One of the worst parts about going grocery shopping is waiting in long lines at self-checkout, seemingly having to climb over other shoppers to get your hands on the best products, and navigating a busy parking lot. These crowding issues are amplified at smaller grocery stores, including fan-favorite Aldi. The store doesn’t have as many products as a standard grocery store, and its locations often have a smaller physical footprint than larger grocers. So, you’ll need to be strategic about when you visit your local Aldi if you want to both stock up on the products you love and avoid long lines.
Luckily, store associates have taken to Reddit to share their best tips to avoid crowds and get the freshest items at Aldi. One user revealed that associates restock products daily and typically finish stocking the shelves at around 11 a.m. They then shared that the store unloads all of the pallets at once, meaning if you arrive too late, you may not get the products you want. The “early is better” mantra applies to other grocery stores, too; the best time to shop tends to be early in the morning and outside of rush-hour times, like around 5 p.m.
The time you shop isn’t the only thing that matters
Another way to maximize your Aldi haul is to shop on Sundays or Wednesdays. Per the Reddit commenter, the stores restock their Aldi Finds section on one of these two days, so it’s best to ask an associate when that particular location’s restock day is. For the uninitiated, Aldi Finds (also called the Aisle of Shame) houses some name-brand items, as well as housewares, quirky odd and ends, and lifestyle items, including clothing.
The associate explains in the Reddit post that these items are sent to stores from “upper management,” and the store itself is not able to order more. So, if you see an item you like, you’re better off adding it to your cart than hoping it will reappear again soon. Luckily, the chain has a pretty generous return policy; not only can you bring your item back to the store to get your money back, but Aldi will also replace said item, free of charge.
