CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – A major grocery store chain is being called out by some social media users who claim shoppers are getting duped by fake discounts.
In a time of skyrocketing inflation, Aldi’s lower prices have been a lifeline for people looking to keep their grocery budget in order.
But now, some Aldi customers are turning to TikTok to voice concerns that the grocery giant is tricking buyers into thinking they are saving money through price reductions when they’re really not.
TikTok videos show several Aldi shoppers lifting up sale price stickers only to find out regular price underneath is the same as the sale price.
“The original price is what they’re saying the sale price is,” one TikTok user said after peeling back a sale tag to expose the same exact price underneath. “They’re just using a tactic on you!”
“Maybe it was an accident. Let’s check another one,” another TikTok user said as she filmed herself lifting up an Aldi sale tag.
“Holy [expletive],” she then exclaimed, after seeing the price underneath was the same as the “sale” sticker.
Another TikTok user said, “Oh, I bought things because of these little stickers. But not anymore Aldi’s. Not anymore.”
An investigative reporter with KPHO, 19 News’ sister station in Phoenix, visited some Aldi stores to look into the pricing controversy and found the same price tag discrepancies as the TikTok users.
19 Investigates visited several Aldi stores in Northeast Ohio but found something different altogether.
Instead of the “sale” stickers seen in the TikTok videos, we found local stores were advertising prices on tags encased in plastic that can’t be lifted to see what, if anything, is underneath.
But what about those sticker price tags?
Aldi said they are not trying to dupe consumers.
In a statement, the company said, “We do this because the sale stickers may lose their adhesive, be removed or fall off. This ensures accurate pricing is always visible and means our employees don’t have to update the price card more than once, saving them time and our customers money.”
Last week, Aldi revealed a big promotion “Thanksgiving Rewind” promotion to help customers who are battling inflation.
The grocery chain will be cutting prices on Thanksgiving dinner items back to what they were in 2019.
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