Shoppers say they’ll ‘boycott’ ALDI supermarket card-only self-serve registers and line-up instead

ALDI supermarket has copped backlash for installing card-only self-serve registers after a disgruntled customer took to social media to vent her concerns.

After visiting the ALDI Keysborough store in Melbourne’s southeast this week, the woman shared a photo of a row of empty self-serve registers on Facebook, to highlight how unpopular they are.

“ALDI Keysborough. All self-serve are card only and all are empty. Everyone queued at registers,” she wrote, alongside the photo posted to the Call Out Cashless Businesses group.

Her post stirred up the pro-cash advocates, with hundreds of comments following, calling on shoppers to “boycott” cash-free self-serve registers and to, instead, line up and wait.

“Great so see!!,” one group member commented. “If people boycott all of them in every store and wait patiently for personal customer service, ALDI will get the message.”

“We need everyone to do this. Avoid using self-service at all costs!,” another Facebook user wrote.

“Perhaps these businesses should ask the customers what they want before wasting their money,” another user suggested.

However, Aldi has been clear about its changes and reasoning behind its move since it began a self-checkout trial across 10 NSW stores in 2021. After receiving “positive” feedback about the “quick and convenient” option the supermarket decided to continue its rollout, with up to 200 stores nationwide now offering self-serve checkouts.

The reason they are cash-free comes down to efficiency, says Hayden Pierce, ALDI’s director of national store operations.

“All self-checkouts accept card only to maximise efficiencies and eliminate the additional complexity involved with cash self-checkouts, he states on the ALDI website.

“If customers choose to pay with cash, they can ask an ALDI employee to open a staffed checkout if there is not one already available.”

He added the bonus was the self-serve registers freed up employees to focus on customer service, stock replenishment and store presentation.

“A win-win for everybody,” Pierce said.

But, they can’t win everyone over.

“I stood in line with one item to have a real person serve me the other day... You can stick those self-serve registers where the sun doesn’t shine,” a Facebook user commented.