Mum hits back after being slammed for buying up Aldi Special Buys

A mum has hit back after copping criticism online for buying the only two Aldi Special Buy items in stock after lining up to be first in store on Saturday.

Taking to an Aldi group on Facebook, the mum’s aim had been to point out the limited supply of Special Buys items at this particular Aldi supermarket.

Athens, Georgia, USA - May 8, 2012:  Aldi Food Market  is a German-based discount supermarket chain which currently operates more than 1,150 stores in the U.S. and about 8,133 worldwide.
Aldi's Special Buys are always popular. Photo: Getty

However, she ended up receiving a host of comments slamming her for choosing to buy the only two LG Monitors available.

“Wow! Didn’t think my boring post would generate such controversy,” she wrote in an edit to her original post.

The woman had explained she waited in the freezing cold on Saturday morning for 45 minutes to be the first in line. When the supermarket opened she made a “mad dash” to grab the only two monitors stocked.

She and her husband had both been working from home due to the coronavirus pandemic, and using ‘tiny laptop screens’, which is why she needed two monitors.

‘Genuinely felt bad’

“I genuinely felt bad for the other people lining up,” she added. “I don’t like seeing people miss out. This post was more of a disappointing observation that a whole store would only stock two [items].”

aldi special buy lg monitor
The woman needed two monitors for herself and her husband WFH. Photo: Facebook

While many of the negative comments have since been deleted, plenty of other shoppers stepped in to defend the mum.

“She lined up early, got the TWO monitors that she NEEDED as both her and hubby are working from home at the moment on tiny screens and because she isn’t an arsehole unlike some people on here she felt empathy for those who missed out due to the ridiculously low stock available on Aldi’s behalf,” one person wrote in response, before calling out the negative commenters.

“Heaven forbid someone write a post expressing joy in a lucky score whilst also feeling bad that there wasn’t enough for everyone.Spread some kindness people, the world has enough judgement and bullshit without adding to it!”

Others agreed it was ‘ridiculous’ the store would only have two Special Buy items.

“Don’t feel guilty ever. The next person would have done the same, and the person after that,” one person said.

“Aldi is ridiculous, they should at least have 10-20 monitors if they have advertised it widely,” another agreed. “They are so smart to make people craze with their stuff.”

Aldi bulk buying leaves Special Buy shoppers furious

Shoppers have often taken to social media to share their frustration of others buying all of the Special Buys available at Aldi.

Just last week, an Aldi shopper who took to social media to find out about a mysterious barcode found on ‘Special Buys’ items, instead found herself under fire.

Despite the initial confusion about the code, most people seemed more interested in the fact the shopper was able to pocket such a large haul of the popular Special Buys items that caused frenzies in stores across the country - the $19 Caviar Illumination Day Cream and Night Cream.

“OMG how did you get all of them? I wanted the cream so bad but couldn't get any,” one shopper wrote.

“This is just plain greedy. I never purchase unreasonable amounts of anything,” another person commented.

And last month a photo of a gentleman with a trolley full of the Stand Mixer Special Buys also sparked an outcry on social media, with many calling on the supermarket to put customer limits on Special Buys.

Aldi stand mixer special buy
This man bought six Aldi stand mixers. Photo: Facebook

“And I bet he will sell them for more online,” one agreed. “I hate people who do that.”

“Not fair at all this always happens,” another wrote.

Others argued however that without breaking any rules the man shouldn’t come under fire.

Aldi previously accused of baiting customers

Aldi Australia has previously been accused of bait advertising after furious shoppers took to social media over the lack of a popular Special Buy in February.

High demand was expected for a $99.99 home air purifier released as a one-off Special Buy.

“A single air purifier at your Wolli Creek store at opening. What is even the point of advertising it? Textbook example of bait advertising,” one shopper wrote.

At the time an Aldi Australia spokesperson told Yahoo Finance that it suspected the bushfires earlier this year had boosted the demand above expectations.

“Our twice weekly Special Buys are ordered months in advance. With the ongoing devastating bushfires we know that air quality is a growing concern for many Australians, which we believe has led to this product being more popular with customers than we anticipated when ordering it,” the spokesperson said.

“We always strive to allocate optimal stock for our stores to meet demand and it is never our intention to disappoint customers.”

Got a story tip or just want to get in touch? Email us at lifestyle.tips@verizonmedia.com.