Caitlyn Pratt crosses state lines a few times a month to drive 45 minutes from her Heavener, Oklahoma, home to the closest Aldi in nearby Arkansas because she adores the grocery store.
She doesn’t mind traveling if it allows her to accomplish three goals: avoid Walmart, keep her household expenses within reason, and—most importantly—enjoy a tiny, inexpensive treasure hunt in what Aldi aficionados have termed the “aisle of shame.”
Since its first shop opened in Iowa in 1976, Aldi, a privately held German discount grocery chain, has been operating in the United States. Its sales pitch, which is similar to Walmart’s, emphasizes daily low pricing. It runs 12,000 outlets globally and more than 2,000 stores in the US.
Every Aldi store has one aisle filled with goods that are primarily unrelated to groceries. “A rotating assortment of specialty items available for a very limited time” is how the merchant puts it.
It might be anything, like a cozy jumper for your dog or a hammock for your yard. Many of these goods are only a few bucks, which is shocking given the prices.
It’s known as the “Aldi Finds” section at Aldi. The “aisle of shame” is a more colorful substitute for it, according to super fans.
Newcomers to the supermarket chain may believe it’s a disorganized assortment of haphazardly chosen items crammed into the shelves, occasionally overflowing into the ground as a result of a tidal wave of shoppers heading straight for the one item that went viral that week on a Wednesday morning.
However, the products are frequently well chosen and planned according to the seasons to satisfy what clients are currently seeking.
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