Why Does Aldi Charge A Quarter To Use Shopping Carts?

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Aldi makes it a priority to offer quality products as cheap as possible so that its shoppers don't have to compromise. This is why it offers a unique, no-frills shopping experience with a curated selection of only the most popular flavors, sizes, and varieties of about 1,700 products. That reduced selection saves the company space and money, but one of the chain's most infamous quirks is requiring customers to insert a quarter into a shopping cart before using it. Believe it or not, this cart system is also one of Aldi's cost-cutting measures.

The locked carts at Aldi stores require each shopper to insert a quarter into the attached mechanism to unlock the cart. At first glance, it appears as though the company is charging people to use its shopping carts, but this is a false fact about Aldi, as customers do get their $0.25 back when they return their cart to the corral. The purpose of this system, per Aldi's FAQs, is to encourage shoppers to return the carts so that the store doesn't have to pay employees to collect them from the parking lots. The company claims to then pass those labor savings on to its customers.

However, this isn't the only cost benefit for this quarter-deposit system. Aldi is also saving money by reducing the potential for cart theft. According to CBS News, the Food Marketing Institute estimates that retailers around the world lose $800 million every year from the theft of about 2 million carts.

While Aldi has certainly built a strong, loyal base of customers, not everyone likes its cart system. One X (formerly Twitter) user openly blasted the company, writing, "@AldiUSA Are you guys ever gonna put a change machine in your stores or are people just gonna have to leave and not shop when they forget a quarter? It's 2025. The vast majority of people don't carry cash and if they do most don't have quarters. Get w it already" (via The U.S. Sun).

Fortunately, shoppers without quarters don't have to leave disappointed. The go-to Aldi cart hack for those days when you forget a quarter is to just ask an employee. Aldi USA confirmed this in its response to the begrudged X user: "If you happen to forget your quarter, no worries! Our store associates are happy to lend you one." In 2023, a Reddit user claimed that "[Aldi employees] are given permission to hand out [$5] worth of quarters in a single shift."

If you're the kind of shopper who prefers to be prepared rather than talk to staff, a keychain holder could be the gadget you need to always have an Aldi quarter. You can get one for a decent price and in various styles on Amazon — such as the Handmade Store's coin keeper keychain, which is embroidered in Aldi colors. On the other hand, the easy way to avoid Aldi's infamous grocery cart system altogether is to bring your own cart, like this Clax Original trolley.