Aldi no packing rule

[chunkyrun]

I always shop in Aldi. Got to the till. Well prepared. Have my bags organised ready to throw in my shopping quick as I can. Cashier told me policy is to put shopping into trolley and pack at benches. I don't get what the difference is if I put my shopping next to my bags in my trolley or straight in the bags already open in trolley. I usually chuck stuff in racing the cashier then organise stuff at benches. I just don't get the point and who it benefits. Surely most people who shop in Aldi know the drill.

Showofhands any chance they'd know what the policy towards wheelchair users who can't use a trolley is? (other than I should be shopping during the once weekly vulnerable customers hour which I'm at work during) I'm swift if allowed the items in the order I've placed them on the belt in and don't understand the changed behavior towards me and my one bag shop.

I don't know about Aldi but in Lidl they ask you to pack at the shelf to help move the queue along quicker- the sooner you move away, the sooner they can start with the next customer.

Also, staff are expected to scan a certain amount of items per minute. If a customer is packing at the till and there's no more space for the cashier to put scanned items, they have to stop which lowers their scan rate. I don't know if it applies to all stores but the people I know who work in Lidl have told me that they can be 'spoken to' if their scan rate isn't good enough.

I cant stand it when customers pack at the till, sorry OP but it does take longer than at the benches or car.

Not if you are a packing ninja and chuck everything in bags at serious speed. My shopping goes into bags in the trolley and it's a fine honed technique that sees me ready to hand over my card before the cashier has rung up the amount for me to pay.

That said, I take on board that not everyone treats 'race the cashier' as some kind of Olympic sport so I suppose it makes sense that they've put a blanket ban in place. Easier to tell everyone it's not allowed than let someone start packing at the till and realise they haven't got packing ninja skills.

Pandemic or no pandemic packing in the boot of a car sounds far preferable and easier than messing about on shelves.

I always pack at the car unless it's pissing down, just chuck it in the trolley and pack it into bags in the boot

They've started this in Lidl too. Even if you just have a couple of items, I used to put my bag in the basket but got told off for that.

I don't understand it. I'm in the shop longer if I pack at the bench. Also I've never seen anyone clean the bench, it's probably the most likely thing in the shop to carry germs IMO. It's always got people sat on it, kids climbing on it, all the baskets and food get put on there.

Op I think they say pack at the shelf as it is quicker, some people take ages packing. It's just like to get the customers through much faster.

I know this as I got this a couple of years ago! I didn't understand so I emailed head office and that was their reply 🙄

I have to strategically put the shopping into the trolley as I go round as I buy such a big weekly shop there: so there is no chance I'm going to get it all back in the trolley if I'm not packing it immediately into the bags!

Only been asked twice during lockdown, one was a bit arsey so I did pack the heavy things into bags in the bottom and then chucked the rest on top.

I don't take it to the car as it's so cramped I would be run over, and anyone else notice that the trolleys don't have brakes on them?!

Packing in the car isn't much fun in the rain, freezing cold or heat. I always packed at the till when we lived in Germany - the double handling of them putting back in the trolley seemed silly.

Japan is another interesting one when shopping, in Tokyo (other than Costco) there aren't really supermarkets big enough for proper trolleys, just those that hold two baskets. Anyway, you take basket to the till, they scan everything and very neatly organise a different coloured basket and then you go to a bench to pack. It drives me insane - I can pack my bags way quicker than they can beautifully organise my new basket.

We were told when it first opened to pack at the benches. They also have signs up so I have always packed at the bench. It's quick and cheap. I'm always irritated when I get stuck behind someone who insists on packing at the till, feel like telling them to go to Asda down the road.

We've been shopping in Aldi for years and years now and can do 99.99% of all our shopping there these days.

We really rate the quality very highly and lots of the products we buy are local too - bread / jam / cheese / meat etc

We've never, ever had anyone 'throw' our shopping at us. We used to put it back in the trolley and then take our time packing at the shelves and I far prefer this method as you can take the time to pack how you like. More recently we've been packing directly into the bags in the boot of the car and it's working well.

During lockdown our actual nearest supermarket was Tescos (by a small margin) so we have shopped there a few times and I was so frustrated at how SLOW the checkout it. Also it was FAR more expensive and the quality was not good on some of their own branded things and the big name brands were just not worth it in our opinion .

We have discovered another Aldi in a different direction which is close enough for us to use so we're very happily back there these days

The one time I went to Aldi I wasn't aware if this rule so I loaded up the conveyor belt, put my basket down then PANICKED when I realised my mistake st the other end...

I can now NEVER go back habs

Big blue Ikea bags and its packed as you shove it in the trolley.

I regularly shop in Aldi and love the speedy checkout experience. I take two big bags, have them open in my trolley and lob everything in as fast as it comes through the checkout. I rearrange at the car if necessary (normally only if I get too much for two big bags and need a third from the car). I hate how slow it is elsewhere.

Last time I went the assistant told me off for packing. I said something like, I'm just putting it in the open bag, it's as quick, and she said I couldn't do that. I had to fanny about moving my bag so my stuff didn't go inside it.

The rule seems so illogical unless they got you to stand back and the assistant just pushed it into the trolley. I am tempted to take a basket next time to see how you pack your shopping then!

Bonkers!

I can now NEVER go back habs

^^absolutely!

How does it work there? Here (PA in USA) they literally scan it and chuck it straight into the cart... There isn't even a time I could grab the item from them.

@Puzzledandpissedoff

Always amazes me. They have a fantastic selection of off the wall stuff. Plus their tortilla chips, salsa, and luncheon meat roast beef is better than any I've found elsewhere 🤣🤣

Oh god, did you have to, gumball ... I forgot that roast beef when I did the shopping today and now I want some more than ever!!

I cant stand it when customers pack at the till, sorry OP but it does take longer than at the benches or car.

Doesn't take me longer. I often get ahead of the till assistant and am waiting for them to scan the next item. It's really not hard if you're organised.

Here (PA in USA) they literally scan it and chuck it straight into the cart.

They don't do that here. They just move stuff along the belt like they do at any other supermarket (but faster) and you take the items and put them in the trolley.

I usually use a shopping basket not trolley in aldi /lidl and you have to leave them at the counter as there is nowhere to put them on the way out of the shop/ outside the shop so I pack straight in to the bags I have brought with me. Never had a problem with this

I always pack at the till and completely refuse to put my trolley in the compulsory position all of which frequently results in disagreements whenever a new member of staff starts in the store. Every time they tell me its quicker that way and it prevents people dropping things. It has to be done that way for speed etc. Each time I retort they're wasting time and to get on with it.
I now insist or teasing the really annoying ones as I can easily pack £170 of shopping far faster than they can scan by saying hurry up, you're not going fast enough😉. Needless to say they only give me the rubbish speech once.

I always used to pack straight into large open bags but with the new system of not unloading until they’re practically ready to start I’ve found it harder and won’t try again

@lazylinguist interesting. There is literally nothing after the scanner here. It's at the very end of the belt... So into the cart it goes.

@Puzzledandpissedoff haha. So sorry!

Ooh you rebel glamgiraffe

In Lidl you are allowed to pack into the shopping basket but not your own bags...apparently putting things in your lidl basket is quicker