Shopping at Aldi can feel different than strolling into other major grocery store chains.
Maybe it’s the European influence. Maybe it’s seeing your fellow shoppers carrying quarters and reusable bags. Maybe it’s aisles with a hodgepodge of items that seemingly don’t belong together … and seeing people stocking up on those products like they’ll never see them again.
All of that—and, of course, Aldi’s goal of keeping prices low without sacrificing product quality—makes an Aldi run a unique experience. And today, we want to help make your next trip to this grocer a more fruitful experience, too.
Read on as I teach you about a variety of ways to squeeze the most value out of Aldi. Hopefully, you’ll notice the difference that these Aldi tips and tricks make the next time you stop in.
What to Know Before Shopping at Aldi
Many first-time Aldi shoppers are lured in either by hearing about the grocer’s low prices or trying one of Aldi’s private-label products at a friend or family member’s house. Well, if you haven’t set foot in an Aldi’s yet, these tips will put you well ahead of the 8-ball compared to going in blind.
However, these tips aren’t just for newbies. While veteran Aldi shoppers might be aware of some of these Aldi hacks, this list should include at least a few Aldi optimization tips you haven’t read before.
Let’s dig in.
1. Bring a Quarter
You can’t buy much with a quarter these days, but you can’t get an Aldi cart without one.
The Aldi cart system is different but simple. Go to the cart corral, insert a quarter into a cart’s coin slot to unlock it, then go shopping. Once you’re done and return the cart to the corral, you’ll get your quarter back. Most regular Aldi shoppers keep a quarter in their car or purse to use anytime they go shopping at Aldi.
Why the rent-a-cart system? Aldi has found that customers are much more likely to return the carts to the corrals. That saves Aldi a few hours a week on employee hours spent rustling up carts, which in turn helps Aldi keep prices just a little lower.
Related: Top 10 Grocery Stores Ranked by Value
2. BYOB (Bring Your Own Bags)
You’ll also want to bring some reusable bags when you shop at Aldi.
Unlike many grocers, Aldi stores don’t give you plastic bags—a small line item, but another source of savings that Aldi passes along to its customers.
Aldi will sell you paper bags and reusable totes. But bringing your own totes each time you visit will help you stretch your budget just a little bit farther (and it’s good for the environment, too).
While we’re on the topic of bags, if you haven’t been to Aldi’s before, I’ll tell you about their unorthodox checkout system. Cashiers don’t have long counters—instead, after scanning each item, they place it directly into a new empty cart. It’s up to you whether you want to bag the groceries or leave them as is. And yes, this means when you return a cart, you’re not getting a quarter back, but you’re not getting your quarter back.
3. Check Out Fan Favorites
While it’d be nice to leisurely stroll through grocery aisles, carefully examine certain items, and look up product reviews online … well, you don’t always have the time for that.
Thankfully, Aldi has an easy shortcut.
Every year, Aldi conducts a survey in which customers rate the store’s products. It then places a heart-shaped logo on any Fan Favorites so shoppers know which products earned high ratings. You can also scroll the winner’s list online prior to your next trip.
Some of the 2024 winners included Barissimo cold foam, fresh multi-colored peppers, and fresh Atlantic salmon portions.
Related: 10 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Making a Purchase
4. Don’t Use Aldi as a One-Stop Shop
Aldi has many highly praised products, but there are some items you should never buy at Aldi.
For example, speaking from both my personal experience and what I’ve seen online, Aldi’s bananas have a way of going from green to brown and skipping the tasty yellow period. So unless you’re baking with them, you’re probably better off buying bananas from another store.
Aldi also doesn’t have a deli counter, so if you love freshly sliced meat, you’ll have to find it somewhere else. Shoppers often complain that the pre-sliced meats are too thin, and many find the taste unpleasant.
5. Remember the Twice as Nice Guarantee
Aldi currently boasts 29 different private-label brands (including the aforementioned Barissimo), and 90% of the items offered in Aldi stores fall under these labels.
That’s good news for you, because it means most of what you’ll buy at Aldi is covered by the store’s Twice as Nice Guarantee.
If you aren’t completely happy with the quality of an Aldi-exclusive product you buy, the store will replace the product and refund your money. You must also return the product packaging as well as any unused product. You must bring a receipt to get a refund, but if you don’t have a receipt, you’ll get a gift card instead.
The guarantee doesn’t apply to some products, however, including non-edible Aldi Finds (more on this later), national brands, and alcohol. It also doesn’t apply for items returned for non-quality-related issues.
Just don’t be the person who ruins an amazing policy for everyone. Don’t try to return products you actually enjoyed.
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6. Look for Aldi Price Drops
Aldi is widely known as one of the country’s more affordable grocery store chains, But if you want to pull the price bar even lower, check out Aldi Price Drops.
Aldi Price Drops are simply current discounts on Aldi goods. You can view them online—for instance, when I go to the Price Drops page and enter my ZIP code, the location closest to me shows up as having 545 active Price Drops. You can filter Price Drops by brand, country of origin, SNAP/EBT eligibility, and more.
7. Peek at Aldi Finds
Aldi Finds are limited-time, limited-inventory products. Aldi places these items in a special section of the store, and the products span a wide variety of categories, from clothing to toys to seasonal décor and more.
You might only get one chance at these items before they’re gone forever—while some will be restocked in the future, others might not be.
You can see a preview of upcoming Aldi Finds online. A quick glance at some of the upcoming items—pillowcases paired with eye masks, skirts, plastic food storage containers, tasty muffins, manicure kits, and much more—is giving me major FOMO (fear of missing out). I might have to snag some of these for myself.
Related: 10 Costco Tips & Tricks All Shoppers Should Know
8. Download the Aldi App
Like me, you may be struggling with app fatigue, but you still might find value in the Aldi app.
Some of the app features include (but aren’t limited to):
- Store Locator for finding stores and hours of service
- Aldi Finds
- Weekly ads
- Shopping List Tool
- Ability to order Grocery Pickup and Grocery Delivery
- View Past Orders (and re-order with a single tap)
The Aldi app is completely free, and it’s highly rated: It currently boasts a 4.8-star rating on Apple’s App Store and a 4.7-star rating on the Google Play store. (Both app stores have 5-star scales.)
9. Consider Grocery Curbside Pickup or Delivery
If you’re going for maximum frugality, grocery pickup and delivery are poor choices at just about any store. That’s because you’ll typically pay more for the same items. Aldi is upfront about this, stating that “prices online may vary slightly from in-store prices in your area.”
However, if you have mobility issues or are extremely busy, curbside pickup and delivery can be well worth it.
For curbside pickup:
- Select the products you want from the app or website.
- Choose the pickup store and desired timeframes.
- Place your order and wait for confirmation that it’s ready.
- Pull up to the designated spot (blue curbside spaces) and follow the instructions on the sign.
- Wait for an employee to bring groceries to your vehicle.
For grocery delivery:
- Pick the products you want from the app or website.
- Place your order.
- Wait for an employee to deliver your order straight to your door.
Aldi requires a minimum order of $10 for delivery. Delivery fees vary by time window and location. And because Aldi uses bags for deliveries, customers are charged a small fee for any bags used.
Related: Stop Shrinkflation! 14 Products Affected + Tips to Save Money
10. When Possible, Shop on Wednesday
Wednesdays are a great day of the week to shop at Aldi, for two reasons:
- That’s the day of the week many stores release their Aldi Finds (though some stores release them on Sunday instead). If you shop several days later, the best items might be permanently out of your reach.
- Aldi restocks their produce daily. But stores typically only restock perishables and essentials on Wednesdays. That means a Wednesday morning shopping trip gives you the best chance to find full shelves with everything you need.
Obviously, some people’s schedules won’t allow for Wednesday visits. But if you can manage it, hit up Aldi on Hump Day.
