Checkout staff at the Aldi are known for scanning groceries quickly – so quickly, in fact, they’re often done before you’ve started unfolding your reusable shopping bags.
Many joke about how they can’t keep up when in the bagging area, but one customer believes they’ve come up with a foolproof solution to the chaos.
On TikTok, Ciaran Elliott Walms posted a six-second clip showing off his so-called ‘life hack’.
In a somewhat convoluted way of slowing down the checkout staff, he leaves large gaps between them on the conveyer belt.
‘Spread all your shopping out and it gives you time to bag it so they don’t throw it at you,’ Ciaran explains in the video.
His shopping tip was met with mixed reviews from commenters on TikTok.
One user, @lorrijo68, called Ciaran’s tip a ‘brilliant idea’, while @abbiemcclinton declared: ‘Very good I’ll use this next time.’
But some Aldi shoppers warned customers against copying, including @cosyscholar who said: ‘It’s all well and good until the cashier gets a disciplinary because their scanning efficiency is below company standards.’
Claiming to be an Aldi worker, @crazi_chloe, commented: ‘Hahaha people think this works, we’ll just scan faster.’
Similarly, @jessicawainx added: ‘I work in Aldi and if someone does that I just push all their shopping together. Otherwise it creates more people waiting at the end of my till.’
The store previously revealed that staff are ‘encouraged’ to be as efficient as possible to keep prices down, with a spokesperson telling The Mirror that its checkouts were a mind-boggling 40% speedier than rival supermarkets.
Rather than trying to slow workers down, however, it seems the trick is to use Aldi’s ‘packing shelf’ instead.
Behind the tills, you’ll spot a long black shelf running along the window, all the way toward the exit. This is where you’re supposed to put your shopping in your bags.
Simply slide all the items straight back into your trolley as they are scanned, then head to the shelf and sort it all out there – no gaps required.
How cheap is Aldi compared to other supermarkets?
Analysis by the consumer watchdog Which? found that 72 items cost £125.43 on average across the month of February 2024 at Aldi, which was 30% than at Waitrose, the most expensive shop.
Fellow bargain retailer Lidl came in second place behind Aldi, costing just £2.67 more for the items, making it £128.19 on average.
The 72 groceries included branded and own-brand products, such as Dolmio pasta sauce, Heinz baked beans, as well as own-brand bread, milk, and butter.
The analysis included special offer prices but not multi-buys or two-tier loyalty prices, which are only available to loyalty scheme members and not everyone.
Ele Clark, retail editor at Which?, said: ‘With food prices continuing to put immense pressure on household budgets, it’s no surprise to see many people turning to the discounters, especially as shoppers could save up to 30 per cent by doing so.’
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