Talk:Aldi/Archive 2

Founded
Is the date for original founding correct? It currently shows 1961, but on their website they claim their first doors opened in 1913. http://www.aldi.co.uk/uk/html/company/about_us.htm?WT.z_src=main — Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.110.44.197 (talk) 08:08, 3 October 2012 (UTC) Yes, you are right, there is something wrong here. I have aligned the date with the German Wikipedia version. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.235.153.149 (talk) 10:29, 4 October 2012 (UTC)

Untitled
I am quite sure that the Albrechts still completely own Aldi. That is also the reason why they are the richest people in Germany. Quite some value considering that Aldi even own almost all their sites.... It is also misleading to write that they earn 1.5 billion a year as Aldi famously have always reinvested all their profits and the Albrechts being the people they are, would never spend 1.5 billion a year or stash it away in their bank account if they can reinvest in their company. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 134.2.246.90 (talk) 21:21, 2 March 2009 (UTC)

ALDI Creditcards
ALDI Denmark DOES accept creditcards... You can pay with "dankort" in danish Aldi's.. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 93.163.134.50 (talk) 11:33, 15 October 2009 (UTC)

Surely Dankort is a debit card, not a credit card. It may have also have a Visa function, but this attracts merchant fees. Visa is unlikely to be accepted by retailers at Aldi's end of the spectrum. Guffydrawers (talk) 18:20, 1 July 2013 (UTC)

Check-out procedures (Topic OPEN)
The statement "...Aldi stores in Germany INSIST that customers use a trolley ..." is factually WRONG as far as Aldi South is concerned. I shop in various local branches at least twice a week and I have never seen even the slightest sign of non-trolleyed customers being told to adjust their behaviour. Nor are there any posters or displays recommending the use of trolleys. It would be more accurate to say that the use of trolleys is implicitly ENCOURAGED by the layout of the Aldi checkout desks whose conveyor belts end right in front of the cashier. This is in contrast to most supermarket checkouts where the conveyor belt leads onto a slide leading down to one or two bagging compartments where customers can more or less take their time to bag their groceries. This space-saving layout clearly discourages bagging at the checkout. However, all Aldi South stores have a dedicated bagging area a few metres away from the checkout stations, usallly running along the store window. Greetings, Reinhard in Germany —Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.235.178.232 (talk) 12:05, 21 January 2010 (UTC)


 * The statement is wrong for ALDI Nord as well. -- 88.153.171.251 (talk) 19:21, 24 February 2010 (UTC)

Amended the wrong statement that all Aldi till operaters have to scan between 1000 and 1200 items per hour. The target for each productive hour is assesed by the store management team and can vary from about 800 to as high as 1600. Also, there is no fixed number for Ireland, which was also mentioned. --82.194.107.37 (talk) 14:27, 18 September 2009 (UTC)

Romania does not have any Aldi Markets!!! (Topic OPEN)
The reference is based on an article. I don't know yet definitly to which Aldi Romania will be allocated, but I am quite sure it won't be Aldi Nord (North). I recommend to remove it in the listing. 85.127.158.114 (talk) 08:42, 2 February 2009 (UTC)

Preferential treatment for US/UK websites?
I recently reorganised and expanded the Aldi article's External links section (also here).
 * User:Doco removed the links to all (non-German) international subsidiary websites, except those for the UK and US.
 * I reverted this.
 * The next day, Doco removed all international subsidiary links except the US & UK ones.
 * I then removed the links to the US/UK sites, saying Either include all or no international subsidiary websites. The US and UK are not "special".
 * Doco reverted this, saying: This is the English-language wikipedia, dear IP vandal..
 * I reverted this, saying: rv: Your belief that US/UK entities are supposed to get preferential treatment in this encyclopedia is mistaken. And quit the unfounded name calling. Even if you were right: What about Australia/Eire?
 * I'm pretty sure Doco will revert again, and I could of course revert him again, but I don't want to get bogged down. Which brings me to this page. Please comment: Should US/UK entities get preferential treatment in this encyclopedia? If not, I believe we should either include all or none of Aldi's international subsidiary websites. It would also be cool if other people could watch the article: I don't think it's good for me to get any more entangled there. 86.56.48.12 18:28, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

The question of whether the U.S. / U.K. are special is irrelevant to the goals of Wikipedia, in my opinion. Unless User:Doco can make a case that removing the non US/UK links furthers the content or clarity of the information, I'm predisposed to say that more information is better than less, and thus we should leave the links in. I'll watch the page as well.Chrisbbehrens 03:07, 17 January 2007 (UTC)


 * I think we should include none of the subsidiary websites, and have removed them. Including particular ones is systemic bias, based on guesswork of what the reader will want to be linked to. They are all available under the first external link anyway, and the external links section should be kept to a minimum (per WP:EL). Trebor 18:09, 17 January 2007 (UTC)


 * Setting WP:EL aside for a moment, I think the preference should be for English speaking sites. If you link to a page on a French or Italian site, it wouldn't do me any good - in fact, I couldn't even confirm that the link is even relevant to the article. I don't think we should believe an English site over another language, but if I had to chose 3 sites out of 10 or 100 to link to, I think that we should chose 3 English speaking sites, as those are ones that will be of the most use to an English speaking audience. If a link to a non-English language site is absolutely necessary, then add a second link in the same line that points to a Babelfish translation. Yes, I'm aware that there are multi-lingual Wikipedia readers, but there are also other languages for Wikipedia as well. The policy is that articles are English-only, so EL's should be English-only as well. -- TomXP411[Talk] 06:06, 25 February 2007 (UTC)
 * I agree. We should focus on relevance to English language readers, not abstract ideas of intellectual purity. Luwilt (talk) 15:29, 24 February 2009 (UTC)

di

cheap property
"In the United States, Aldi often locates its stores in areas with cheap property, which is often synonymous with proximity to high concentrations of impoverished minorities." Um, do you have some statistics to back up this assertion? I have seen them in all sorts of locations with all sorts of population demographics.


 * The Aldi stores I've shopped in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana have been in solid, busy, middle-class shopping centers, not fancified at all, but far from impoverished or minority populations. These stores aren't carrying the type of merchandise you'd find in inner-city bodegas, but rather the quality you'd expect from a Costco or a Kroger.  Skimping on rent is a bad business practice, and the only REAL bad business practice I've seen at Aldi has been to refrigerate their tomatoes.  (Fresh tomatoes lose their flavor if refrigerated, as that destroys the [cis-3 hexenel].

My change regarding Aldi not raising prices after increase in VAT
I erased the following sentence:
 * "Likewise, in late 2006, the company announced it would not be raising its prices in Germany, despite an increase in value-added tax from 16 to 19 percent in 2007."

Aldi actually only said they would not raise most of its prices. And while they kept their promise, that was not very surprising, because they mostly sell food and drinks and other items of daily life. The VAT for those goods had been and remained at 7%, no increase in 2007. So while their slogan was true, it does not serve as an example of how to build a reputation by using transparent pricing schemes. It's just advertisement. Blur4760 19:50, 23 March 2007 (UTC)

Competitors Section (DONE!)
Is the Competitors Section really necessary? It's going to get pretty messy, as people are already listing American supermarket chains (of which there are COUNTLESS). Eventually the list could number in the thousands when supermarkets from every country that has an Aldi appear. Perhaps only "Top Competitors" by country would make more sense. 70.135.223.251 08:29, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

To use DiCaprio's words in Catch Me If You Can: I concur. Blur4760 14:46, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

I have stripped the competitors section as it was turning into an ugly long list and replaced it with a brief text about the main, direct competitors. It should be kept short and crisp. doco ( ☏ ) 14:51, 9 May 2007 (UTC)

Greece not adequately included (DONE!)
I know there are some stores in Greece but unfortunately I cannot find out how many to allow me to properly update the article as I cannot speak Greek. All I can tell is that it is Aldi Sud. Sce8pmh 14:15, 8 June 2007 (UTC)

Actually there are no stores yet. They are sarching for staff and building stores. Buy thes haven´t opened them.

I have updated Greece. 08:37, 2 February 2009 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.127.158.114 (talk)

Difference between Aldi Sud and Aldi Nord
I wasn't aware that Aldi was split into two different markets. The article doesn't indicate what, if any, differences there are between them. This should be made clearer in the article. Yorkshiresky 13:32, 12 November 2007 (UTC)
 * afaik they do work together but are seperated companys. (for a customer the only difference ist there are different things cheep in one week here and the other week there)194.76.29.2 15:38, 12 November 2007 (UTC)

In fact they are two different companies (different logos) sharing one concept. They don't sell the same products (at least they don't use the same names. So Aldi North toothpaste and Aldi South toothpaste are called differently, etc.). I'm from southern Germany and when I happen to find myself in an ALDI North market (whether in Northern Germany or France) I notice this immediately because the products are different. So even though there is apparently a certain degree of cooperation (they are brothers!) the difference between ALDI Nord and ALDI Süd is like the difference between Lidl and Aldi Süd. The public nevertheless just speaks of ALDI, also because they never are direct competitors. I hope that made things clearer. By the way, the article lacks sources, right. But at least from a German perspective I can't find any mistake. The article wouldn't be any better with sources. Markus —Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.132.11.108 (talk) 00:46, 6 January 2008 (UTC)

As far as I know it has changed now, but in the earlier days only Alid Süd was offering tobacco. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 91.36.192.67 (talk) 20:36, 2 May 2008 (UTC)

Still offering. But ALDI North not. That's why they split. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.52.38.225 (talk) 17:47, 19 September 2012 (UTC)

"fake brands"
Shouldn't the fact that all of the brands on the food packaging is made up and that all the packaging is based on real companies? 139.168.34.166 (talk) 12:42, 6 September 2008 (UTC)
 * Er...what? If you are referring to the fact that several Aldi products are their own brand, that's relatively par for the course - e.g. "Hy-Vee" brand or "Sam's Choice" brand products (for Hy-Vee and Walmart/Sam's Club respectively). --66.211.10.20 (talk) 04:20, 15 October 2008 (UTC)
 * All packaging from any company is "made up", 139.168.34.166. However I too (in the UK) noticed a degree of coincidence in the past between the "Aldi own" brand packaging and the equivalent "well known" packaging (which is what I suppose you mean by "real companies"). We're certainly not talking "Calbury's" chocolates or "Nestafé" coffee (Trading Standards would be on them like a rat up a drainpipe for "passing off" were that the case), but a blind man on a galloping horse might have been forgiven for mistaking some of Aldi's packaging for a better-known competitor's. That tendency seems to be reducing nowadays, though; perhaps Aldi feel that they are gaining enough market penetration for their own packaging and ranges to stand on their own merits. 81.129.207.110 (talk) 22:13, 2 July 2009 (UTC)
 * It's been common practice in other supermarkets in the UK to style their own brand packaging to suggest which brand name product it is similar too. Rankersbo (talk) 06:57, 15 September 2010 (UTC)
 * Most premium-brand companies do NOT produce house brand products. Companies that make house brand products generally have their own brand of product so they can sell you 1000 cases of product without having to gear up to attach your house label. House label products are often made to the buyer's specification/recipe. and are not necessarily cheap products. Costco's tuna, for instance, costs more than premium brand tuna, but it's a premium product.64.184.68.136 (talk) 22:51, 31 October 2012 (UTC)

Reputation
Did an Aldi employee write that section? It is poorly written and needs sorting out. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.172.29.80 (talk) 12:29, 23 November 2008 (UTC)
 * Some people get very loyal to their supermarkets. Rankersbo (talk) 06:59, 15 September 2010 (UTC)
 * Alsi's isn't a supermarket. It's just a market. A supermarket offers a wide variety of quality, brands, and sizes, but for most items, Aldi offers only one size and one brand of an item. 64.184.68.136 (talk) 22:51, 31 October 2012 (UTC)
 * Not so at all, Aldi usually has two or sometimes three alternatives of each product. For example several types of bacon, Cheddar cheese, dishwashing detergents, toothpaste, milks, butter, kitchen paper towels, eggs, ad infinitum. Also in the UK and Australia, "supermarket" is the common descriptor for what Americans would call "market". In the former two countries "market" means an outdoor street or charity affair with stalls.--MichaelGG (talk) 11:50, 30 June 2013 (UTC)

Confusing statement?
Under (for some slightly hard-to-fathom reason) "In-store layout" the article states: "Aldi mainly sells exclusively produced, custom-branded products (often identical to and produced by major brands)". Surely a product "identical to" a major brand is hardly "exclusively produced". "Custom-branded", perhaps, but "exclusively produced"? The statement also requires sourcing. 81.129.207.110 (talk) 22:04, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

Corporate Structure?
I gather that both of the Aldi companies are privately held, but the article does not explicitly say so anywhere.

"Aldi informiert"
The meaning of the term "Aldi informiert" is indeed "Aldi informs" IMHO and not "Aldi News", which would be "Aldi Neuigkeiten" or "Aldi Nachrichten". 84.59.36.89 (talk) 05:06, 20 November 2009 (UTC)


 * "Aldi informs" doesn't make much sense as the title of a newsletter, though. (signed, a professional translator.) Andrew Levine (talk) 20:05, 2 February 2010 (UTC)


 * Why so? And whatever, it is the actual name, if it makes sense to you or not. -- 88.153.171.251 (talk) 19:24, 24 February 2010 (UTC)


 * "Aldi Informs" makes perfect sense in German, however it is important to understand that a concept in a language does not always translate cleanly - while the German language permits this matter-of-fact manner, in English it doesn't quite flow properly. "Aldi News" is indeed far more accurate when the intent of the publication is considered. It's possible if we want to be really strict, the title "Aldi Informer" could suffice, however this is also inaccurate, in my opinion. Horst.Burkhardt (talk) 10:06, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

Former Yugoslavia? (Bosnia)
Was there ever Aldi in Bosnia, or or any other part of in Yugoslavia (besides Slovenia)? Because there is no mention in the article, but the page for Travnik has a picture of refugees in Bosnia around 1992-1993, and a woman has an Aldi bag? Vuvuzela2010 (talk) 18:47, 30 March 2011 (UTC)

it does not necessarily imply the existence of Aldi in this particular region/country - since plastic bags (not only, but also of Aldi) are frequently and often re-used for a wide range of purposes (even to bag items for travel, removal etc.), and many people from this region have ties with Germany (working in Germany or being refugees at some time). So the plastic bag can be easily explained also this way.Fanmos (talk) 10:51, 14 April 2011 (UTC)

Trader Joes
There should be a remark that Trader Joes is a "sub-company" of Aldi in the USA. Check out the Trader Joes article which has a remark linking to Aldi it should be both ways for transperancy. --Hector Bosch (talk) 14:57, 1 April 2011 (UTC)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trader_Joe's

Trader Joe's is run independently of ALDI
The statement “Both operate in the United States; Aldi Nord operates the Trader Joe's niche food stores, while Aldi Süd operates the main Aldi stores in the country” is incorrect. Aldi Nord does NOT operate in the USA. Trader Joe's and Aldi's are owned by the same parent company, but Trader Joe's is run independently of Aldi's. Trader Joe's does not have any direct relationship with Aldi's for any business purposes. There are no Aldi Nord operated stores in the USA. The Geographic Distribution table should be updated or revised to reflect this fact. Irl32csc (talk) 18:26, 9 August 2011 (UTC)

Aldi Quality
I know personal experience doesn't count here ;-) But anyway, my personal experience with Aldi products is that - much to the contrary - the quality of products sold at Aldi is *exceptionally good* and *much better* than comparable products sold at "regular" supermarkets at significantly higher prices. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.139.196.68 (talk) 14:27, 11 February 2012 (UTC)

--Fenneuter (talk) 16:49, 18 April 2012 (UTC)== Aldi Origins ==

I think there should be some noting of Aldi's disingenuous attempts to sort of mislead Americans (and perhaps other nationalities) about the origins of the company. The following is right out of the "Hstory" section of their US web site:

"The ALDI way of shopping has been continuously honed and refined since our first store opened in Southeastern Iowa in 1976. Committed to bringing food to customers at the lowest prices possible, our early stores set up shop in small spaces and introduced shoppers to the select-assortment concept, carrying only 500 select brand products. Compared with other supermarkets, our stores seemed tiny. But ALDI found a niche with Americans hungry for real value, and the chain grew rapidly."http://aldi.us/us/html/company/5561_ENU_HTML.htm?WT.z_src=main It really ought to say "our first U.S. location", wouldn't you think? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Fenneuter (talk • contribs) 16:44, 18 April 2012 (UTC)

Tone template added
This style of the article is clumsy at best and not up to Wikipedia's standards. i'll try to clean it up later, but if someone else can do it, that'd be good too. Particularly, its overuse of quotation marks and parentheses is not acceptable. It ends up looking conversational, and even then, conversational in a way that's not particularly articulate. For example, at one point, the article says that the shopping items boxes are used as "shopping bags." The quotation marks are apparently made to indicate that the boxes are not really shopping bags but merely ersatz shopping bags. This is not obvious to fix: it sometimes requires completely rearranging the sentences. Parentheses are sometimes used in a similar way. Eje211 (talk) 10:45, 27 August 2012 (UTC)

It's history now
One of the Aldi business concepts that people, except this former German, seem to have forgotten is this: Aldi refused to put prices on their products, no stickers, no writing. What they did was have one, yes one, product of each kind in the boxes it came from the factory. On the wall was a big poster with big characters like e.g. bread 1 DM, bucket washing powder 8 DM. This saved them the costs of pricing, obviously. When they were taken to court by the government that had introduced pricing laws, they argued that they stocked only one article of the kind and the price cannot be overlooked, no misunderstandings. They won, so they were the only shops without prices. Then they saved the cashier's time to type in numbers. There were no prices like 1.87 DM for instance, that would be 1.8 or 1.9 - and all the cashiers knew all prices by heart. They were also incredibly quick, mostly women who'd come in for a few hours when they were called in. Why exactly they developed to sell private labels only, I don't know, but probably they wanted to undercut prices and for branded products that was not yet the fashion.

There's no shame in going to cheap Aldi, as there is no shame in saving money. We used to go there for all our non-perishables, and as the success has shown many others did, too. It does not matter that they are a private company, because it never really matters who owns a company - as long as it is really well managed, doing the right thing. 144.136.192.70 (talk) 06:42, 29 January 2013 (UTC)

Parking issues and horsemeat allegations
I've reverted two additions referring to people being limited in the time they can park and being sent financial demands when they overpark because, first, they were mostly unsourced and, second, because they were unnecessarily spread over two sections of the article. Please understand that I agree that these issues may be proper material for the article, but under the verifiability and reliable sourcing policies of Wikipedia they must be supported by sources acceptable to Wikipedia. Message boards are not an acceptable source. The one Leyland Guardian article was an acceptable source, but the point it covers is, alone, too insignificant about the chain as a whole to pass the undue weight policy. Please feel free to restore this material if you can find reliable sources for it. I've also restored an inexplicably-removed removal of the reliable source for the recent horsemeat problem and have expanded the comment it supports to make it more evenhanded so as to better reflect the neutral point of view policy. Regards, TransporterMan  ( TALK ) 16:27, 26 December 2013 (UTC)