Never Get Stuck At Aldi Without A Quarter Again With This Handy Gadget

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First-time Aldi shoppers are sometimes perplexed to find the store's shopping carts seemingly inaccessible. The carts are lined up and tidy but securely connected by short chains topped with a key, offering only one way to unlock them: inserting a quarter. With a quarter in the slot on the handlebar, the key releases and lets you take the cart. According to Aldi, this system encourages customers to return the carts to the line. Since stores don't have to hire staff to collect corralled carts, they can pass the savings on to customers. But even seasoned Aldi shoppers like me sometimes arrive sans quarter, and it's frustrating having a long list of groceries to buy with no shopping cart. Needless to say, I was thrilled to hear about a handy gadget on Amazon that ensures this situation won't happen, as long as you have your car keys with you.

The tool, like this Shimeyao Aluminum Alloy Keychain, is a shopping cart quarter keeper. It attach to your keys to (presumably) always be with you when you go grocery shopping. The shape resembles a mini tennis racket, with a rounded top the size and shape of a quarter. You push it into an Aldi coin slot, and it releases the basket. To get it back after shopping, you push your basket into another, take the key-topped chain from that cart, and push it into your own to pop the shopping cart quarter keeper out. Quarter keepers are often sold in multi-packs, so you can keep a couple in your car, hand them to family members, or gift them to novice shoppers who might be recognizable standing by the shopping carts with puzzled looks on their faces (while also giving them tips on some must-buy Aldi items for first-time customers).

Okay, so you got your shopping cart using the genius shopping cart quarter keeper, did your shopping, and are now in the checkout lane. Regular shoppers know that Aldi cashiers usually don't place your groceries in the cart you've been shopping with. Because of their lightning fast system of getting customers out the door fast, they use a basket that is already sitting next to them while you're often still unloading your items on the conveyor belt. This means you'll be pushing a basket out of the store that doesn't have your quarter keeper (and possibly your car keys) attached. Yikes!

Have no fear; simply ask the cashier to load your groceries into the basket you're using. I've never had any pushback when I ask this, but you'll probably want to get your items onto the conveyor quickly so they can start ringing up your stuff and setting them in your cart. This isn't an issue if you use self checkout, although some Aldi stores are saying goodbye to self-checkout lanes.

Aldi itself has recognized their shopper's dilemma of forgetting a quarter now and again. Occasionally, the chain releases its own solution in the form of a keychain that doubles as a quarter holder. They typically are sold in the company's infamous "Aisle of Shame" (the beloved Aldi section that has its own fan base) and sell out quickly, though you'll also find products like Maria Child Aldi Quarter Holder online. You can clip them onto your existing key ring or on a purse, belt loop, or whatever it is that you tend to keep on your person when you shop.