Everybody who shops at Aldi knows their cashiers scan items at a super-human speed - and it can be quite the challenge keeping up with them. But there's actually a reason why they rush people through their checkouts, with one former Aldi worker revealing it's all to do with their training and targets.
The ex-employee explained how each store has its own targets to meet - and for theirs, it meant trying to scan one item per second to safely sit above their store's expected 'transaction rate'. They claim workers are on a timer from the second they scan a customer's first item until the customer hands over payment.
The budget supermarket wants to get customers through its checkout as quickly as possible - and encourages customers to bag up their shopping in the bagging area directly opposite the tills rather than at the till themselves to help them achieve this.
Taking to Reddit, the ex-employee said: "You actually have to hit a percentage of 83 per cent or higher on item per minute scanned.
"They would get upset if you didn't get 95 per cent or above. Some cashiers I worked with would hit 110 per cent."
But speed isn't the only rule as employees should have less than five per cent on 'voids' and must press the 'suspend key' at least once to pause each transaction.
"[The suspend key rate] had to be 100 per cent, but I would get like 150 per cent because I would pause the transaction if the person was putting stuff too slow.
"You had to have less than three seconds when starting a new transaction. If you ever notice, they always put the item to be scanned by the scanner, then unsuspend it. You can get a 0 seconds between customers."
The former employee said cashiers can be sent to training classes if they miss their targets - and could then be fired if their transaction rate doesn't improve.
They added: "That’s why they go so fast. They’re literally being timed.
"83 per cent is what Aldi wants. My store wanted 95 per cent. If you didn’t meet the 83 per cent, you went to a training class. After that they could fire you.
"The way I took it was: 60 seconds in a minute. If I scan 60 items in a minute, that should be 100 per cent.
"After every shift was a paper that had all the totals. And almost every time, 'You hit 91 per cent, but you should have hit 95 per cent'.
"Well sorry that the card machine wouldn’t work unless I unsuspend it so they can use it and then take three minutes putting their pin and whatever else."
While most users shared their shock over their intense targets, other believe they'll always fall short because most customers can't keep up with them in the first place.
One customer said: "People with disabilities, and pensioners with health and mobility issues exist.
"There must be some kind of consideration for those customers and dispensation for the staff serving them."
While another shopper added: "I'd rather Aldi added 1p to the cost of everything and allowed their cashiers to operate like human people instead of machines."
In response, another anonymous staff member said: "I've previously been an Aldi cashier, and I understand that I can scan items faster than some people can pack them/put them in their trolley, particularly older people.
"The barcodes are so big that I just need to push items past the scanner in any orientation and it will usually get it.
"By the way, the actual life pro tip for when we are too fast is to simply ask us to slow down. I got asked by some people to slow down, and I was happy to because of course customer service/experience takes precedence over efficiency."
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