Almost everyone knows the gray carpet in the entrance area of Aldi Süd stores. However, hardly anyone knows that the grooves have a specific reason:
An abandoned shopping trolley in the bushes or on the street corner – this annoying image is well known to many supermarket and discounter customers. Teenagers who allow themselves a prank or people who were too lazy to return the shopping cart could be reasons for this. However, if you try to take the car with you at Aldi, you will encounter a problem. This is because the discounter giant has developed a system to take action against vandals and "thieves".
| Name | Aldi |
|---|---|
| Seat | Eat |
| Foundation | 1946 |
| Founder | Karl and Theo Albrecht |
Aldi Süd relies on immobilizer against shopping cart theft
According to chip.de, the Aldi site is surrounded by several magnetic stripes, which are located on the border with the sidewalk. These magnetic strips therefore trigger an immobilizer on the shopping cart. This means that anyone who wants to roll off the site with an Aldi Süd shopping trolley will be blocked.
In order to continue driving after that, you would have to carry the car, because pushing is hardly possible. By the way: An insider has revealed to chip.de that the parking lot or underground car park is part of the Aldi site. There, customers can push the shopping cart completely safely.
Aldi Süd: This is the function of the grey carpet at the entrance
The surprise comes when you unlock the shopping cart. Pretty much every customer of Aldi Süd knows the gray carpet with the grooves in the entrance area. These grooves actually have a surprising function.
When a shopping cart is locked, it can be unlocked by simply hovering over the flooring. Knowing this is important for all customers. This is because the blocked shopping carts are usually put back or even left standing. If the small magnetic grooves do not help with the blockage, customers can also ask at the checkout.
Stolen or destroyed: That's how expensive shopping carts are for Aldi, Lidl and Co.
In addition to the immobilizer, shopping carts, some of which are designed to encourage customers to buy more, are also protected by locks – which is why customers are known to need a coin. Nevertheless, around 100,000 shopping carts are stolen in Germany every year, which is a big loss for discounters such as Aldi or Lidl. Aldi Süd responds to an inquiry from HEIDELBERG24: "The acquisition costs for shopping trolleys are very high and we would like to make them available to our customers in sufficient quantities. That's why we try to limit losses due to theft as much as possible."
0
Also Read
Degree of disability: which diseases are considered severe disability
READ
Ikea is testing a new concept: customers can pay with time
READ
Driver's license change from 2023 - new regulations for all motorists
READ
New heating law from 2024: Which heating systems will still be allowed from then on
READ
Why do so many people make this annoying supermarket mistake? Cashier also appeals to customers
READ
Fancy a voyage of discovery?
My Area
A shopping cart is probably between 80 and 130 euros expensive. Then there is the problem that some shopping aids are destroyed by incorrect use. A video of a life hack went viral. In it, a customer revealed how to save the coin on the shopping cart. However, the discounter giant Aldi had already warned against it.
Aldi: At every entrance there is this secret function © IMAGO/Michael Gstettenbauer
Different security systems for shopping trolleys: Aldi Süd explains it
But at Aldi Süd there is not just one system that the stores can use, as the discounter giant reveals: "Basically, our stores can use shopping carts with different immobilizers." On the one hand, there is the possibility that the shopping cart cannot leave the premises. Another variant restricts freedom even more.
Aldi Süd explains to HEIDELBERG24: "Another variant of theft protection prevents shopping trolleys from leaving the store through the store entrance." This means that if a shopping trolley leaves the store in the wrong direction, the wheels lock. Unlocking is also possible in various ways: back in the "confined" area, driving over the carpet or manually by employees.
"The deployment is not nationwide. The use is decided individually for the individual ALDI SOUTH stores in order to be able to optimally adapt to the given local conditions," says Aldi Süd as an explanation for the different variants. (Tobi)
