Why Aldi Displays So Many Grocery Items In Cardboard Shipping Boxes

Aldi is like a candy land for adults, with an assortment of options for cheap goods and in-house private label brands — but you'll notice that most of them are displayed in cardboard shipping boxes. After emailing an Aldi spokesperson, we found that there's a purposeful reason behind it. The simple cardboard displays allow the chain to be more efficient in replenishing inventory, so you don't have to wait long for restocks to hit the shelves. And most importantly, it helps cut down costs. 

While the spokesperson didn't elaborate, we can assume that it may be because it takes more time to take products out of their boxes and sort things out, which requires manpower. It could also be one of the reasons why Aldi offers some items at a more affordable price — decreased labor costs are equal to fewer expenses for fancy gimmicks. Aesthetically, it leaves room for imagination, but with the rising prices of grocery essentials, we'll take affordability over presentation any day. Aldi also makes sure to cut down any unnecessary expenses in other ways, with some even more unnoticeable than the plain boxes.

On your first trip to Aldi, you'll notice that the chain uses a quarter cart system, which requires you to insert a quarter into a coin slot before you're able to use a cart to shop. You'll get the 25 cents back once you return the cart — an incentive that can motivate shoppers to return it to the corral. As such, employees don't have to spend time doing it themselves, minimizing the labor costs needed to retrieve the carts in different places inside and outside the store.

Aldi also makes sure to keep in-store extras to a minimum. This includes playing background music, which means that it doesn't need to shell out unnecessary expenses for licensing fees.  While it can sometimes enhance the shopping experience, we appreciate the reason behind why you won't hear music playing at Aldi stores even more.

Its smaller store footprint approach also helps because it minimizes the overhead for necessary expenses like rent and utilities. Its inventory of 90% Aldi-exclusive products instead of other brand names help decrease the cost needed for sourcing a variety of goods, which they might need to include markups to. It's also helps the chain have control over the prices, allowing Aldi to easily offer products for less. So, shoppers not only get to access unique products, but they can also purchase them at a good price.