ALDI has announced a major change to its Too Good to Go discount rules ahead of Christmas, allowing shoppers to save money on food more easily. The discounter is making its “Surprise Bags” available for reservation earlier than usual over the festive period. These mystery bags, priced at just £3.30, contain £10 or more worth of food approaching its sell-by or use-by date. Normally, shoppers can only reserve the bags 24 hours in advance, but this Christmas, they will be able to reserve them five days ahead of collection. Bags for Christmas Eve can be ordered for collection from December 19, while bags for New Year’s Eve can be ordered from December 27. Shoppers can reserve a bag via the Too Good to Go app, which is available for download on Google Play or the Apple App Store.
Luke Emery, national sustainability director at Aldi UK, stated that they are making the Too Good to Go bags even more accessible this Christmas and New Year by allowing customers to reserve them earlier than ever before. This move aims to provide even more people with affordable items that also help reduce food waste. The bags, first launched by Aldi in February 2023, contain a variety of food items, such as fruit, vegetables, dairy products, meat, and snacks. Customers have shared their finds from the bags online, with some mentioning finding juicy steaks inside. Other supermarkets, including Morrisons, Asda, and Spar, also work with the Too Good to Go app, offering discounted food items to shoppers.
For those who are not interested in Aldi’s Too Good to Go bags, there are similar initiatives at other retailers. Lidl shoppers can purchase Waste Not boxes containing 5kg of damaged or misshapen fruit and vegetables for just £1.50. The contents of these boxes vary daily based on available produce in stores. Other supermarkets, such as Asda and Sainsbury’s, have their own initiatives offering discounted produce to reduce waste and provide customers with affordable options. Aldi has also been making other changes, such as discontinuing the click and collect service offered at 174 stores after launching the service four years ago. The supermarket is continuing to expand its number of operational stores in the UK with a plan to eventually have 1,500 stores across the country.
Consumer reporter Sam Walker shared tips on saving money on Christmas shopping, including limiting the number of presents by organizing a Secret Santa among close circles, planning ahead by purchasing Christmas presents in the January sales, shopping around for the best deals using price comparison sites, taking advantage of Boxing Day sales, and shopping via outlet stores like Amazon Warehouse or Office Offcuts for discounted products. By being strategic with their shopping habits, consumers can save money during the expensive holiday season. Overall, with changes to discount rules and a variety of money-saving strategies, shoppers can make the most of their Christmas shopping experience at Aldi and other retailers.
