How The Size Of Aldi Stores Actually Helps You Save Money

Aldi uses a lot of different strategies to help its customers save. From selling its popular generic brand products over household names to cutting back on fancy signage and decor, the grocery chain has a lot of tricks up its sleeve. One of the things we bet you didn't know about Aldi is that even the size of its stores helps customers save money. Here's how. 

Aldi offers customers a much smaller selection of groceries than other grocery stores. For example, while many other stores offer around 40,000 items to choose from, Aldi usually has a little under 2,000. Most Aldi locations have just five aisles for customers to peruse. While you can count on getting the essentials here and a few other specialty products, you won't find too much variety of what's in stock. While this might mean there's less to look at, it also means that Aldi needs smaller stores, which means lower rent and utility costs. Lower costs overall for this corporation means it can pass lower prices onto its customers, and that's exactly how it works. 

While Aldi's stores are normally smaller, the chain has specific rules for just how these stores can operate to keep costs low. Let's get into it.

To help power up its smaller warehouse stores, Aldi uses energy-efficient lighting and refrigeration to keep its costs low and offers minimal decor. While that might be enough to keep down costs, that's not all the tools the chain uses to help itself and its customers.

Aldi has a small product selection to stock up on, so things go fast. Because of this, Aldi stores are specifically designed to make restocking quick and easy. Stores are kept at maximum efficiency by keeping all products in the boxes they are shipped in rather than investing in fancy displays and having employees unpack every little thing. Similarly, Aldi's milk and produce offerings already come pre-packaged, so employees do not need to worry about unpacking these either.

Now, if you're worried about not having enough of a selection to choose from at Aldi, don't be. Aldi keeps a rotating stock on its shelves, so there's always something new to find. And those products are pretty affordable, too.

While Aldi's selection is small, it is constantly introducing new products. A more traditional way Aldi helps you save is by offering special weekly deals through its website. Every week, Aldi offers something new for a lower price, like half-priced avocados or cheap plants for your garden.

Yet another way Aldi helps you save is by having shorter store hours. While most grocery stores open early and stay open late into the night, Aldi's store hours usually hover somewhere around 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., depending on your location. These shorter hours cut back on the cost of lighting, labor, and rent, which all contribute to lower costs. Lastly, one of the biggest cost savers for Aldi is that it doesn't have bags. Aldi customers can bring their own bags or grab one of the cardboard boxes Aldi products have been shipped in to help transport groceries to the car. So don't forget to check the Aldi website before you shop, and remember that sometimes less really is more.