Special offer

ALDI of Garden City MI. keeps the shopping carts corraled for a quarter

By
Services for Real Estate Pros with Quality Home Investments, LLC / Dearborn Heights, MI

ALDI of Garden City MI.  keeps the shopping carts corralled for a quarter.....What a concept. Why didn't I think of that?

ALDI is an international grocer with stores in sixteen countries and the United States. They minimize costs by having groceries out on simple shelving, still in boxes. Store size is much smaller than the big box stores. After you go through the register you bag or box your own groceries on a shelf provided for your convenience. The product brands are not well known names but are of great quality. Any savings is passed on to the customer.

ALDI Garden City, MI shopping carts corralled

 

Look how all of the shopping carts are nice and neat. Out of the parking lot and just waiting for you to come and get one. They don't just go there all by themselves. NOPE.

The customers all put them back here when they are done with them. THEY WHAT? YES, the customers put them back. The store does not have to pay someone to go out into the parking lot and gather carts and put them away.

ALDI has a system that allows you to get a shopping cart out of the corral for a quarter. When you are done shopping, you put the cart back and get your quarter back.Such a simple concept. Who would have thought that everyone would go the extra steps to put the carts back for a mere 25 cents

 

 

ALDI shopping carts

 

 

 

Here is a close up view of the carts all chained together. When you insert a quarter into the slot of the last cart, it is released for your shopping trip. When you are done, you bring your cart back to the corral, insert the key from the other cart and your quarter is returned to you. In essence, a FREE cart. But the whole program of requiring a quarter to use a cart has kept all of the carts out of the parking lot at no expense to ALDI.

 

 

 

 

ALDI shopping cart instructions

 

 

 

 

There is a poster on the wall for first time shoppers explaining this simple process.

Imagine if more stores utilized this unique concept. You wouldn't have to go looking for a cart. You wouldn't have shopping carts in the parking lot as obstacles to drive around or to roll into your vehicle. The savings could be passed on to the consumers.

Why don't more stores do this?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can shop at locally at:

ALDI of Garden City, MI,

ALDI of Westland, MI

ALDI of Dearborn Heights, MI

ALDI of Canton, MI

ALDI of Redford, MI

 

 

Comments (6)

Karen Burket
Bank of Oregon a division of Willamette Valley Bank - Medford, OR
Valley Mortgage Grou, Conventional, FHA, VA, mortgages

They stole my idea!  lol.  Funny...I just posted a blog the other day regarding one of my biggest pet peeves.  PEOPLE THAT DON'T PUT THEIR SHOPPING CARTS BACK!  :)   I think ALDI's are more on the east coast if not mistaken.  Wish some of our west coast retailers would would implement this!

Jan 21, 2011 04:34 AM
Lee & Pamela St. Peter
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices YSU Realty: (919) 645-2522 - Raleigh, NC
Making Connections to Success in Real Estate

There's an Aldi's in N. Raleigh that does the same thing here Craig.  It sure beats pulling into the parking lot and having to maneuver around the carts that others were too lazy to return!  Nice localism post...

Jan 21, 2011 07:48 AM
Craig Snead
Quality Home Investments, LLC / Dearborn Heights, MI - Dearborn Heights, MI
Real Estate Investor

Karen, maybe you could start your idea on the West coast?

Lee & Pamela, I appreciate not having to drive through a maze of carts.

Trying to mix in some local posts with the other posts.

Jan 21, 2011 08:00 AM
Georgie Hunter R(S) 58089
Hawai'i Life Real Estate Brokers - Haiku, HI
Maui Real Estate sales and lifestyle info

They do that at our airport with the baggage carts.  Except I don't think they give you money back anymore.  For 25 cents, those carts would still be a deal to a homeless person.  I have never even heard of ALDI but I like their philosophy. 

Jan 21, 2011 10:45 AM
Virginia Gardner
Roy Wheeler Realty Co. - Charlottesville, VA
Realtor, Charlottesville, Serving Central Virginia

Well, darn, how smart is that!

Jan 21, 2011 01:53 PM
Craig Snead
Quality Home Investments, LLC / Dearborn Heights, MI - Dearborn Heights, MI
Real Estate Investor

Georgina, makes you wonder who came up with the idea first, the airport or ALDI.

Virginia, I think it very clever and I wish more stores would adopt this program.

Jan 21, 2011 11:35 PM