Shoppers lash out at Aldi for “ridiculous” price hikes
<p>A group of Aldi shoppers have lashed out at the supermarket chain after its series of "ridiculous" price hikes. </p>
<p>Aldi, which consistently ranks as Australia's cheapest major supermarket, received some criticism this week after the store's popular skinless salmon fillets was hit with a $4 price increase seemingly overnight. </p>
<p>“So explain to me, Aldi Australia, how do you justify a 28.5 per cent overnight increase on fresh salmon?” one outraged customer wrote on the Aldi Australia Facebook page.</p>
<p>“This is outrageous. Last week, it was $13.99 for four pieces, this week $17.99. Guess where it stayed? On your shelf, NOT in my trolley.”</p>
<p>The post triggered a wave of fury, with many threatening to abandon the German retailer and shop at competitor supermarkets. </p>
<p>“Everything is so expensive at Aldi now might as well shop at Coles and Woolies,” one shopper wrote. </p>
<p>“Well why did a can of baked beans price rise by nearly 50% and the same with small tins of tuna?? Ripping us off — not happy with the excessive price rises!! I think it my be time to shop elsewhere,” fumed a second.</p>
<p>“Not impressed by Aldis price increases, a big frozen box of lasagne was $8.99 now $11.99, cheese was $8.99 now $11.99, whisky $34.99 now $36.99, cooking bacon $5.99 now $6.99. I can justify a small increase, but $3 … time to look around,” commented a third. </p>
<p>The supermarket chain has responded to the criticism, acknowledging the price hikes, while insisting that they are committed to providing Aussies with great value products. </p>
<p>“Aldi’s entire business model is oriented around saving customers money to ensure that we continue to lead as Australia’s lowest-price supermarket," an Aldi spokesperson said.</p>
<p>"We always aim to cut unnecessary costs and pass these savings directly onto customers.</p>
<p>“We know that the price of essential goods has never been more important to Australians, so we remain absolutely committed to delivering the best value for our customers while also supporting our supplier partners by maintaining fair pricing at all times," they concluded. </p>
<p>Last month, Aldi ranked first as Australia’s favourite supermarket. </p>
<p>It is the only brand to rank five stars for overall satisfaction, value for money, freshness of produce, quality of private label products and availability of deals/specials, according to the Canstar Blue <span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">survey for its </span><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">annual Supermarket Satisfaction Ratings. </span></p>
<p><em>Image: Getty</em></p>
