ALDI — Local services in Washington

On Sunday around 7 PM, I was completing my final Instacart order of the day at an Aldi location I hadn’t shopped at before. I didn’t realize there was underground parking, so I parked on the street and entered the store. It wasn’t very busy inside, and I noticed a staff member — an African-American woman with bob-length individual braids, glasses, and what seemed to be a restocking role — who I approached with a few simple questions. Her responses were brief and unenthusiastic, which I initially chalked up to a long day or the upcoming closing time.

However, things quickly escalated in a very uncomfortable way. Around 7:45 PM, loud announcements began blaring over the intercom reminding customers that the store would be closing at 8. These announcements were extremely abrupt and jarring. Then, as I reached the pasta aisle around 7:49 PM, the same employee began shouting down the aisle — not speaking, but yelling — that no one should expect to check out after 8:00 PM, and if customers weren’t already in line, she didn’t know where they were planning to buy groceries.

She repeated these loud, aggressive outbursts several times while walking up and down the aisle, making it incredibly hard to focus on finishing my order. At one point, she clenched her fists and raised her arms in a way that felt confrontational and intimidating — as if she were performing some kind of wrestling stance. I genuinely felt uneasy, and it seemed like I wasn’t the only one.

I rushed to the checkout line to complete the order, but still had to refund five items I easily could’ve picked up if the atmosphere hadn’t turned so hostile. At checkout, the same employee was rolling her eyes, being visibly short and dismissive. While I tried to ignore the behavior, it was made worse by the fact that her coworkers walked by laughing and chatting casually — clearly aware of the situation but unbothered by how it was affecting customers.

This was by far the worst shopping experience I’ve had — not just with Instacart, but in general. I completely understand the desire to go home at the end of a shift, but the way it was handled was unprofessional and, frankly, unsettling. The behavior I witnessed was a poor reflection of Aldi and sets a terrible tone for customers just trying to finish their grocery shopping.

Unfortunately, I won’t be accepting any more Instacart orders from this location, nor will I shop there again. Hopefully, Aldi management addresses this kind of behavior, because it’s...

This is the probably the worst Aldi experience I have ever had. This was my first time to try out this location and there was boxes and food all over the floor. There was only one line open and to top it off I got scammed by Colonial parking. I had to validate my parking after 30 min which is supposed to be free and I put in the janky machine 2 times and it took the ticket half way. I proceeded to go get in my car with my son and it said I owed $3 which I couldn’t pay because I jumped into the car without my bag to drop my son off to soccer. All I had was my phone to pay but they only took credit cards etc. At this point I had to go back upstairs to the cashier to ask for help and she had an attitude and said she couldn’t help and of if I put the ticket in more than one into the validation machine it doesn’t work. All I thought was WOW. Now I can’t get out. Told her this and she brushed me off. She wears a bright red wig with double nose piercings btw. A gentlemen that was paying for his food offered me $3 and I was so grateful. Went back downstairs to pay only to realize I couldn’t pay cash. There I was stuck with nobody at the little kiosk. Luckily a lady named Leah offered to use her card and I gave her the money via Cashapp. There was definitely a few lessons learned. Never leave home without your wallet. They’re is definitely some good people left in the world and last but not least do not ever set foot in this Aldi ever again....

What a fantastic addition to the neighborhood! This new Aldi, fresh off its grand opening, has immediately set a high standard. The pricing is simply excellent, offering significant savings compared to other stores. I was also pleasantly surprised by how well-stocked and organized their various sections are, especially the produce aisle. It's clearly a priority for them, and with their recent opening, there's a phenomenal array of fresh produce currently on sale. It's refreshing to find such quality and affordability...