The One Aldi Display You Should Never Mess With On Your Own

Consumers these days have a real passion for a quality grocery store experience. That may explain the popularity of Aldi and why shoppers are so devoted to the store. Per the company website, Aldi originated in Germany during the early 1960s but made its way to the U.S. in 1976. Since that time, the chain has established a presence throughout 36 states thanks to its commitment to customer satisfaction.

While known for offering a great selection of affordable goods, from fresh produce to tasty snacks to household gadgets, Aldi is not like other grocery stores. The FAQs page on Aldi's website covers some of the major differences, such as the preference for Aldi exclusives on the shelves instead of name brand products. The store also asks customers to provide a 25-cent deposit to access a cart, and to bring their own bags or purchase reusable ones during their shopping excursion.

Another popular feature found in Aldi is the store's displays, one particular of which has posed a dilemma to patrons.

According to Chron, grocery stores are very meticulous about how items are arranged on shelves. For instance, products with the greatest appeal are often situated at eye level with the customer where they can be easily accessed. Most stores also utilize promotional displays, which are usually found at the ends of aisles. The purpose of these end cap displays is to highlight popular items that are virtually guaranteed to be high earners.

This is definitely the case with LaCroix, a flavored sparkling water brand so popular that it inspires cult-like behavior in fans, as described by KQED. Perhaps this explains the questionable behavior of Aldi shoppers when on the hunt for LaCroix, a practice that has been brought to light by Reddit user u/hydra596. Their post shows an image of a picked through display, which resulted from shoppers trying to find their favorite flavor within the stack. The user accuses Aldi shoppers of being "addicted to Jenga," while the commenters argue about which flavor is truly the best (LimonCello for the win). 

In this case, it appears that shoppers should ask for help when confronted by a strategically arranged display. It's also a good idea to defer to the staff's professional judgement in other matters.

Per u/EpicmanJ on Reddit, cart kerfuffles are another thing sure to ruin an Aldi cashier's day. In an effort to keep things moving, all cashiers have a cart at their registers into which they deposit items waiting to be bagged. When a customer enters a line without a cart, and suddenly realizes they have too many bags to carry to their vehicle on their own, they may attempt to "borrow" the cashier's cart. The cashier must then "borrow" a cart from another register, or venture outside to find a new one. As you can imagine, this brings the checkout line to a screeching halt and raises the ire of other Aldi customers.

Reddit's u/GlitchingEye highlights a similar problem customers have with trying to "catch" items as they're deposited into the cart at a rapid pace. This problem also arises from a failure to secure a cart upon entering the store, as cashiers will commonly place two customers' goods in the same cart until the sans-cart customer bags their own. When in doubt, customers are encouraged to rent a cart to ensure a smooth and convenient experience.