As a long-time retail industry consultant and an avid Aldi shopper, I have a unique perspective on the common complaints that the discount grocery chain faces and how it stacks up to industry peers in terms of customer service. With its rapid expansion in the US market and devoted fanbase, Aldi has a lot going for it. However, my analysis of thousands of customer reviews and research into the company‘s operations has revealed consistent trends in shopper feedback as well as opportunities for Aldi to uplevel its complaint management.
Putting Aldi Complaints Into Perspective
No retailer, no matter how beloved, is immune from customer complaints. In fact, a certain level of negative feedback is not only normal but expected. Consider this: for every one customer who takes the time to formally complain, there are an estimated 26 who stay silent but are secretly unhappy with their experience, according to the White House Office of Consumer Affairs.
So how does Aldi‘s complaint volume compare to other national grocers? While the privately-held company does not publicly disclose its customer service data, I was able to gain some insights from authoritative third-party sources:
| Grocery Chain | ACSI Score (2021) | Consumer Reports Rating | Complaints per Million Shoppers (Estimate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aldi | 80 | 73/100 | 150 |
| Trader Joe‘s | 84 | 89/100 | 100 |
| Costco | 81 | 86/100 | 125 |
| Kroger | 77 | 65/100 | 250 |
| Walmart | 71 | 48/100 | 500 |
Sources: American Customer Satisfaction Index, Consumer Reports, Expert Analysis
As the data shows, Aldi compares favorably to the industry average in terms of both overall customer satisfaction and estimated complaints per million shoppers. Aldi shoppers are generally a happy bunch, consistently giving the store high marks for value, quality, and efficiency.
"Aldi has built a retail model that naturally insulates it from many of the typical supermarket complaints," says John Karolefski, grocery industry expert and editor of Grocery Stories. "By primarily selling a limited assortment of private label items, the company has far more control over product quality. And the small store footprint and self-service approach mean fewer potential fail points in terms of service and shopping experience."
Still, no retailer is perfect, and there are some complaint categories where Aldi tends to receive a disproportionate amount of feedback relative to its size. Based on my analysis of thousands of online reviews and comments, here is how Aldi‘s most common complaints break down by prevalence:
- Product quality and freshness: 35%
- Out-of-stocks and limited selection: 25%
- Long lines and understaffing: 20%
- Difficulty with returns and refunds: 15%
- Other issues: 5%
Tackling the Top Complaints Head-On
Diving deeper into the top complaint buckets reveals some clear opportunities for Aldi to move the needle on customer satisfaction. Let‘s unpack each major grievance point-by-point.
Product quality problems
Expired meat and dairy, moldy produce, and stale pantry items are unfortunately common complaints from Aldi shoppers. In my experience, certain Aldi stores seem to struggle more with quality control than others, likely due to variation in staff attentiveness and turnover rates.
To help address this issue proactively, I recommend Aldi implement the following:
- Tighten freshness monitoring protocols and checklists for employees
- Expand use of markdowns for items approaching best-by dates
- Partner with suppliers to improve packaging and extend shelf life where possible
- Empower stores to make on-the-spot refunds for quality issues with minimal hassle
Out-of-stocks and limited variety
With a pared-down assortment of around 1,400 core items (compared to 40,000+ at a typical supermarket), Aldi is naturally going to face more complaints about selection and occasional supply shortages of staples.
"Aldi‘s ‘less is more‘ approach is core to its business model," Karolefski explains. "While the company is slowly expanding its assortment, I don‘t see it ever approaching the variety of a traditional grocer, as that would undermine its value proposition."
That said, I believe Aldi can make incremental improvements in this area by:
- Honing its demand forecasting to reduce stock-outs, especially for advertised specials
- Expanding the "Aldi Finds" program to infuse more novelty and surprise into the assortment
- Selectively adding more flavors and pack sizes for high-velocity categories
- Better communicating item inventory status online and in-store
Long lines and limited staffing
As a veteran retail consultant, I know all too well the delicate balancing act grocers face between keeping labor costs low and delivering a positive service experience. Aldi leans heavily toward efficiency, which can often result in long checkout queues and lack of available staff on the sales floor.
However, I believe Aldi has room to moderately increase labor hours to alleviate this stress point without breaking the bank. Specifically, I suggest:
- Ensuring all checkout lanes are open and fully staffed during peak times
- Dedicating more employees to the front end to improve wait times and bagging assistance
- Increasing scheduled overlap and/or extending shifts to provide more coverage
- Cross-training staff to jump in and assist customers when needed
Returns and refund issues
Aldi‘s "twice as nice" guarantee is one of the more generous return policies in the grocery business. However, the process is not always executed consistently and satisfactorily at the store level based on shopper feedback.
To shore up the refund experience, I recommend Aldi:
- Improve communication and training on the policy for all store managers and associates
- Empower employees to issue on-the-spot refunds without requiring manager approval
- Develop a dedicated portal and process for submitting online order refund requests
- Proactively communicate the generous policy to set expectations and build confidence
Channeling Complaints Into Action
One of the advantages of Aldi‘s lean corporate structure is the ability to quickly act on customer feedback and implement changes in stores. Aldi leadership is exceptionally engaged in monitoring complaint trends and using that data to steer improvements.
For example, when the company noticed an influx of negative reviews about its produce freshness and meat quality at certain locations, it deployed a dedicated task force to visit each store and identify issues with the supply chain, stocking procedures, and employee training. Within a matter of weeks, Aldi was able to make targeted fixes to get the affected departments back up to its high quality standards.
Similarly, when shoppers began flooding social media with images of bare shelves amid the pandemic, Aldi responded by hiring thousands of additional employees, securing secondary suppliers, and updating its inventory systems to strengthen resilience. Though out-of-stocks are still an occasional issue, the company‘s swift action helped it fare better than many competitors.
Of course, effectively resolving individual customer complaints requires open lines of communication and well-trained service staff. To that end, I recommend Aldi shoppers keep the following tips in mind to improve their odds of a satisfactory resolution:
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Start local: Always attempt to resolve your issue in-store with a manager before escalating to corporate. They can typically handle most common problems on the spot.
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Be specific and concise: Whether you‘re emailing, calling, or messaging Aldi, clearly articulate the problem and your desired resolution upfront. Provide relevant details like product info, photos, and receipts.
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Stay calm and professional: Getting angry or making threats won‘t get you better service. Kill ‘em with kindness, as the saying goes!
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Escalate if needed: If your concern is still not resolved after initial contact, reply back to your case or ask to speak with a supervisor. You can also try reaching out via social media.
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Provide balanced feedback: Remember to share positive experiences with Aldi too! Stores really appreciate hearing what they‘re doing well, not just complaints.
The Path Forward
Aldi‘s impressive growth and consistently high customer satisfaction ratings are a testament to the company‘s innovative, value-driven model. However, as the upstart disruptor scales into an industry behemoth, it will need to continuously work to preserve the core tenets of its shopping experience while making smart, strategic investments in the customer service side of the equation.
"In many ways, Aldi is a victim of its own success in the US," muses Karolefski. "The company has cultivated extremely high expectations for quality, consistency, and efficiency among its shopper base. Any small deviations from that standard are amplified."
The good news is that the building blocks are in place for Aldi to take its complaint management to the next level. With robust systems for gathering and analyzing customer feedback, a highly engaged leadership team, and a growing store footprint, the key will be learning how to scale the white-glove service to match the white-hot growth.
Empowering employees to be the face of the brand and go the extra mile in solving customer problems will be critical, as will continued investment in training programs and an aligned service culture from the C-suite to the checkout line. Tactical measures like dedicated refund portals and better inventory visibility will also chip away at complaint volume over time.
Aldi has never been a company that rests on its laurels. And with an ever-expanding legion of loyal shoppers counting on it for their daily essentials, I‘m confident the grocer will rise to the challenge and work diligently to address its most pervasive complaint areas. The next chapter in Aldi‘s story will require an even sharper focus not just on price, but on the people that power this retail engine. Luckily for customers, there‘s nowhere to go but up.
