Couponing is a popular craze among shopping mavens, allowing customers to bring their cart totals to new lows. There are even entire websites devoted to the practice.
With their already low prices and awesome selection of kitchen staples, you might wonder if supermarket chain Aldi takes coupons? I’ve got everything you need to know below!
Does Aldi Take Coupons?
Unfortunately, Aldi does not take manufacturer’s coupons. Since Aldi already offer very low prices, sometimes as much as half the price as other comparable supermarkets, this eliminates the need for bringing manufacturer’s coupons with you to the store.
To find out more about why Aldi does not take coupons and for other ways you can save while you’re shopping there, read on!
Why Doesn’t Aldi Take Coupons?
Walk around an Aldi store and you will see precious few of the big name brands you’d find in a Walmart or Target.
Instead, 90 percent of the food items and goods on the shelves are made up of Aldi’s proprietary brands, like Live G-Free, Clancy’s, Baker’s Choice or Huntington Home.
Because there are so few brand name items, there is hardly anything to which the store could apply those manufacturer’s coupons in the first place!
For the other 10 percent of the items that are actually name brand, many of these are overstock items Aldi has obtained for a lesser price — indeed, their website states that they have “negotiate[d] the best possible prices with [their] suppliers.”
They can then pass the savings onto the customer by charging a lesser price, too. Thus, Aldi is already offering these goods at a considerably lower cost than other stores and are “unable to accept manufacturer’s coupons.”
Does Aldi Ever Have Their Own Coupons?
While Aldi does not accept manufacturer’s coupons (including double coupins), they do occasionally release their own coupons. This most often coincides with a new store’s grand opening or a regional promotion for a set area.
If there is a promotion happening in your area, the coupons are printed and will come to you through the mail or you will receive it in-store.
Bear in mind, too, that the coupons will only be honored at the stores listed on the coupon. These will be very specific stores, with the addresses printed. And the expiration dates are final. Aldi will not accept any coupon beyond the expiration date given.
It is also worth mentioning that very occasionally, through Aldi’s partnership with online shopping app Instacart, you might see a promotion like $20 off an order of $100 or more. This is only good if you order through the Instacart app during the given timeframe.
What Other Ways Can You Save At Aldi?
Despite the fact that Aldi does not accept manufacturer’s coupons and only releases their own coupons very occasionally, there are plenty of other ways to save at Aldi and come out with even lower prices than originally marked.
Not only are they great deals, you can consistently count on new ones to check out every single week.
First, every Wednesday certain everyday grocery items are marked down from what they cost initially, and they can cause quite a stir.
The most famous example of this is one dollar pineapples or 69-cent avocados, which sell out at lightning-speed when they are this cheap.
But Aldi will also select other items, keeping in theme with the season (think: baking staples around the holidays, condiments and buns around the Fourth of July), to discount for a week.
Basically, when you need an item most, Aldi has your back with a stellar deal.
Wednesdays are also for new Fresh Meat Specials. Sometimes this is for a meat product they already carry regularly (ground beef, for example) but other times they get a truly special cut in and offer it for a jaw-dropping price.
One prime occasion recently was in Winter 2020, when Aldi stores sold five-to-seven pound cuts of standing rib roast for only $6.99/lb. That is at least three dollars cheaper than you would find it at any reputable butcher.
There are also Hot Deals. These are ALDI Finds that didn’t sell out and have been lingering on shelves for some time. The prices get slashed, sometimes as much as in half, and put on the Hot Deals shelves.
New Hot Deals are marked and restocked every Sunday.
One more tip for saving at Aldi without coupons: Just go and walk the aisles. Stores always have unadvertised discounts on items they need to move out.
They’ll slap “$3 off” tags on a few packages of chicken thighs and if you’re there, you’ve got yourself a really sweet deal.
Can I Plan Ahead To Save At Aldi?
You absolutely can plan ahead to save money without needing any coupons at Aldi.
Aldi advertises their upcoming Finds and meat specials a week early — you can find that online at their website under the drop-down header “Weekly Specials.” They also have a printed version, called “Sneak Peak,” available at the exits of their stores.
They also send out a mailer a day or two ahead of time for the upcoming Wednesday’s weekly specials. The current week’s specials and FINDS are also available online at their website.
Is This Aldi Coupon From Social Media Real?
No, Aldi does not do digital coupons! So if you saw a $50 off coupon on Facebook or any other social media site, it is not real, and it will not be honored.
Again, official Aldi coupons are hold-in-your-hand, printed on physical pieces of paper only.
Conclusion: Does Aldi Take Coupons?
Aldi does not take coupons, but that doesn’t stop the supermarket chain from offering some of the lowest prices around and some of the highest quality customer service.
Familiarize yourself with Aldi’s weekly specials and everyday low prices on pantry staples, and you too may fill your cart while amply feeding your family and staying well below budget.
