PETE CLARK | Melbourne | CONTACT
A local man who believes he has outsmarted the duopolistic supermarket system that is Coles and Woolworths has instead put his support by the German conglomerate Aldi.
The humble grocer which lacks major brand names makes up for this fact by being slightly cheaper, which its faithful patrons never forget to let you know.
Stocking essentials such as garden supplies, snow apparel and an assortment of obscure foreign tall cans, it’s a wonder the supermarket duopoly hasn’t completely crumbled.
However, despite the perks, Aldi has some serious drawbacks.
As local man Thomas Slater shared with the Advocate, Aldi requires shoppers to be held accountable for their consumer habits as every sale is put through by an actual human.
“I felt incredibly self conscious waiting in line with a 4 pack of knock off cornettos, a lebanese cucumber and a frozen enchilada.”
“The check out attendant seemed unphased but I could tell they were judging me. I always throw in a piece of fruit or vegetables to distract from my truly pathetic diet.”
Coles and Woolworths did away with the human check out attendants years ago replacing them with self serve check outs. Humans are still present but play a more minor role, acting as a deterrent to petty theft and scanning their lanyard when things go wrong.
Whilst many Aldis are upgrading to self serve checkouts some are maintaining the judgemental human element.
For some shoppers saving a few measly dollars is a fair trade off for the scrutiny that comes with buying things under a watchful eye.
“One time I saw a guy buy 15 bottles of Summit Cola, that made me feel a little bit better about my purchases.”
More to come.
