{"id":2084443,"date":"2024-11-27T12:57:39","date_gmt":"2024-11-27T18:57:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/?p=2084443"},"modified":"2024-11-27T22:28:24","modified_gmt":"2024-11-28T04:28:24","slug":"why-are-aldi-barcodes-so-big","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/article\/why-are-aldi-barcodes-so-big\/","title":{"rendered":"This Is Why Aldi Barcodes Are So Big"},"content":{"rendered":"It seems like there's always more to discover about Aldi, America's fastest-growing budget grocery store. For one thing, the chain employs endless tactics to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/collection\/reason-aldis-groceries-are-so-cheap\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">keep grocery prices low<\/a>, from foregoing in-store music to selling non-name-brand items. It also has some clever strategies to streamline operations, including stocking items on the shelves in their original shipping boxes and skipping cart-wrangling with a shopping cart rental system. Efficiency is a top priority at Aldi, and customers take notice.\r\n\r\nWhile Aldi has endeared itself to consumers with such innovations and money-saving tactics like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/article\/aldi-price-tags\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">savers tags<\/a>, the store does something else objectively <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/collection\/things-aldi-employees-wish-you-wouldnt-do\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">good for the employees<\/a>, too: oversized barcodes.\r\n<h2>Why are Aldi barcodes so big?<\/h2>\r\n<img class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-2084743\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Aldi-Barcodes_Trend_Sarah-Tramonte-for-Taste-of-Home_02_YVedit.jpg?fit=700,1024\" alt=\"Aldi Barcodes\" width=\"700\" height=\"1024\" \/>\r\n\r\nAnyone who has operated a self-checkout kiosk knows that it can sometimes be a bit of a scavenger hunt to find the barcode on a packaged grocery item; you have to turn and flip the box every which way until you find it. Aldi understands that this problem can eat up precious seconds at the cash register, so it adds barcodes to virtually every surface of each item and exaggerates their size so it can be scanned faster. Sometimes the codes are comically stretched out, like down the entire length of a cereal box\u2014but it works.\r\n\r\n\"While a small detail, we've designed our barcodes to ensure products can be scanned quickly from almost any angle, whether by employees or customers using self-checkout,\" an Aldi spokesperson <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/lifestyle\/aldi-trippy-barcodes-150320347.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">told Nexstar Media Group<\/a> via email. \"By making our barcodes larger, and including several on our packaging, we help reduce the amount of time shoppers need to search for barcodes, which means they can get in, check out and [get] back to life outside the grocery store.\"\r\n\r\nThough media interest might currently be swirling around the big barcodes, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/aldi\/comments\/t8h9aj\/have_there_always_been_this_many_bar_codes_on_the\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Reddit has been curious<\/a> about the packaging for years, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.motherjones.com\/kevin-drum\/2016\/06\/aldi-has-very-impressive-barcode-strategy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mother Jones noted the phenomenon<\/a> back in 2016:\r\n\r\n\"The store I was at had a grand total of one (1) checker, which I gather is standard, but holy cow was she fast,\" Kevin Drum wrote about his first visit to an Aldi. \"The key, apparently, is to put large UPC codes on literally every surface of the packaging, so that checkers can just slide stuff over the scanner at light speed. This works fine since the packaging is all controlled by Aldi and doesn't have to be used to attract customers.\"\r\n\r\nThe next time you visit a non-Aldi grocery store, you might take note of all the marketing-driven filler on food packaging: taglines, bland platitudes about \"wholeness\" and \"goodness,\" maybe a picture of a leaf to signify freshness. Now imagine if that space were used to streamline your actual shopping experience instead. Aldi has made the calculation that saving time is more valuable than the marketing potential of a pretty box. Will any other supermarket chain ever draw the same conclusion?\r\n\r\n[cf]skyword_tracking_tag[\/cf]","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The next time you&#8217;re in the checkout line, take a moment to appreciate Aldi&#8217;s efficiency.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7801,"featured_media":2084627,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[303723,303719,303745],"categories-v2":[308361,308324,308369],"coauthors":[343846],"acf":{"long_pin_file":false,"ncv_override_generic_settings_option":false,"ncv_autoplay_option":"","ncv_stickyplay_option":"","ncv_ads_option":"","ncv_mute_option":"","ncv_comscore_option":"","ncv_autoplay_mobile_option":"","ncv_viewable_threshold_option":"","ncv_sticky_offset_option":"","ncv_autopause_option":"","ncv_sticky_offset_mobile_option":"","ncv_autopause_mobile_option":"","ncv_sticky_mobile_option":"","ncv_remove_player_option":false,"ncv_moat_option":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v23.3 (Yoast SEO v23.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>This Is Why Barcodes at Aldi Are So Big<\/title>\n\n\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/article\/why-are-aldi-barcodes-so-big\/\" \/>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"This Is Why Barcodes at Aldi Are So Big","description":"Aldi groceries have unusually large barcodes for cashiers to scan. 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For the past six years, she has covered restaurant reviews, recipes, breaking news, fast food taste tests, industry trends, and competitive eating. She most recently helmed The Takeout, a Midwest-based food website, and previously served as managing editor at The Onion. She also contributes to Food &amp; Wine magazine.<\/p>","twitter":"","instagram":"","facebook":"","public_email":"","linkedin":"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/marnie-shure-13001819b","tiktok":"","youtube":"","location":"Chicago, IL","school_and_year":"Knox College","education":"Knox College, bachelor's in creative writing","highlights":"","expertise":"Food News","short_bio":"","user_nicename":"marnie-shure","type":"guest-author","nickname":""}},"images":{"2084743":{"image_url":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Aldi-Barcodes_Trend_Sarah-Tramonte-for-Taste-of-Home_02_YVedit.jpg","post_data":{"ID":2084743,"post_author":"7956","post_date":"2024-11-27 22:26:00","post_date_gmt":"2024-11-28 04:26:00","post_content":"","post_title":"Aldi Barcodes Trend Sarah Tramonte For Taste Of Home 02 Yvedit","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"inherit","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"aldi-barcodes_trend_sarah-tramonte-for-taste-of-home_02_yvedit","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-11-27 22:27:32","post_modified_gmt":"2024-11-28 04:27:32","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":2084443,"guid":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Aldi-Barcodes_Trend_Sarah-Tramonte-for-Taste-of-Home_02_YVedit.jpg","menu_order":0,"post_type":"attachment","post_mime_type":"image\/jpeg","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},"post_meta":{"_wp_attached_file":["2024\/11\/Aldi-Barcodes_Trend_Sarah-Tramonte-for-Taste-of-Home_02_YVedit.jpg"],"mdd_hash":["d06f4304d5a9e69a635c79bec1c452f4"],"mdd_size":["789072"],"_syndication_rights":["1"],"_wp_attachment_image_alt":["Aldi Barcodes"],"_wp_attachment_metadata":["a:6:{s:5:\"width\";i:1800;s:6:\"height\";i:1200;s:4:\"file\";s:74:\"2024\/11\/Aldi-Barcodes_Trend_Sarah-Tramonte-for-Taste-of-Home_02_YVedit.jpg\";s:8:\"filesize\";i:789072;s:5:\"sizes\";a:0:{}s:10:\"image_meta\";a:12:{s:8:\"aperture\";s:1:\"0\";s:6:\"credit\";s:0:\"\";s:6:\"camera\";s:0:\"\";s:7:\"caption\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"created_timestamp\";s:1:\"0\";s:9:\"copyright\";s:0:\"\";s:12:\"focal_length\";s:1:\"0\";s:3:\"iso\";s:1:\"0\";s:13:\"shutter_speed\";s:1:\"0\";s:5:\"title\";s:0:\"\";s:11:\"orientation\";s:1:\"0\";s:8:\"keywords\";a:0:{}}}"],"_one_time_use":["0"],"_image_licensor_id":[""],"_image_licensor_name":[""],"_license_type":[""],"photographer_credit_name":[" Sarah Tramonte For Taste Of Home"],"_wp_attachment_source_url":[""],"_wp_attachment_license":[""],"_wp_attachment_license_url":[""]}},"2084627":{"image_url":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Aldi-Barcodes_Trend_Sarah-Tramonte-for-Taste-of-Home_01_YVedit.jpg","post_data":{"ID":2084627,"post_author":"7956","post_date":"2024-11-27 12:15:55","post_date_gmt":"2024-11-27 18:15:55","post_content":"","post_title":"Aldi Barcodes Trend Sarah Tramonte For Taste Of Home 01 Yvedit","post_excerpt":"","post_status":"inherit","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"aldi-barcodes_trend_sarah-tramonte-for-taste-of-home_01_yvedit","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2024-11-27 12:17:33","post_modified_gmt":"2024-11-27 18:17:33","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":2084443,"guid":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Aldi-Barcodes_Trend_Sarah-Tramonte-for-Taste-of-Home_01_YVedit.jpg","menu_order":0,"post_type":"attachment","post_mime_type":"image\/jpeg","comment_count":"0","filter":"raw"},"post_meta":{"_wp_attached_file":["2024\/11\/Aldi-Barcodes_Trend_Sarah-Tramonte-for-Taste-of-Home_01_YVedit.jpg"],"mdd_hash":["58d397c3864bb79c61cfa354d81b1199"],"mdd_size":["1010929"],"_syndication_rights":["1"],"_wp_attachment_image_alt":["Aldi Barcodes"],"_wp_attachment_metadata":["a:6:{s:5:\"width\";i:1800;s:6:\"height\";i:1200;s:4:\"file\";s:74:\"2024\/11\/Aldi-Barcodes_Trend_Sarah-Tramonte-for-Taste-of-Home_01_YVedit.jpg\";s:8:\"filesize\";i:1010929;s:5:\"sizes\";a:0:{}s:10:\"image_meta\";a:12:{s:8:\"aperture\";s:1:\"0\";s:6:\"credit\";s:0:\"\";s:6:\"camera\";s:0:\"\";s:7:\"caption\";s:0:\"\";s:17:\"created_timestamp\";s:1:\"0\";s:9:\"copyright\";s:0:\"\";s:12:\"focal_length\";s:1:\"0\";s:3:\"iso\";s:1:\"0\";s:13:\"shutter_speed\";s:1:\"0\";s:5:\"title\";s:0:\"\";s:11:\"orientation\";s:1:\"0\";s:8:\"keywords\";a:0:{}}}"],"_one_time_use":["0"],"_image_licensor_id":[""],"_image_licensor_name":[""],"_license_type":[""],"photographer_credit_name":["Sarah Tramonte for Taste Recipes"],"_wp_attachment_source_url":[""],"_wp_attachment_license":[""],"_wp_attachment_license_url":[""]}}},"current_site_slug":"toh-com","_yoast_wpseo_title":"This Is Why Barcodes at Aldi Are So Big","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Aldi groceries have unusually large barcodes for cashiers to scan. Here's the reasoning behind it.","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"why are aldi barcodes so big","dek":["The next time you're in the checkout line, take a moment to appreciate Aldi's efficiency."],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2084443"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7801"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2084443"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2084443\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2084745,"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2084443\/revisions\/2084745"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2084627"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2084443"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2084443"},{"taxonomy":"categories-v2","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories-v2?post=2084443"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=2084443"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}