Aldi, a brutally efficient grocery chain, is upending America's supermarkets • Hacker News Board

Re: Aldi, a brutally efficient grocery chain, is upending America's supermarkets

#181

Post by HeWhoLurksLate » Fri, May 17, 2019, 10:07 PM UTC

NeedMoreTea wrote: post #114

froindt wrote: post #96

I'm an industrial engineer and geek out about Aldi frequently. Here are a few things I've noticed (and researched) which differentiate them from others. -they have barcode on 5 or 6 sides of their products, and they're typically huge! They nearly never need to orient a product to scan it. Their scan speed is far faster than any other supermarket I've been at. -if two products are very similar, they'll change the pack…

> -they combine varieties (like flavors of granola bars) of product in the same box. This greatly reduces the shelf space required. This is the only thing that fails about Aldi. Let's say you want their Chicken Tikka sauce. The mixed boxes mean good chance you won't see it as Tikka always goes first. You go through the whole 6 boxes of inventory, and yep, all sold - the three spaces in every box. Same for pizza - one…

On that note, they finally moved their cheese away from that model- their new cheese packaging isn't as great for what we use it for, but it does make getting slices out easier, and it's almost always there, which I care about more.

Re: Aldi, a brutally efficient grocery chain, is upending America's supermarkets

#182

Post by omnimus » Fri, May 17, 2019, 10:07 PM UTC

detaro wrote: post #151

thinkling wrote: post #148

Another thing: I'm guessing they don't have paid staff to bag groceries for customers like many US stores, but what they may have that's common in Europe but unknown in the US: the boat-tiller-like divider in the conveyor belt space past the cashier. Customer A's things get rung up and continue to side A. When done with customer A, the cashier shoves the divider across so the belt now takes customer B's stuff to side…

EDIT: disregard, misread.

Thats not what he means.

Re: Aldi, a brutally efficient grocery chain, is upending America's supermarkets

#183

Post by bunderbunder » Fri, May 17, 2019, 10:07 PM UTC

osrec wrote: post #147

Cyph0n wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They aren’t free if you don’t have a quarter on hand.

Well they aren't really for sale or rent either. Not sure what your point is?

Maybe not intentionally, but it was a pretty good pun.

Re: Aldi, a brutally efficient grocery chain, is upending America's supermarkets

#184

Post by lostapathy » Fri, May 17, 2019, 10:07 PM UTC

bunderbunder wrote: post #168

thinkling wrote: post #148

Another thing: I'm guessing they don't have paid staff to bag groceries for customers like many US stores, but what they may have that's common in Europe but unknown in the US: the boat-tiller-like divider in the conveyor belt space past the cashier. Customer A's things get rung up and continue to side A. When done with customer A, the cashier shoves the divider across so the belt now takes customer B's stuff to side…

At least at the Aldi I shop at, they don't even have that. The cashier is at the very end of the line; the next thing past them is a shopping cart, and scanned items get placed directly into it. When you're done paying, you wheel that cart away, leave the one you had in its place, and go to a separate counter where you can bag or box your stuff. If you had a basket, you throw the basket in the cart, the cashier drops…

"scanned items get placed directly into it."

More like thrown into it - or if you're lucky, dropped into it, at my local Aldi. You learn not to put canned goods ahead of bread on the belt so that cans don't land on your bread.

Re: Aldi, a brutally efficient grocery chain, is upending America's supermarkets

#185

Post by jvagner » Fri, May 17, 2019, 10:08 PM UTC

MrsPeaches wrote: post #124

froindt wrote: post #96

I'm an industrial engineer and geek out about Aldi frequently. Here are a few things I've noticed (and researched) which differentiate them from others. -they have barcode on 5 or 6 sides of their products, and they're typically huge! They nearly never need to orient a product to scan it. Their scan speed is far faster than any other supermarket I've been at. -if two products are very similar, they'll change the pack…

> They can glance down and count how many of each, scan one, then hit the number pad for the quantity. I haven't seen the number pad used extensively at any other grocer. I spent a lot of time in Germany in the 90s. Aldi (and Lidl) hadn't switched to barcode scanners and the chashiers were still typing in product numbers by hand. I was always super impressed with the speed with which they typed and it certainly felt…

Do American Aldi grocery cashiers sit?

That's what I noticed the most in German grocery stores. American cashiers stand, German cashiers sit.

Re: Aldi, a brutally efficient grocery chain, is upending America's supermarkets

#186

Post by burfog » Fri, May 17, 2019, 10:08 PM UTC

groby_b wrote: post #145

notahacker wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yep. The most notable thing about Aldi (and similar competitor Lidl) from a UK perspective is that they pay above average for comparable supermarket jobs and reduce staffing accordingly. But I remember putting coins into slots for a trolley (and reclaiming them!) when I was young enough to be sitting in the child seat nearly 30 years ago, long before Aldi was a factor in the UK market. Is this really an innovative co…

You'd be surprised at what all counts as an "innovative" concept in the US. Coming over here from Europe as well, the country is 30-40 years backwards in many areas. (We do have wheel clamps, though ;)

The US has that stuff in bad neighborhoods. The wheel clamp is probably pretty standard in the urban areas and/or poor areas. Out in the well-off places where there aren't wandering street people, wheel clamps would be pointless. The expense, including repairs and downtime, is not justified.

Re: Aldi, a brutally efficient grocery chain, is upending America's supermarkets

#187

Post by the_duke » Fri, May 17, 2019, 10:08 PM UTC

llamataboot wrote: post #156

kodablah wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As an admitted traditionalist concerned more about consumer comfort than company, some of these are the reason I don't and wont shop at Aldi. It's funny because depending on who you talk to, some of the same things that are seen as inconveniences to some are seen as beneficial to others. It's also funny to watch some of the same people laud inconveniences in one company and bemoan some of the same inconveniences in a…

I find it hard to shop at Aldi because of the almost brutal aesthetic. No signage, no colors, no nice lighting, just industrial meta shelves on an industrial floor with bare fluorescent lights overhead and everything jammed together. It gives me a headache just thinking about it. I will however still occasionally run in because although they run out quick almost every day, when they have grass-fed meat and some organ…

I've wondered why they don't improve the aesthetics a little bit, it can't make that much of a difference to the bottom line.

I think it's just part of the philosophy: you come because it's cheap and the quality is good for the price point, you buy, you leave.

You don't get a experience, you get a utilitarian transaction. And that is reflected by the interior.

Re: Aldi, a brutally efficient grocery chain, is upending America's supermarkets

#188

Post by jvagner » Fri, May 17, 2019, 10:08 PM UTC

osrec wrote: post #147

Cyph0n wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They aren’t free if you don’t have a quarter on hand.

Well they aren't really for sale or rent either. Not sure what your point is?

I never, ever carry change.

Re: Aldi, a brutally efficient grocery chain, is upending America's supermarkets

#189

Post by lostapathy » Fri, May 17, 2019, 10:09 PM UTC

llamataboot wrote: post #156

kodablah wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As an admitted traditionalist concerned more about consumer comfort than company, some of these are the reason I don't and wont shop at Aldi. It's funny because depending on who you talk to, some of the same things that are seen as inconveniences to some are seen as beneficial to others. It's also funny to watch some of the same people laud inconveniences in one company and bemoan some of the same inconveniences in a…

I find it hard to shop at Aldi because of the almost brutal aesthetic. No signage, no colors, no nice lighting, just industrial meta shelves on an industrial floor with bare fluorescent lights overhead and everything jammed together. It gives me a headache just thinking about it. I will however still occasionally run in because although they run out quick almost every day, when they have grass-fed meat and some organ…

They are remodeling some stores - the one near me actually feels nicer than most traditional grocery stores in the area. Funny how things change.

Re: Aldi, a brutally efficient grocery chain, is upending America's supermarkets

#190

Post by frosted-flakes » Fri, May 17, 2019, 10:10 PM UTC

detaro wrote: post #151

thinkling wrote: post #148

Another thing: I'm guessing they don't have paid staff to bag groceries for customers like many US stores, but what they may have that's common in Europe but unknown in the US: the boat-tiller-like divider in the conveyor belt space past the cashier. Customer A's things get rung up and continue to side A. When done with customer A, the cashier shoves the divider across so the belt now takes customer B's stuff to side…

EDIT: disregard, misread.

No, that's not it. Those things are common everywhere. Thinkling meant that there are two conveyor belts past the cashier, and the tiller arm switches between them. See your sibling comment for a WinCo photo.