ALDI South Group

ALDI is a European grocery store. The store has been springing up and spreading rapidly in the US. Their products are comparable to the popular grocery chains around, and they are competitively priced too. Their stores are neat and well laid out. They don't accept clipped coupons, but their prices are relatively cheaper than the chain stores, and their qualities are good. I highly recommend to check them out if you have any of their stores around you.

Things have changed, and not for the better. I used to love shopping at Aldi, the unusual assortment, mostly carried what I needed, and always great prices. Even the check out process was ok albeit they didn't usually have enough cashiers who also doubled as stock clerks, floor sweepers, bathroom cleaners you get the idea. Now they have self check lanes, which I normally don't mind until now. On several occasions now, I have used them and had a problem, void, carded for alcohol, or whatever and needed "assistance" from a live person. Their set up requires one of their ONLY cashiers with a long line to stop what they are doing and come to assist me, taking time away from people who choose or have to still utilize a live cashier. To further aggravate this situation, the several stores that i have been in have already adopted this self check model where the majority of registers are self check. This means in a store that had 6-7 manned registers now has 3-4 manned of which ONE is open. The remaining customers are expected to use the now 6-7 additional self check registers with ONE cashier taking care of their own register and any potential issues with the additional 6-7 self check outs! My 88 year old mother was in one day and there was not a "cashier" at any manned stations. When she asked if the clerk could ring her up, the clerk directed her to a self check out...seriously?! That was it for me. I understand the need to keep up with the self check trends but when you start replacing cashiers with just self check and prices keep going up, it becomes just corporate greed at this point. I am quite sure the remaining employees are not being compensated for these additional duties. Other companies with self check have a dedicated person at the self check to assist. I also wrote a hate email to their corporate office to which i got a surprising return phone call message. But quite honestly I'm DONE! Let someone else pay for your greed. Buh Bye, Aldi, it was fun while it lasted.