The Thing Shoppers Should Always Do At The Aldi Checkout Lane

Checking out at Aldi is like completing a challenge on an episode of "The Amazing Race" — lightning fast and absolutely furious. That's because the checkout speed is timed and tracked. Unlike other grocery stores, Aldi records how quickly employees ring up items and monitors how many items are scanned per hour. To accelerate your Aldi checkout experience, place your items on the conveyor belt as quickly as possible, and tap or swipe your credit card before every item has been scanned. 

Although the large barcodes on Aldi products help a smidge, on average, Aldi employees are expected to scan 1,000 items per hour, according to Joshua Domston, talent acquisition manager for Titan Security Group. Slower interactions — like a customer waiting until every item is scanned before tapping a credit card to pay, for example — negatively impact a cashier's checkout performance. If the average transaction speed decreases, it can lower an employee's overall performance metrics.

Beyond the frenzy of timed checkouts, Aldi employees follow a slew of strategic rules designed to help them work smarter and faster. One of the most common examples is that during checkout, Aldi cashiers sit at the register, which reportedly allows them to scan items more efficiently thanks to less required movement. Additionally, they must memorize common product codes (Think avocados or bananas) to avoid wasting extra time looking them up.

While stocking refrigerated or frozen products — like ice cream and some of the best cheeses you can buy — Aldi employees are expected to complete the whole process, from unloading to clean-up, in 30 minutes or less. This ensures that products are transferred safely, and it allows customers to scoop up new items which increases the turnover rate. To expedite the stocking process (and cut costs), all items are displayed in their original packaging, which is why Aldi's aisles are filled with shipping boxes.

Lastly, employees tasked with closing the store aren't allowed to tell customers to formally exit. Obviously, that would be considered rude. Workers can gently nudge patrons toward the checkout line with verbal hints about the minutes left until closing. Say what you will about Aldi's quirky rules, but they definitely work.