To not like the atmosphere in Aldi?

[Beansandvodka]

Can’t quite put my finger on it but there is something I find a-bit off putting. I went the other day and I really wanted to like it but there was a chaotic atmosphere and the people were so loud. I’m aware I don’t have to shop there but wondering if anyone else has encountered this?

Don't go then FFS.

Yeah I can’t shop in there, too chaotic for me

if they’re selling something I want I get my mum to get me it 😂

I went to a really weird Aldi in Coventry- no idea where as DD was doing something for an hour, and I just googled the nearest.

There are some really nice new Aldis, although I've never been to one with a security guard!

And I don't know why people complain about the fruit and veg. I've never had an issue, although Sainsburys can be a bit dodgy, which annoys me.

But in some Aldis if you go up down up, you end up in the far corner and have to do a U-turn and come back down the isle

I absolutely love Aldi, my local one has self service tills so it's in and out if you just need a couple of items. Never really reflected on the atmosphere as I just want to buy bog roll and wine 🤷‍♂️

This!! They've just closed ours and opened a new one and I've been moaning that there aren't the right amount of aisles! Also it just opened last week and its hell on earth with the amount of people in there.
Unfortunately I do have to shop there as we are limited for options and it's the cheapest in our town, I can't afford anywhere else.
And the fruit and veg is shit here.

Oops, that was agreeing with @LynetteScavo

Mine is pretty similar to the other supermarkets, and better for a few continental things.

(Although I don't buy meat there)

There are so many weird anti-aldi threads at the moment. Is it a new tactic of the big supermarkets to smack talk them on forums to boost sales?

Our local Aldi and Lidl are both quiet and pleasant shopping environments- much more so than the local Tesco. There is a very low staff turnover, with many of the assistants in Lidl having worked there for more than 20 years.

No weird atmosphere in my local Aldi. Maybe it's because people are so used to hearing background music in other supermarkets. It's clean and I've never encountered any rude/grumpy staff.
Do people who only buy branded goods truly think that there are hundreds of separate Aldi factories somewhere manufacturing items exclusively for Aldi stores? Of course not, the contracts might change occasionally to different suppliers which is true of any major supermarket chain.

It depends on the branch. I have been to Aldi once - not going again.

Sainsburys Wandsworth - awful
Wairose Wandsworth - fabulous
Sainsburys Putney - just fine albeit small
Waitress Putney - awful

There are 2 in my town. The one at the posh end has an entirely different atmosphere to the other.
It's also twice the size and they 'encourage' your shopping down the belt in a more gentile fashion 😂

When I was a student I worked for a well known supermarket chain and we were told we always had to smile, ask customer if they needed help packing and make sure we were scanning at a good pace! There were even mystery shoppers to check this was happening.

Aldi is like the complete opposite. They basically throw all your shopping at you as fast as they can and then get annoyed if you try to finish packing before paying. Lidl is even worse! It makes for a stressful shopping experience. These days I deliberately slow my packing down when they do this and let them get frustrated as they see the queue building because naturally they never have enough checkout operators.

Such a weird system described there.

In American Aldis you roll your trolley around beside the cashier, who sits at the end of the conveyor belt.

She picks up your items off the conveyor belt with her right hand, scans them, changes hands, and drops them into your waiting trolley with the left.

You pay and get your receipt, then proceed to the packing bench with your trolley full of checked out items, and pack them into bags there.

You can use your own bags or buy some at the checkout.

How do you end up packing stuff into bags while the cashier is still scanning?

I think there is an element of that. People are switching to Aldi in droves just now.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-63015985

One thing I have noticed about our Aldi and Lidl is that when the car park is full, its still pretty much the same experience as when a quarter full-whereas if Asda/Tesco/Morrisons-if the car park is full, I know the whole thing will be a nightmare. My favourite products are at Morrisons but I always find the aisles are narrower and organised in a weird order, I always end up missing stuff. Plus, to be honest, I can't afford to get everything there. Their meat and fruit/veg is undeniably better and there is more choice though.

I've started doing the dried/tinned/stock cupboard shop online at Asda. I wish we had a closer, decent market though. I would definitely get my fruit and veg from there instead.

I really like Aldi as they don't play music. It's so refreshing. I actually find it quite peaceful.

Me too, it's a breath of fresh air.

I always aim for branches with a self-checkout and bring my own bag - can be through in minutes if need be.

I like to shop at both Aldi and Lidl. I stop to browse etc if I want to, but won’t join in middle aisle scrums. And I tend to avoid on the weekend when it can be busier (just like Sainsburys!).

The most I’d say OP is that it varies by branch.

My worst supermarket experience has been at a sainsbury's in an affluent area of London. The elderly couple in the queue ahead of me were rude and horrendous. I placed my basket on the end, didn't even put my food on the belt. My kids were beside me waiting and well behaved unlike the posh couple in front of me.

The man first complained he didn't have enough room to put his food down so I politely told him he had the whole conveyor belt. Then his wife started moaning about loud children while looking at mine.

I didn't bite, waited for them to finish paying & leave the till area. I told my kids loudly that the old couple didn't have any manners and that's not how I expected them to behave in public. The lady turned around and scowled at me and I just smiled politely.

Incredibly bad mannered, rude and entitled couple.

That must be so annoying! Don't they value your time at all? So all your stuff gets squished by some careless cashier while you watch, then you have to spend extra time packing up later on? How irritating.

Our Aldi is fine. Asda, on the other hand, is a sea of Jeremy Kyle rejects who can't push a trolley and breathe at the same time.

It's the same except the cashier doesn't put your items in your trolley after scanning, you have to, she passes them to you & you put them in. Then you take your full trolley to the packing bench & pack.

I think it really does depend what time you go. I find busy periods hell in any supermarket. I think with Aldi the aisles are narrower and these shops are generally smaller so it's more noticeable when it's busy. There's less room to escape the hoards so you can feel a bit rail-roaded around the aisles and if you forget something and have to go back you have to fight against everyone going the "right "way.
The checkout can be stressful with the manic scanning but I just ask them to slow down if it gets too frantic. I also try to organise my items that need packing together eg fridge stuff and fruit and veg so I'm quicker packing them away.
I don't think they get paid more if they scan more items or for speedy scanning but I do wonder if Helen's scan speed isn't as good as Jim's are her days numbered?