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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To moan about Aldi treating me like a child?

109 replies

augustmonster · 30/07/2018 11:54

Their food is great. I am happy with the price I pay for my weekly shop.

But I am sick, sick, sick of being told how I have to place my trolley at a certain way at the checkout. I have rheumatoid arthritis in one of my wrists and fingers, and I find it much, much easier to stand next to the checkout and load my trolley across my body, rather than take the weight of the goods across the length of the trolley as they would like me to stand.

The last three times I have been to Aldi, they have insisted that I need to put the trolley the way they want it. On every occasion I have said that I prefer it this way, and on one occasion they refused to let me, saying it was store policy.

Today I explained to the assistant that I find it easier to pack my bags a certain way round. He said, "Fine but we actually have a no packing policy." I think he meant that I was supposed to use the packing shelf. I laughed because I was packing faster than he was scanning (a feat, I know, but I have one of those cool Lakeland trolley shopping bags).

I was not causing an obstruction (miles away from anyone else), and I have no idea why this is policy, but AIBU to think that they can mind their own bloody business about how I load my trolley? I have no wish to start discussing my medical condition with strangers.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
6
gamerwidow · 30/07/2018 12:32

OkMaybeNot this one really isn’t a feminist issue. I can assure you when I worked in Lidl I told as many men as women how to position their trolley Grin

PigletJohn · 30/07/2018 12:32

my previous post was a reply to:

"Nobody would tell a bloke how to position his trolley or how to pack."

mude · 30/07/2018 12:34

Can anyone do a diagram please? I'm confused as to the preferred angle of the trolley!

PyongyangKipperbang · 30/07/2018 12:35

I had this issue when I had a frozen shoulder, if the till was on my left then I couldnt stand where they wanted me to in order to pack as I had almost no movement in my left arm. Every sodding week I had the same argument until I asked to speak to the manager and asked her to do it for me as I couldnt the way they insisted I should. Funnily enough they never asked me again and I stood where I liked, although I do get "Oh its her again......" looks whenever I go in :o

adaisy1394 · 30/07/2018 12:35

I worked at Aldi for a spell and we were trained to ask people to turn their trolley as you say but also trained not to insist if anyone protests so it isn't a stringent policy and it doesn't really make that much difference so I'm shocked you've come up against so much resistance!

Also Aldi has changed so much since I worked there only a few years ago; the tills didn't used to work out change, it was all mental arithmetic, there was also no barcodes on fruit and veg, we had to learn each and every PLU. There was also no instore tannoy system, just ring one for assistance and twice for a manager. Also till speed was monitored which apparently it now isn't so with that in mind, the cashiers job is 100% easier than it used to be so surely the angle of the trolley no longer matters either?!

That being said, part of the cheap prices is the efficient working practices and the way each store member does everything rather than only shelves or only till so you do have to go there with a bit of expectance that you wont get the exact levels of service you'd expect in Sainsburys.

OkMaybeNot · 30/07/2018 12:35

Well, maybe I'm just basing that on my DH, who seems to get away with all sorts of shop etiquette faux pas Grin ...he does have a stern face.

Maybe try a stern face, OP.

Nothisispatrick · 30/07/2018 12:36

I shop in aldi and have never used the packing shelf or been told to position my trolley in a certain way. I can't even picture the way you mean. As pp said a diagram would be helpful.

fanfan18 · 30/07/2018 12:37

Staff at Aldi have very strict targets of items scanned within an hour. So when you are being served by a disgruntled member of staff whilst you triple check your frozens are with your frozens they're just thinking about the verbal warning they'll be getting at the end of their shift.

The checkouts and trollies are designed to go that way round. Faster serving, lower prices, quick turnaround.

OkMaybeNot · 30/07/2018 12:38

It's the way the tills are angled at the end. Sort of shaped to fit one of the wedge-shaped trolley in. Is that what you mean OP?

OkMaybeNot · 30/07/2018 12:38

one end of the wedge-shaped trolley*

Waterlemon · 30/07/2018 12:39

I would just tell them you have a disibility and need to have it that way.

There is that 2 way mirror by the Aldi/Lidl checkouts - I suppose that’s what previous poster meant about them being able to see your trolleys. I just thought you had to put trolleys in that dip but so you didn’t cause an obstruction.

I have used lidl and Aldi in Germany and Holland and no one packed at the till, everyone puts shopping on the packing shelf then straight back into their trolleys unpacked. When they get to the car, they put their shopping into boxes/crates or large bags in the car boot.
I got lots of tuts, head wobbles and dirty looks for packing my shopping at the till!

Starlight345 · 30/07/2018 12:42

I use ikea bags in my trolley and just chuck it in . Bread at the end of conveyor belt so goes on top.
I only live 5 mins away so not over bothered

AlonsoTigerHeart · 30/07/2018 12:43

I worked at Aldi for years as a store manager, yes it’s policy but your not supposed to insist so bollocks to the put up andshut ups
Id ask for the manager to be called and if they are crap the go above budget prices doesn’t mean budget customer service.

Di11y · 30/07/2018 12:43

I'd noticed till speed had reduced a lot, interesting to know it's not monitored anymore.

Original poster
augustmonster · 30/07/2018 12:44

I am dreadful at diagrams, but as it was requested... The one on the left is how they want me to have my trolley (basically working across the full length of the trolley) and the one on the right is how I prefer to do it. It's slightly more at an angle in real life, but I'm crap at drawing.

To moan about Aldi treating me like a child?
OP posts:
crunchymint · 30/07/2018 12:48

Nobody would tell a bloke how to position his trolley or how to pack
Yes they do

CaitlynsCat · 30/07/2018 12:51

yes, if you go to Aldi you WILL be treated like a child. Don't like it, go shop in Waitrose.

ThisCannotBe · 30/07/2018 12:58

I am baffled. Why would you stand at the end of the trolley in either situation? Why aren't you putting the trolley how they like it and loading it from the side?

To moan about Aldi treating me like a child?
thismumismad · 30/07/2018 12:58

YANBU. There was one person behind me and the till operator told me not to pack as she had to get people served. I had a big Ikea blue bag so just got on with putting my shopping in as quickly as she was scanning it, meaning that I was not slowing her down. What really pissed me off though was that she was already starting to scan the shopping of the one person behind me (the only other person waiting in the whole shop) before even passing me my receipt.

UpstartCrow · 30/07/2018 13:00

Ours lets you show them the trolley is empty then place it where you can manage it. Just tell them you are disabled and thats the only way you can do it.
They cant prevent you from doing that, it would contravene The Equality Act.

runningkeenster · 30/07/2018 13:03

I always pack straight into bags too - the checkout operator today clearly took it as a challenge to scan faster than I could pack, but I won

LOL

I don't use Lidl very often but I always pack at the till, but I don't use a trolley as I usually only buy a few things that I can bung into a bag quickly.

As for the OP I'd just tell them I had arthritis and therefore need to do it my way, I agree a lot of them don't speak English as a native language either so may come over less friendly than they mean to.

Nothisispatrick · 30/07/2018 13:04

How on earth would anyone load the trolley in the first example on that diagram? Unless they had super long arms.

ShowOfHands · 30/07/2018 13:06

Is your Aldi different to the three near me? There is a way to place your trolley, with the end and one side fitted against the tills but you don't stand behind the trolley like in your diagram. Nobody does/would. You simply wouldn't reach. You stand next to your trolley.

ShowOfHands · 30/07/2018 13:07

And all of our staff are English

Somethinginmyloft · 30/07/2018 13:09

ThisCannotBe this is also where I stand pack in Aldi too and everyone else I've ever seen in there. I have a big freezer/cool bag that fills about a third of the trolley and strategically place hessian/other lifetime bags around this and pack straight into my bags. I try to unload onto the conveyor belt in such a way as to make it easy at the other end. I find they're very relaxed as you unload onto the conveyor belt, but once they start to scan you have to keep up.

OP is your store telling you you have to stand at the far end of the trolley to pack? Bizarre.