To think that people shopping in Aldi shouldn’t insist on packing bags at checkout

[Shell4429]

Just, this. I was shopping tonight and two customers in front of me did this and I was really annoyed. While waiting I thought that Aldi should charge a fee for people who do this. It’s not fair on customers who do it the correct way. A surcharge would work, like it did with carrier bags. If everyone insisted on doing this surely it would drive prices up.

As I said upthread, things have changed since the big reusable bags came in. Back in the day it wasn't possible to get your shopping into the old fashioned carriers quickly enough and most people used the bench. Now that people can have their bags open and ready and can drop things in as quickly as they are scanned the packing shelf isn't needed as much. But you do need to try and keep up with the scanning otherwise you are holding people up.

To the poster who left because the queues were long - those queues would have moved very quickly. That's the thing about the Aldi way. It's not like other supermarkets where a queue means you're waiting for ages. I can do a whole shop and queue and pay in 30 minutes and that's why I go there.

That was me @doyoumind as i explained in my first post, it was my first time trying Aldi so I didn’t know the lines went quickly, it certainly didn’t look like they were, and I don’t do well around a lot of people. Went back to Asda instead and casually strolled around with a trolley, was still nice and quiet being the morning :)

@Pinklady1982
It is a bit of a change if you’ve not been there, but the prices are good. The queues can get crazy. I’ve had people get annoyed because I’ve got a trolley full. I pack as fast as they pass it through and at the end you can feel that you’ve been on some kind of ability/agility test and if you were hoping to snack on something you’ve no idea where it is!
In one that I use I quite often use 2 baskets as I’ve forgotten my £1. You can actually get a lot in 2 baskets, but again just get those big shopper bags and fire the items in. I feel sorry for elderly people who struggle with the speed and stress.
Absolutely honestly though I’ve never seen anyone with a sizeable shop pack on the shelf. And I’ve shopped there weekly for years.

From what I have read on here I would probably have had a panic attack at the tills if I had to rush through packing everything! I didn’t have bags with me, and just the basket, so not knowing the Aldi way I would have gotten very flustered, so probably a good job I did leave! Lol

@Doyoumind a long queue is still a long queue. They may move faster than Sainsbury’s, but as a general rule Sainsbury’s/asda/Tesco’s have far more tills open so queues are not to bad, Lidl and Aldi have 2-4 tills open for general sized supermarkets, it’s annoying if you just want milk or butter.
Our new supersize Lidl has no packing shelf and 8 self serve tills (with bags hanging ready to be filled) so they must be moving away from the shelf packing.

In my Aldi the other customers would probably beat the shit out of you if you tried to pack at the checkout.

A lot of people on here need to just chill out. It’s supermarket shopping, with ordinary people doing their shopping. They aren’t trying to upset people and no one shops there because they are speedy. The queues are annoying and double the length of visit, you shop there because it’s cheap and good quality. I can’t get everything I need in either Lidl or Aldi. But I go in knowing the payment time is never fast. They are generally understaffed (Lidl I find particularly) I never get upset at how fast people pack. I also always let someone with a couple of items go ahead, unless they are an ass who comes up and rudely demands it. That’s the only thing that gets me in Lidl and Aldi, unnecessary rudeness. You don’t get that in other supermarkets because queues are quicker and they have basket lanes and self serve.

@strawberrisc 😂 half the people on this thread with nothing better to do than stress about how people shop! Utter madness.

This is a crazy thread. I didn't even know there was such a thing as a packing area in Aldi, but then I usually only buy nappies. If you find yourself getting frustrated in these situations, just take some deep breaths in and out. It can't possibly be healthy to be in so much of a mad rush on every shopping trip that you can't wait for somebody to put items in their bags, the packing process doesn't take long at other supermarkets. Just relax. Or get a home delivery.

I have never seen any sign or instructions in Aldi about packing. I had no idea you weren't meant to pack at the till, until the checkout operator told me one day. If they just had a clear sign at each checkout I'd have happily done the "right thing" first time.

I think the sign in Klutzy's photo is dull and long-winded. A bright and simple sign saying "Please check out first, then pack your shopping into bags on the shelf below" would stand out more.

You don't need big fancy bags to pack at Aldi tills. You just need two big Ikea bags lining the bottom of your trolley! You need to go at speed and have your bank card in your back pocket to fire in to the till when required.

If you can't pack at the speed they fire it out at then yes pack at the shelf but i usually win, the staff are well aware you are playing the game too 

Then you have more time to go home and have a cup of tea, it's a winning situation.

It's also ok to let baskets go in front of you if you've got a trolley load that's often done in our local Aldi.

They also help disabled or elderly people. You just need to ask.

You don't need big fancy bags to pack at Aldi tills. You just need two big Ikea bags lining the bottom of your trolley!

I tried this but they are quite large and when filled, i can't lift them without hurting my back. I have the Morrisons set and the beauty of them is that they stand stiffly and stay open in the trolley. They also fold flat when not in use.

Pinklady1982 I was confused because you sounded very angry. You mentioned that you threw your basket down too. I would have been taken aback by that.

It would have been useful for your mum to have told you how Aldi differs from Asda. I'm surprised that the concept of putting a token/pound coin in the trolley was new to you: that's fairly standard practice at most supermarkets.

Gawd wby pack in the shop at all - fling it back into the trolley as quickly as possible (I can arrange things in groups to go in the same bag)

Go straight to the car where you have left your bags & pack at your leisure -no double handling. Before anyone bleats, if weather is bad just sling it all in twice as quickly standing under the open boot!!

Not angry, just flustered And frustrated. Ok throwing it may be a slight over exaggeration, I did put it down firmly at the end of the aisle with a bit of a huff.
Yes maybe it would have been good for my mum to tell me, but no point me being annoyed with her or bringing her into it. Every Asda or Tesco I go to you don’t need a coin, so why would I know any different if I haven’t been there before?

Every supermarket had coin trolleys a while back.

I get it, Pinklady1982 Aldi is not always for the faint-hearted. However, for the low prices, I'd say give it another go, perhaps avoiding busy periods.

Don't feel pressured to enter the speed-packing race - just tell the cashier. I'm sure that s/he will be accommodating. There are plenty of us competitive types, with bags at the ready, who have turned it into an Olympic sport.

We all balance each other up nicely.

Thank you for your understanding this time, I literally went straight after the school run so thought it would be nice and quiet, but was very wrong! Will maybe give it another go and have a coin handy! :) I genuinely haven’t used a supermarket where I’ve needed one for ages, so just didn’t think! I will tell the cashier I’m an Aldi virgin and hopefully they will take it easy on me, and take it from there I guess... thanks for the tips

Aldi is so worth it. A full trolley including flowers, wine, nice cheeses, salmon etc for around £80. I switched from Tesco spending £120 pw.

In my Aldi the other customers would probably beat the shit out of you if you tried to pack at the checkout.

They could try... and waste more time.

www.facebook.com/itsgoneviralofficial/videos/348610655697632/
Just seen this on fb

Massive shop at aldi in Plymouth on sat. Packed at the till. The end. Mind you my arm is in a sling so feel untouchable ;-)

I've just been to Aldi _ to check this out_ everyone packing at the tills and no signs anywhere like the one in the picture PP posted telling you not to pack at the till

Wtaf. I now have a whole new anxiety about Aldi shopping. Never ever seen anyone using the kids climbing bqr "packing bench"