Aldi reveals why its checkout staff scan items so fast

IF YOU’VE ever shopped at Aldi, you’ve experienced its ultra-fast checkout staff. Aldi’s speedy reputation is no mistake.

Aldi shoppers in Bankstown.

IF YOU’VE ever shopped in Aldi then you’ll probably have experienced its ultra-fast checkout staff.

Aldi’s speedy reputation is no mistake, in fact, the supermarket claims that its tills are 40 per cent quicker than rivals, The Sun reports.

It’s all part of Aldi’s plan to be as efficient as possible — and this, the budget shop claims, helps keep costs low for shoppers.

Efficient barcodes on packaging means staff are able to scan items as quickly as possible, with the majority of products having multiple barcodes to speed up the process.

It also uses “shelf-ready” packaging which keeps costs low when it comes to replenishing stock.

And it has not gone unnoticed. Many Aldi shoppers have aired their thoughts on the speed of checkout workers on social media in the past.

For most it’s a good thing, but for some it has caused issues.

One said: “I’m close to an anxiety attack every time I shop at Aldi due to the mad speed”.

While another added: “The speed of an Aldi checkout clerk is inversely proportional to your speed at packing your bag or trolley”.

The speed of an Aldi checkout clerk is inversely proportional to your speed at packing your bag or trolley.

— Dane Bryce (@Danoss) February 8, 2017

I KNOW they have to scan at a crazy speed but the checkout workers in Aldi stress me right out

— Katy (@katyjaneeee) February 6, 2017

Reckon there should be some kind of counselling for after you've been through the checkout at Aldi to recover from the speed

— Charlie Bott (@CharlieBott1) November 16, 2016

My anxiety can't deal with the speed required to keep up with the checkout assistants at aldi!

— Rebecca Lee (@Becca_Lou_Lee) June 21, 2016

Others are just proud that their packing skills match those of Aldi staff. But some have even wondered if staff have a quota for the amount of items they need to get through the checkout while on a shift.

The supermarket admits that while speed is important it’s really about “customer experience” and that it understands different people pack bags and pay for their shopping at different speeds.

A spokesman from Aldi told The Sun: “Our employees are trained to operate the checkout at the right pace for each individual person they serve.”

Aldi overtook Co-Op to become Britain’s fifth biggest supermarket by market share, according to data from Kantar Worldpanel.

Its success is also down to the number of products it sells. It has a total of 1,500 product lines, or stockkeeping units (SKUs), compared to a major supermarket which stocks well over 40,000. In Australia, Coles and Woolworths stock between 20,000-25,000 product lines.

This allows Aldi to keep its prices low. For example, they have just one type of tomato ketchup versus a supermarket which might stock around 20 different versions.

It means Aldi can buy the product in large volumes and with smaller costs in terms of getting stock into stores.

Aldi is also well-known for selling “copycat” versions of popular and luxury products.

For example, its new range of scented candle, which were made to rival posh Jo Malone ones, sold out in stores across the country within a matter of hours.

The candles — which cost £3.99 ($6.40) each — are significantly cheaper than the luxury version which usually cost upwards of £44 ($70).

Earlier this year, Aldi Australia was left red-faced after customers discovered that a shoe deodorising spray was actually a Coles-brand women’s deodorant can repackaged with a new plastic label.

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission.