Aldi $20 cookware sparks Special Buys shopping frenzy in Sydney

Reports of long trolley queues and a “disgusting” frenzy for one Aldi Special Buys items that sold out in minutes over the weekend.

Aldi shoppers have been slammed for “disgusting” scenes over a Special Buys item that sold out in minutes at some stores.

In response Aldi has called on customers to “respect” the social distancing measures it has put in place to protect people during the coronavirus pandemic.

On Saturday, the German supermarket was selling two in-demand items: an eight litre air fryer for $89 and cast aluminium pots and pans that started at just $19.99.

Videos and photos posted to the Aldi Fans Australia Facebook group showed long lines to get into one western Sydney store as well as absolute chaos as customers tried to get their hands on the pots and pans once inside.

One Aldi worker wrote that they had seen “crazy” scenes at their store, also in Sydney, and “within the first 2-3 minutes, air fryer, heaters and all pots and pans are already sold out”.

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There was a massive queue at one western Sydney store before it even opened. Picture: Facebook/Aldi Fans Australia.

“And of course I already have customers yelling at me to get more in,” the employee added.

“They should really implement limits. My wife showed me a photo of one lady that had 15 boxes and she was so proud,” one shopper also wrote.

One person also filmed footage of a middle aisle frenzy for the pots and pans at one Aldi which showed customers swarming around the in-demand item and passing them back overhead to other shoppers.

“Aldi should take some responsibility. This happens all the time. They encourage it. I’m talking about upper management, not the good people that work in store,” another commented.

In response to Saturday’s scenes, Aldi Australia called on customers to “respect” social distancing measures while shopping in their stores.

“Occasionally, heightened anticipation for a particular product has attracted more customers at once than usual, resulting in large lines,” a spokesman told news.com.au.

“While we are happy that customers are excited for our Special Buys, for their own safety and the safety of our employees, we need our customers to respect social distancing measures and remember to keep at least 1.5 metres apart from each other at all times, both in and outside of our stores.”

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Aldi Special Buys item sparks huge demand. Picture: Facebook/Aldi Fans Australia.

Some items sold out within minutes. Picture: Facebook/Aldi Fans Australia.

All Aldi stores have social distancing measures in place which include 1.5 distance floor markets at checkouts.

“We ask everyone to respect these policies, follow the directions of our store teams and show cooperation, patience and understanding when shopping at ALDI,” the spokesman said.

Others slammed the “embarrassing” behaviour and claimed it was unnecessary as Aldi wasn’t the only store selling those pans cheap.

“Haven’t seen scenes like this since the air fryer debacle of 2019,” one person commented.

Others said they hadn’t seen the same demand at their Aldi branch, with one person writing: “No one wanted the pots a my local store. Still heaps left at 2pm that afternoon.”

“Not that desperate for anything. EVER,” another said.

However, some shoppers said the “amazing” pots were definitely worth the hype, with one person saying they were the “best ever, I use all the time”.

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But the pots and pans only proved popular at some stores, with other customers reporting plenty of stock at their local Aldi. Picture: Facebook/Aldi Fans Australia.

“This is all I use,” another said.

It’s not the first time an Aldi Special Buys event has sparked frustration, with shoppers calling on the supermarket to introduce limits as a way to stop the frenzy.

Last year, a photo of a man with an Aldi trolley full to the brim with six 69.99 stand mixers while other customers went away empty-handed was condemned on Facebook.

Others have expressed concern over the “rushing, grabbing and fighting over Special Buys” and questioned whether Aldi would instead implement a ticket or number system.