Does Aldi's Self-Checkout Have An Item Limit?
Self-checkout lanes should be a quick option if you need to scan a couple items during a fast grocery trip. If you shop at Aldi, however, you might wonder if there's a rule about how many items you can have in a self-checkout lane. You don't want to get stuck behind someone with an overly filled cart and wonder if you made a mistake choosing express grocery checkout. Turns out, there is no right answer: Aldi has no official language on its corporate website regarding item limits. However, if you go by customer discussion, it appears the rules may vary store to store.
One commenter on Reddit was shocked that their local Aldi had gotten rid of a 15-item limit at the self-checkout (previously there had been signs indicating as such), but a number of other commenters mentioned their stores never had a limit at self-checkout to begin with. "We never had a limit. I've always done full grocery shops. I almost never even see anyone manning the lone cashier checkout," shares one Redditor. Another shopper even mentioned their local Aldi pulled the self-checkouts altogether because of theft. It seems that, if you want to know the rules of your local Aldi, the best thing to do is ask the store directly.
Which stores have self-checkout limits?
Aldi's lack of policy is along the lines of many other retailers that also do not have strict self-checkout limits. In fact, Target is one of the only major companies that does have a corporate policy regarding strict item limits (10 max) in its self-checkout lines. To complement this, however, Target also has more traditional staffed lanes for bigger cart loads.
What about other large retailers? Is there a limit on the number of items at a Costco self-checkout? Somewhat surprisingly, Costco, along with stores such as Walmart and BJ's, all have no specific corporate language about checkout line limits. Sam's Club is a little different; the store encourages customers to use the "Scan & Go" feature on its app, which bypasses checkout lines completely. Meanwhile, Dollar General has reduced its number of self-checkout lines altogether.
Ultimately, Aldi is in line with a number of other retailers about not having a uniform corporate "rule" for checkout lanes, since it appears to be at each location's discretion about how to handle self-checkout. Next time you use the lane, consider also using the handheld scanner if you can, an Aldi self-checkout tip that makes your life easier and your shopping trip faster.