You're Not Imagining It. Aldi Employees Are Scanning Your Groceries Super Fast

No matter how many times you stand in the checkout line at Aldi, it's always mesmerizing to watch the breakneck speed Aldi cashiers use to move your groceries from the belt to the cart waiting on the other side of the cash register. Former and current employees have shared online why they scan groceries so quickly, seriously shortening the amount of time that you spend waiting to return your cart, collect your quarter, and head home.

Like many processes at Aldi, a speedy checkout system works to help the European-born grocery store chain offer you low-priced gourmet chocolates (the Moser Roth cranberry chocolate bar is Aldi's best), baked goods, and more at the competitive prices you've come to know and love — and that make Aldi the cheapest grocery store in America. To create the most efficient and cost-effective checkout system possible, Aldi takes a multi-pronged approach: The company specially trains its cashiers to move quickly, uses an easy-to-scan barcode system, and relies on customers to pack their groceries into bags themselves. 

Cashiers at Aldi are timed on a number of performance indicators, including the number of items they scan each minute and how much time they take to move from one customer's transaction to the next, according to a Reddit thread on Aldi's employee policies. Several commenters chimed in to share tips on how you can help your cashier move even faster. Placing items on the belt in the same order you'd like them placed in your cart is a popular tip, as is waiting to put your items in bags until they're done scanning and you can move out of the way.

Besides thorough training, large barcodes and a separate bagging area help Aldi cashiers move through each customer's order super quickly. If you look at the barcodes on your Aldi-brand items, you'll notice a clear difference from barcodes on products from other brands: Aldi barcodes are gigantic. This makes it easier for your cashier to quickly scan each item without taking the time to search for a tiny, hidden barcode. 

A separate bagging area away from the cashier's station also helps to cut down on the time it takes to move you through the checkout process. Aldi cashiers simply place groceries back in your cart. After they're finished and you've paid for your order, you can head over to the organization area just past the cash registers, where you'll be able to bag your own groceries with reusable bags or bags you've purchased at Aldi.

While some Aldi employees on the Reddit thread stated that they felt stressed by the super-high expectations of their employer, others said that they loved the fast-paced environment. Self-checkouts in some Aldi markets also offer a new option to customers who would like to slow down and check out on their own.