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I tried Aldi's curbside pickup service, and the glitchy online ordering process and limited options didn't live up to my high expectations for the discount grocery chain

I tried Aldi's curbside pickup service, and the glitchy online ordering process and limited options didn't live up to my high expectations for the discount grocery chain

Mary Meisenzahl

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

I tested out curbside grocery pickup at Aldi.
Customers can't order in the Aldi app itself, and are directed to a separate website.

Curbside pickup got a major boost at the onset of the pandemic as customers avoided going into stores.

Peter Nicholls/Reuters

Two years later, in 2022, curbside pickup remains popular with shoppers, showing no signs of going away.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Source: eMarketer

I visited my local Aldi in Rochester, New York to test out the chain's curbside pickup option that I'd see advertised.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

In a recent price comparison, I found Aldi has lower prices than competing stores on nearly every product, so I wanted to see how its curbside pickup stacked up.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Source: Insider

I downloaded the Aldi app, where one of the first options I saw was curbside pickup.

Aldi

Clicking the link took me out of the Aldi app and directed me to the company's website on a web browser.

Aldi

The website was fairly intuitive to use, although at first I was confused at being unable to change the pickup time.

Aldi

Groceries were divided into the categories I expected, like vegetables, fruits, meat, and dairy.

Aldi

It even included a section with "Aldi Finds," featuring items beloved by customers which the chain switches out regularly.

Aldi

Some categories didn't have very many options. I like to buy larger 18-count egg containers, but that wasn't an option at Aldi.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Once I'd made my shopping list, Aldi alerted me that my pickup service would be free and I had the chance to change anything before the order was finalized.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

I spent about $70 for plenty of produce, meat, and some pantry staples that I think will last my fiancé and I about two weeks, which felt like a good deal.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

After finalizing everything else, I finally got to pick my grocery pickup time. There were so many slots available, as soon as within just two hours after I ordered.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Aldi sent me 14 total texts between my order and pickup, which felt a bit excessive.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

It was somewhat difficult to communicate with my shopper in real time. Even when I responded almost immediately to address a product substitution, it wasn't fast enough.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

At my pickup time, I went to Aldi and checked in online, which was quite slow and kept crashing.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

This location has four designated curbside spots near the side of the parking lot.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

The spots were marked with signs, so it was very clear where to go.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

I checked in by indicating my parking spot and car color.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

When you check in, the website provides a summary of the information you've entered, and an estimate of remaining wait time.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

The progress bar reminded me of the Domino's tracker, which similarly gives updates on what the worker is doing with your order at the moment.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Aldi definitely erred on the side of over-communicating, sending multiple messages about my pickup window closing, and alerting me when the worker was preparing my order.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

The Aldi employee came to my car about when the tracker predicted, and placed bags in my trunk.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

The bags were all labeled with my name and number, which made it seem like a very organized process, and they didn't forget any of my items.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Ultimately, I liked the idea of Aldi curbside pickup more than I did the execution.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

Aldi's stock changes regularly, and the website doesn't seem to update consistently to reflect current offerings.

Mary Meisenzahl/Insider

I also wish the app itself worked better, with the capability to do the grocery order right there instead of in a separate browser.

The entrance of an Aldi supermarket seen in High Point, Thomson Reuters

The pickup experience wasn't bad, but it was tedious and more inconvenient than I'd expected.

Alex Wong/Getty Images

I'm still a huge fan of Aldi, but next time I'll probably just go inside myself.

Andrew Weber/AP Photo

Do you have a story to share about a retail or restaurant chain? Email this reporter at mmeisenzahl@businessinsider.com.

I tried Aldi's curbside pickup service, and the glitchy online ordering process and limited options didn't live up to my high expectations for the discount grocery chain

Mary Meisenzahl

Curbside pickup got a major boost at the onset of the pandemic as customers avoided going into stores.

Two years later, in 2022, curbside pickup remains popular with shoppers, showing no signs of going away.

I visited my local Aldi in Rochester, New York to test out the chain's curbside pickup option that I'd see advertised.

In a recent price comparison, I found Aldi has lower prices than competing stores on nearly every product, so I wanted to see how its curbside pickup stacked up.

I downloaded the Aldi app, where one of the first options I saw was curbside pickup.

Clicking the link took me out of the Aldi app and directed me to the company's website on a web browser.

The website was fairly intuitive to use, although at first I was confused at being unable to change the pickup time.

Groceries were divided into the categories I expected, like vegetables, fruits, meat, and dairy.

It even included a section with "Aldi Finds," featuring items beloved by customers which the chain switches out regularly.

Some categories didn't have very many options. I like to buy larger 18-count egg containers, but that wasn't an option at Aldi.

Once I'd made my shopping list, Aldi alerted me that my pickup service would be free and I had the chance to change anything before the order was finalized.

I spent about $70 for plenty of produce, meat, and some pantry staples that I think will last my fiancé and I about two weeks, which felt like a good deal.

After finalizing everything else, I finally got to pick my grocery pickup time. There were so many slots available, as soon as within just two hours after I ordered.

Aldi sent me 14 total texts between my order and pickup, which felt a bit excessive.

It was somewhat difficult to communicate with my shopper in real time. Even when I responded almost immediately to address a product substitution, it wasn't fast enough.

At my pickup time, I went to Aldi and checked in online, which was quite slow and kept crashing.

This location has four designated curbside spots near the side of the parking lot.

The spots were marked with signs, so it was very clear where to go.

I checked in by indicating my parking spot and car color.

When you check in, the website provides a summary of the information you've entered, and an estimate of remaining wait time.

The progress bar reminded me of the Domino's tracker, which similarly gives updates on what the worker is doing with your order at the moment.

Aldi definitely erred on the side of over-communicating, sending multiple messages about my pickup window closing, and alerting me when the worker was preparing my order.

The Aldi employee came to my car about when the tracker predicted, and placed bags in my trunk.

The bags were all labeled with my name and number, which made it seem like a very organized process, and they didn't forget any of my items.

Ultimately, I liked the idea of Aldi curbside pickup more than I did the execution.

Aldi's stock changes regularly, and the website doesn't seem to update consistently to reflect current offerings.

I also wish the app itself worked better, with the capability to do the grocery order right there instead of in a separate browser.

The pickup experience wasn't bad, but it was tedious and more inconvenient than I'd expected.

I'm still a huge fan of Aldi, but next time I'll probably just go inside myself.

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