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Coronavirus: Aldi shoppers call for Special Buy changes
Aldi shoppers have called for the German supermarket to reconsider running its famous Special Buys as the country continues to deal with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and resulting social distancing and lockdown requirements.
Taking to the popular Aldi Mums Facebook group one woman suggested a ticketing system to stop people from rushing and crowding around sought-after items.
“It just seems like this style of shopping as it is, isn’t helping people social distance,” she wrote.
The post quickly generated plenty of comments, with many arguing the responsibility of keeping 1.5m apart should lie with the shopper.
“Are we not mature enough to distance ourselves?” one person asked.
“If people weren’t completely stupid about it we wouldn’t have that problem,” another said.
While others thought Aldi should have a better system in place during these times.
“I do feel like there should be some sort of system in place to allow those who get there first the first chance to buy, while maintaining social distancing,” one person wrote.
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An Aldi spokesperson told Yahoo Lifestyle it was “disappointing” to see when customers don’t adhere to social distancing measures.
“We need our customers to respect social distancing measures at all times, even when they are standing outside our stores,” the spokesperson said. “While the majority do follow the correct process, it is disappointing to see when social distancing measures are not adhered to.
“While our store teams do their best to enforce customer flows, such as limiting the number of shoppers in our stores, we also ask our customers to remember to keep at least 1.5 metres apart from each other at all times, both in and outside of our stores. We ask everyone to show cooperation, patience and understanding when shopping at Aldi.”
Special Buy crowds slammed amid pandemic
The matter of having Special Buys or not was already a hot topic during the initial lockdown period in March and April, when a number of Aldi shoppers in Sydney’s Inner West were criticised for disregarding social distancing rules.
A mum posted a photo on Facebook in March of the customers “crammed” into a store. She claimed there were “easily 100 people” inside.
“With no human immunity, imagine if one person in this picture was sick with COVID-19?” she wrote.
At the time Aldi told Yahoo News Australia it had several procedures in place to combat the spread of coronavirus.
“We have limited the number of customers allowed in store at any one time so that when you enter you can have a safe and calm shop. Please consider letting those less able or requiring special assistance to the front,” the spokesperson said.
Aldi makes decision to scrap popular Special Buys
By May Aldi had made the decision to scrap some of its more famous Special Buys, known for whipping shoppers into a frenzy.
In a Facebook Live interview with Yahoo News Australia, Aldi Australia’s customer experience director Adrian Christie said the supermarket had to make “a few changes” amid the pandemic.
A number of furniture items had to be “done away with”, as well as the store’s annual luggage sale and huge ski sale.
“This year we had to make the hard decision to postpone that to next year,” Mr Christie said.
In response to Victoria’s return to Stage 4 lockdown, most recently Aldi decided to do away with two of the more bulky items that required multiple people to carry during the fitness Special Buys last week.
Both the spin bike and the boxing tower and bag for just $199 were removed from the sale sections of stores in Melbourne.
Aldi has been contacted for additional comment.
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