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Actually, I like the idea of the cart fee which is refunded when you bring back the cart.
When you go to Aldi, all the carts are returned to the front of store. Most people will slip you a quarter as you finish unloading it. Carts that are up front DO NOT bang into your car causing damage.
At the local Fry's (Krogers), you walk in the hot sun to find a cart and there is none there. You have to go out into the parking lot and get one.
At Aldi, carts don't disappear and should someone walk off with one, the local kids bring it back for the money. Aldi does NOT spend money having people running around collecting the cart.
The local Fry's store has 2-3 employees dedicated solely to grabbing the carts from the parking lot from 7 am -10 pm. Wouldn't it be better if they actually had them in the store helping customers OR eliminate the positions and lower prices?
Actually, I like the idea of the cart fee which is refunded when you bring back the cart.
When you go to Aldi, all the carts are returned to the front of store. Most people will slip you a quarter as you finish unloading it. Carts that are up front DO NOT bang into your car causing damage.
At the local Fry's (Krogers), you walk in the hot sun to find a cart and there is none there. You have to go out into the parking lot and get one.
At Aldi, carts don't disappear and should someone walk off with one, the local kids bring it back for the money. Aldi does NOT spend money having people running around collecting the cart.
The local Fry's store has 2-3 employees dedicated solely to grabbing the carts from the parking lot from 7 am -10 pm. Wouldn't it be better if they actually had them in the store helping customers OR eliminate the positions and lower prices?
OR, you could shop somewhere with customer service, so someone will load your car and take the cart back to the store.
In the past decade, I've noticed Aldi's main changes being expanding their types of items offered, with many more imports/delicacy/"gourmet" type items than in their previous incarnations. They now have an in-house organic line, which was nonexistent even a few years ago. I've also noticed more attention being given to store upkeep, but in my experience, that's also largely dependent upon the neighborhood.
The store in closest proximity to my solidly middle-class, moms-with-minivans and baby swim class and picnics in the park suburb is very well-kept. A few years ago, we were on a military base, and, as is often the case, the base was adjacent to a rough-ish area, which was where the Aldi was located. We would go there if we missed the commissary's limited hours, or if it was Monday (commissary was closed on Mondays), or to get milk, because it was much cheaper there. It was much more run-down and poorly kept, and reflected the general surroundings.
OR, you could shop somewhere with customer service, so someone will load your car and take the cart back to the store.
The only place I've ever had somebody take my stuff to the car for me is the commissary, and I tend to avoid it ever since they put in self-check a few years ago. The commissary baggers are fairly aggressive because they work exclusively for tips, and I'd just rather avoid that whole thing.
But, yeah, I generally bag and carry my own groceries and take them to the car myself everywhere I shop.
Part of ALDI's model is saving money by having less of a need for excess employees (like baggers and kids running groceries out and corralling carts), and passing that savings along in their pricing.
OR, you could shop somewhere with customer service, so someone will load your car and take the cart back to the store.
As a German I would feel very uncomfortable if a shop assistant would push my shopping cart to my car and load my groceries into the trunk. When I walk back to my car I can push the shopping cart myself and I'm also able to lift the groceries into the trunk myself. That doesn't overchallenged me And of course I will push the shopping cart back to the corral.
The same for bagging my groceries. In Germany, even at the most upscale grocery stores you have to bag your own groceries. The only chain that tried to offer a bagging service in Germany was Walmart about 15 years ago. But that led to some turmoil at the check out lanes. The customers absolutely don't liked it.
For me, good customer service is, when the shop assistants work fast and professional. And when they don't harass me (e.g. talking to much to me). And shop assistants should rebuke customers if they make a mistake. Stupid customers are very annoying. They are as annoying as stupid shop assistants. In Germany, employees at Aldi and Lidl are well trained. The employees from all other discount grocery chains in Germany are terrible. Even if they earn one third of what employees at Aldi earn, they would be still completely overpaid.
OR, you could shop somewhere with customer service, so someone will load your car and take the cart back to the store.
Why do I want to PAY for a service that I do not need? I am perfectly capable of wheeling my groceries to the car, placing it in the vehicle, and walking the cart back to the store.
The only place I've ever had somebody take my stuff to the car for me is the commissary, and I tend to avoid it ever since they put in self-check a few years ago. The commissary baggers are fairly aggressive because they work exclusively for tips, and I'd just rather avoid that whole thing.
But, yeah, I generally bag and carry my own groceries and take them to the car myself everywhere I shop.
Unlike OTHERS on this message board, I am used to having groceries wheeled out to my car and loaded.
When I lived in Mexicali BC and Juarez, I would shop at El Super or El Gigante each week. When I walked in, they would have 6-8 check-out lines open. At the end of each line was stationed a young man aged 10-15, dressed in blue trousers, a short sleeve white shirt and a tie. That young man would bag your groceries, place it in a cart, and wheel it out to your vehicle. As a customer, you were expected to slip the kid a couple of pesos for his service.
While most Americans would view this as egregious violation of child labor laws, most Mexicans thought that it was great that their kids were making some decent money.
In Southern Arizona, there is always someone to carry out your groceries if needed. i don't need it at this point.
For me, good customer service is, when the shop assistants work fast and professional. And when they don't harass me (e.g. talking to much to me). And shop assistants should rebuke customers if they make a mistake. Stupid customers are very annoying. They are as annoying as stupid shop assistants. In Germany, employees at Aldi and Lidl are well trained. The employees from all other discount grocery chains in Germany are terrible. Even if they earn one third of what employees at Aldi earn, they would be still completely overpaid.
I agree with you completely.
One question about Aldi in Germany. Are they still offering the hot "in the store" baked bread or was that eventually shut down by the German bakery union?
As a German I would feel very uncomfortable if a shop assistant would push my shopping cart to my car and load my groceries into the trunk. When I walk back to my car I can push the shopping cart myself and I'm also able to lift the groceries into the trunk myself. That doesn't overchallenged me And of course I will push the shopping cart back to the corral.
The same for bagging my groceries. In Germany, even at the most upscale grocery stores you have to bag your own groceries. The only chain that tried to offer a bagging service in Germany was Walmart about 15 years ago. But that led to some turmoil at the check out lanes. The customers absolutely don't liked it.
For me, good customer service is, when the shop assistants work fast and professional. And when they don't harass me (e.g. talking to much to me). And shop assistants should rebuke customers if they make a mistake. Stupid customers are very annoying. They are as annoying as stupid shop assistants. In Germany, employees at Aldi and Lidl are well trained. The employees from all other discount grocery chains in Germany are terrible. Even if they earn one third of what employees at Aldi earn, they would be still completely overpaid.
I have never been to Germany, but I have heard that store workers in Germany have a very contemptuous, "take it or leave it" attitude toward customers. If a store worker treated me that way I would not shop there.
We have a different mindset here. My favorite store, before I moved, had a conveyor system in which the groceries were sent outside and the customer drove up and they were loaded into their car. So nice, and I have never seen this system anywhere else.
Here, I go to a store where the workers are very friendly and helpful, and always offer to push the cart to my car and load the groceries. Sometimes I say yes, and sometimes I don't, but I appreciate the offer. I will pay more for this kind of ambiance.
There are stores which are very popular, in which the lazy cashiers expect me to put my own bags into my cart, and of course there is no help outside the store. I do not go to these stores very often.
Actually, I like the idea of the cart fee which is refunded when you bring back the cart.
When you go to Aldi, all the carts are returned to the front of store. Most people will slip you a quarter as you finish unloading it. Carts that are up front DO NOT bang into your car causing damage.
At the local Fry's (Krogers), you walk in the hot sun to find a cart and there is none there. You have to go out into the parking lot and get one.
At Aldi, carts don't disappear and should someone walk off with one, the local kids bring it back for the money. Aldi does NOT spend money having people running around collecting the cart.
The local Fry's store has 2-3 employees dedicated solely to grabbing the carts from the parking lot from 7 am -10 pm. Wouldn't it be better if they actually had them in the store helping customers OR eliminate the positions and lower prices?
I totally agree: it is so nice to go into a parking lot and not see carts left everywhere. compare Aldi's to say, WalMart or even the local super market, as you mentioned. We do have one small local independently owned store where the box boys take the groceries to the car: I personally love the service. Again no carts left everywhere. There are cart return locations for those who prefer to wheel their own groceries, but rarely do you see a cart in one.
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And of course I will push the shopping cart back to the corral. 
