Published on June 25, 2025

ALDI, one of our favorite discount grocery stores, is perhaps best known for its remarkable efficiency. Everything about it—from how quickly the cashiers can scan your groceries to their cart-quarter system to the store’s notable lack of a deli counter—is intentionally designed to save money which, in turn, keeps prices low for customers.

But have you ever wondered why ALDI’s shelves are full of boxes, instead of individually placed items you would see at other Southern grocery stores? Other than being wildly convenient when you have an armful of products and forgot to bring your bags, those boxes are actually there for a reason.

Dan Wilderness, founder of The Financial Wilderness, recently spoke with Reader’s Digest about the unique system. “ALDI tries to focus on being a discount supplier and needs to keep the costs in the supply chain as low as possible in order to keep prices competitive,” Wilderness told RD. “One of the biggest costs is staff, so by design, ALDI wants to approach limiting the amount of time needed to spend out on the floor restocking.”

To sum it up: ALDI employees save valuable time by opening up the boxes and sticking them directly on the shelves instead of meticulously lining up items one by one. The ripple effect is that this then means ALDI doesn’t need to staff their stores to manage a more time-consuming level of stocking, which in turn saves money on overhead. And where do those savings end up? Right there on shelves and in your cart as lower-priced (albeit award-winning) products.

“Putting out boxes has been their answer to this challenge,” Wilderness added. “It means items can be put straight out on the floor directly from the delivery truck in the manner they arrive. Not only is less time needed for staff to arrange the products into a display, but also when a box runs out, it’s very easy for them simply to lift a box away to enable access to the full one underneath.”

As for the in-store customer shopping experience, you’ll frequently see shoppers (including myself) sifting through empty boxes to carry around items or box up their groceries to skip bag fees.

ALDI also has a strong history of donating unsold food. “We strive to never let good food go to waste,” their company website states. As reported by Reader’s Digest, in 2024, the grocer donated 39 million pounds of food and, in partnership with Feeding America, shipped 29,000 boxes of shelf-stable food to those impacted by natural disasters. (They’ve helped hurricane victims in Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico, and flooding victims in Michigan!)

Of course, extra boxes also get recycled or reused in different ways. It’s simple, efficient, and no-frills. And it’s just another way that ALDI reduces waste.

Next time you’re wandering the eclectic ALDI Finds aisle, just know that all of those stacked boxes mean more savings right in your pocket. Now that’s a mission we can get behind!