7 Shopping Secrets Straight From an Aldi Employee

Aldi grocery stores may be famous for their exceptionally low price points, but we're finding out that there's a lot more to the company than just a solid deal on bananas! One employee revealed tons of secrets about the grocery store and what it's like to work at Aldi in a Reddit AMA, and we're truly intrigued. During the "Ask Me Anything" conversation, the employee spilled the details on how "fresh" the produce is, why the cashiers are always sitting, and those delicious knockoff Girl Scout Cookies. Read on for all of the juicy Aldi shopping secrets, straight from an employee.

One Irish Reddit user wondered if they featured a weekly special product like they do at the stores in Ireland, which is often a really random product, like "skiing gear or a chainsaw," and the employee said yes. "It's called Special Buys," they shared about the weekly deals. "We just got a bunch of gardening things in yesterday!" So good to know!

The employee shared that coffee is their favorite thing to buy at Aldi. "We have amazing coffee," they shared. "My favorite is the Honduras and Peru whole bean (single source, organic, and fair trade) and the regular fair trade medium roast. The chocolate (choceur) is better than almost any common brand you can find. Almost everything there is truly comparable to national brands. It's not just a line. There is a very short list of things I don't like." They also sell great K-Cups for Keurig users.

One curious Reddit user asked why the cashiers are always sitting, and it has absolutely nothing to do with laziness. "The register chairs are a German thing. I'm not 100% sure why. But I like to think we sit because we bust our asses cleaning and stocking when we aren't ringing."

Someone asked why the near-identical Girl Scout Cookies weren't available in all stores, and the employee shared their incredibly impressive self-control when it comes to the cookies. "They are pretty amazing," the employee said about the cookies. "I don't allow myself to buy them often, though. I'll eat the whole thing by myself in like a day or two."

Apparently, it's a running joke between shoppers that no one can ever find baking soda in Aldi stores, but we have an answer! "Baking aisle, top shelf," the employee shared, revealing a tip that might be a letdown to some customers. "No, you can't get a discount on the squished boxes."

Yup! When someone asked if their experience at Walmart would help in the application process at Aldi, the employee said yes and opened up about the great number of applicants. "A lot of district managers like to hire people with former management experience (that's part of why I got hired)," they shared. "All experience matters of course, so grocery experience is definitely on your side. My store (not in a very large city) receives several hundred applications a year. Two people were hired in my store in the last 12 months. . . I was one of them. It's a tough job. Everyone does everything, including 6am truck shifts. Keeping the store clean and stocked is a constant struggle when it gets as busy as it does, and when there are only 2-3 working at a time. . . well, you can imagine. That's why it's nice to sit while we ring."

With such low prices, many shoppers wonder how "fresh" the produce really is, and the employee reassured the curious Reddit users that even though the produce is less expensive than other grocery stores, it's great quality. "We get produce deliveries every morning," they shared. "The turn around is very fast, so we don't have much waste. We just don't over-order, I guess. It's more typical that we are all out of broccoli by the time we close than it is that we have several extra cases that just end up in the trash." At this employee's location, local restaurant employees will even come in to purchase produce. "We often have local restaurants come in to buy produce to hold them over until deliveries come in. They have mentioned that it's cheaper than their wholesalers. I don't have actual numbers, but bananas and lettuce are big sellers in that area."

But if you're still wondering why shoppers are required to purchase a cart for a quarter, check out more Aldi secrets from another candid employee.