ALDI — Local services in Knoxville

OK, so for me it’s not about all the things that you should expect from a service provider that makes the experience good or bad. I feel like we should always acknowledge when the places that we go to are doing things right, because it’s way way easier to only pick up on the bad things. But I got to tell you, I absolutely love it when I see a business decide to go over and above for their customers. I constantly look for opportunities to go over and above for my customers, and I know that they appreciate that when I do. And so it just really thrills me when I get to experience the same from a place that I frequent. So today I want to acknowledge Aldis for being “That Guy” and going above and beyond for me. So if you’re not an Aldi shopper first off you should be. If you’ve tried it once and it didn’t sit well with you, give it another shot, go this time prepared for the things that you learned last time and have fun with it. Take a look at some of their store brand products. They have really good offerings and the quality is really good. Now aside from that, to talk specifically about the location I’m reviewing at 5220 Kingston Pike in Knoxville; I was shopping for my clients, I just finished up delivering one order and accepted another order that would also be fulfilled at this same Aldi’s (two in a row). No I couldn’t tell you what their schedule was if you’d asked me that night, but when I accepted the second order from the second customer in a row, I started driving to Aldi’s and I thought to myself “I wonder how late they are open”. Since I was only a mile and a half away I soon discovered the answer. And the answer was they closed 10 minutes ago. I did notice that the “In” doors were locked or not working I wasn’t sure which, but the “out” doors actually did open for me when I walked in front of them, so I went inside. Two people were working and I asked the lovely young lady, who supposed to be the manager, what time they closed, and she informed me 8 o’clock so I explain my situation to her that I had just accepted this order, I don’t know why it came in so late but I wasn’t sure what to do with it now, and she could see that I was somewhat troubled by this. Oh, I wasn’t losing my mind, I wasn’t on the edge of a breakdown or anything, but she could see that I was a little uneasy about how to deal with this order now that I didn’t have a store to fill it at. Most people in this case would do exactly what was their policy or typical procedure or let’s say they would do what was allowed of them to do and just apologize that the store is now closed and send me on my way. However, since Aldi’s does have a customer satisfaction approach that this particular manager was absolutely in tune to, and she recognized me as a frequent shopper and saw a opportunity for her to go above and beyond and do something that would stand out and make a difference for somebody. She invited me to come in and complete my order while they began their nightly closing routine. I’m sure it would not have proven to be so terribly difficult to cancel the order and let my customer know that she would have to reschedule that order for the next day. But it was certainly also not difficult for this manager to allow me to peruse the isles while they finished some of their nightly duties and in doing so put a smile on a customers face and remind them that they’re not just at a grocery store, but they’re at their local Aldi‘s and they appreciate your business. So thank you Aldi‘s at 5220 Kingston Pike in Knoxville Tennessee, and thank you Aldi’s in general for setting the standard of customer satisfaction. Your focus on achieving that friendship and bond with your customers that’s more than just a service provider and end-user type of relationship...

Second ALDIs my sister has been to that treated her poorly because of her skin color. She is 7 months pregnant and when she came up to the line I guess she was moving to slow. Well the lady huffed and puffed as my sister made her way to put groceries on the line. The lady called for help as if my sister was an inconvenience and had the nerve to smart mouth my sister when she told her to chill that she is going as fast as she could. The lady paged two other workers who both surrounded my sister while the one walked off. The worker named ALEXANDER asked my sister what the problem was and when she expressed how rudely she was just treated and that she was being discriminated against by the worker he began arguing with her that my sister was lieng. He then rudely told her to go to isle 3 and that she needed to hurry talking to her as if she was a child. The whole time my sister was trying to unload 3 different orders get enough bags for all 3 orders and get everything organized for bagging, He was literally gaslighting my sister terribly slinging her groceries into the buggy on top of mixing her whole order. They were literally consistently attacking her and made her bag and separate her groceries in the parking lot in the hot sun because she was “BEING AN INCONVENIENCE “ even though she was only trying to get the hell out of there. He also refused to give the name of the first worker for reporting purposes and he refused. This is a disgrace to man kind and I hope someone corrects this behavior in all of ALDIs stores. Discrimination is against the law and not only was my sister stressed and overwhelmed when it was done but my unborn niece endured the stress as well....

I really tried to be an "ALDI person" but I just can't. Just a lot of things their fanbase doesn't warn you about going in. First, the whole "quarter-to-get-a-shopping-chart" deal. Why? Just seems to deter potential customers away that aren't prepared for it especially in an age where most people no longer carry change. The size of the shopping carts is another criticism. They only provide large, Ford Excursion-sized shopping carts. Not convenient when you just need to run in and get a few quick items and they make foot traffic inside the place a nightmare of having to continually squeeze by other people. Next, the produce selection is extremely limited to bare-necessity type stuff and it's all in bulk. I shop regularly at the nearby Kroger and Trader Joe's and I honestly noticed no saving benefits from this. The checkout situation was also rough. No self-checkouts or express lanes so it really slows you down if you're in a hurry. They also do not provide free bags so you end up having to lug all your items by hand to the car if you're not prepared for it. I overall don't see any benefit shopping here at least personally. I am sure all the ALDI fans have their reasons for liking it but to me it just seems like more hassle that it's worth shopping here and the savings are minuscule if not...