Chaos at Aldi: Why Aussies go nuts for a Special Buy

Customers who were pictured climbing over each other for a single item at Aldi this week have fallen for a simple trick.

Customers who were pictured climbing over each other for a single item at Aldi this week have fallen for a simple trick.

An expert says it’s all part of the budget supermarket’s big plan.

It’s truly no secret that Aldi Special Buys bi-weekly sales draw huge crowds — with footage from the most recent event going viral.

Aldi holds Special Buys every Wednesday and Saturday and sells everything from workout equipment, television sets to make up. What makes up the so called “middle aisle” are things shoppers typically wouldn’t find in a supermarket.

The sales have proved incredibly popular, with the April 27 range sending shoppers into a tizzy over The Crofton Cast Aluminium range.

Video footage from Saturday showed a huge crowd attempting to snap up the pots, which came in a 20, 24 or 28cm version with prices varying from $24.99 to $34.99.

Huge queues were seen at one Aldi store. Picture: TikTok/@postivemindset56

An Aldi employee was forced to climb on top of the register to hand them out so that everyone had a chance to get a hold of the item.

Similar scenes were seen earlier this month when Aldi released a streetwear range that featured a T-shirt that came in grey or white, priced at $7.99, as well as a grey sweatshirt, a navy hoodie and matching trackpants all retailing at $14.99.

Shoppers shared videos of themselves queuing outside their local store in anticipation of the launch, which also included socks, a bucket hat, beanie, slides and a compact umbrella.

James Berko is one of the Sydneysiders who was waiting outside of the Aldi at Broadway shopping centre.

In the clip, it was clear Mr Berko wasn’t the only eager customer waiting for the doors of the supermarket to open up with others standing around beside him.

The popularity of the two items have nothing on the yearly ski and camping sales that some shoppers wait all year for.

People queuing up for Aldi's ski sale in 2023. Picture: Facebook

Aisles were crammed with people trying to snag the supermarket’s streetwear. Picture: TikTok/@breko

Professor Gary Mortimer from the Queensland University of Technology Business School told news.com.au that Aldi have created a “phenomenon around sales events”.

“They’ve done it in a couple of ways. One is ensuring really high quality products at a relatively low price,” Professor Mortimer said, adding the supermarket needed to establish that quickly as there was a perception of Aldi being a “food store that didn’t carry credible brands”.

“The second thing they had to do to create this sales phenomenon is intentionally limit inventory and create this idea of first in, best dressed, only while stocks last.

“It creates this fear of missing out that we want to get hold of this product that’s low price, good quality.”

Professor Mortimer pointed out that Aldi was the only store in Australia to do this successfully, saying that a perceived stock shortage from Kmart, Coles or Woolworths shoppers would be “up in arms”.

He added that the cost-of-living has played into Aldi’s increased popularity in the last 18 months in particular. He said Aldi’s advertising campaigns — which acknowledge shoppers go to other places but encourage them to shop at Aldi first — have played a big part in that.

Another huge line for an Aldi Special Buy's promotion. Picture: Facebook

In the UK, where Aldi is also a fan-favourite, Professor Mortimer said there had been a shift away from Sainsbury’s and Tesco in favour of the German supermarket chain.

He said that shoppers were drawn to big promotions with the next big sales events Australia will see in wider retail being mid-season and end-of-financial year.

The last sales figures Professor Mortimer saw were from February, showing Aussies had spent $36 billion in retail that month. But, that is only 1.6 per cent higher than the same time in 2023.

“We are becoming reserved in what we spend. We’re more concerned about putting food on the table, fuel in the car and paying our bills than discretionary spending,” he said.

“But when we get towards the end of the year, we’ve hopefully saved some money and we’re really looking for those retailers that will be offering those big discounts.”