ALDI, Supermarket of the year?...NO...not for me. consumers be cautious when shopping at ALDI

Consumers be cautious when shopping at ALDI.

Reason 1

Overcharged items
Happened to me 2 times in last week alone. please check your receipt before leaving. you can have overcharged items for free at Woolworths/Coles but not at AlDI. now i am not saying Woolies/Coles are not having any price error . from times to times they did however they have excellent customer services to fix the problems quickly and effectively and as mentioned above that price error item is yours for free of charge. at ALDI they don't have a service counter to assit you , you have to go back to the check out and face the long queues just to highlight their mistakes. really time comsuming.

Reason 2

Items missing in the box/package
Please open and check your purchased items or at least pay attention to whether the seal is broken or not before you leave the store. May be more and more people are abusing the 60 days return policy and due to lack of staff, they just put the returned items back to the shelf without any inspection. please be careful especially with clearance items.

Reason 3

Customer service is a joke due to (again) lack of staff . there is no staff to assist you for the products you are interested in or want to try it out.

You may argue ALDI hired fewer staff so they can sell the products cheaper.
Yes, we got cheaper products so quality of products are except fresh fruit and vegetables.

Roy Morgan Supermarket of the Year
For the second year in a row, ALDI Australia has been recognised as Supermarket of the Year at the Roy Morgan Customer Satisfaction Awards for 2012.

Established in 2011, the Roy Morgan Customer Satisfaction Awards honour businesses that have led their industry in Customer Satisfaction, and are judged by Australian consumers. The Awards cover 37 categories including Retail and Supermarkets, Quick Service Restaurants, Telecommunications, Tourism and Travel, Utilities, and Banking, amongst many others.

Since 2010, ALDI Australia has consistently dominated the Roy Morgan Customer Satisfaction ratings. In 2012, ALDI Australia received the highest customer satisfaction ratings, averaging 93 per cent, amongst all of its competitors.

I can't believe it. PRICE (NOT CUSTOMER) Satisfaction Awards would be more suitable for ALDI.

Just for your information that from the ACCC website "Most of the major supermarkets in Australia have signed up to the Scanning Code of Practice ( i am sure ALDI wasn't one of them) , a voluntary code designed to protect you from errors in checkout systems. Signatories are required to ensure their checkout systems are price accurate. If a product incorrectly scans at a higher price, you may be entitled to receive that item free. Where multiple identical items are purchased, you may be entitled to receive the first item free of charge and the remaining items at the lower price.

If you believe you have been overcharged:

  • Check your receipt
  • Return to the store as quickly as you can, with the receipt and the goods.
  • If you can’t return immediately, ring the store and speak to the store manager about the problem. Let him or her know that you will be returning the items and will require at the very least a refund.
  • Ask what the store policy is on overcharging or incorrect scanning and make notes if you need to.
  • Don’t be afraid to speak up, but always be polite and courteous. Treat others the way you’d like them to treat you.
  • And if you can’t resolve the dispute with the store, contact the Australian National Retailers Association (ANRA)

Have a good night all.

Related Stores

ALDI
ALDI

Comments

  • there is no staff to assit you for the products you are interested in or want to try it out.

    just open the desired box and test out. at least that's what i do

    • That's why there is rubbish, and pieces missing all the time, I suspect. It's a pretty messy place.

  • +13

    I would agree with the Roy Morgan Survey. I used to hate Aldi when it first came out. Little messy stores, no staff and they don't have all the products you need. Now, I wouldn't shop anywhere else. I have twice the amount of products in my trolley compared to shopping at Woolies or Coles and Aldi have only miss-scanned the price on an item once in the time I've been shopping there. And I'm used to checking my receipt every time I go shopping with the multiple errors the other two supermarkets have made.

    Aldi is a choice. If your happy checking out the products yourself with minimal assistance and being rewarded with the lower bill at the end, then your one of the majority of people that Roy Morgan surveyed. Otherwise go and pay extra and get the service your looking for.

  • +11

    i dont mind aldi. they do sometimes forget to register marked down item i their system but i am just watching everything they scan the same way i do with other shops. less staff usually means lower prices. the way i look at it is that we still would be paying $6 for sliced bread if there was no serious 3rd competitor on the market. coles and wollies are spewing that they cant buy them out and close them down so that they keep ripping us off.

    my 2c

    • +2

      I think ur riight, woolies and Coles woulda loved to have eaten up aldi, I've noticed a huge decline in woolies home brand (white and red) products since aldi came along, aldi has real granny, penny pinching consumers shopping on their side that woolies and Coles home brand used to hold.

  • +16

    Well I just bought a keyboard from Aldi and every key was a '+' key.

    • +19

      Well that's a plus

    • +4

      Don't underestimate the power of positive typing.

      • hey - don't be negative

        except on the above mentioned keyboard, that would have come out like.. :

        +++ + +++++ ++ ++++++++

  • +1

    Me, I've experienced only one misscan, and that was due to a marked down item that they didn't register. Took it back and got the diff no worries. Haven't found anything missing, but I'll just get my money back the same way. As for service, they scan faster than Coolies and it's all you can do to keep up bagging the stuff. The only times I've needed counter service at Coolies was buying recharges and that sort of thing. I'm a mostly DIY customer. Just look at the people at an Aldi. Hardcore penny pinchers with a manic save money gleam in their eyes.

    And a gripe: I simply don't understand why the other supermarkets are stingy with the divider bars. Only one or two per checkout? C'mon, what's the harm of providing more? Worried people will souvenir them?

  • +5

    Sounds like you had an unlucky few experiences!

    I've not been overcharged (that I ever noticed) at Aldi. I do get regularly overcharged at Woolworths though - fruit is the culprit, their promotional items aren't usually adjusted in line with the signage - and am sick of it as it usually isn't worth the queue at the service desk for the 50c or so back. I am 7.5mths pregnant and shopping with a toddler so am exhausted by the end of it, so don't have the time, patience or energy to get my money back.

    I've not had stuff missing as I always check boxes at Aldi - I have noticed a couple of half empty boxes at times though. I don't find our Aldi messy at all - maybe it is the times I go along? (I tend to only visit at the quiet times).

    Finally, staff - I've had more assistance from Aldi staff than I've ever had at Coles or Woolies! Yeah, they can be hard to get a hold of at times, but when I have had them help me they've been great. Again, I am there when it's quiet so it isn't too hard to find the manager who is more than willing (and able) to help out. Woolworths staff at my local have been useless (friendly, but no help at all) and hard to find. The ones at my mum's local Woolies are so horrible that I wrote a complaint to head office about them after being treated badly a number of times.

    I suppose it just depends on where and when you shop as to your particular experience.

  • +2

    by assistance, I guess you aren't including assistance at the checkout — the Aldi staff sit on their ass and gloat at the customers passing — the only physical movement they make is rearranging the dividers between purchases on the conveyor. a Woolworths or Coles cashier would have all your bags packed in the right order as they go, which actually takes less time that Aldi's staff+customer working together. sadly, Coles and Woolies are now gradually shifting to a non-staffed checkout setup, eventually it will be just the customers and a single security guard at the exit.

    I like the prices and value at Aldi, although often Coles/Woolies specials are better value. also, they have a very limited range of fresh produce and bread, and their bread is usually mouldy a day after purchase.

    • +1

      Part of the reason for that is Aldi doesn't supply grocery bags for free. Coolies is the US model where the staff help with the packing. This is going away with self-scan. Aldi is the European model where it's DIY. One thing missing from local Aldi supermarkets present in Europe is a large holding area after scan that can accommodate the previous shopper packing. I guess space is at a premium.

    • +3

      U think Aldi staff are lazy? That's a joke. 80% of new hired staff cannot handle aldi and quit within the 1st week. Aldi runs a store with average 3 staff, woolies run a store with 100+.

      • +1

        I agree, you don't see checkout staff at Aldi bludging around like you do at Woolies and Coles, you'd have to be deluded to think that staff at Aldi aren't working twice as hard as at Woolies or Coles.

        It's basic business: cut costs by making staff work faster, buy massive volumes so you can sell cheaper, and only use your own labels so that you are making the bulk of the profit and make sure that it's your brand people are coming back for not the brand of the goods. Only carry one of each thing to save space on rent/land.

        A simple formula, but one that will take years to overcome the inertia in the market place. I know if someone tells me I'm going to save on my goods but I have to pull my finger out at the checkout, and if they tell me I can save money and the environment by using a old box instead of a bag, can't be a bad thing.

  • +1

    i find woolworths the worst at overcharging when the signs and placement must have been done in a way which is deliberately misleading with very small item descriptions. they must make a killing from all the people who can't be bothered to check their receipt or to go back for a few dollars back

    and price is part of the satisfaction package. if a customer thinks the discount is worth the lack of staff then satisfaction is going to be high. if prices were low but there is horrid service satisfaction will drop

  • +2

    I am an ALDI shopper, and more than happy with the service, cant beat their prices, enjoy the different brands they have, I do suspect they are made by our more fashionable companies,but the only thing I dont buy from Aldi is the pet food, neither my cat or dog like it. They are very fussy eaters anyway.
    I dont believe we can generalise on all Aldi stores, but I have never struck a bad one yet.

  • A neighbour just bought a chook from Aldi that was full of maggots on the inside.

    • +5

      Bonus protein in the stuffing

    • +1

      If true I hope your neighbour reported it. That would spark food safety investigations and recalls.

    • +4

      I never liked their Maggot Chicken line.

    • +1

      And I have bought fresh chicken from Woolworths , got it home , unwrapped it and it smelled bad - it was off straight from their store.
      Also had a roast chicken from Woolies and was horribly sick afterwards.
      Went back both times and got my money back.

      • I got a feeling woollies would be glad ur shopping at aldi now.

  • +1

    Yeah, it sounds like "theearth" has been really unlucky or otherwise his local Aldi store just so happens to be the worst Aldi store in Australia.

    If his/her reasons for being cautious for shopping at Aldi were consistently evident Australia-wide, then no way would Aldi have become so popular with consumers in such a short period of time and they would quickly go back to what they know (Coles/Woolies).

  • +2

    I am a very happy regular Aldi customer. On the odd occasion that I have to go to Coles or Woolies I am amazed at how expensive it is, especially their fruit and veg. The quality of most of the Aldi products is excellent. The checkout process can be a bit overwhelming at first, but once you get your own system worked out it is a breeze (I grab a couple of boxes from the fruit and veg section) .
    My local Aldi store (East St Kilda) is always very clean, although I did once go into another one that wasn't so clean and had a lot of empty boxes and shelves about

  • +2

    my experiences has been the complete opposite

    aldis rarely makes mistakes on checkout simply because they have better backend than colesworth

    as always if you buy open box items, check

    or dont buy open box

    there's always staff around to ask questions

    you can always get someone to check the back for you

  • +1

    rant? yawn.

  • +4

    Spoke to a supplier for the big 2 plus aldi & others. He said that the big 2 act like the duopoly they are and take their pound of flesh at every opportunity and will screw the supplier for every last dollar. Then he went on to say that ALDI was much fairer and easier to deal with.

    Was also listening to BBC London a couple of days ago and ALDI was voted as one of the best in a survey of more than 25,000. Farmers stated that they also preferred to deal with ALDI & LIDL (another German budget chain) rather than the majors (Tesco/Sainsburys/Asda).

    • +2

      its been urban legend that colesworth ring a giant bell to signify that they've screwed a 'great deal' out of their suppliers

      its also been urban legend that they've been screwing companies like CC Amatil and Nestle to the bone

      i have no love for the big multinationals but if colesworth bully these companies i cant think much about their morals and values as a whole and how this reflects on how they treat their customers

      at the end i think there has to be fairness everywhere and does colesworth treat dairy and the farmers and the bakers and everyone else fair?

      i doubt it

      • +2

        Having a relative who worked one of the larger international suppliers in a position to know, and it was no MYTH for them.

        Sounds like you are trying to create your own urban legend

        And pity help the few local Aussie manufacturers…

        And I am not one of the socially aware who believes in the Dick Smith Philosophies on Supporting locals. The only thing that does is build equity at my expense, which then gets sold out at profit to the equity owners, and the business goes offshore again.

        Now if they gave guarantees, if I support them , that it will not be sold for say 10 years, then I might change my thoughts on this.

  • +2

    Never had any probs with Aldi (except once I bought some bananas which degraded much quicker than they usually would, but I'll let it slide as a once off), the store layout for everyday items doesn't change each time I go in there so I can speedily find what I need and get out (after a quick glance at the random items on sale for that particular week of course).

    You have to pack your groceries into whichever receptacle you've brought along but the checkout staff usually scan very fast, unlike other places where it seems like they're counting down the seconds, and they know how to scan multiple items properly (I'm amazed when I find checkout staff at Woolies who manually scan an item 10 or more times because they don't know how to enter a quantity).

    • I'm amazed u don't just self check out instead of waiting in the line

      • +2

        I pay a premium at woolies so why should I self check out - plus I would rather have staff employed.

  • when I shop at Aldi, if something was marked down, I'll ALWAYS notify the cashier before they scan, it's just common sense.

    • +2

      Not really… it should just scan at the marked down price. If i was the Cashier i'd think you're a douche for even mentioning it, unless you see that it scans at the wrong price.

    • God you must be so annoying.

    • +8

      So your reasoning is that it's Aldi's global policy to shortchange you in every country? Brilliant.

  • +5

    I have started going to Aldis. I am getting sick of woolies slowly pulling brand names off the shelves and just leaving one plus their own eg, herbs.
    If I am buying a store brand I might as well by Aldis as the price is much better, Woolies Select is only a fraction cheaper than brand names..

    • +1

      +1 for Aldis…

  • just check the yogurts. 5 times in last 3 or so months have been beyond best before dates at two different stores. Last week it was 9 days after the best before date with no notification/mark-down. Keep telling the staff but keeps happening.

  • +1

    So the OP doesnt like Aldi but still posts Aldi Deals

    Hmmm a double standard?

    http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/94837

    • well
      I posted and shared that deal for my fellow Ozbargainers and i will continues to do so in the future. i am more than happy if even a few ozbargainers benefit from my posts even though ALDI is not my ideal store/supermarket.

      • +1

        Anyway I went to buy The Granny Smith Apples this morning at my local fruit shop for $1.49/kg. Cheap but quality and freshness are not that good( as of most local fruit shops) that I even hard to find one good Apple there. You get what you pay for in this case. So I went to Coles to check the price and they were selling Granny for $3.99/kg but very good quality and very fresh indeed. Then I went to Aldi and found $2.99/kg. Quality and freshness are not as good as Coles but miles ahead of that local fruit shop. I also found seedless watermelon for 39c/kg and mongoes for 99c each. So I decided to share with my Ozbargainers. http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/94837 Have a good night all

    • +4

      no - others might like aldi :)

      btw http://aldi.com.au/au/html/service/faqs.htm:

      What is the ALDI policy on items that have been incorrectly scanned? Are they free?
      If a regular product scans at a price higher than that displayed, you are entitled to receive the first item free. All subsequent items will be charged at the lower price.

      If a 'special buy/special' product scans at a price higher than the price displayed, ALDI will refund the difference between the scanned price and ticketed price.

  • +3

    I think we need more shops like Lidl, Argos and Tescos, because only competition brings down prices.

  • +1

    I live in Europe and when you think that Australia is a massive exporter of beef, woolworths is very dear (Coles is even worse). I stopped buying product because they raised of 25% over 3 years (fresh orange juice to start with). For that competition is good but it shouldn't cut in the number of staff.

  • +3

    I find a combination of Aldi, local butchers and farmers markets on a weekend to be the most frugal way to shop. I prefer to support everyone but coles and woolies.

    I'm also not a fan of vege at colesworth. It all dies far too quickly in comparison to stuff bought from the farmers market.

  • +1

    i just saw this in the aldi weekly email. 49 medals in the Sydney Royal Cheese & Dairy Produce Show and they scored the "most successful dairy produce exhibitor" title. http://www.aldi.com.au/au/html/company/25800.htm

    it's not like their products are complete crap …

    • Hahaha, that's not surprising. Their suppliers are also local cheesmakers too, just that they sell to Aldi. And the stuff is not bad. But it is a bit unfair to some of the contestants. My take is the show organisers have the right to define separate categories. They didn't have this issue when they started awarding medals years ago.

  • There are no staff as Aldi pays its employees $22 an hour as a base rate, compared to roughly $19 for Coles/Woolworths (part time per hour). Their reasoning is that they expect a lot more. Just saying.

  • did anyone even mention the fact that Aldi pass on the merchant fee to customers? I wasnt aware until I bought an item and that was charged higher when checkout.

    • If the merchant absorbs the fee you are paying for it in the price. Cash works well for us scrimpers.

    • you don't recall pressing ok re card surcharge before transaction executed?

      • nop, but I shop in MSY and those places too, they could just put up a sign saying whatever surcharge if paying by eftpos would be good tho. They should be upfront about it. If MSY and those cheap computer shops can do it, I am sure Aldi can do that too.

        • +1

          they do put up signs about it :)

    • True costs should not be hidden (or paid-for by cash users); that makes perfect sense to me. But then I use cash and the costs of a merchant facility should be borne by those who use it, not those who don't.

      In other words, if you want the banks and credit card companies involved, be aware it's not free (even when it's hidden it's not free in other supermakets; we all pay for it).

  • I check my receipt before leaving and go straight back to the same checkout if I have been overcharged. This has only happened once at Aldi when the lady scanned one item twice.

    I find Woolworths the worst for overcharging / not scanning at discounted prices the worst as others have found. Usually when something doesn't scan at the correct price, I can't be bothered getting them to do a price check… so frustrating!

    • Woolies Coles and IGA have a guarantee that your item scans correct price or it is free. Scored a Free ham one Xmas. They have even honoured this in their Variety Deptartment too, even though they do not have too. Free nightee one time, free beach towel another time.

  • Aldi has no real chance if they don't stock CCA products IMO. Many people buy hot chickens. There is simply too many omissions and some products are plain bad compared to other branded items.

    The lack of bags and go go go attitude is not my cup of tea either.

    • The lack of bags and go go go attitude is not my cup of tea either.

      Bring your own bags helps the environment, but thats a personal choice.

      As for the gogogo attitude, just let me know which lane you are in and I'll pick the other. With wrap around Barcodes, Aldi scanning is far more efficient, plus having people bagging it themselves means less waiting in line.

      But I dont want everyone shopping at Aldi, or Woolies, or Coles. It gives us some sort of competition. Vive La Difference.

      But then I also dont like paying CCA for water which they get for a fraction of a cent per megalitre, from the local aquifers, and charge us more than petrol prices for. And Coke swilling bogans complain about mining companies not paying enough royalties for natural resources.

  • I vote Aldi. The only bad thing is you always need to wait in a long queue. But all others are good. For a service, you can always catch any staff(not cashier) in their store. Even though they're very busy in doing something, they will stop and help you out very friendly.

  • You get a queue the same length at the Coles/woollies stores, it's going to take a lot lot longer.

    I cringe at the sight of the Aldi queues, but they do move fast
    ..

  • Been overcharged several times in Coles. Not once have I ever received the item free.
    I have never been overcharged at Aldi so far. Not saying it can't happen.

    I don't care which organisation ranks which supermarket best or worst (nor Aldi's bragging of the fact; it's just advertising nonsense). I think we can evaluate that ourselves without some shonky third party.

    Anyway…
    Aldi don't have a service desk, that's true. But waiting at the service desk at Coles or Woolies can sometimes result in long waits while you wait for someone to attend to you (or walk half a football field to you from the back of the supermarket). I don't see the issue, or the big difference; Aldi's queues normally move fast for me.

    As always, check your receipts of course. And if you are hunting Special Buys, get in early before the masses start tampering with your package ;) If you want service on a silver platter, don't shop at Aldi; but expect to pay more (generally speaking).

    • Been overcharged several times in Coles. Not once have I ever received the item free.

      did you ask?

      • No I did not; I merely wanted the price they advertised. Was unaware that I had to (or could).

  • Aldi is not all that bad but I notice the food there just seems to get plain and boring after a while.
    A lot of the product seem to be either very salty or sugary(not that this isn't the same at the other supermarkets) and a lot of products are from other countries and don't have a Australian version to buy. Sometimes a very small selection of veges/fruit.

    • The fresh food is mostly Australian. Some things are cheap but you can get a better selection from a greengrocer. The processed food is a mix of local and imported stuff. The same is true of the duopoly.

  • My issue with Aldi is that I can never get everything I set out to buy so I end up having to go to Coles or Woolies anyway. In which case I would rather just go there in the first place.

    • I'm nearly always more attracted to the non-food items when they have their "Special Buys" twice a week. Otherwise I'll pick up some fruit & veg if they're on special or tomato paste and 1kg pasta or whatever, rarely buying the more processed foods (but that goes for any supermarket, not just Aldi).

      Coles and Woolworths already have too much power over our (remaining) farmers as it is, so I don't care too much for them. But that's another argument for another day. If interested, this is a good watch:
      http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2008/20080901_woolies…

      But for all we know, Aldi probably has similar restrictive contracts.

  • I guess the OP would hate going to Costco too.
    Since Costco is like Aldi but at BIGGER scale. LOL

    Only thing that I always go to Aldi for is the mushrooms, I find them a lot fresher than coles and woolies. and its like $2 cheaper.

    I am usually attracted to their special items that they have on Wed and Sat though. Nowadays not as much, as there hasn't been anything that has interested me.

    Queues at Aldi aren't that bad, I've gone to Coles and Woolies at peak time, and their queues are massive, sometimes even longer than Aldi queues. Bright side is, although the queues are long, they move incredibly quick compared to other supermarkets.

    • Comparing queues from colesworth peak hour to aldi normally isn't exactly fair, but i do agree aldi lines at 8am are shorter than peak hour colesworth. But so is driving to work on a Sunday….too bad I don't need to go to work on a Sunday lol

      I'd also note, I hate going to Costco, it's like queues galore

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