'It's not fair': Photo of Aldi bulk buying leaves Special Buy shoppers furious

An Aldi mum’s group has erupted into a major Special Buys debate after a sneaky snap of a gentleman making off with what some thought was more than his fair share of stand mixers surfaced.

The debacle kicked off after an irate mum shared a surreptitious photo she captured of a man snapping up not five, but six of this week’s Stand Mixer Special Buys to an Aldi Facebook group.

Photo of man in Aldi with six Special Buy Stand Mixers in Trolley, man facing away from camera close image of hand and leg visible
A mum's snap of a trolley overflowing with Special Buys stand mixers has prompted outrage.

Known for causing a stir amongst shoppers, the Special Buys see wildly popular budget items placed on sale at seemingly-random intervals.

Given the limited stock and lack of certainty around when an item will appear again, there are often clashes between shoppers stocking up and those who miss out completely, and the $70 stand mixer was no exception.

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“I went to Aldi this morning at 8.30am to buy a stand mixer from Special Buys today,” a photo of the man manoeuvring a trolley piled high with kitchenware was captioned by the furious lady.

Image of Aldi Stand Mixer Special Buy catalogue item retails $69.99
The Stand Mixer has become the centre of a furious online debate. Photo: Aldi

“I end up having nothing at 8.35am because of this. Is it fair? As per ALDI staff, they can’t put any limits on Special Buys. That guy ended up buying six of the stand mixers.”

“Two is OK but not six, they should limit it.”

Shoppers divided on limits for Special Buys

Empty shelves of Tesco supermarket as customers look for food in Sheffield , England , 22 March 2020.  (Photo by Giannis Alexopoulos/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Shoppers argue empty shelves should be avoided with product limits. Photo: Getty Images

Some rushed to agree with the mixer-less mum, arguing that the stores should impose limits like those placed on essentials during coronavirus panic-buying.

“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 agreed.

Others argued however that the woman taking the photo was at fault, and that without breaking any rules the man shouldn’t come under fire.

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“It’s his business of why he had so many, not for the rest of Australia to judge,” one person wrote.

“Don’t know who’s worse … The guy with the trolley or the person taking the photo,” another agreed.

“Maybe we should mind our own business,” one person pointed out, adding the man could be buying for multiple households.

Aldi Special Buys’ notorious bulk buyers

Chaos erupted last year when the Caviar day and night cream went on sale. Photo: Supplied
Chaos erupted last year when the Caviar day and night cream went on sale. Photo: Supplied

It’s hardly a new issue for Aldi who have previously been blasted for unregulated Special Buys sales which have seen shops rushed and people hurt as shoppers scramble to get their hands on the latest budget buy.

The budget supermarket has previously confirmed to Yahoo Lifestyle that the store does not impose product limits on their special buys, despite plenty of examples of the bulk-buying getting out of hand.

The store’s famous dupe of high-end beauty brand La Prarie, called Caviar Cream, is a famous example of when the sales seekers got way out of hand.

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Stores reported selling out in under three minutes and photos and video showed mad scenes unfolding in the Special Buy aisles in one sale last year.

Products snapped up in bulk then reappeared online at more than three times the retail price, though so far no eBay listings of exorbitant priced stand mixers have reared their heads.

Aldi has been contacted for comment.

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