sir!
@@johnpeters211 unfortunately, I have to inform you, that Aldi in Germany has no longer those pretzel vending machines. They have been to slow. Now you have a kind of quick release bakery wall where you can grab your pretzel or bread or whatever you need and move on your way. sorry
to be precise, its Aldi Nord (North). Aldi in the usa is Aldi Süd (South). In germany there are two aldis, süd and nord who split over a trivial confilict about selling cigarettes. In the north or germany there only is aldi nord and in the south only aldi süd. Only in middle germany will you find both close to each other.
Please do videos on the following: -The Woobie -Jim Corbett the Modern Dragonslayer -The F-15 EX Eagle 2 -The F-18 Super Hornet -The Story of John Paul Jones -The time the US Postmaster tried to deliver mail by Missile. -The SS Warrimoo and its incredible time hack. -The great escape of Gene Hambleton. -The Nutty Bet of Bill Williams. -The standoff between Steve Anthony and Hollywood. -The Story of the Lost Confederate Statue "Dutchy". -The time Idaho Fish & Game air dropped beavers away from McCall ID. -The real life story of Michel Dowling from "Blizzard" -The Xp5 seaplane -The Romeo Spies of Germany -The time two sister repelled the British from MA.
As someone who is a grocery store zombie, I 100% agree. One minute I'm rushing around getting what I needed, the next thing I know I've been standing in front of the cereal aisle for 15 minutes zoned out and ultimately pick Cinnamon Toast Crunch like the last 3 times
All of my college roommates loved Aldi in 2022, and I still love it now. It’s a private company too, so no random people can just purchase half the shares to own it.
The Aldi companies are owned by three foundations (Marcus, Lucas and Jacobus foundation) The the family members shares on the foundations can not be transferred or sold, only inherited. Currently the foundations want to reunite Aldi North and South to just Aldi again.
Only thing that's missing now for a German shopping experience is tax included in the price tags: as a shopper, I give a fuck about what the tax on a product is, I just wanna know what I owe if I buy it.
ALDI in Australia is freaking awesome. Our two other major supermarket chains are run by boards and CEOs who are all marketing people. ALDI picked a career logistics dude to run the joint and it shows. And the weekly "special buys" are fantastic. Go and get some bread and milk and sure, whilst I'm at it I'll grab an off-brand trumpet and a MIG welder.
I have retired to Indonesia from Melbourne. One of the things I miss is Aldi. In the couple of years in the lead up to the big move, in late 2021, I was able to pick up so many things among the centre aisle bargains in preparation. About the only thing I regret is the 4.5" reflector telescope. The viewing is not good due to the high humidity, and the mosquitoes are excessively friendly. But the 75" 4K TV on the wall in front of me cost under A$1K at Aldi, and the nearest equivalent would have been closer to A$2K elsewhere. I have so many other things, too numerous to list. I just checked my shipping container manifest, and there were 233 Aldi purchases.
An Aldi opened up in my area a few years back and I've been going there for groceries ever since. One thing I appreciate that wasn't mentioned in the video is the fact that they don't play music in their stores. It may seem like a small thing, but it honestly makes for a better experience imo. I don't have to listen to music I honestly don't care for while buying groceries.
First good argument yet. No music. While I like music, what's played in most stores is irritating. Still not enough to get me to shop there. Cheers! Oh wait, no booze at Aldi. Nevermind.
The same music playing over and over again can drive some of the employees nuts too. I dont like 90% of the music that plays at my work, and if I have an earbud in i don't to hear some shitty song competing with my music/podcast.
Aldi just announced last week that they will not be hiring straight White people. I'm not White, but this is still wrong. The job listing clearly explains that Aldi “will prioritize individuals coming from the following communities: Refugee, Neurodivergent, Single Parent, Blind or Low Vision, Deaf or Hard of Hearing, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Military Veterans, the Elderly, the LGBTQ, and Justice Impacted individuals.”
I live in Maine and made the pilgrimage to Maryland. I went to Aldi and was not disappointed. I bought a bag as a souvenir, and I will never forget the utilitarian joys of my shopping trip.
As someone who's lived in Michigan my whole life, I can attest to the Aldi superiority (and calling it Aldis). Going there was always faster and cheaper than anywhere else and the staff didn't look like they hated their lives. Finally got one near where my parents live and it's the primary place they go for groceries now, and they're strewn throughout where I go to college too. Straight up German engineering on par with the MP5SD.
Great video! Aldi has just moved into the Phoenix AZ area, and I wondered why it was so SMALL with limited items. Now I know and it makes perfect sense. I have to save quarters now for the buggy, but have been known to hang out by the door offering shoppers a nickel and 2 dimes for their cart. 😁 Now can you do a video on Winco? It's like the Lowes version of Costco.
I found TFE's main channel not long ago, and as someone interested in history (and especially military history) thought I had hit the jackpot. With his combination of facts, humor and engaging personality I quickly blew through every video on his channel. And then I found the Fat Files. Sir, if you do a video on 'The history of mud', I will watch it!! And now I have many hours of the Unsubscribed podcast to go watch. Thank you Nick for being a real one!!
I've watched the couple other video's he has on the Fat Files and didn't even realize it was a different channel. YT algorithm doing good work sending these videos my way, and Nick doing good work keeping thumbnails consistent so we know it's him even if it's a different channel name. This man is legitimately one of the most entertaining people on the platform, little contest.
I worked at a grocery store for 9 years. They not only do studies on packaging and where in the store to place items but also which level of shelf to put it on. Also, returning the carts cuts costs on cart maintenance and replacement. A full size shopping cart is about $250 each.
The fact that Adli does not have a store brand is upsetting. I mean, c'mon, what would you call a can of mixed snack nuts under the Aldi name? Yeah, you even tossed that tidbit in here. NICE! As far as the "did you find everything you were looking for?", next time trip their asses up by responding "Why, what are you hiding?!".
I've always hated the expectation of having to say that. As a long-time retailer I've always tried to vary it in some way as I cannot stand the micro-management that happens at the checkout. Having a specific spiel to ramble on on whenever you answer the phone, being required to say "have a nice day, Merry Christmas, etc" The latest one for us is the requirement that we say "My pleasure" in numerous instances that are entirely forced. I've already told my boss I won't do it as I won't lie to my customers nor act like I live on Sesame Street. The best thing I can do is provide excellent knowledge and helpful service. Customers appreciate that, not someone trying to con them into the latest credit card or 1% bonus plan.
I'm an asshole because I have told them no and said something off the top of my head. I've tried it at Walmart, Kroger, and Meijer resulting in a sarcastic I'm sorry. But I tried that at my local mom and pop. They sent a runner to find it and they actually brought it up. I never go anywhere else now
As a current cashier in Connecticut, former Walmart cashier, and having shopped at Aldi, you had me simultaneously laughing and nodding my head in agreement! I needed a good laugh after a day on my feet at a grocery store serving customers and thanking God that I no longer work for Walmart!!!
You forgot about the Aldi Isle of shame! At least that's what we call it. It's the one side of one half of one aisle generally speaking that has all kinds of miscellaneous crap that nobody knows they need until they're walking by it and it's super cheap! My favorite part of going to an Aldi
You ABSOLUTELY nailed this!! I’m a manager for a chain we have primarily on the west coast called smart & final (rooting from the founders last names). i have worked for the company for a decade and was initially shocked at how accurate and intuitive your analysis of the situation is. then, you mentioned you did it for five years as well. yea.. he gets it. that makes sense. i am a firm believer that every citizen shall be required to straight out of high school 1. spend two years in the military or 2. work at a grocery store. America would be happier, more efficient and productive. Plus, the world would really see what letting freedom ring looks like😂
I've spent 5 years in the military, 2 years at a grocery store, 3 months in a call center (miserable), and 5 years at a Best Buy. I now work IT for a big company for the past almost 7 years and I would say the retail/grocery/military really puts everything is perspective on how shitty people are that have done none of it.
In Germany they have multiple of these types of stores and its awesome. Lidle and Penny are competitors of Aldi and all there are great. They have larger grocery stores that are more like ours, Rewe, Kaufland and Real but the Aldis and things are the ones you find in the neighborhoods. Love it!
I swear to all that is Holy, if it was any other content creator besides Nic, I would have passed on this video. Nic is the Aldi of content. Quick, clean, all the content you need, and get the F out! If you're not pickin up what I'm puttin down, Nic is the Liquid Death of content creation. He can take something as boring as water, wrap it in an exciting and flashy package, offer it up in a straight forward, in your force manner, and then sell some merch about it. Outstanding work, sir.
Your description of the people overwhelmed by other grocery stores is so accurate to what happens to me. I have to make a list with pictures to make sure I get what I went in for and not get distracted by all the other stuff. It's a struggle. Maybe I really should go check out Aldi...
Sometimes my wife wants me to pick up the groceries she likes and she has to send me pictures because I wanna make sure I get the right stuff the first time so I don’t have to go back
THIS. My ex would make a list or ask me to go get stuff, then when I come back I find out that I’m actually an a**hole and/or mentally deficient and/or bad person because I got the wrong thing. Because there’s 7 different versions of each product, sometimes without any change in label appearance, and even when you read the labels there’s fine print somewhere else on them or she actually wanted the one with the different count or segregated packaging within. Literally got to the point where I had to send pictures of the items in my hand in order to get confirmation before leaving. Meanwhile I’m just grabbing whatever the hell looks edible. Like I said… that’s an ex. And that’s one of the major reasons why.
It in fact doesn't work on me because I know all their tricks, plan my entire trip through the store accordingly and set aside a certain amount of money for unexpected purchases that I forgot I needed. Once I hit that, needed or not it's waiting for the next grocery run. Having a plan and a budget goes a long way with dealing with their bullshit. That and always buying store brand if at all possible. That cereal aisle? That's nice, give me offbrand cheerios, offbrand frosted shredded wheat, offbrand peanut butter whatever cereal, the rest can go punch sand.
@@martinscholer5419if u haven’t the $, u haven’t the $ It’s a simple concept lol Stops all spending but what’s on the list. My friend would bring cash only. She hated it but they saved $$.
It's so cool that Aldi is finally in the USA. If you think Aldi is cheap now, just wait until it gets bigger. Eventually, Aldi will set the prices, and everyone else will have to adjust, making everything cheaper and cheaper. American supermarkets never rolled back their inflation-adjusted prices, even after inflation started to decline. I'm sure Aldi will reverse that trend at some point. That's how it goes everywhere Aldi arrives. Two things make Aldi special: 1. They have the highest quality standards. 2. They set the price. Others might pretend to, but Aldi actually does it. And well, the fact that they try to produce locally is also really great.
I used to plan my grocery shopping like a military black op, in and out ASAP. Now the stores all “reorganize” damn near every week and f’d that all up 🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
I have my local mom and pop memorized. The last time it changed was 5 years ago when they added a huge wine and beer section but they don't care about the games other stores play. Their corporate belief is quality and service and that's what you get
the true genius of Aldi is-- 1: the way that the aisles are streamlined so you can get all of your stuff in one pass, but might also see some cool stuff on the way 2: the fact that they don't overstock multiple brands and therefore have less operating overhead, which means lower prices
Also at times they not even have shelves. They just load a straight up pallet of drinks from thr back and not give a fuck. No fancy stuff. It's on same pallet it got slipped on
on top of that, they buy more of a single product which means that they get the best prices on those products. in short, whatever aldi is selling can't actually be sold at the same price at other stores without them losing money since they have to pay more
I have a 5 and 3 yo my wife only shops there. It's like Josh Allen and Patrick mahomes had a baby and that baby grew up to be the cashier at Aldi who can throw all your groceries through the register in an 80th of a second for such a staggeringly low price you have to double take at it. I live in the Midwest Nebraska near Iowa they shit all over Hy-Vee if you have wasteful little kids or are a guy who eats lunches for work etc.
In the 80s to early 90s it was just cases of canned vegs and rotting produce By the mid90s it got great n has just gotten better over the yrs. The prices are now as horrific as other stores tho, just a little cheapER, not cheap lol I cry when I walk in stores. And I never buy a thing but groceries anymore. Impossible.
This sounds amazing. Wish we had one where I live. When I go to the grocery store I have a small list of items and I speedrun through as fast as I can.
Their engineering didnt lose the war, the method out, syphilis riddled dictator calling the shots did. Who invades Russia in the winter? A megalomaniacal tweaker does, that's who.😂
I appreciate this video on multiple fronts. I do all my shopping at Lidl (which is basically identical to Aldi) because it's fast and cheap. I worked retail for ~15 years and my goal was always "get the customer what they want and out the door asap", and I promise you that's what 99% of them want.
I love lidl too. We have both where i live. But choose aldi because its closer and theres more of them around. But all my lidls are self scan and what i cant find at aldi i usually can find at lidl
@JamesDavis-mm2mi Same for me but the other way around. There's 4 of each in my city, but Lidl's a 2 minute walk from my home while Aldi's a 15 minute drive (and I don't have a car.)
I loved shopping at Aldi during my six years in Germany. I also loved shopping at most stores in Germany, because they specialized. The Metzger sold meat and sometimes cheese. The Kaffee shop sold coffee. The Backerei sold baked goods. All fresh. I've shopped at one aldi in the states, but it's 70 miles away. And it was shocking when I stepped in to see American products.
You should do a little shopping math. At my previous house the closest Aldi was nearly 50 miles away, and it was STILL cheaper to drive to Aldi, get groceries, then drive home than it was to shop at the small town grocery store I had.
@@Astrofrank I mean of course the sell American products in the US. Only selling stuff made in Germany would be totally crazy and completely against their philosophy of "sell whatever people need that is good quality as cheap as possible"
Our local Aldi is great. They also have a portion of isle towards the end with random stuff like; blankets, kitchen supplies, flowers, candles, toys, etc.
it actually makes a lot of sense to not have a customer service desk or a dedicated phone line because that means that karens no longer have a way to make a completely unreasonable complaint.
LOL I went in and bought some rotten lettuce. When I realized, I walked back in, told the guy while he was checking someone else out, put it on the counter, grabbed another off the shelf, and walked out.
Or run there mouth saying whatever they want so they can think they did something and than hang up before you can say anything all the while Knowing that your to busy to really look into who said it. I've noticed that as a manager at a couple different stores.
Aldi is by far my favorite store in the world. Saves me so much money and time as a college student. Plus I personally prefer a lot of their Aldi brand products over the name brand stuff. Like seriously I can walk out with a pack of Bavarian bratwursts, wine, and pasta for ~$10
We have this independent testing institute in Germany called Stiftung Warentest - very trustworthy and reliable since the 1960ies. You can't count the number of times that products from Aldi (or Lidl for that matter) win their tests or at least come in close second. Very often, the absolute losers in their tests are overpriced "luxury" food items from much more expensive stores. Be it olive oil, laundry detergent or red wine, the quality at Aldi is usually really good.
And this is why Aldi's is a core memory moment for me. Aldi's was a massive influence with my family, especially since my parents were stationed in Germany for a full tour before being reassigned to the US. And when me and my sisters went out to help our parents grocery shop it was 90% of the time at Aldi. Gave us a better appreciation of things like milk and eggs and also knowing how to best fill old grocery store bags without them being too full or ripping, and also knowing that certain products should never go on the bottom, ie bread and eggs. Also never knew Trader Joe's was just another part of Aldi, the more you know!
I'm a UK pensioner, and Aldi is my lifeline. I buy from other shops occasionally, but only for things Aldi doesn't stock. My average weekly grocery spend, for myself and my cat, is under £25 ($31). I walk both ways, too, so I get a good 5,000 steps in with every visit.
BONUS FACT: The numerous bar codes on the items extend to their shipping boxes, most stores get boxes on pallets, pull the boxes out, set them on expensive stands and constantly cylce them to keep older products up front. Aldi gets them in a box they rip part of it off and set it on a stack. That one's empty? *rip* Ok there's more now. It is a marvel of design efficiency! Great vid as always!
Welp, blew my mind with the Trader Joe's and Aldis connection, never been to an Aldi's, but Trader Joes has been a favorite of mine for years, their products are great, the charm incredible, their service simple, only thing are the lines, but that's because everyone else also knows Trader Joe's is amazing, cool to see its bred from the same stock, great vid Nic!
It's not really bred from the same stock, though- TJ is an American company through-and-through. It started off as a convenience store, more or less, and then turned into a local grocery chain in LA, then expanded. It's a fascinating story in its own right.
The lines are horrific and they double bag even when I say don’t 🤨 I bought very little at TJs as it’s for Yuppies. Most of it is overpriced for normal American families. It’s a status thing to go shop at TJs lol
We used to hit Aldi’s when we were stationed in Germany and were amazed with the efficiency of this well oiled piece of German engineering. Lidl and Spar were pretty good too.
Lived in Switzerland and Lidl and Aldi were the bomb, Coop was ok too because they have some premium stuff mainly Cailler Chocolate that we wanted but Lidl and Aldi were the go to.
Every time I lived overseas, I checked to see if I could grocery shop at Aldi's. I was so excited when the town I was living in finally got an Aldi's. Aldi has the best meat prices in town! I can get 95% of my groceries at Aldi's.
As a german its really funny to see all those reactions from you. I thought all the time that a huge selection of items is a good thing beacause if i want to cook something really spesific it is really hard to find those items in german supermarkets. But I forgot the advantages it takes to have these high efficent supermarkets. Nice to remeber the privilages we have here.
I worked as a grocer for 7 years, including a junior manager at night for closing up. The opener about US stores being a mental terrorist exercise is dead spot on. Our meat manager told me they out the best cuts in the middle so you HAD to walk past all the cheaper cuts from either side of the case. Its all engineered.
The average person would end up being incarcerated for mental breakdown if they really understood just how 'big brother' big retail actually is. It's Matrix level of control.
@@Jehty_ in Germany they have are quickly adapting to food trends and customer demands like healthier options, short ingredient lists, no artificial bs or added sugars, high protein or vegan products. I’m from homeland of Aldi but it seems like Americans are starting to demand healthier food options as well so Aldi delivers what people want to buy.
Here I am under the same rock painted Texan, realizing HEB is just a less corporatized Walmart. I don't want to dodge the pharmacy line to get my toothpaste/contact solution. Still love ya HEB
In practice, they are different. Aldi mostly carries staples and provides carts while Trader Joe's has far more prepared foods and prefers hand baskets. Also Aldi started in cheaper places and grew out to wealthier ares (but probably still in cheap places) while Trader Joes started in expensive ares and I can't tell if they are moving to cheaper locations. You'd go to them for different reasons (and unfortunately for me, they are in opposite directions).
I didn't know, either. I always thought Trader Joe's was a competition store for Whole Foods. But I don't do a lot of shopping, either. I just stop on my way home from work and grab what I need from the local Hannaford
Trust me, I’ve forgotten quarters a bunch of times at my ALDI and they’re always super understanding and will loan you the quarter for a bit. But I agree it’s my favorite grocery store as well.
This is completely unhinged i apologize
I need it in my body, tell me about it
THATS WHAT WE HERE FOR CHUBELECTRONGUY
Love the video
Btw there a Christian store as well
Also, I fucking love ALDI’s
Trucker here. You should see how they treat us at their distribution center, lazer lines help you back onto the dock. They have snacks and treat you like a person in the office. They have overnight parking out front and SHOWERS! They straight up handed me a list of restaurants nearby!!!
Sign of a good company is when they treat the people they don't have to treat well, well.
Now that's customer service, both on the retail and vender side.
Came here to comment about this too.
Never hauled for them but that sounds nice. I don't miss Capstone though
That's interesting. I used to drive trucks here in Germany. Aldi was (and maybe still is) one of the worst places to deliver. I know drivers who straight up refuse to make deliveries there.
For a LOT of people, being able to get in, get what you want, and get out with no bullshit IS excellent customer service.
YES! There is only one aldi in my area, and it's near my work, however that is a 45 minute commute.
So I haven't gone there, expecting it to be the usual hannafords/market basket. Guess I'll give it a shot for my meal prep shit. If that works and they carry Goya I'll be sold.
But seriously Goya is the shit, Mojo & naraja marinating your chicken for an hour, and then grilled/smoked with Adobo tossed on it makes meal prepping easy. Chop it up and throw it in some steamed veggies/rice with the left over marinade dripped through and you have a high protein, low fat, mid calorie meal that is smells good and tastes the same.
2 hours gets me 2 meals a day for 5 days, so i cheat on the weekends. Sorry for the rant, but that stuff is a must have.
Agreed!
But!!!
They still put the milk and eggs in the very back of the store.
It top notch customer service.
You're not wrong@@willisswenson3843, but it is 500% easier to beeline for them without getting caught up with too much other crap. And the bread is right by the milk and eggs soooo....
7 months later...
I just wanted to tell you that your video single-handedly convinced me to see if there was an Aldi near me. Turns out there is, and shopping there for 90% of my grocery needs has cut my grocery budget by a solid 20-30% every month AND massively cut my gas needs since it turned out to be surprisingly close. Thank you for your enthusiasm on this.
How does the e coli taste?
You mean from McDonald's?
@@CapdubE coli? That is more common in the U.S. ;)
Yup! I’m going to start biking to mine
@@Capdub e. coli infection in the USA , 265.000. in Germany, 900. 😂
About 30 years ago my city got an Aldi store and they didn't use barcodes, all the staff had to know all the prices and they would throw your goods through the checkout at light speed whilst typing the prices in with one hand. A friend of mine was also an Aldi manager and she said the only difference between her and other staff (other than pay) was that she had the keys and counted the money, other than that they all did the same jobs, restocking, unloading deliveries, working the checkouts. The only negative about Aldi is you go in for bread and leave with a set of water skies and a mig welder
And then need to pick up a ski boat and 6 lengths of RHS steel on the way home :D
Hey don't diss the center aisles. There lots of treasures and treats there
The Aisle(s) of Wonder always gets its prey.
You thought you were cutting through the aisle to go look at some lettuce, but what actually happened is now you're having a cookout because you've loaded a grill into your cart.
I mean, you obviously needed that mig welder...
My wife goes with me to Aldi JUST to keep me from going into that center aisle😂
As an ALDI cashier, my arms hurt, im constantly multitasking between chores, cleaning, and checking people out (as well as being customer service) and i gotta say, i love my job.
99% of people who shop here are so happy.
when a business treats their employees like people it really comes full circle in the attitude that people bring to the store and it's the best thing since sliced bread...thank you for your service
The first time I entered and Aldi was when I visited my brother in the navy in Virginia i walked in said and I quote WTF is this place I absolutely love Aldi I however live in Wyoming so we have Trader Joe’s both are wonderful
Thank you🫡
I worked at kroger and I bet its even less multitasking over at aldi. I had to bag groceries, work all the stupid anti-theft alarms that constantly went off for no reason, push carts in, clean the bathrooms, clean spills, put groceries back, and my work was never good enough for them apparently
I loved shopping at an Aldi in South Bend, IN. The store was always clean and organized. I could get in, grab a month's worth of staple food, and be checked out in under 30 minutes. The employees were awesome, and the duty manager fixed whatever issue one may find without any hassle. Now I live in a small southern town without an Aldi. Big sadness.
Brother, you were spitting straight facts with that “sitting is unprofessional” crap. I’ve never been told to stand all day at work by a man who didn’t have an office chair.
Yeah, pretty much. Always bothered me too. It doesn't make any sense. It's just incredibly obvious that the worker that stands all day is going to be more fatigued than the worker that's allowed to sit to do the same job and that fatigue leads to a loss of productivity.
Standing all day is not good for the legs blood vessels .
Typical American conservative business filth mentality. They're just pissed they can't have actual slaves.
My brother worked at Kroger for 13 years and Costco for 3 he's been at Aldi since lock downs and will never leave. Everything about it is better from management, schedules, coworkers, customers and work load. If you know you know. And believe me I've heard 20 years of grocery store drama it's the best
I was a manager for Aldi for 3 years and let me tell you, this is better than any training video or mandatory e-learning video I had to suffer through. Some of the newer stores have bakeries too, which is pretty cool.
My buddy's mom worked for a large chain that went extinct (I forget which), lost her job, then went through a few different stores until she settled at Aldi and apparently has never been happier at a job. Glad for her. Maybe I should start going there
@@tiagodecastro2929 As someone born and raised in the Netherlands, where Aldi is ALSO a well-known name, I think I know why that is.
Because they use the *European* standard rather than the US one for their employees. As in: Cashiers aren't expected to stand for their entire shift, they have decent pay, and (probably) get decent benefits on TOP of all that.
The stuff like Walmart and such? We don't really have that here. We have supermarkets/grocery stores. They sell groceries. Most of them have in-house bakeries for break, and a fresh meat section where they make their sandwich meats and stuff.
There's a solid selection of brands available, even at the Aldi. But where at some stores there's 15+ types of brands for a single kind of product, Aldi will have like... 3 options to pick from, if they're feeling fancy.
It's amazing. And as said in the video: It doesn't try to wring your wallet dry of every last cent. They respect your wallet and keep things reasonably priced.
@DragonKnightJin I wanted to bark back from your opening few comments, telling you to take your metric system and go home, but you drove a solid closing - which I 💯 agree with. Well said 👏
Believe or not, but my uncle was one of the main designers of the stores and also was in senior management of the entire company. He opened the market into texas which they are still developing.
@jpgtr84, could have been your boss as some point....
"Just because you're making money and working doesn't mean you have to be uncomfortable for no fucking reason" [The United States Military will remember that]
Lol
No they won't
Take your hands outta your pockets there high speed...
Lets stand at attention.
Why tho?
"It builds character"
"you're going to stand here, at this podium, for the next 5 hours and write in a book 'ALL CONDITIONS NORMAL' every 15 minutes, and not see another human being during this time."
-"may i have a chair?"
"no"
I’m a truck driver for Tyson Foods, second largest meat company in the world. Aldi is one of our customers, along with all the other supermarket and grocery store chains. They get same quality of meat as all the others: harvested from the same animals, processed in the same facilities. Difference is in the composition and what cuts they order, and that we slap their label on it. Love shopping at Aldi, though delivering to their warehouses suck (they’re slow to unload).
I was a receiver for Home Depot for a couple years. I was always shocked at how often I heard that our store was every trucker's favorite for the simple fact we were ready to unload them as soon as they handed me paperwork.
I just wanted to know what the fuck all the other home depot receivers were doing if they wernt unloading trucks.
@@bunnieskitties293 I average 4 hours to unload at many of my customers. Sometimes upwards of 8 hours. I don’t get paid to sit in a dock door. So I love it when I can get in and out of there in a reasonable amount of time
I fucking love Tyson. It’s crack in the shape of fried chicken.
I used to drive for Tyson. Who isn't slow to unload. But worse than that, I never picked up a load in Robard Ky that wasn't at least 8hrs. late getting loaded.
@@burtonholmes2096 Oh god. Robards, not my favorite but I haven’t had a late one out of there before. I usually always get stuck at one of the south plants, like Vienna GA. I forget which plant I was at before… supposed to be preloaded, get there, and they’re so behind they are live-loading everyone and I was the twelve truck in line. 12 hours later I got my call. That sucked.
The other thing I have learnt about Aldi in Australia is, if you see something in the middle isle and you think you might need it, buy it as you may never see it again.
True. I was so happy when they brought back the Rice Cooker I have right after I broke the previous one... lucky!
The middle isel is just for things you don't necessarily need but want..😂
Back in the days, the middle isle items were used to draw people in. i remember one of our first family computers was a very reasonably priced one from aldi. and people would go to their local aldi monday morning when they opened because they were limited to a few ones per market
@@unknown9274 I was wondering about that... A highlight of a trip to Aldi here in Germany is the "curiosity section". Metal trolleys full of the weirdest assortment of things you would not expect to find in a grocery store. Everything from drills to trampolines, vacuum cleaners, jigsaw puzzles, inflatable swimming pools...
Basically anything to was cheap to buy in bulk at that particular week, sold at an exceptionally low price.
Seems the international Aldi stores have that too
this is so painfully true. my husband and i saw a little card table for hella cheap in the middle aisle but we had taken his car so we didn’t really have room for it and thought, we’ll come back and grab it tomorrow, there’s several here so they definitely won’t sell out in like 16hrs.
they were all gone by the next morning. we check every week for that card table to come back. it never has. it’s been over a year. i learned my fucking lesson.
I grew up in northern Indiana. ALDI was seen as the “poor” grocery store. As an adult I now recognize ALDI for what it is. GENIUS.
Aldi is for people who want to spend money on FOOD, not a shopping “experience” lol.
Was the case for my Grandma back in the day here in Germany as well. She got ridiculed in her neighborhood for being poor cause she was going to ALDI.
@@N0b0dy2000 I get the mockery bc I used to think that way, but here’s the thing: the fact that we have food on the table at all is a blessing and a miracle.
And f-n practical. I now live in the Deep South with no Aldi in sight. I miss that store.
@@mattbrown5511 - They'll probably set up a store near where you live soon. They've been rapidly expanding the past several years, including in the South.
This is 100% accurate for Aldi stores here in Aus as well.
You guys ever get that Aldi cashier who before you've even started putting your groceries on the checkout belt just goes "Hey man just leave it in the trolley, I got it from here" and 100% accurately punches in the barcodes faster than a US congressman sells shares before wallstreet drama hits the news?
omg its both scary and impressive
That's what happens when you actually treat your employees well instead of trying to baffle them with fake corporate culture BS. Aldi and Lidl expect their employees to work as hard as necessary and not a millimeter more while paying them well and treating them as the valuable commodity they are. This results in hardworking dedicated staff who only ever leave if offered far better options and often regard their time working there as a fond memory. In many ways they value their employees more than their customers because let's face it finding people to buy quality products at knockdown prices is a helluva lot easier than finding hardworking loyal workers.
Being faster than a congressman selling shares is phisically impossible, and you can't prove me wrong. Seriously, those guys would beat Flash if that was a competition
I've had carts full of products and the cashier just punches those codes in by looking at the product. No looking through a barcode or anything, purely from memory
Have no idea if you mean Austria, Australia, straia, or Austin TX but I wasn't aware they had aldis abroad I'm sure they're all better than Austin TX though!
My mom was the secretary to the man, Phil Neally, who met with the Albrecht guys and founded the US branch of Aldi and opened the first stores for the first 14 years that they opened here. Carl Albrecht even came to my parents wedding. He apparently even clicked his heals and saluted my dad in the receiving line. Anyways, sadly, we lost Phil Neally a couple years ago. That man was pivotal to getting Aldi here in America and making it was it is today. Me and my sister used to call him “Grandpa Phil” and he used to get us gifts for every holiday and birthday. He even gave us a guided tour through the warehouse and drive through freezer sections. I miss that man.
Edit: showed this to my mom. She’s surprised that nobody mentioned that one of the Albrechts even got kidnapped after WW2.
Drive through freezer? F it. My lottery winning fantasy of a walk in freezer just got upgraded
The kidnappers wanted 7 Million for a ransom and to this day, that was the biggest ransom that actually got paid in germany. The kidnapped brother tried to deduct those 7 Million from taxes because they were ''business expenses'' :D
@@marcstark8747 of course they did, because they're misers. People think that being paid 18+ an hr for entry level job is so great. Go ahead and try it out yourself. See how long you last. The only reason people stay is because they need the fking money. Its a shit job, and they work you to death. They have extremely high turn over for a reason. I've never seen so many people buy into this corporate bullshit. Consumerism at its finest. Are you that lame, that you like the jingles in commercials too? Good god people make me sick.
@@marcstark8747haha thank you for adding this
I actually love this. American Walmart tried to gain a foothold in Germany, did everything exactly as they did in America, which made for an utterly strange experience for the average German customer, they spied on their workers like you do in good ol' USA, realized the labour laws in Germany are not there to protect the labour provider but the actual labourer, got caught up in legal suits, and left Germany.
Few years later, German Aldi went to America, set up shop, cut the bullshit, did their thing, everyone loved it, boom success.
It's like when a country invades another country, fails, then the invaded country invades back and succeeds.
As an Aldi employee all of this info is absolutely on point and its hilarious to hear someone minimize our whole shtick to less than 14 minutes 😆
Amen to that
As a publix bagger, when the cashier I work with asks, "Did you find everything you were looking for?" to the customer, I would wait for the moment to interject with, "That question is asked so that you second-guess yourself."
Honestly, most grocery stores in Flanders, Belgium are like that. Well, some do ask whether you have coupons or a card. But if you simply tell them (before they can speak), no coupons, no card. They'll get you finished ASAP.
So true! Our aldi is huge and we still only have 8 aisles! Lol
Yeah I'm with ya. Spent 12 years in st.louis mo area
As a German, I'm glad they've decided to come to the US were I live now. They even look the same in certain aldi stores, same floor tiles as the German stores. Very nostalgic
Based on their hiring policies, you should be ashamed of them.
@@romad275Lol.
@@romad275why?
@@romad275 can you elaborate? I'd love to know.
@@jonasduell9953thry just got exposed for discriminating by race as a part of policy
My dad was an Aldi store manger when he was 19 back in the 80’s. I’m sure that’s gotta make him one of the youngest Aldi manger’s ever. He told me he was back in the office one day and a limo pulled up, one of the workers came back to grab him and he was greeted by a guy in a black trench coat and black gloves. Karl Albrecht just happened to stop in to his store in the Chicago suburbs. He told him he had a nice store and asked him if he was he was being paid well, my dad in the moment said yes but he tells me he was too scared to say no. He showed Karl around the store and he was very impressed at the way my dad kept it. I guess he just happened to be visiting all the stores in the area that day. Random story that I always thought was cool.
I was brutally and callously assaulted by Walmart thugs demanding drugs and cash in the ALDI carpark
Great anecdote. tho tbh if in the 80's i saw an older German dude walk up to me wearing a leather trench and leather gloves, i wouldn't immediately assume he was the store manager , rather a different organization if you know what i mean ;) lol
I love Aldi. Senior on a fixed income, I shop there almost exclusively. The quality is fantastic. The prices are good. I don’t have to walk through the store for an hour to get my groceries as I do at Walmart.
I used to shop at ALDI
I watched this video with my wife on Saturday and we went for the first time the next day and wow was she impressed. We spent about thirty minutes even with my 7 year old son who usually makes grocery shopping take three times as long. There were only a couple things we didn't buy there that we had to get from another store but the check out was just like you said, groceries were off the belt in less then a minute and we only spent $81 when we usually spend between $150 to $200. My wife almost cried when she saw what the total was. Because of you we will most likely make this our regular grocery store from now on.
We always go to aldi first. We are generally one of the first people in line. Why? Discount stuff. If aldi has things going near date they will often put a red discount sticker on it. Imagine $1 off some Flatbread that's already cheaper than the grocery store. Or 50% off a pound of burger meat. Yup, it happens and I keep my freezer stocked.
I know the store manager at the location we frequent as we are in there first thing every $groceryShoppingDay. I've asked about products with them and they take the feedback seriously. A couple of times they will tell me "oh we got something like we had last year that you liked".
Their return policy if you don't like the product is astounding.
The one thing to be aware of is seasonal items are there and gone quickly. So enjoy it while it is there.
During the beginning of the pandemic I did the shopping for my household as well as 2 households of family who were at risk. Shared grocery lists that I organized by aldi aisle when I went in. 3 households shopping done, delivered, and watching TV in under 2 hours. (Aldi first, then box store for what we couldn't get at Aldi, assorted pharmacies for prescriptions, delivery, home.)
I am a fan of Aldi and efficiency as you can tell. 😂
@@drago6576very impressive sir!! 👏
Another cool thing the tile in their stores is nearly indestructible. I know I've layed a few of them.
"....regular grocery store..." Along with the other one that carries the products you are willing to make a second trip for...lol.
Did the same today with my son. Couldn't believe how little I paid. Effin' beef jerky for 2 bucks a bag and it's some of the best I've had (Simms brand).
I have worked in construction and I couldn’t imagine trying to pull wires through an attic and hearing the guy making up the electrical panel just going off about random shit. I would be laughing and wiping insulation out of my eyes.
LOL
Best comment ever.
I'm just surprised his room is clean. Sparkys are terrified of brooms.
@Joe_Dirt82 hey, you want power, or not?
In the construction welding industry- we call the IBEW guys, "I block every walkway.".. But we love them. No sparky, no weldy.
I just spend almost 15 minutes watching the Fat Electron Guy ranting about a grocery store that we done even have in Canada...and I loved every second of it. God Damn is Nick a good story teller...
Send Timmy south, please, and will send Aldi north. Fair deal, eh?
We don't have Aldi in Canada because that would be unfair to the the big five already here. Just like when a telecom company from the US wanted to set up shop in Canada and the government said no.
I know right? Haha! I live in Alaska and have never heard of Aldi. This guy could hype the holocaust if he wanted. It's crazy to me how good he is.
@@patjames9441 As someone who is a supplier to one of those telecom companies, they are a disorganized shit show that wouldn't exist without government protection.
Thank the Weston's for that...
G'day, Mike Australian navy and army veteran retired
OK, I'm a crout migrant, came here as kid. Maybe I'm biased, dunno.
I just love the fact that two brothers started a business during Germany's depression.
You hit all the main points. Give people what they need. Not what they think they think they want.
And do it cheaper than any other bloke.
I am ex military and would sooner do an obstacle course, that hurts than go shopping. So, if I go to buy a pair of jeans and find a pair that fit, I buy 6 pairs. which I wear until they are rags, just so I don't need to go shopping.
Is it me, or do blokes just think that way?
Love your show.
Thanks for your service. Quack, bang, out Mike. Love your work mate. ❤😊
We think that way.
On the note of "Aldi doesn't have a customer service desk," I can't think of the last time I've ever seen someone NEED a customer service desk at an Aldi.
That’ll be coz all the Karens are somewhere else 😉👍
Where else will the poors get our lotto and cigs tho?
Try thinking of others sometime
xD
Because none of the assholes who make problems for everyone else were able to make it past the quarter slot on the carts. Lol
They make the process of returns simple. Cashiers are usually able to complete a return or replacement super fast and it usually doesn't take manager input.
except for germany, all the karens are at aldi in germany@@starr_helix6770
@the_fat_electrician german electrician here 🙂
I remember that when I was a kid in Germany, Aldi didn't even had barcode scanners because it was not fast enough.
The cashiers had 3-4 digit codes memorized for all items in the store and would just punch them in a keypad at the speed of light.
They even had competitions and the fastest ones would show their skills on TV in some game shows.
We had the same thing in Kentucky. My math brain was like😮
That's awesome 🤯
The scanners are quicker than humans now lol
@@YeshuaKingMessiahI think when they switched to scanners they actually said that it will be slower but they want to have the data analytics
That sounds like some of the inventory counters I worked with at RGIS - the "Top Guns" are _COMICALLY_ fast!
Walmart: Has practiced 10,000 kicks
Aldi's: Practiced one kick 10,000 times
"I'm Bruce and I approve this message"
@@acesup5845 I am GROOT😂
Aldi has saved my family so much money and time over the years. We try our hardest to stay away from the big stores. They never ever end well. Always put in a bad mood. With Aldi. I can drive, get our groceries, stock our kitchen for a week and half in less then hour. A true blessing.
Not all but many products, especially the own brands, meet European food standards. Because most stores are outside the USA and higher food standards apply there and you buy everything at once and import some of it into the USA. No bleach, chemicals and much fewer products contaminated with sugar...
"Founded in Germany in 1946."
This is part of the reason that Aldi still takes deliveries exclusively by airdrop. ("Ist nicht broke, don't gefixen it, ja?")
Lol
Brutal german eficciency meets extreme logistics streamlining and a desire for "Preis-Leistungs-Verhältnis" meaning value or price to performance ratio.
I don't speak a word of German, but I understood that lol.
Yes
@@TheFatFiles hey would you ever consider meeting your fans?
as a german, i apreciate your unhinged loveletter to our style of grocery shopping. Most of our stores are layed out in this way. Some stores have taken the self checkout to the next level. some REWE locations just give you a little handheld scanner when you enter the store, you scan all items that you put in your cart and when you are done you just hold the scanner up to the register, tap your card and boom, you are done. no need ot touch your groceries in your cart, you just walk out and load them in the car.
Also, Aldi doesn't care if they sell you stuff for cheap. Aldi is not a grocery store. That is not where their money comes from.
Aldi is a financial company. They deal in short term investments from 3-6 month. Their grocery items are just a way to get precisely that - money for 3-6 months. They don't pay their suppliers up front, because they argue the store can't immediately sell all of it. But if they only pay after 6 months, but sold most goods in one, they have money to speculate with.
Just like McDonals doesn't sell burgers. They are a real estate business renting out physical store locations and their name as a franchise.
It also helps that the Competition in Germany is extremely high, and also very streamlined. They had to perfect it, or they would fail just like Walmart did.
I'm a German American and I love Aldi because its one of the only places in America I can get some German food.
And yes the speed of shopping speaks to me on a personal level
God I would love to have that little scanner here in the US.
@@undeadorcjerk unfortunately in most major US cities people would just steal the scanner...
Born and raised on aldi. My mom literally had the entire store memorized. She could write down her list every week, write the price down from memory and bring that exact amount of cash to pay for it because it was before they took debit/credit cards. I was impressed as a 5 year old and not gonna lie still am proud of her to this day for how she managed know exactly what she was gonna spend down to the penny.
Then Lockdown 2020 hit
Now u can’t even bother with the shelf tag as prices change every single day!! Every store. They all have no shame and no shelf price guarantees anymore!!
@YeshuaKingMessiah yes things have changed since the 90s but they do offer a bit more selection and I love that they have random new food that will just pop in sometimes. I also believe their meat selection is much better now and is still less than Walmart. So even though their prices have gone up they are still less than any of the other grocery stores in my town.
The first time I saw an US supermarket it was clear for me that Aldi would annihilate the supermarket business once they would start their business in the US.
And that's exactly what it's happening now.
Great video, dude! 😂
As a former logistics engineer, Aldi was the gold standard. there is a number, called cost per line item, that Aldi is the king of. For example, Big Box Pharmacy on your local corner, strives to make the cost per line item less than $0.25, which is great, except that line item may in fact be a bar of soap, or maybe a case of doodads. Aldi's cost per line item, when i was in the industry, was $0.08, which doesn't seem like a big deal until you look at the line item, a pallet of bananas or a cart of milk, Aldi not only takes their buying power to account for low prices, but they also do not incur much of a price per line item which mean you, the consumer, don't pay the price per line item
*If they actually have what I want. wow.
@MP-qn1jw damn you just really hate aldi going into every comment and trashing it, they have everything you need not everything your insect brain wants
@@MP-qn1jw In Europe they usually have one "name brand" and one "Aldi brand" of everything. To top that, the "Aldi brand" is generally speaking of good quality, so you would have to be extremely loyal to "name brand" to pick their offering over Aldi's. You're sacrficing very little quality but you save a ton of money by picking their brand.
@@pitecusH Thanks for your reply. It's not necessarily brand loyalty, or quality, as much as it is taste. My taste buds are said to be shit, but I like what I like. Bailey's Irish cream, for instance, has many copies. Only one tastes the same, Kirkland which is a house brand for a warehouse club. I will drink Kirkland's & Bailey's Irish Whiskey because to me they both taste the same (delicious), but no others. Several bartenders have lost the bet when they challenged my ability to distinguish Bailey's from other generic or "house" brands. I am not saying no house brands are good, rather one house brand can not possibly match my choice of taste for all products. Aldi simply does not have the selection to complete my shopping list. It is much simpler & cheaper to fill my list at one store. The items may cost more, but there is a overwhelming value to me in one stop full service food shopping. Aldi is anything but. Just walking in to my grocery of choice, I save $0.25. Fuel & travel time = -$ too. I think it's great people like Aldi. Competition is good. However, it is uncalled for Napoleon to bash normal grocery stores as if it is a big conspiracy to rob customers of their hard earned money. The guy that posted this video is a POS for the way he bashes all other stores not labeled Aldi, and infers that shopping anywhere else is stupid. Well, IMO he is stupid & very Napoleon like (short & angry). Opinions are like butt holes, everyone has one and they all smell bad. Cheers!!
@@MP-qn1jwthen pay premium. Good for u, live high.
Recently started working at an ALDI while I'm in between jobs and looking for something within my trade. Have to say, I've been pleasantly surprised. They do expect a lot of work out of you and its usually constantly being on the go or having to handle multiple things at once, but they have the store down to a science. And it is very true, they want you in, grab your shit, and then get you out as quick as possible.
The majority of the products are made in the same places as the name brand stuff with different labels.
The cashier sitting down thing too. When they explained that, it was basically "ALDI did a study to see if cashiers rang up stuff faster sitting or standing, and sitting won". I can only imagine two German guys as the test crew for that and one just winks at the other like 'remember, go slower while standing'.
Sorry, but this "wink, wink" wouldn't fly with a German 😂
Yeah, hell no. German people would rather suffer than skew a test. Huge german family, german blood in my veins, german relatives, friends, german german german.
We'd rather mash our fingers with a hammer than put out fraudulent data to make our lives easier.
I'm not sayin it's right, just pointing out that the krauts really are like that.
Pain makes ppl slower
Standing alllll day makes u in pain.
Dollar General expects u to do EVERYTHING too, carts incl!
I’m in back stocking, can’t hear the bell n someone’s yelling HEY is anybody gonna ring us up?? I’m in the bathroom cleaning it and can’t hear even with door open and someone’s yelling…outside in the pkg lot getting carts…
Ppl have to go find the cashiers to check out!
It’s just stupid
SKELETON CREW DOES NOT WK unless there’s a complete skeleton. DG works a leg bone and a cheekbone. Very ineffectively to accomplish anything.
@@YeshuaKingMessiah Aldi does not have a skeleton crew, Aldi has a crew that is designed to work. At least in Germany, one cash register is always manned. There are a few more employees in the store to stock and do all the tasks, but the employee at the cash register is responsible to have a lookout how many people are in line and ring their coworkers in to man another register at a moment's notice. For a couple of years, all Aldi employees here in Germany have ear pieces so that they can directly talk to all the other employees to make such requests. They can also ask for prices or numbers of items they haven't memorized.
There is a major difference between skeleton crews and what Aldi is doing. Aldi has optimized their numbers of employees in a store at any given time to run the store efficient. And yes, we have stores with skeleton crew here as well in Germany, and they are exhausting, and also dangerous for the employees. The worst company we had in recent years was a drugstore called Schlecker, who only staffed their shops one employee at a time and was prone to being robbed because of that.
I am a store assistant manager at Aldi in Lawton Ok. I also happen to be a huge fan of your channel since the beginning. Imagine my shock when I’m sitting in my vehicle on break at Aldi, scrolling my subs, and see a video by Fat Electrician about Aldi. I was like wtf is going on, thought I’d crossed into some weird parallel universe for just a second. 😂. Great video man
Bro, can you tell someone up in corporate to open stores in Maine?
Genuine curiosity, have you ever worked other stores in retail? Would you say you've been more comfortable working there compared to previous jobs? I never gave it a second thought the few times I've shopped at Aldi but employees at Trader Joes genuinely seemed pretty upbeat and happy at their job. I never felt like I was getting a fake smile.
Is "Ok." an acronym or abbreviation? Because otherwise saying "I'm a manager at the Detroit Aldi okay?" is so cringey.
@@TheFirstCurse1it’s the state, dingaling.
Oklahoma. The license plates used to say “Oklahoma is OK!”
I used to quip it was because so many folks couldn’t spell mediocre.
(I have a college degree from an Oklahoma university)
I have never been to an Aldi's but am one of those old people that always returns my cart instead of blocking a parking spot for someone else. After watching this I need to go to Aldi's just to see and appreciatte what you just shared! Thank you!
i didn’t discover aldi until i moved to north carolina and it changed my whole dang life. i’m a single person who eats pretty basic stuff, so i can buy groceries for the whole month for less than $100. it is glorious. and fun fact: i currently work at a high-end grocery store and i tell customers there all the time that i shop at aldi (but only when one of the bosses isn’t nearby).
Hey 🙋🏻♀️ from Burke & Mecklenburg Counties. Now after seeing your icon/avatar pic I need to go listen to “Vincent”. 😊 ✌🏻
Fayetteville here. I love shipping at Aldi cause I absolutely hate grocery shopping. I'm with The Fat Electrician. I wanna get in, get my shit, and get out so I can get back to the important stuff. Best fucking store ever
Growing up in Germany, i never appreciated how quick and painless a trip to Aldi was until my dad got orders to move to Florida and I stepped inside my first Wall Mart.
Needless to say that was one hell of a culture shock... lol
Worked there for 3 years. The benefits are great and the pay is more than comfortable. The retirement savings account options are amazing. I'm only 27 and I pulled all that money out and took the 30% tax on it to buy a house. Aldi's is a great place. BTW, I left for a much higher paying job. I DID NOT quit because I hated it.
I am 60 and from Germany. We have had Aldi ever since I can remember. It was always great, good quality, low price. No joke. It has been around forever here.
BTW I think Aldi is for grocery stores what Ikea is for furniture stores. >
The way I remember it Aldi in the 80 well into the 90s was a depressing place. The interior was as basic as one could imagine. Shit lighting, dirty floor, grim looking employees. Dreadful place. Aldi south was the first to turn things around and got an acceptable place.
Spent absolutely nothing on the store was part of the philosophy but their remodeling helped them to the success they have now.
The chained shopping carts also lowers the amount of carts stolen which helps lower prices even farther due to not having to replace them as much.
Do you drive a Prius too?
Nope. The chained shopping carts _increases_ the theft. Because now all you need is a quarter.
Go there at 10pm (they close at 8pm) and see if you can't still unchain a cart with a quarter.
Ruing Bubbles' job I see.
The real reason is to save on labor cost (it only takes a quarter for people return the cart 🛒)
@@jeffsadon552it has been my experience that people will hand off carts in the parking lot, some don’t even want your quarter “nah, someone gave me this one, keep it going.” Or maybe it’s a St Louis thing.
As someone who got a college degree in psychology I find grocery stores to be fascinating for all of the reasons you explained in the first 7+ minutes.
A supermarket grocery store is every (social) psychologists’ dream playground for people watching. Every single aspect of it is both marvelous and horrible at the same time
It's interesting that you say a supermarket is every psychologists’ dream playground, because here in Germany there is small town called Haßloch which, until recently, functioned as a testing ground for new products. Apparently the citizens of Haßloch come closest to the average German. New products were therefore tested there and if sales were successful, they were introduced throughout the entire country. Very interesting in my eyes but grocery stores stopped using the town as a test site, my guess is because the overall demographic of Germany changed so much in the last few years, that the town is not representative enough for the entire nation anymore.
Large chain grocery stores (Walmart, CostCo, etc) make me have contempt for the average person. It’s like watching slightly more capable cattle wander through pens. Randomly stopping with no regard for others. Just abandoning their cart in the middle of aisles. Fighting for 10 minutes for the very closest parking spot, when they could have just parked near the back of the row and saved 9 minutes. It’s kinda of depressing for me to people watch at these stores. It really is a psychologists dream and all our nightmare.
Nailed it. My fiance is a psychiatrist and she can not stand to be in large stores because of the wandering herds phenomenon.
To add to your comment about abandoned carts. It never fails that I may need to get one thing from an isle, I know extaly where it is, I need 5 seconds to swing by and grab it but as soon as I round the corner there is a cluster of confused cart jokey's directly at the epicenter of where I need to go. Im usually a patient person but also agree with TFE.
If I don't need to go get something else also giving them time to move, I 'll park my shopping cart at the very end of the next isle over off to the side and proceed on foot moving much faster to get what I need and back to my cart. Hopefully not having blocked anyone else from what they needed.
Rarely ever happened but I quickly apologized and gth outta their way in turn. You aren't alone in what you said, nor is TFE on his not even slightly unhinged take on grocery stores.
"If it's free, it's because you are the product." Line got me 😃
The business model of Social Media and most of the "free" services on the internet. The petabytes of data companies like Google have on their users, is invaluable to marketing companies.
Pure Truth😂
Goosebumps
I use my "store discount" card for everyone else in line. If looking like the most _random_ goober out there messes with the data miners, *Mission Accomplished!*
i just stumbled across your video and as a german it is so relatable, i feel so reminded of my aldi experience. thanks, just thanks.
I worked in an Aldi Distribution Warehouse. My job was picking orders that get sent to the stores. They had amazing benefits and I worked there through college. Now I'm an engineer and I stay in contact with my former supervisors
I’m glad you had a good experience at Aldi. I work at a Lidl Distribution Warehouse and it’s not good.
@@phillipmargrave every company has his rotten apple workplaces sadly
I've seen all the Fat Files videos to this point because the algorithm made sure I saw them, but THIS video earned a sub. ALDI saved our household when I lost my job 7 years ago and I regret NOTHING. If they can run knock off Peter Pan peanut butter, knock off Heineken, and knock off Kraft Mac when I'm broke, jobless, and depressed, and not only feed my family but make me feel like within the context of groceries, nothing's changed, they get the big win. Making sure wifey is sharing this to all her ALDI nerd FB pages tonight!
Same. Aldi saved us when money was tight (just just opened in town when I lost my job). Grown to love Aldi so much. Now, working and making g $120k yr, I still shop at Aldi.
You might want to check out his other channel The Fat Electrician, same storytelling style but with more US gov/military history oriented topics
@@oliviavanbrink I binged that entire channel over a year ago. That’s why the algorithm had been strongly suggesting this new channel.
They don't use hangers & racks but bins because of the "lizard brain". The boxes are you reducing their "waste output" The cashier sits because it maximizes the "pull rate" which is how much they bring across the scanner.
They then scuddle back to the shelves & bins to do restocking, cleaning etc.
They pay 14Euros😢€/hour for regular employees & pay their "apprentices" higher than most other companies in Germany.
They can pay soo well because a literal skeleton crew is more than enough for the entire store all day long.
@@DB-jk8vs why are you saying all this like it’s negative? Did you watch the video?
Once I went to Aldi to buy $100 worth of food to donate. I bought so much food, but only spent $70. I really like the availability of German foods.
SHOP AT ALDIS🗣️🗣️🔥🔥
The lack of taking phone calls is also a HUGE IQ test and a Karen filter, too. Keeps even more rifraff out of our Aldis lol.
Working at a dollar tree, I can tell you that a large amount of time I could be working is instead wasted on customer calls asking stupid questions. It is remarkably frustrating.
@@Blasted2Oblivion I felt that when I worked for Dollar General
@@Blasted2Oblivion German here… It has never even crossed my mind to call a supermarket. Like, what kind of questions are people asking? “Hello, do you sell apples? And, uh, what about eggs? Oh, and milk-do you have milk in stock? What about those Kellog‘s flakes? Is there gluten in it” I mean, unless you’re living in the middle of nowhere, miles away from the nearest supermarket, and there’s a chance you left your credit card at the checkout… there’s really no reason to call a supermarket.
@@paranora It is a lot of "Do you sell X" and it is frustrating. On rare occasion, it will be something related to if we are open for certain holidays which is more understandable since our hours are typically not updated online but those instances are very specific and vastly in the minority.
@@Blasted2Oblivion wow. That’s a complete waste of resources and having the store layout designed by psychologists to keep the customer at the store as long as possible. It would be way smarter to have the customer come to the store to find out for themselves and find 5 other items they don’t need but want. I remember I had a few calls like that when I was working at a hardware store but always was truthful and said they would actually get it for cheaper at the other chain that solved my problem having to look it up on the computer and their‘s spending more money than they had to. German efficiency.
Nice fun fact: I know Aldi in Germany since before the invention of bar codes: At that time the cashiers had to learn the price of all products by heart. There were no price tags on the product itself. So they typed in the price in the cashier mashine just by looking at your items at the beld. As a result, it often took even less time time than with todays bar codes.
Good old times.
They didn't type in the prices, but 3-digit codes. The cashiers knew every product's code by heart, that way prices could change without it changing anything for the cashier. That's why they were so fast.
@@ropeburn6684 still great job to know the item no by heart. do you remember how they sometimes shouted out to the other cashier asking a number for a new or saisonal item in orde to lose no time looking it up? happened rarely, but it was fun.
cashier 1: "Helga, Avocado?"
cashier 2: "346"
It wasn't the prices. They were typing in a three digit code. And boy were they fast. ALDI was the last supermarket to switch to barcodes and accept card payments.
I was an assistant manager at Aldi for 12 years and we DID type in the prices. The only thing that had code numbers were the produce.
Fun fact: you had to run a test cart before your first shift of the week to ensure you were ringing any prices changes correctly. If you didn't, you couldn't work until you did.
When I went to Aldi in Germany, not only were the cashiers amazingly quick, but the customers had been trained from youth to get their stuff packed and out of the way for the next person. It was a beautiful thing not to ever wait.
What do they do to seniors who can't pack & need help taking their groceries to their car? FUCK ALDI.
@@MP-qn1jw if someone is to slow and to weak even just for packing their own groceries as well as not being capable anymore of carrying their purchased items across ALDI’s small parking lot to their car. Then its them already not legally allowed anymore to sit behind a steering wheel driving a car!
Well here in the states you can also order Aldi delivery, though you do lose out on some of the great prices, though it's still better than Walmart delivery. I'm disabled without a car and I'd say their delivery is pretty decent.@@MP-qn1jw
@@PPfilmemacher Wow, really? Do you use one bag for each item? Just because someone is not capable of lifting 10lbs, does not DISqualify them from driving. Driving has nothing to do with physical strength. What about someone in a wheelchair? How about a disabled 28 year old vet with one arm? Clearly YOU do not have the braincells to legally drive.
@@MP-qn1jw Company chill
Great to hear that you like the ALDI stores!
Greetings from Germany :)
I've been to a local ALDI location a lot as a kid shopping with my mom, and I was always astonished with how quickly we would be in and out of the front door with a full cart of groceries compared to someplace like Kroger's or K-Mart.
20 years later, and not only is that same ALDI location still open, they're in the process of constructing another one close nearby to handle all the business they've been getting.
10/10, best grocery store.
the Aldi that was close to where I live was closed because it was too old or small to put a new one on other side of town. but i hardly shopped there anymore it was not worth going in there to just get a few items then have to run to another store to get all the stuff they don't sell.
When I was a kid and my mother was forced to go to Aldi it was an all day event. We would have to walk around boxes of groceries sitting waiting to be stocked. Searching for groceries that weren't expired or gone bad. Then finding things that weren't freezer burnt. After all that we would wait in line forever because there was only one line open even though they had 3 lines they only ever used just the one. Luckily we eventually no longer had to use the church card because my father won his lawsuit with veterans and got his benefits and we could afford to go somewhere else. About a year ago that Aldi closed. They couldn't compete with both the big box stores and the small local groceries
My Kmart in the early 2000s if you went in after like 7pm didn't even have cash registers open you had to check out at customer service lol
But its a shame because Kmart was really affordable right on up to the end.
I had never been to Aldi prior to watching this video. I just got home from shopping at Aldi for the first time and you’re absolutely right. YOU just got them a new customer. This has to be the single best advertisement… Ever, and it’s 100% true
Hahaha that’s great Glückwunsch :)
As a german, this is actually really interesting to hear. I never knew there was such a big difference in groceries stores in the US. Here in germany, as you might be able to guess, Aldi is also quite popular. But we have other popular chains as well, as they all work with a very similar concept. Efficiency is key. I could never imagine shopping at a store like you described in the first half of the video.
I’ve never had the pleasure of visiting Germany - my only foray into Europe was a visit in Southern Ireland (beautiful, by the way).
Here in the U.S. many of our grocery stores are absolutely enormous. Our favorite chain of stores here in Florida is Publix, where they operate a pretty good deli (with some of the best sub sandwiches around), a seafood counter with freshly made sushi, a pharmacy, and a full bakery. Many even have dedicated seating areas with tables for eating your lunch.
The craziest grocery stores are Super Walmarts, which are really more like a general store and a grocery store added together. You can buy groceries, clothes, tools, furniture, computers and electronics, gardening supplies, paint, tires and batteries for your car, pillows and bedding, fabrics and craft supplies, pet supplies, and sports and camping gear in the same store. Some of them even sell guns and ammunition! Many of them also have a few extra (small) shops up front, which might consist of banks, hair salons, mobile phone sellers, optometrists, fast food restaurants, etc. It can actually be quite overwhelming if you’re not used to it.
@dbackscott my grandfather had a saying if you can't find it in walmart you don't need it
We have good Grocery Stores too, they are just good for opposite reasons as Aldi. At Woodman's you can find just about anything from just about any country, and it's cheaper then Walmart. If you want to make some obscure dish you heard about on youtube/tiktok, they are what you want.
Three cheese aisles.
And an in house liquor store that often had some very high end stuff. Mine has Octomore right now.
That pretzel vending machine at German Aldi was like mana from heaven. My boys still talk about it. I will say that Globus was also my favorite. Frikadellen or leberkase mit brotchen for like 2 euro? Yes sir!
@@johnpeters211 unfortunately, I have to inform you, that Aldi in Germany has no longer those pretzel vending machines. They have been to slow. Now you have a kind of quick release bakery wall where you can grab your pretzel or bread or whatever you need and move on your way. sorry
- Upset because everyone raves about Aldi and I can't find one to save my life
- Informed that Trader Joe's is actually Aldi
- 🤯
- Life is good again
to be precise, its Aldi Nord (North). Aldi in the usa is Aldi Süd (South).
In germany there are two aldis, süd and nord who split over a trivial confilict about selling cigarettes.
In the north or germany there only is aldi nord and in the south only aldi süd.
Only in middle germany will you find both close to each other.
Please do videos on the following:
-The Woobie
-Jim Corbett the Modern Dragonslayer
-The F-15 EX Eagle 2
-The F-18 Super Hornet
-The Story of John Paul Jones
-The time the US Postmaster tried to deliver mail by Missile.
-The SS Warrimoo and its incredible time hack.
-The great escape of Gene Hambleton.
-The Nutty Bet of Bill Williams.
-The standoff between Steve Anthony and Hollywood.
-The Story of the Lost Confederate Statue "Dutchy".
-The time Idaho Fish & Game air dropped beavers away from McCall ID.
-The real life story of Michel Dowling from "Blizzard"
-The Xp5 seaplane
-The Romeo Spies of Germany
-The time two sister repelled the British from MA.
And maybe an episode on modern logistics (on land).
And Witold Pilecki 🇵🇱
Ya. The woobie for sure.
@@johngillespie3409 who or what is that?
@@joshuayarrington9684 Ask any service member - especially Army and Marines - who spent more time in the field than in the barracks.
As someone who is a grocery store zombie, I 100% agree. One minute I'm rushing around getting what I needed, the next thing I know I've been standing in front of the cereal aisle for 15 minutes zoned out and ultimately pick Cinnamon Toast Crunch like the last 3 times
All of my college roommates loved Aldi in 2022, and I still love it now. It’s a private company too, so no random people can just purchase half the shares to own it.
The Aldi companies are owned by three foundations (Marcus, Lucas and Jacobus foundation) The the family members shares on the foundations can not be transferred or sold, only inherited. Currently the foundations want to reunite Aldi North and South to just Aldi again.
Only thing that's missing now for a German shopping experience is tax included in the price tags: as a shopper, I give a fuck about what the tax on a product is, I just wanna know what I owe if I buy it.
ALDI in Australia is freaking awesome.
Our two other major supermarket chains are run by boards and CEOs who are all marketing people.
ALDI picked a career logistics dude to run the joint and it shows.
And the weekly "special buys" are fantastic. Go and get some bread and milk and sure, whilst I'm at it I'll grab an off-brand trumpet and a MIG welder.
I have retired to Indonesia from Melbourne. One of the things I miss is Aldi. In the couple of years in the lead up to the big move, in late 2021, I was able to pick up so many things among the centre aisle bargains in preparation. About the only thing I regret is the 4.5" reflector telescope. The viewing is not good due to the high humidity, and the mosquitoes are excessively friendly. But the 75" 4K TV on the wall in front of me cost under A$1K at Aldi, and the nearest equivalent would have been closer to A$2K elsewhere. I have so many other things, too numerous to list. I just checked my shipping container manifest, and there were 233 Aldi purchases.
I did work and travel in NZ after 9 month i went to Sydney and i was so happy to see Aldi again 😂😅 i am german btw.
"If it's free that's because you're the product." This wisdom is magnificent.
Thats how social media works. Ditch it for a better life.
An Aldi opened up in my area a few years back and I've been going there for groceries ever since. One thing I appreciate that wasn't mentioned in the video is the fact that they don't play music in their stores. It may seem like a small thing, but it honestly makes for a better experience imo. I don't have to listen to music I honestly don't care for while buying groceries.
If i wanted music I'd bring my own.
First good argument yet. No music. While I like music, what's played in most stores is irritating. Still not enough to get me to shop there. Cheers! Oh wait, no booze at Aldi. Nevermind.
The same music playing over and over again can drive some of the employees nuts too. I dont like 90% of the music that plays at my work, and if I have an earbud in i don't to hear some shitty song competing with my music/podcast.
Aldi just announced last week that they will not be hiring straight White people. I'm not White, but this is still wrong.
The job listing clearly explains that Aldi “will prioritize individuals coming from the following communities: Refugee, Neurodivergent, Single Parent, Blind or Low Vision, Deaf or Hard of Hearing, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Military Veterans, the Elderly, the LGBTQ, and Justice Impacted individuals.”
@@MP-qn1jwThere is booze at Aldi's, there's a whole wine rack at the both I went to.
USED TO SHOP AT ALDI’s 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️⁉️⁉️⁉️
I live in Maine and made the pilgrimage to Maryland. I went to Aldi and was not disappointed. I bought a bag as a souvenir, and I will never forget the utilitarian joys of my shopping trip.
Went to the Aldi in Mankato, MN. First time in one. 3 weeks worth of food for $80.
I'm sold.
As someone who's lived in Michigan my whole life, I can attest to the Aldi superiority (and calling it Aldis). Going there was always faster and cheaper than anywhere else and the staff didn't look like they hated their lives. Finally got one near where my parents live and it's the primary place they go for groceries now, and they're strewn throughout where I go to college too. Straight up German engineering on par with the MP5SD.
Michigan was the first time I ever heard of Aldi. And Meijer which as you know is basically a nicer Walmart
Oklahoma knows it as Aldis too.
umm... what is mp5sd
@@patriotcraftsboy1046Well ya you dokt forget your shit at Walmart
So many people call it Aldi's, despite literally no s anywhere
Great video! Aldi has just moved into the Phoenix AZ area, and I wondered why it was so SMALL with limited items. Now I know and it makes perfect sense. I have to save quarters now for the buggy, but have been known to hang out by the door offering shoppers a nickel and 2 dimes for their cart. 😁
Now can you do a video on Winco? It's like the Lowes version of Costco.
I found TFE's main channel not long ago, and as someone interested in history (and especially military history) thought I had hit the jackpot. With his combination of facts, humor and engaging personality I quickly blew through every video on his channel. And then I found the Fat Files. Sir, if you do a video on 'The history of mud', I will watch it!! And now I have many hours of the Unsubscribed podcast to go watch. Thank you Nick for being a real one!!
You say that like this man wouldn't make a fifteen-minute video on 'General Winter' and 'General Mud'.
I've watched the couple other video's he has on the Fat Files and didn't even realize it was a different channel. YT algorithm doing good work sending these videos my way, and Nick doing good work keeping thumbnails consistent so we know it's him even if it's a different channel name. This man is legitimately one of the most entertaining people on the platform, little contest.
I worked at a grocery store for 9 years. They not only do studies on packaging and where in the store to place items but also which level of shelf to put it on. Also, returning the carts cuts costs on cart maintenance and replacement. A full size shopping cart is about $250 each.
Yesterday at the store I work at, I had a lady with a full sized cart with a $2500+ order
She tried to do this through self checkout by the way
Standing in a daze over what flavor Cheerios is me every monday
The fact that Adli does not have a store brand is upsetting. I mean, c'mon, what would you call a can of mixed snack nuts under the Aldi name? Yeah, you even tossed that tidbit in here. NICE!
As far as the "did you find everything you were looking for?", next time trip their asses up by responding "Why, what are you hiding?!".
If they had a garden center, you could compare "Aldi's Hoes."
I've always hated the expectation of having to say that. As a long-time retailer I've always tried to vary it in some way as I cannot stand the micro-management that happens at the checkout. Having a specific spiel to ramble on on whenever you answer the phone, being required to say "have a nice day, Merry Christmas, etc" The latest one for us is the requirement that we say "My pleasure" in numerous instances that are entirely forced. I've already told my boss I won't do it as I won't lie to my customers nor act like I live on Sesame Street. The best thing I can do is provide excellent knowledge and helpful service. Customers appreciate that, not someone trying to con them into the latest credit card or 1% bonus plan.
Would mixed nuts called Aldi’s Nuts sell well?
When asked at Publix, since I shop without my wife, I generally respond with “I’m sure I’ll find out when I get home and am reminded about something.”
I'm an asshole because I have told them no and said something off the top of my head. I've tried it at Walmart, Kroger, and Meijer resulting in a sarcastic I'm sorry. But I tried that at my local mom and pop. They sent a runner to find it and they actually brought it up. I never go anywhere else now
name 3 things hairy.
Me: ALDI CAWK PEANUT BUTTER🗣️🔥🔥
As a current cashier in Connecticut, former Walmart cashier, and having shopped at Aldi, you had me simultaneously laughing and nodding my head in agreement! I needed a good laugh after a day on my feet at a grocery store serving customers and thanking God that I no longer work for Walmart!!!
My wife loves Aldi, I on the other hand hate it
@@eddievanwhy8929
Should be the opposite in a natural world😂😂😂
I hate taking my wife to larger stores or inside malls.
You forgot about the Aldi Isle of shame! At least that's what we call it. It's the one side of one half of one aisle generally speaking that has all kinds of miscellaneous crap that nobody knows they need until they're walking by it and it's super cheap! My favorite part of going to an Aldi
I prefer to call it the “aisle of weirdness”. It’s my favorite part of every Aldi visit.
Caw caw
You ABSOLUTELY nailed this!! I’m a manager for a chain we have primarily on the west coast called smart & final (rooting from the founders last names).
i have worked for the company for a decade and was initially shocked at how accurate and intuitive your analysis of the situation is. then, you mentioned you did it for five years as well. yea.. he gets it. that makes sense. i am a firm believer that every citizen shall be required to straight out of high school
1. spend two years in the military or 2. work at a grocery store. America would be happier, more efficient and productive. Plus, the world would really see what letting freedom ring looks like😂
Work in a Grocery store or an inbound Call Center.
Expand it to retail in general.
The amount of people who lack patience is astounding. And for some areas respect.
There's a ton of people who haven't worked in the service industry, and it shows.
Working in fast food taught me many life lessons.
@@aDrummerThatisBoredyou’re right. i thought about it, but went with ‘grocery store’ as it is the theme of this episode. thank you😂
I've spent 5 years in the military, 2 years at a grocery store, 3 months in a call center (miserable), and 5 years at a Best Buy. I now work IT for a big company for the past almost 7 years and I would say the retail/grocery/military really puts everything is perspective on how shitty people are that have done none of it.
In Germany they have multiple of these types of stores and its awesome. Lidle and Penny are competitors of Aldi and all there are great. They have larger grocery stores that are more like ours, Rewe, Kaufland and Real but the Aldis and things are the ones you find in the neighborhoods. Love it!
You forgot the worst of them all Ghetto Netto!
I swear to all that is Holy, if it was any other content creator besides Nic, I would have passed on this video. Nic is the Aldi of content. Quick, clean, all the content you need, and get the F out! If you're not pickin up what I'm puttin down, Nic is the Liquid Death of content creation. He can take something as boring as water, wrap it in an exciting and flashy package, offer it up in a straight forward, in your force manner, and then sell some merch about it. Outstanding work, sir.
quick, hm ... hope his relationship is going well though ... :)
Your description of the people overwhelmed by other grocery stores is so accurate to what happens to me. I have to make a list with pictures to make sure I get what I went in for and not get distracted by all the other stuff. It's a struggle.
Maybe I really should go check out Aldi...
How do you even go outside without a panic attack?
Sometimes my wife wants me to pick up the groceries she likes and she has to send me pictures because I wanna make sure I get the right stuff the first time so I don’t have to go back
My advice is don't go there hungry and bring a list. You're already making a list so that's good.
@@danielsjohnson haha yes, I make sure to do both most of the time
THIS. My ex would make a list or ask me to go get stuff, then when I come back I find out that I’m actually an a**hole and/or mentally deficient and/or bad person because I got the wrong thing. Because there’s 7 different versions of each product, sometimes without any change in label appearance, and even when you read the labels there’s fine print somewhere else on them or she actually wanted the one with the different count or segregated packaging within.
Literally got to the point where I had to send pictures of the items in my hand in order to get confirmation before leaving.
Meanwhile I’m just grabbing whatever the hell looks edible. Like I said… that’s an ex. And that’s one of the major reasons why.
Me : It doesn't work on me.
Electrician : You're thinking it doesn't work on you.
See ik
It in fact doesn't work on me because I know all their tricks, plan my entire trip through the store accordingly and set aside a certain amount of money for unexpected purchases that I forgot I needed. Once I hit that, needed or not it's waiting for the next grocery run.
Having a plan and a budget goes a long way with dealing with their bullshit. That and always buying store brand if at all possible. That cereal aisle? That's nice, give me offbrand cheerios, offbrand frosted shredded wheat, offbrand peanut butter whatever cereal, the rest can go punch sand.
90% of People say/think IT doesn't work on me, everyone in marketing knows IT works on 90% of all people.
@@martinscholer5419if u haven’t the $, u haven’t the $
It’s a simple concept lol
Stops all spending but what’s on the list. My friend would bring cash only. She hated it but they saved $$.
It's so cool that Aldi is finally in the USA. If you think Aldi is cheap now, just wait until it gets bigger. Eventually, Aldi will set the prices, and everyone else will have to adjust, making everything cheaper and cheaper. American supermarkets never rolled back their inflation-adjusted prices, even after inflation started to decline. I'm sure Aldi will reverse that trend at some point. That's how it goes everywhere Aldi arrives. Two things make Aldi special: 1. They have the highest quality standards. 2. They set the price. Others might pretend to, but Aldi actually does it. And well, the fact that they try to produce locally is also really great.
I used to plan my grocery shopping like a military black op, in and out ASAP. Now the stores all “reorganize” damn near every week and f’d that all up 🤦🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
I do the same thing. Only thing that slows me down is that they have too much crap to remember which aisle each item is on.
As my friends, family and co-worker have said "Get in line; not to check-out but to hate what ever higher-up manager decided it's shuffle time".
They did that to get you to spend more money looking for what you actually want...
I have my local mom and pop memorized. The last time it changed was 5 years ago when they added a huge wine and beer section but they don't care about the games other stores play. Their corporate belief is quality and service and that's what you get
the true genius of Aldi is--
1: the way that the aisles are streamlined so you can get all of your stuff in one pass, but might also see some cool stuff on the way
2: the fact that they don't overstock multiple brands and therefore have less operating overhead, which means lower prices
Also at times they not even have shelves. They just load a straight up pallet of drinks from thr back and not give a fuck.
No fancy stuff. It's on same pallet it got slipped on
on top of that, they buy more of a single product which means that they get the best prices on those products. in short, whatever aldi is selling can't actually be sold at the same price at other stores without them losing money since they have to pay more
Hey. Thanks for dispelling the impression I had of Aldi from back in the late 80s early 90s.
You saved our family a ton of money this week.
I have a 5 and 3 yo my wife only shops there. It's like Josh Allen and Patrick mahomes had a baby and that baby grew up to be the cashier at Aldi who can throw all your groceries through the register in an 80th of a second for such a staggeringly low price you have to double take at it. I live in the Midwest Nebraska near Iowa they shit all over Hy-Vee if you have wasteful little kids or are a guy who eats lunches for work etc.
In the 80s to early 90s it was just cases of canned vegs and rotting produce
By the mid90s it got great n has just gotten better over the yrs.
The prices are now as horrific as other stores tho, just a little cheapER, not cheap lol
I cry when I walk in stores. And I never buy a thing but groceries anymore. Impossible.
This sounds amazing. Wish we had one where I live. When I go to the grocery store I have a small list of items and I speedrun through as fast as I can.
“Can German engineering win a world war? No but it can make a damn good grocery store” 😂😂😂
Yet... 👀👀
A god damn good grocery store!!!
Their engineering didnt lose the war, the method out, syphilis riddled dictator calling the shots did. Who invades Russia in the winter? A megalomaniacal tweaker does, that's who.😂
Third time's the charm
New plans congcering the world with aldis😉
I appreciate this video on multiple fronts.
I do all my shopping at Lidl (which is basically identical to Aldi) because it's fast and cheap.
I worked retail for ~15 years and my goal was always "get the customer what they want and out the door asap", and I promise you that's what 99% of them want.
I love lidl too. We have both where i live. But choose aldi because its closer and theres more of them around. But all my lidls are self scan and what i cant find at aldi i usually can find at lidl
@JamesDavis-mm2mi Same for me but the other way around. There's 4 of each in my city, but Lidl's a 2 minute walk from my home while Aldi's a 15 minute drive (and I don't have a car.)
I loved shopping at Aldi during my six years in Germany. I also loved shopping at most stores in Germany, because they specialized. The Metzger sold meat and sometimes cheese. The Kaffee shop sold coffee. The Backerei sold baked goods. All fresh. I've shopped at one aldi in the states, but it's 70 miles away. And it was shocking when I stepped in to see American products.
You should do a little shopping math. At my previous house the closest Aldi was nearly 50 miles away, and it was STILL cheaper to drive to Aldi, get groceries, then drive home than it was to shop at the small town grocery store I had.
Aldi sells many local products to cut transportation fees, so Aldi in the USA will sell many American products.
@@Astrofrank I mean of course the sell American products in the US. Only selling stuff made in Germany would be totally crazy and completely against their philosophy of "sell whatever people need that is good quality as cheap as possible"
Our local Aldi is great. They also have a portion of isle towards the end with random stuff like; blankets, kitchen supplies, flowers, candles, toys, etc.
it actually makes a lot of sense to not have a customer service desk or a dedicated phone line because that means that karens no longer have a way to make a completely unreasonable complaint.
This is FACTS. I work at Wal-Mart.
LOL I went in and bought some rotten lettuce. When I realized, I walked back in, told the guy while he was checking someone else out, put it on the counter, grabbed another off the shelf, and walked out.
Or run there mouth saying whatever they want so they can think they did something and than hang up before you can say anything all the while Knowing that your to busy to really look into who said it. I've noticed that as a manager at a couple different stores.
Aldi is by far my favorite store in the world. Saves me so much money and time as a college student. Plus I personally prefer a lot of their Aldi brand products over the name brand stuff. Like seriously I can walk out with a pack of Bavarian bratwursts, wine, and pasta for ~$10
We have this independent testing institute in Germany called Stiftung Warentest - very trustworthy and reliable since the 1960ies. You can't count the number of times that products from Aldi (or Lidl for that matter) win their tests or at least come in close second. Very often, the absolute losers in their tests are overpriced "luxury" food items from much more expensive stores. Be it olive oil, laundry detergent or red wine, the quality at Aldi is usually really good.
And this is why Aldi's is a core memory moment for me. Aldi's was a massive influence with my family, especially since my parents were stationed in Germany for a full tour before being reassigned to the US. And when me and my sisters went out to help our parents grocery shop it was 90% of the time at Aldi. Gave us a better appreciation of things like milk and eggs and also knowing how to best fill old grocery store bags without them being too full or ripping, and also knowing that certain products should never go on the bottom, ie bread and eggs.
Also never knew Trader Joe's was just another part of Aldi, the more you know!
I'm a UK pensioner, and Aldi is my lifeline. I buy from other shops occasionally, but only for things Aldi doesn't stock. My average weekly grocery spend, for myself and my cat, is under £25 ($31). I walk both ways, too, so I get a good 5,000 steps in with every visit.
BONUS FACT: The numerous bar codes on the items extend to their shipping boxes, most stores get boxes on pallets, pull the boxes out, set them on expensive stands and constantly cylce them to keep older products up front. Aldi gets them in a box they rip part of it off and set it on a stack. That one's empty? *rip* Ok there's more now. It is a marvel of design efficiency! Great vid as always!
Even better, the Aldi near me will just put the empty boxes behind the checkout, and let you use them, for free, to work alongside your bags.
Welp, blew my mind with the Trader Joe's and Aldis connection, never been to an Aldi's, but Trader Joes has been a favorite of mine for years, their products are great, the charm incredible, their service simple, only thing are the lines, but that's because everyone else also knows Trader Joe's is amazing, cool to see its bred from the same stock, great vid Nic!
It's not really bred from the same stock, though- TJ is an American company through-and-through. It started off as a convenience store, more or less, and then turned into a local grocery chain in LA, then expanded. It's a fascinating story in its own right.
Trader Joe's is not amazing or cool. It is a disappointment, and the products are generally of low quality.
The lines are horrific and they double bag even when I say don’t 🤨
I bought very little at TJs as it’s for Yuppies. Most of it is overpriced for normal American families. It’s a status thing to go shop at TJs lol
We used to hit Aldi’s when we were stationed in Germany and were amazed with the efficiency of this well oiled piece of German engineering. Lidl and Spar were pretty good too.
What was the soldier's choice? Beer, Snacks?
Lived in Switzerland and Lidl and Aldi were the bomb, Coop was ok too because they have some premium stuff mainly Cailler Chocolate that we wanted but Lidl and Aldi were the go to.
Every time I lived overseas, I checked to see if I could grocery shop at Aldi's. I was so excited when the town I was living in finally got an Aldi's. Aldi has the best meat prices in town! I can get 95% of my groceries at Aldi's.
As a german its really funny to see all those reactions from you. I thought all the time that a huge selection of items is a good thing beacause if i want to cook something really spesific it is really hard to find those items in german supermarkets. But I forgot the advantages it takes to have these high efficent supermarkets. Nice to remeber the privilages we have here.
SPAR!
German here, very accustomed to Aldi. When I was at an Aldi in Inglewood this year, I felt right at home.
I worked as a grocer for 7 years, including a junior manager at night for closing up. The opener about US stores being a mental terrorist exercise is dead spot on. Our meat manager told me they out the best cuts in the middle so you HAD to walk past all the cheaper cuts from either side of the case. Its all engineered.
The average person would end up being incarcerated for mental breakdown if they really understood just how 'big brother' big retail actually is. It's Matrix level of control.
We keep prime meats and sale meats in the middle of our display case for this exact reason
Aldi Rules! And you are Brilliant!! ❤
Wait, the „meat manager“? There is a separate manager for each type of food? Wow haha
@ja_u yep. Meat department, deli, dairy & frozen, grocery, produce and liquor each had at least 1 manager
Also, they don't sell food with food dyes! Their fruit loops is colored with paprika, turmeric, and beta carotene! Amazing!
Sounds like a european Brand/product ;)
That’s because they have German food standards, which are pretty high
@@mathildewesendonck7225 does Aldi in the US really stick to German food standards? That would be surprising to me.
@@Jehty_ in Germany they have are quickly adapting to food trends and customer demands like healthier options, short ingredient lists, no artificial bs or added sugars, high protein or vegan products. I’m from homeland of Aldi but it seems like Americans are starting to demand healthier food options as well so Aldi delivers what people want to buy.
Bioengineered garbage
I’m the guy who’s been living under a rock, never knew Trader Joe’s and Aldi were the same store.
Keep the videos coming, love them
Here I am under the same rock painted Texan, realizing HEB is just a less corporatized Walmart. I don't want to dodge the pharmacy line to get my toothpaste/contact solution.
Still love ya HEB
I don't think many would.
Facts, that blew my mind!
In practice, they are different. Aldi mostly carries staples and provides carts while Trader Joe's has far more prepared foods and prefers hand baskets. Also Aldi started in cheaper places and grew out to wealthier ares (but probably still in cheap places) while Trader Joes started in expensive ares and I can't tell if they are moving to cheaper locations. You'd go to them for different reasons (and unfortunately for me, they are in opposite directions).
I didn't know, either. I always thought Trader Joe's was a competition store for Whole Foods. But I don't do a lot of shopping, either. I just stop on my way home from work and grab what I need from the local Hannaford
Trust me, I’ve forgotten quarters a bunch of times at my ALDI and they’re always super understanding and will loan you the quarter for a bit. But I agree it’s my favorite grocery store as well.