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.

I didn't even realise this was a thing! We always pack at the till in Aldi, everyone here does. The shelf along the front is always covered with leaflet stands and displays.

I never knew that was what that bench was for!!! I put 4 big bags in my trolley: fridge, tins, bread/cakes, fruit/veg. It all goes into the right bag when shopping and then back in the right bag when packing. No need for a packing bench - tada!

I always pack , l get the fruit boxes and lay them on the bottom of the trolley then fill up the box then lay another on top ...Simples!

Jesus. Why should we be made to pack olympic style at any supermarket? A lot of older people that are more isolated like going in and speaking to the cashier. What kind of fucking society have we become if people behind them get the needle because they say hello to the cashier and have a chat with them. What kind of wankers are the managers of supermarkets that put profit before helping people and making their lives easier?
And like some of the other PP#s, what about people with disabilities? My son has problems with his motor skills. It's hard for him to co-ordinate so he's naturally going to be slower. If anyone behind us at the checkout wants to tut at us, no problem, I'll just go even slower.

We're all going to hell in a handcart if this is the way supermarket shopping is going

I didn’t even realise there was a packing bench or that we were meant to pack somewhere else. I pack as fast as it’s put through the till so I don’t see it as a issue, I also don’t have a issue with waiting for people to pack. I think it’s a British thing (not wanting to wait), don’t go shopping if you haven’t got time to stand in a queue for ten minutes.

I always used to use the packing bench but now I have my bags for life open and ready in the trolley and pack straight into them the same speed as the cashier is going, as do a lot of other people. I think other people have changed from the bench to this system over the years since we've had the kind of bags that stay open and stuff can be dumped straight in to.

For those who don't understand, you can't pack the same as at Waitrose or Tesco because the checkout is designed differently. There's no space for items to go once they've been scanned and you have to deal with them quickly whether that's straight into a trolley or into bags in the trolley.

I pack on the table at the end if I have a trolley full of shopping but if I have a basket with only a few items, I need to pack at the till as I have a pram with me. Charging people who pack at the till is a stupid idea.

I had to give one lady a death stare earlier this week, as she dawdled over which bag to put every item in, then had to hunt for her purse when the cashier suggested she paid for her shopping.

She’s probably on this thread.

Pack fast or pack at the bench.

If Lidl and Aldi introduced Scan as you Shop it would get rid of all this nonsense. No packing shelf, no competitions with the cashier and everyone would be done a lot quicker.

We have the bags open in the trolley ready to chuck things into, takes same time as if they were going straight into trolley.

I pack at the checkout at Lidl. I am fast and I don't hold anyone up. I don't have a trolley though, usually only a few items (eg I bulk buy coffee) and a bag with a big opening so I can just fling everything in.

But a fee? Really? if that's the case can I surcharge everyone in Waitrose/Sainsburys who holds up the queue because they do talk about the weather/take half an hour to find their purse/forget something and ask for someone to go and get it for them/forget their PIN?

Are you supposed to take your shopping off the checkout conveyor belt, put it back in the trolley then take it out of the trolley again to pack it?

Isn't that slower than putting it straight from the conveyor belt into your bags?

I do top up shops at Lidl. I didn't realise this is presumably why there have been occasional times that I've been packing at the till wondering why the cashier just stands there and doesn't help. 😮

@onefootinthegrave I'd suggest if people want to pack in a leisurely fashion they go to one of the many other supermarkets that allow you to do that. Aldi and Lidl have this system to keep prices down by minimising staff costs. Less time at checkout requires fewer staff.

I get how frustrating it can be to be stuck in a queue.

On the other hand, where would the peopke complaining about having to wait behind slow customers draw the line? Would they really only be happy if they could snap their fingers at the offenders and tell them to move out of their way?

You pick up an item from Aldi conveyer. Be it wine, bread or pasta. And you put it in your trolley. Or you put it in a bag, in your trolley.
What's the difference. In timing.

With one you simply put it in the trolley, with the other you sort it according to weight, storage etc and faff about when a bag is full.

Obviously if you are packing at the same speed as the cashier is scanning there is no problem whether you put it is bag or is trolley. I usually manage to keep up but sometimes,with a big shop, I end up having to put the last items loose on top of the bagged items in my trolley and sort out at the bench. There's not enough room to have all my bags open and ready to go.

I haven’t ever chucked any items into a trolley or bag when at a supermarket. Is this a new thing?

If they charged a surcharge as the OP suggests, I’d pay it just to keep this sort of pompous, self-important prig standing there a bit longer.

I try the 'beat the cashier' race too. Sometunwa8i wun sometimes i lose ans end up dumping a few bits in the trolley😀 its not the end of the world.
Some days if the till is not busy and i have a big shop there isnt time to sort out my bags so do it at the shelf. Its hardly difficult and i would rarher have my bags packed properly.
If i have ds2 wirh me he is a demon packer and we are a great team😁

Our local aldi open tills quickly if queues build up too unlike the other supermarkets.
But if someone packs at the till and doesnt understand the system.its not going to ruin my day, food shopping is boring enough why stress over it?

Tbf the staff at my local aldi are always polite and helpful. If i dont keep up with one i just go to the shelf i wouldnt want to affect thier job at all.
Its a small thing for the price you pay at the till.

I never realised that you weren't meant to pack at the till either! I like the Waitrose Scan and Shop - it makes everything to much easier. I am amazed how much they trust people though!

They do that weird thing of announcing another till is opening. Let everyone put their stuff on the conveyor and then stand and wait for a cashier to arrive.

Soup or maybe people are either not as organised as you OR more organised.

I never shop at Aldi, I hate our local store.
But I shop at Lidl. Same principle.
Out thingskkn the conveyor belt with heavy stuff first and then the lighter or more fragile items at the end.
It goes through the till and in bags in that order. No one waits because I do so (no stack of things waiting to out away and the person at the till needing to wait for me to pack).
People DO wait much longer because I do a full shop some are lots of items when most people there come for a few items. I’m nit going to change that though.

For those asking how busy my life is, or rudely ( one person) telling me to get a life. I care for an autistic son and elderly father. I also run an ironing service. I have to shop in the evening and my feet hurt from being on them all day, I also have anxiety issues and find Aldi a stressful place to be. I like the fast checkout because I want to be in and out as quickly as possible. But this aside, it’s the way you’re supposed to checkout. As has been mentioned it’s how they keep prices low. Anyone who doesn’t conform thinks they are more important than the people who do.

At our nearest Lidl the bit where the cashier puts the scanned stuff is the same size as at other supermarkets. So that's a bit better. They also have self serve tills.

It all sound a bit discriminating against those less able.

Its all a lot easier to just have it delivered, then you only have to unpack into the cupboard or fridge once