Aldi ditches self-checkout at many local stores
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The check out line at Aldi in Old Town on Monday where self-checkout stations have been removed. Photo: Courtesy of Jake Planer
Just as shoppers had come to embrace Aldi's self-checkout stations, the grocer is removing them from multiple local stores.
Why it matters: Many loved the speed and autonomy offered by the stations, and they're taking to Reddit to complain about the removal almost as vociferously as they complained about their installation in 2023.
- "Man, I'm going to hate shopping all over again," a user with the handle Legendary Clawhammer wrote on Reddit, where most commenters are conjecturing the move was driven by theft.
What they're saying: "We continually test and refine our in-store technologies and checkout options to better address customer needs and enhance operational efficiency," the company told Axios in a statement.
- "As part of this process, we have adjusted checkout formats in select locations to ensure we're offering the best shopping experience possible while delivering exceptional value. Self-checkout will remain available at many ALDI stores and our approach is designed to evolve with customer feedback and new opportunities to innovate."
- One North Side Aldi cashier told customers this weekend that "user errors" and complications over checking IDs (for liquor) at the stations required too much staff assistance.
- Plus, she said, company data suggested the stations didn't actually save time.
Yes, but: Some customers insist that they did save time, especially when they were only purchasing a few items.
- Anecdotally, at least two Axios Chicago families recently hit long lines at stores that had just lost the self-checkout stations.
Zoom out: Self-checkout has spread across the grocery retail world, but many stores still keep a staffer nearby to troubleshoot, and that model may have conflicted with Aldi's famously bare-bones approach.
- Plus, in recent years, other local stores have cited theft as a reason for locking up merchandise or leaving neighborhoods altogether.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with a modified headline and response from Aldi officials who initially had chosen not to comment.
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