12 Aldi Shopping Lies You Shouldn't Believe

Aldi is the fastest-growing grocery store chain in America, adding nearly 200 stores in 2025, and on course to add another 180 in 2026. This popular chain's stratospheric rise, from humble beginnings as a small family grocery store in Essen, Germany, in 1913 to expansion to Iowa City in 1976, and exponential growth ever since, is nothing short of miraculous. This growth is partly thanks to its private-label offerings. More than 90% of the shelves are stocked with private-label brands that many think taste as good as (if not better than) the duped products.

It's not just the private label offerings that make Aldi such a success. According to one shopper on Reddit, "For us, Aldi is much cheaper overall. They usually have most things in stock, and their stuff tastes good...with only one or two exceptions that we've found. I can park close, unlike Walmart. We don't have to walk all over a superstore as we do at Walmart. Overall better experience with Aldi," and shoppers across the country clearly agree with this sentiment.

Aldi remains a mysterious place for people who have never stepped through the automatic doors, especially those without a quarter for the shopping cart. But, remember, not everything you hear about Aldi is true. There's a sweet spot somewhere between the hater in your friend group and the Aldi obsessive, and we're here to break it down so the only mystery left is what you might find in the middle aisle on your next visit.

It is true that Aldi started in Germany, but that doesn't mean its stores only stock schnitzel and bratwurst. In fact, some customers complain there aren't enough products from overseas, like this one on Facebook: "It's a little bit disappointing, Aldi originated from Germany, but hardly has any German food ..Why is that..I don't know if I worded this right..I hope all you German Aldi lovers know what I'm talking about.." There are, of course, reasons why Aldi doesn't bring all its stock from overseas, as this Facebook reply pointed out: "Even though ALDI is a GERMAN company, its core business model relies on keeping prices as low as possible, and importing everyday groceries across the Atlantic Ocean is incredibly expensive."​

One employee on Reddit claims the store stocks a "bunch of products made in Germany, actually. They have German week twice a year too," adding, "We have a Kinder Bueno knockoff from Germany, which is one of my favorites. We get stollen in the winter time, various mustards and pickles, knoppers, some sausages, pretzels, schnitzel."

While most of the items on Aldi's shelves appeal to American palates, true fans of German grub can snag Deutsche Küche products in-store year-round, including sauerkraut, soup, and cookies. This limited line expands during Aldi's German Week, which celebrates its German roots. Don't worry if you miss it; the store operates three German weeks a year.

There's no denying that Aldi is one of the cheaper places to go for your weekly grocery shopping, especially if you haven't got a membership to Costco. But, before you play a solo game of Supermarket Sweep at your local store, note that not everything inside is cheap.

According to customers, the most overpriced foods at Aldi include bacon, yogurt, milk, and brand-name products. Some people in the Aldi Aisle of Shame Community on Facebook are also swerving favorite products like jumbo scallops, chocolates, and more because of recent price hikes.

According to one Reddit user, "Aldi blows every other store out of the water these days, for most normal items. Some of their higher-end items can definitely be more expensive than even comparable name-brand items, but I'm not buying those anyway. I still buy a few things in bulk at Sam's Club that are slightly cheaper this way, but I'd say I do 95% of all my grocery shopping at Aldi now," which means if you do it right, Aldi can be the cheap alternative you've been searching for; just avoid the higher-end stuff.

Aldi products are lower in quality, and that's why they are so cheap, is a myth that needs busting. One Reddit user does just that: "It has nothing to do with quality and everything to do with overhead costs. The store square footage is much smaller so rent, electricity, etc. is cheaper. You're not paying for multiple employees to staff multiple departments like deli, pharmacy, bakery, etc. You're not paying for a dozen cashiers at any given time, or a couple of cart wranglers. You're not paying for licensing costs so they can play music while you shop." The list goes on. ​

According to a Facebook user who works for a major food manufacturer, "We make items for our own brands and for other companies, using the same recipes for both. For example, right now, I'm developing an item for Aldi using the same formula that we use for a major brand. It's just in different packaging with a different label."

This isn't to say that everything you find in-store is made with your health in mind. Aldi got mixed results when it came to shaping people's in-store shopping habits. An Australian study of the country's four biggest supermarket chains found the German chain advertised more fruits and vegetables, had the lowest percentage of discretionary food, and had fewer end-of-aisle displays, but the most junk food at the checkout. 

Anybody who has ever been to Europe will know that coin-releasing shopping carts are the norm. This practice encourages people to return carts after use and helps Aldi keep grocery costs down by not employing cart attendants. However, customers who drop a quarter into a cart won't lose it forever, because it returns when the cart is locked back up. Don't forget to put the quarter somewhere safe for your next trip. ​

So what do you do if you forget to bring a quarter? There are a few things you can try before you try balancing your groceries on your head and walking down the aisles. First, head to a cashier and ask to borrow a quarter. One Reddit user said: "I asked a cashier, and he said that the policy is to give a quarter if the customer asked. He even said that the store builds it into their budget." Alternatively, you can try using the back of your house door key, but be careful, as it could bend. Ironically, you can actually buy Aldi shopping cart quarter keepers at Walmart.

Sticking with the European vibes, Aldi in the U.S. also charges for bags. And that doesn't mean you can go in and buy a bunch of plastic bags for 5 cents a pop either. Aldi has phased out all single-use plastic bags, one of many changes the store has made to go greener. Instead, shoppers are encouraged to bring their own bags or buy a reusable bag in-store. Some shoppers also report being allowed to use empty cardboard boxes for free.

While it can be frustrating to reach the checkout and realize you've forgotten your bags again, Aldi's decision is backed by scientific studies suggesting that charging for bags helps the environment and reduces waste. In one U.S. study, researchers used data from 45,067 shoreline cleanups and found there was a "25 to 47% decrease in plastic bags as a share of total items collected at cleanups relative to areas without policies."

Unlike at stores like Publix, where someone bags your items. Checkout assistants at Aldi scan items and place them straight into your shopping cart, so have your bags ready to start packing, or you'll have to move to the packing area to finish yourself afterward.

Ditching plastic bags, locking shopping carts, and the simple store layouts may have transferred across the Atlantic, but grocery shopping in a German Aldi is still different from an American one. One of the biggest differences is that there are less prepared meals, like sandwiches, salads, and pasta, in German stores. However, you can snag some prepared items, like regional potato salad. German stores also apparently have more comfortable carts that are easier to maneuver than U.S. ones.

Feli from Germany reviewed the differences she found when shopping at American and German Aldi stores on Youtube. One of the biggest surprises for her was the price differences. German Aldi stores were cheaper for items like bell peppers and mozzarella. But, the price difference that shocked her most was the trail mix, which ranged from $6 to $10 during the filming of her video, but was just under 3 Euros for a similar product in Germany.

Aldi offers affordable items in most departments, including the produce aisle. It's also one of the items to avoid, according to shoppers. One Reddit user started a thread with this: "Our local Aldi has some of the worst produce I've ever seen in a store. We were going to get a Pineapple, everyone of them were very brown several were even soft just given a light squeeze. The bags of Onions contained several rotten ones , I dug thru like 10 bags everyone was the same way . Green onions all wilted and some with the tops black . Bags of grapes like mush on the bottoms."

However, like a bag of grapes on the shelf, the replies were a mixed bag, with many people suggesting their local store had plenty of good produce and rivaled other grocery stores in the area. Aldi uses sourcing practices similar to other grocery stores, including a mix of major produce suppliers and local farmers. Aldis in colder states, such as Minnesota, probably have fewer local options year-round than stores in a state like Florida.

While the rumor that Aldi grows bacon in labs is false, the meat in-store is still questionable, according to shoppers. "Last year my husband and I shopped a lot at Aldi until the meat started to seem questionable. Am I tripping or is something up with the meat? At first it was just the ground turkey that seemed off. Then the chicken was weird. Now I'm side eyeing the ground beef. I just ate some ground beef tacos and starting to regret my recent grocery run there," said one shopper on Reddit.

The Hidden Menu on YouTube highlights the lack of labels on certain meat products in Aldi, especially items like Kirkwood frozen chicken, which is not organic and does not carry any special animal welfare certifications, and there's no information about the farm of origin on any packaging either, which are all red flags when looking for good-quality meat. It's not all a swerve, though, and the video mentions the high-quality steak Aldi offers.

Buying meat at Aldi is a give-and-take. The value is hard to deny, and you should be able to make savings, but the lack of transparency on certain labels means you don't always know what you're buying.

Aldi's Aisle of Shame is a unique shopping experience so popular it has its own fan club, with more than 4 million Facebook followers. Don't make the mistake of thinking there are no good snags in this often chaotic, always random aisle. In a Reddit thread recounting all the best snags people have found in Aldi Finds, one user said: "I once went in for some hummus and a bag of spinach, and left with a pair of adjustable 50-pound dumbbells."

Aldi Finds include grocery deals for discounted mattresses, TVs, laptops, and the more. Some bizarre items include "A cardboard box 'hot dog stand' for my cats. It has scratching pads inside. They love it. They're always competing to pull extra shifts at the stand," that one Reddit user found. Shoppers can get the most out of Aldi Finds by checking deals ahead of time (they always arrive on Wednesday), so you don't leave with more than you bargained for.

Manufacturer coupons are a mainstay for savvy shoppers looking to save money on their favorite items. While many large chain grocery stores, like Kroger and Publix, accept manufacturer coupons, Aldi doesn't. The main reason is that Aldi offers enough in-store discounts, especially since most of the products on the shelves are private label anyway. This keeps everyday prices down by cutting out the middleman and getting customers the best prices.

Aldi isn't completely coupon-free. Shoppers report the occasional Aldi mailer, but these are as hard to come by as a quarter for the shopping cart just when you need it. These rare coupons usually arrive when a new store is trying to drum up business and get people through the doors for the first time. Fans of digital coupons will have to settle for the paper variety, if at all, because Aldi never uses them.

With 90% of the stock on shelves being private label, it will come as no shock to anybody that there are plenty of dupes on offer, including a bunch that are better than the originals, like Benton's Speculoos European Cookies, a spectacular reimagining of the classic Biscoff. Do you ever pick up a product from the shelf that looks nearly identical to the OG and wonder, how do they get away with such flagrant copying of popular products? Well, the short answer is — they don't.

Aldi is currently embroiled in a lawsuit by Mondelēz International, better known as the company that owns Oreo and Wheat Thins. The 36-page lawsuit alleges that the nearly identical appearance of the copycat snacks is an attempt to take advantage of Mondelēz's longstanding reputation with shoppers. The importance of snack packaging is highlighted in a 2023 study on persuasive packaging that found "the importance of package design as a factor that can influence perceptions of food and drink products."

In addition to being one of the most affordable grocery options on the market, Aldi also has one of the most favorable returns policies. Aldi's Twice as Nice Guarantee states: "If for any reason you are not 100% satisfied with the quality of any product, we will gladly replace the product AND refund your money."

The people of Reddit report being able to return items without a receipt and even being able to take alcohol back to the store (unopened). However, not all returns are accepted without questions. According to one Aldi employee on Reddit, "this lady came in to make a return for a rose bush because it wasn't growing. I hear the cashier say on the walkie 'there is a lady returning a rose bush but the bush is still on the ground what do I do?' Insane! She didn't get her refund."

The main issue with returning items to grocery stores like Aldi is that returned items can't be resold and are usually disposed of immediately. Customers concerned about waste and their carbon footprint may reconsider returning items that don't quite suit their tastes and instead donate them or let a friend or family member have them.