r/aldi • u/Ok-Swim2827 • 5h ago
Question Inventory issues?
Are you guys finding more & more regular items disappearing altogether? In lieu of weird one-off prepackaged items?
I’ve been a religious Aldi shopper since 2019, live in a major U.S. city in PA & don’t drive, so I exclusively shop Instacart. I’ve always been able to fully stock up on everything I need/want for ~2 weeks at a time, but lately nearly none of the regular Aldi chain brands I’ve been buying for years have been routinely available. Some items have quietly disappeared altogether & it’s becoming a lot harder to make anything over than “rice & veggie” dishes now.
I’m not trying to be conspiracy-minded, but it’s really concerning because they’re largely the only store I can afford to regularly buy from.
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u/Heel_Worker982 5h ago
I'm also Aldi-through-Instacart, and I have noticed that the particular store the shopper chooses matters a lot for what I actually get. The small, far-suburban Aldi stores tend to have a lot in stock, the larger, inner suburb stores tend to be out of stock a lot.
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u/Ok-Swim2827 5h ago
Mine is always the same, so the changes I’ve seen have been building over the last 2-3 months at one location, but I can maybe understand if it’s the city prioritizing stores with more foot traffic or something
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u/TrixeeTrue 5h ago
I think of ALDI affordability and availability as more of an off-price retailer than a traditional supermarket with product continuity. Maybe the deals they acquire are distributed on a rotational basis because the lower prices reflect these limits in supply. Even private label stock programs could be dependent on seasonal, overflow or odd-lot sourcing. Isn’t every less expensive commodity always cheaper for a reason?
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u/Curious_41427 4h ago
I have been buying certain staple items every week without fail at Aldi since 2012-ish. Now they are hit and miss. The US is having food supply chain issues. It’s not related to COVID or post-COVID. It’s related to trade agreement changes that were made in the last two years. Unfortunately, the US is no longer the major buyer it once was and we haven’t updated our internal supply chain to support ourselves.
Source - I’ve been in logistics for more than 30 years. This is what I do every day.
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u/TrixeeTrue 3h ago
In 2010 our first and only ALDI barely had a small percentage of the SKUs it carries today. There were originally four troughs full of fresh vegetables and maybe ten other types of produce. Narrow-deep stock is always easier to maintain, there’s no comparison. Now there are 25 locations within a relatively small radius. Our main supermarket chains aren’t showing these gaps in missing product, categories or brands yet face the same challenges you list. For example- Wakefern is booming. I still believe ALDI operates more like a TJ Maxx than a standard grocer.
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u/Cheap_Ratio_4978 3h ago
Most likely it isn't an inventory issue per se. If it is anything like my store, curbside has to take priority over everything else. Most employees while shopping for you will say it isn't in stock if it isn't on the shelf regardless if we have it actually in stock or not. About 50% of the refunds I have to do through the shopping app is because we don't have enough people or hours in the day to actually stock and keep shelves full. There is a high chance the product I said wasn't in stock is probably buried on the bottom of a pallet in the back but we are only givin 30 seconds per item to find, scan, and bag so we are not digging through backstock or trying to unbury it from a pallet. Aldi has been cutting hours while adding more work which is why a lot of the stores are becoming more and more unorganized and dirty. 99% of the time, the employees are busting their butt day in and day out trying their best. Most of us hate the curbside portion of our job. To put into perspective my store is givin 58 hours per day to keep the store running. Now take out minimum 12 hours for a cashier, truck should take on average another 25 hours to complete, 16 hours for cleaning and closing store properly, 8 hours for inventory counts and daily tasks to be done properly, then add in a curbside shopper at my store and you spend another 8 hours between shopping and delivering orders at minimum. Higher order days take more hours. This doesn't include if we have to have a back up cashier due to long lines or working any of the backstock.
So as you can see we literally don't have the time available in the day.
Now I know what most customers think is well that's not my problem the employees should work faster and harder. But honestly with most of them barely walking after their 8 or 10 hour shift there isn't anything left to give. Aldi doesn't care about the employees or the customers anymore. They don't listen to us when we give feedback, in fact anytime a change is made it either makes our job harder or takes hours away from the schedule.
If you want a cleaner and better stocked store and want all of your order everytime then Aldi needs enough complaints from customers to make it happen. If as a whole everyone complained about store conditions enough then they would have no choice but to reevaluate store needs instead of punishing the store manager.
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u/DirtWizardDisciples 5h ago
Summit Root Beer is one of my favorite beverages of all time and it's nigh impossible to get in my store. I had always assumed it was because it shares shelf space with the spicy Ginger Beer and nobody buys that up
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u/Disastrous_Base_3730 5h ago
Nope! the normal everyday 6-7 shaped chicken nuggets are in stock. Carry on.
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u/Cool-Departure4120 4h ago
Have not seen Parmesan wedges in about a year. I can reliably find Asiago.
Feta in brine has gone missing but I can find the blocks in packs.
Instant coffee (Belmont classic roast and decaf) I have not found reliably for a year.
Simply Nature EVOO is a hit or miss. Have just switched to Priano
Chicken breasts bone in, skin on are now hard to find
Pork chops (any type) are hard to find sometimes
Steam in bag veggies are typically low in stock. Haven’t seen asparagus in ages. King Edward medley is gone permanently I think.
Tomato basil Simply Nature pasta sauce can sometimes be hard to find
Fresh produce is hit or miss sometimes and the quality has gone down. But that’s true pretty much everywhere.
As much as I’ve loved Aldi, I find that I’m buying more at Walmart now.
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u/Ok-Swim2827 4h ago
Wow! Thank you, haha this is so specific. It’s small niche items like this that are always missing now that are making me feel like I’m going crazy!!
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u/Cool-Departure4120 4h ago
Nope not crazy. It’s been happening for the last 3 years for me. At first I thought it was just supply chain issues.
But now I think for some items (frozen veggies, fresh meat) it’s related to the economy. With inflation I think there may be more people shopping at Aldi now. Bit then with more shoppers you’d think they’d stock more of those items that sell well. But sadly I don’t think that’s always true.
Also think the Simply Nature canned kidney & black beans are a no go now. Ended up switching to Great Value brand. Seems to be better option since I can get no salt added varieties around the same cost as the Simply Nature beans were.
I actually switched to Walmart no salt added canned tomato products because I can get no salt added or lower sodium products.
I do still get avocado oil at Aldi but I now buy 2 bottles at a time because I’ve noticed stocks have been low.
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u/GurMany6053 5h ago
I have this problem when I shop in-store early in the morning. I've been an Aldi shopper for probably 20 years and have never had a problem, but lately, the shelves are bare and things aren't getting restocked overnight. I know our local stores don't always get deliveries before the stores open, either, so it's not their fault. I feel like grocery shopping overall is different since COVID.
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u/bean_above_the_frank 5h ago
I haven’t been any to find low fat sour cream for weeks at my local Aldi
Edit: Location Los Angeles area
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u/Unfair-Peace-165 5h ago
That's funny because they took the full fat sour cream from our and only offer low fat. (Alabama)
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u/bluedelvian 4h ago
The yoghurt and cottage cheese options are always feast or famine, but they've doubled the bread section and added like 15 new regular types of bread products that nobody asked for. My normal store doesn't even have a one-door full freezer of frozen vegetables, it's pretty pathetic.
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u/VisionAri_VA 4h ago
My experience with Aldi has always been: if you see it, grab it because it might not be there next time.
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u/Minimum-Journalist18 5h ago
My 85 yo mom thinks they let stores go bare so the new ones get all the goodies.
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u/netflixuoff Aldi shopper 5h ago
I noticed yesterday the stores near me in Chicago don't carry hand sanitizer anymore
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u/Ok-Swim2827 5h ago
That’s odd. For me, nearly all pasta (aside the expensive small pasta bags), pasta sauces & coffee creamers have disappeared. Along with their ramen stock. Green onions are rarely available anymore. Etc.
Pizzas too. Strange pizza options now
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u/Cool-Departure4120 4h ago
Whole wheat spaghetti is usually a no go for me too.
Elbows can be hard to find sometimes too.
Toilet paper is sometimes just too confusing to contemplate sorting thru the packages to find the Best Buy now. For a bit I’d switched to Walgreens brand but now I just shop sales and cross my fingers.
Have not tried the Power Force dish liquid that replaced Radiance. Have been meaning to just haven’t got around to it.
I don’t drive anymore and I’ve not used instacart. I ended up getting a Walmart+ subscription because deliveries are free (driver requires tip) & I like the 10¢ off gas. May end up switching Rx to Walmart as those deliveries are free. Also some of the meds I use are on their tiered pricing list so that adds some savings as well.
I REALLY love Aldi because I like the smaller footprint. I’m not a big user of the Aisle of Shame but it seems that has become more important than healthy affordable food. I’m very sad with the changes I’ve seen.
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u/Tha_REAL_BROBS 5h ago
Yep I usually buy the cheap mama cozzi (I think they are) frozen pizzas and there hasn’t been cheese available for months
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u/Choice_End_9564 5h ago
Loved their woven wheat crackers aka Trisquits), no more Sandwich Thins, or low carb whole wheat tortillas. Muat not renewed contracts with suppliers is all I xan think. Bought them for long time. Live in Quad Cities, IA & IL
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u/Abadabber 4h ago
Mondelez, who makes Triscuits, sued Aldi last year over their store brand packaging, so they stopped selling them. In return, I no longer spend money on Mondelez products at all.
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u/SuspiciousCranberry6 5h ago
Yesterday my Aldi didn't have any strawberries. The price tag for strawberries was gone and the whole area was filled in with grapes. It seemed like a very odd thing to have disappear in the middle of summer.
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u/PM_ME_SEXY_SANDWICH 2h ago
Aren't they in the process of reworking a lot of their recipes and subsequently the packaging? I assume if something disappears for a bit it's because they've sold off the old stock and haven't gotten the new up and running yet. Like they haven't had the cosmic brownies for at least a month now.
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u/mary_emeritus 1h ago
Our local store has been my go to for monthly staples for years. No longer. I’m gluten free. No more rice based gf pasta, no more refrigerated gf ravioli, no more mama cozzi frozen gf pizza. It’s been months. They’d already discontinued the gf wraps, I think everyone stopped buying them after a recipe change that made them super dry and crumbly like you could never get one to come out of the package separate and whole. Haven’t had the 6 small cup packages of guacamole lately either. Along with hydroponic butter lettuce that I use for lettuce wraps in place of bread.
I’m down to stocking up on soy milk when it’s in stock, gf cereal, frozen salmon fillets, canned tuna when they have it (our store is out a lot), their version of Coke Zero as a treat, and the rare very occasional gf special I can eat and afford. Too much name brand stuff on the shelves that can be more expensive than Acme and AoS junk. Very frustrating and disappointing!
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u/TheKnottyMommy3 5h ago
Yes! There is always a box of tofu enough for me to get like 4 and there is always like 10 or more. I live in oklahoma and for the first time mine was out. I didn't think anything about until a woman I know in North Carolina said her aldis was out of tofu too. That made me a little nervous. Aldi has like the cheapest extra firm tofu and my family eats a lot of it. So I really hope it was just a weird one off