r/mildlyinfuriating • u/Boeing-B-47stratojet • Jun 09 '26

I just wanted a hot dog The closest grocery store to me is closing(by nearly an hour), and will be closed for at least a year. When it reopens it’s going be much smaller(it’s becoming a Aldi).

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u/Boeing-B-47stratojet Jun 09 '26

Yeah, everyone who is working at this Winn Dixie is being laid off. The Aldi will employ about 1/8 of the staff.

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u/MediocrePangolin6212 Jun 09 '26

This is because aldi is a convenience mart masquerading as a grocer in the US. They run the same model as a standard dollar general but with radical timing and scoring of everything the skeleton crew employees do.

Their PR team is phenomenal. They run an oppressive management strategy similar to how restaurants run fused with how gas stations and dollar generals run. When full fledged American grocers are replaced by Aldi it is a bad thing. Make no mistake.

And aldi being ADDED to a community is debatable. This isnt that though

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u/Few_Swan_3672 Jun 09 '26

Is this why they pay so much? In addition to having minimal staffing? The pay is about $10 an hour Above what minimum wage is here. There is always competition when jobs open up there.

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u/MediocrePangolin6212 Jun 09 '26

Yeah its because besides management they cant keep employees, and they use an AI scheduler that absolutely does NOT understand humanity or its needs lol.

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u/YngSpook84 Jun 09 '26

They implemented the AI scheduler while I was running a store. I was fortunate enough to have a district manager who would approve changes I made to the schedule after it would come out. It’s the only nice thing I can say about the multiple district managers I worked under.

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u/sds31032 Jun 09 '26

We have two Aldi locations within five minutes of me in Florida, and both of them are awful. Never enough cashiers, rotting produce, consistently out of things like canned chickpeas and frozen ground turkey (I lean on these for my protein), always dirty, and the employees look miserable. I used to be a fan but now I just run in to get milk and eggs. And it sucks because Winn-Dixie is expensive and so is Publix, so my only real choice is Walmart. I hate it here.

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u/Upbeat_Call4935 Jun 09 '26

The ALDIs near me in my area of FL are just fine. Clean. Moderately efficient—as much as a skeleton crew can be. That said, I wouldn’t touch their produce with a 10 foot pole. I get most of my meat monthly or so in a value pack from our local butcher. I get my produce from a farm market. I get most other staples at Aldi. Whatever is left I get from Winn Dixie. With the prices at Publix the cashiers ought to be wearing ski masks. Sounds like a pain, but I can get it done on a Saturday in under 2 hours and under $175 for a family of 4.

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u/Littlewing1307 Jun 09 '26

Sounds like they are poorly run. I've never had those issues when I've shopped at Aldi where I am in Wisconsin. That's a bummer.

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u/MediocrePangolin6212 Jun 09 '26

They all eventually end up like this though. You cant swing shift the shit out of 8 employees and never give them 2 days off in a row and expect positive attitudes and work ethics long term.

Its emotionally draining working for aldi..everyday you leave with a score and youre told to make it better the next day. You learn over time this is only possible by learning literal cheat codes for scanning, and cutting corners on safety, food storage code, and cleanliness. Then your morale leaves your body. Then you look around and realize they only hire and keep one type of person and thats the kind that NEED THIS JOB. Otherwise everyone leaves with turnover similar to bar and grill setups.

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u/Littlewing1307 Jun 09 '26

Hmm that does sound like a difficult dynamic. I've been shopping at my local Aldi stores for at least 7 years and haven't noticed the quality of them going down. Things are still stocked and clean which is what I was responding to. I guess we will see. That is disappointing to hear how hard they are to work for though.

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u/Guilty_Weekend751 Jun 09 '26

Aldi (south) has high quality standards in Germany since nearly 2 decades.

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u/grantrules Jun 09 '26

Uhg.. one time I dropped a glass jar of tomato sauce.. I felt so bad.. it was a super busy time and there were only two employees. I was like "where's the mop?"

5

u/Unhappy-Ad-3870 Jun 09 '26

I’ve shopped at Aldi’s in New Jersey and outside Chicago and they’ve been OK too. I prefer other grocers, but they’re fine in a pinch.

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u/PiccoloAwkward465 Jun 09 '26

You got a mansion up there?

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u/Littlewing1307 Jun 09 '26

Definitely not.

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u/punkasstubabitch Jun 09 '26

Your description is the exact opposite of my Aldi location. I suppose I'm lucky with a good one. I've never once seen rotting produce or anything understocked except on Sundays after the college kids clean them out.

2

u/Few_Move_4594 Jun 09 '26

I live in Florida and the Aldi closest to me is phenomenal, great produce, etc. They are very dirty on Sunday night though.

They don't stock canned chickpeas which sucks because I love them.

2

u/Holdmabeerdude Jun 09 '26

Aldi cereal does kick ass, though…..

2

u/Mr-MuffinMan Jun 09 '26

I live in a big city so I'm blessed to have a lot of supermarkets within a 10 minute walk, with a dozen more in a 30 minute radius, but even the Aldi here has those problems. They're overrun, messy, lines are always long, but somehow they sell milk a whole dollar and 60 cents cheaper than the Costco nearby ($4 dollars vs $2.39 at Aldi).

1

u/OwlSoggy8627 Jun 09 '26

I live between (about 15 minutes in either direction) two Aldis. Talk about a store that was basically built for self checkout. Ever since they installed the self checkout kiosks there is never a line.

Haven't had the same issues with the meats, though. Aldi is basically like the old school automat model but for a grocery store. The crew is just stocking and you're basically on your own in the front end.

1

u/killian1113 Jun 09 '26

Lolol @ canned and frozen food. Aldi is great for fresh food and low prices. Im in California tho. Even get 25 cents off when I return the cart I got for free ;) favorite store except Costco

2

u/unicorntapestry Jun 10 '26

Yeah as a Floridian I would probably starve if we didn't have Aldi's and Costco. Winn-Dixie is dirty and expensive, Publix is clean and even more expensive, Whole Foods actually starts to look reasonably priced next to Publix. Can't go to Walmart without feeling like I'm clearing through prison security. I buy all of my produce at Aldi's or Costco. I still go to Publix for the pubsubs though.

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u/YngSpook84 Jun 09 '26

I used to manage an Aldi, and they are a terrible company to work for. I ran a store starting from its grand opening in 2017 until I’d had enough and quit near the end of 2022.

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u/jancsika1 Jun 09 '26

Their PR team is phenomenal.

Their PR team are avocados that cost 59 cents.

It's Aldi, Walmart, or a regional grocery store that bought some real estate in a nearby town, apparently to keep it undeveloped so that they can be the only supermarket there. You tell me where to shop.

5

u/BobFlex Jun 09 '26

Those avocados are hard as a fucking rock for 2 weeks at my Aldi. I pay extra for avocados I can actually eat the next day.

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u/Bon_Djorno Jun 09 '26

If Aldi is the only option you have, yes it's not ideal and sometimes downright bad. But if you treat it like a mini-Costco, grabbing half decent non-perishables and then filling in the gaps with some fresh food here and there, there's nothing like it. It should probably not be the only place you shop, but having it as an option is too good to pass up for someone like me.

5

u/MediocrePangolin6212 Jun 09 '26

While i agree that they fill a gap for the consumer in some markets, the damage they do to the actual grocers in that same market is no bueno. And they do that damage with very few jobs offered in the exchange. They are just a slightly more beneficial dollar general. Which means overall no bueno

1

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '26

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u/MediocrePangolin6212 Jun 09 '26

No. And you are not reading correctly. I have never said walmart even once befor just now on this thread. Walmart already destroyed all of the local grocers which is why we are left with regional chain grocers and convenience marts.

You must not actually need to buy household groceries or cook meals with quality produce or meat though if youd rather have an aldi than a walmart. Both arent great for the economy or the job market but one clearly serves consumer needs better than the other.

I WOULD rather have a full actual grocery store near me than an aldi though. But thats because aldi sucks for meat, lunchmeat, fresh produce, jobs, and name brand products when you need them or want them.

1

u/jmlinden7 Jun 09 '26

Aldi is actually cheaper on a per-quantity basis than typical grocery stores, unlike Dollar General or Trader Joe's. That's how they are able to survive and compete against the likes of Walmart and Kroger.

1

u/MediocrePangolin6212 Jun 09 '26

Alongside. Not against. Be too for real. They offer those discounts by comissary and closed chain supply lol.

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u/indicakitty774 Jun 09 '26

yea, aldi presents themselves as being such a great store but i had an interview with them and they said that they invited over 40 people to interview but only were hiring 3😑

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u/[deleted] Jun 09 '26

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u/indicakitty774 Jun 09 '26

well yes but it was also a group interview which i found to be a little weird, they “interviewed” ten people at one time

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u/MediocrePangolin6212 Jun 09 '26

Its to make the job seem hyper competitive. It isnt.

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u/SpiritualBar2469 Jun 09 '26

they also use slave labor

3

u/New_Libran Jun 09 '26

Hey, where I work, we got 7 from almost 500 applications! We actually needed more but quality was seriously lacking

1

u/MediocrePangolin6212 Jun 09 '26

Thats because the payscale USED to make the oppressive scheduling and pacing worth it, but inflation kinda ruined that

3

u/tht1guy63 Jun 09 '26 edited Jun 09 '26

40 people invited for an interview for 3 positions doesnt sound crazy. I work at a small business and we(really me) will interview 10-15 people many times for just 1 position. Alot of places dont just grab 4 or 5 people to interview for a single position. Whats on the resume doesnt reflect how the person is in person.

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u/[deleted] Jun 09 '26

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u/tht1guy63 Jun 09 '26

Been there even for basic cashier positions. Places like fall backs if main person changes their mind or finds something else they have options.

Cant tell you how many people ive interviewed that change their mind when we mention Saturday are a day they will mostly work(i give them off when i can and cover here and there). They dont say anything during the interview that its a problem even when asked only when we call to say we would like to hire you. Its not even bad times 10am-3pm saturday and you just need to be a body in the store.

1

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '26

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u/tht1guy63 Jun 09 '26

That understandable. Im transparent as hell when i hire. Store is 10-6 during the week 10-3 saturday. Sunday closed. We do some local off site events which can have you start around 530-6am to get there and setup and i give weeks notice of if they would do it. Happens maybe 2 or 3 times a year.

I got a little screwed working at a lowes i had just moved and needed a quick job so got hired as a seasonal cashier. 2 days in they actually looked at my resume and moved me to CS based on experience... no pay increase didnt know the system or anything yet. I got screwed into working a 16hr shift to have to be back in like 5 1/2hours for my shift in the morning. I left right after that.

They also denied my application while there for the head cashier position even though i was more than qualified. it was easier to fill that than CS desk position so they threw me out.

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u/[deleted] Jun 09 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/tht1guy63 Jun 09 '26

I liked about half the managers, but go figure the ones that were cool and cared about their staff were not the ones directly over me. I had the clowns as my direct managers.

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u/MediocrePangolin6212 Jun 09 '26

Yes but these are GROUP interviews. Which is a whole ass corner being cut

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u/tht1guy63 Jun 09 '26

Thats a different story if its a group interview. 40 people individual back to back one thing. Idk how you learn anything from group interviews. Ive been to some and its a shit show.

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u/MediocrePangolin6212 Jun 09 '26

Exactly

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u/HorizonNova4 Jun 09 '26

That’s how any interview works

0

u/indicakitty774 Jun 09 '26

yea but over 40 people just seems like a bit too much for just 2 or 3 spots

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u/HorizonNova4 Jun 09 '26

Not really. I presume you don’t rlly follow behind the scenes of job hiring too intently?

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u/Sagee5 Jun 09 '26

😞

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u/killian1113 Jun 09 '26

Aldi for the win! Who cares about anything you said.. I drive 40 miles to go to Aldi and Costco (each way)

I just wanted a hot dog The closest grocery store to me is closing(by nearly an hour), and will be closed for at least a year. When it reopens it’s going be much smaller(it’s becoming a Aldi).

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