SHOPPERS at Aldi have just lost access to self-checkout machines, and think they know why.
One customer in Old Town, Chicago, took to social media to claim that their Aldi had experienced retail theft due to the machines.
The outrage comes after other customers complained about the lack of self-checkouts in their Aldi store and the lines created as a result.
In the caption of their Reddit post, the customer claimed that an Aldi employee said the store was losing thousands of dollars a day in stolen inventory.
They wrote: “An employee said some days they lost up to $7k in inventory.
“I’ve seen a few snatch and runs of detergent, so I’m not sure what the ratio of shoplifting to skip-scanning is.”
This claim was also supported by someone in the comments, who said that stealing from the self-checkouts is “easy”.
They commented: “The aldi with self checkout near me never has anyone supervising the stations.
“The employee register is often left empty, too. So stealing at self checkout is easy peasy.
“Sounds like just scheduling one more employee would’ve really cut into that $7k.”
The US Sun has contacted Aldi for comment, but did not hear back right away.
SELF-CHECKOUT THEFT
Lawmakers are doing their part to deter retail theft in different parts of the US.
In California, sweeping changes are set to come into force in September that will require an employee presence at self-checkouts.
The Mayor of Long Beach has approved the plan, which will take effect on September 21.
This comes 31 days after the mayor gave their approval.
How many Aldi stores are there in the US?
AS of May 12, 2025, there are 2,510 Aldi stores operating across 41 states and territories in the United States.
Florida leads with 244 locations, followed by Illinois (215), Ohio (170).
In 2025, the company plans to open 225 new stores.
Under the new rules, at least one employee must be supervising the self-checkout machine at all times.
A store that has two or more self-checkout stations must have at least one employee for every three self-service stations.
A non-service self-checkout station must also be staffed by an employee at all times.
But this new legislation received criticism online for being too invasive.
One person wrote on social media that it would make more sense to target those who have already offended.
They said: “Why shift to such intrusive rules?
“Stronger law enforcement and focused penalties on offenders would make more sense than forcing retailers to hire more staff and risking higher prices or fewer checkouts.”
On Reddit, the shopper linked the rise in retail theft to the use of self-checkout machines[/caption]
