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If you’ve ever been to Aldi’s, then you are aware of their crazy low prices! Unlike Costco, there is no membership required to shop here, and their products are not in bulk. This makes it the perfect place to shop if you don’t have to feed a large family and want to save money on your grocery bill. Really, who doesn’t want to save money? Have you ever wondered just how this grocery store chain keeps their prices so low? Keep reading to find out!

1. Peak Hours

Have you ever noticed that Aldi’s has surprisingly limited store hours? We’re used to most grocery stores being open twenty-four hours a day, but honestly, there are not many people roaming the aisles at two a.m. Sure, this might be convenient when the occasional munchy attack hits in the middle of the night, or if you need to pick something up if you get off work late, but for the most part, shopping is done before eight p.m. By limiting store hours, Aldi’s saves money by not having to pay an overnight staff, and by literally not keeping the lights on. Another benefit of only sticking to peak shopping hours is that it eliminates noisy traffic, thus making Aldi’s a great neighbor.

2. Taking the Air Out

We all know the frustration associated with opening a bag of chips or a box of cereal only to find it half empty! This is called “ullage.” Aldi’s has a lot of their own private label foods, thus giving them the ability to eliminate ullage, giving you the same amount of product, but taking up less space. This extra space means that more items fit into a truck, on the shelves, and anywhere else. Truly, it’s a huge money saver to be able to ship more products on the same truck!

3. Quarter Carts

Those who have been to Aldi’s know all about the quarter carts. You put a quarter in to unlock the cart, and then when you return the cart, your quarter pops out, thus locking the cart back in place. This method ensures that you bring the cart back, keeping all of the carts in the same convenient place by the front door. It’s a small thing but think about all the hours the workers in other stores spend retrieving carts. Just another small way Aldi’s ultimately saves the consumer money.

4. Limited Stock

Aldi’s might not be the place to go to find a specific kind of pasta sauce or your favorite kind of chip. But, it’s the perfect place if you’re looking for the basics. You won’t find thirty kinds of cereal to choose from, and this is on purpose. By limiting their stock, Aldi’s saves money by not having a ton of extra product on the shelves that probably won’t be purchased. The store has about 14,000 core items in stock at any given time. While this may seem like a lot, most other chain grocery stores carry between 30,000 and 50,000, by comparison.

Find out more reasons why Aldi’s can offer such low prices in the video below!

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