Does Aldi Actually Have A 5-Day Expiration Policy?

There are a million reasons to love Aldi, but the opportunity to save big on groceries and common household items is definitely at the top of the list. However, there's one slightly gray area that's been a major conversation topic on social media: Aldi's policy on product expiration dates. Some Reddit users are convinced that Aldi shoppers score additional savings by paying close attention to a product past its prime.

When a package of Aldi meat or a loaf of bread is within a 5-day expiration window, Aldi employees mark down the price of the item. Some stores slap a big sticker on the packaging to make the savings obvious (this is what happens at my Aldi) and to get rid of overflow inventory. Other locations will honor the expiration date and add a discount to your bill at checkout if you bring it to an employee's attention. These are well and great tactics to move more products, reduce waste, and increase sales. However, according to the Aldi website, the organization does not have a formal 5-day expiration policy.

Despite the lack of a 5-day expiration policy, Aldi is crystal clear about other rules it has regarding pricing. For example, if you purchase an Aldi Find item on Wednesday, and you return to the store on Sunday and notice that the same item has been marked down in price, Aldi will happily work with you to make a price adjustment as long as you bring the receipt with you. 

Another quirk to shopping at Aldi is that the organization does not offer any sort of price matching for items. This is because almost everything you'll find at Aldi is significantly discounted compared to other national grocery competitors. Aldi keeps prices low by encouraging shoppers to bring reusable bags (instead of paying for plastic ones), incentivizing customers to return shopping carts to the corrals using the quarter system (instead of paying an employee), leaving products in shipping containers, and cutting out the middle man when it comes to suppliers (Aldi has its own line of high-end products). All of these pricing strategies were created to support Aldi shoppers, who enjoy savings every single day.