Aldi sales chaos as Special Buys product sells out in 60 seconds
Aldi shoppers were left devastated yesterday when they found out that one of the supermarket’s famous Special Buys products had sold out in the space of a minute.
The German retailer releases limited edition products twice a week as part of its Special Buys promotion, but as customers who were trying to purchase the $199 rocking chair features in yesterday’s sale found out, getting your hands on one of these products is easier said than done.
This very popular Aldi Special Buys product is making a comeback! #run https://t.co/UxQ7Jnyi2q pic.twitter.com/4vhuep0b4O
— news.com.au (@newscomauHQ) January 11, 2018
Competition for these products is fierce, with shoppers sometimes lining up hours before the store opens to be the first one in to grab the bargain item. In the Sydney suburb of Chatswood for example, only eight people managed to purchase the rocking chair after the store opened at 8.30am, and by 8.31am it has sold out.
Brendon Low, who arrived at the supermarket at 7.45am and still missed out, described his disappointment to news.com.au.
“My wife is having a baby later in the year,” Mr Low said.
“I’m just on the phone to her now, I’m not sure what we’ll do.
While it might seem the stuff of nightmares, especially for loyal shoppers, Retail expert Brian Walker from the Retail Doctor Group suggests there’s method to Aldi’s madness.
“As a general adage the more special the buy and the more effective it is in terms of advertising, the less likely there will be lots of stock,” he told news.com.au.
“The plan to distribute to stores would be known weeks and months in advance… the reality of it is when a product is very popular there is very limited supply, and that’s going to create difficulties for some consumers.
“You’ve only got to go on social media to see some of the comments and I think any damage to reputation is not good. It would be practical if shoppers who saw a Special Buy could ring a store and ask how many units they would be stocking in advance, but of course they won’t do that as it defeats the purpose.
“It’s a very calculated gamble that some consumers will miss out, but it’s working for them.”
A spokeswoman from Aldi had some tips for customers who missed the sale.
“It is never our intention to cause disappointment to our customers, or miss out on sales, and we will always strive to allocate optimal stock for our stores to meet forecast demand,” the spokeswoman told news.com.au.
“With big items, we are also restricted by physical space to stock, store and transport the items.
“On days we anticipate a high volume of customers, many of our Store Managers implement additional measures, such as ticketing systems. If customers miss out on a Special Buy we recommend they contact our customer service team (13 25 34) to assist with stock availability at other stores in your area.
“We are always looking for ways to improve our process and are looking at all considerations, including ticketing system at all stores on busy Special Buys days.”
What are your thoughts? Do you get the Aldi Special Buys products?