ALDI charging surcharge for tap and go or Paywave?

  1. Aldi charging surcharge on pay wave or tap and go
    Did anyone questioned why ?I questioned and got unsatisfying answer “ this is our policy and cannot do much “
    Other grocers don’t do that . What Aldi is doing It is rip off…

  2. Also They rush you to pack stuff at billing . They asked me to dump everything in to trolley and pack in to your bags separately later .Or else they get annoyed and show resentment .

Where as grocers like Wooly’s Supabarn and Coles assist us to pack and being friendly .
I am concerned about our senior citizens how would they feel

  1. I heard claims that Many overseas companies like all dee don’t pay much corporate tax claiming loses or something like that ? Basically their head quarter are located in tax heaven countries and they move profits and capitals to their headquarter countries and spend very less Nothing in the country they earn .It it’s is true then they are not supporting our economy . If anyone knows any info please share .

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Comments

      • +4

        It would be quicker for the OP, but then it would take them longer to serve each customer. Aldi doesn't have checkout clerks, their staff only man registers as needed, otherwise they're stacking shelves, etc. Every minute they're packing someone's bag is a minute they're not doing some other job. It's presumably how they minimise labour costs.

      • +2

        They don't want you to pack things into your own bags at the register. Every Aldi store has that bench at the front of the store; you put the things back into your trolley (or whatever method you used to get them to the register) and then take them over to the bench where you can pack the items into bags properly without holding up people at the register.

      • +3

        Am I only person that just throws the stuff back into my own bags as the cashier scans them? Even in my most sleep deprived/hangry state I am able to keep up with the cashier who was to grab, scan, place down the item. All you have to do is put the bag on the floor and place the items in. Other than an eldery lady with obvious arthritis, me and the other 1000+ ppl I have been in line with at Aldi have never had an issue keeping up with the cashier. What are these people doing who struggle to keep up? Just throw the items in the bag and sort it out when you get home and put the items in your pantry/fridge.

        • +6

          These are the same people who, when their goods have been totaled and they are asked for payment, look stunned like a deer in the headlights and only then it dawns on them to rummage around looking for their purse/wallet and take their sweet time finding a method of payment. They are oblivious to other people behind them, which is a big deal as there is usually only one checkout going when I shop there.

          I've got plenty of time to put all the canned and glass bottles together, the frozen/refrigerated stuff, the soft and fragile items, fresh vegies. They go through and get scanned as a group, you pick them up and "dump" them just as fast in your trolley (or straight into a bag if you don't dawdle), then go to the designated packing area to pack it to your hearts content at whatever pace you want. I'm the guy that's got the credit card between his teeth or a fistful of bills at the start of the conveyor process, just in consideration of everyone else behind me.

          Seinfeld and the Soup Nazi had it right — quietly and efficiently approach the counter, place the order and step away making it clear for the next person. No frivolous and unnecessary conversation. Be a George, not an Elaine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2lfZg-apSA

        • Nope, not the only one, I place items in a strategic manner on the belt to be scanned and then throw them straight into my open bags. I only use the the thick cooler bags that stay open and I can easily keep up! Love Aldi!

  • +11

    No one forces you to shop at Aldi OP.

    We shop there for their cheap prices and if packing your own groceries and paying a small amount for tap & go is not to your liking I suggest you shop elsewhere where they cater to your entitlement.

  • +12

    Unsure why you seem confused by this, If you don’t want to pay the surcharge then insert your card and select EFTPOS Savings to avoid it.

    If you want to tap and not pay a surcharge then shop at another supermarket.

    • +1

      Does my credit card have EFTPOS option?

      And if I do, do I need pin?

      I seriously haven’t done it in so long I don’t know :(

      • +4

        Ask your bank.

      • +3

        EFTPOS only works on debit cards - where it can take money straight out of your bank account.

        PayPass/ Paywave transactions goes through the credit card network even if the card you tap is a debit card - which leads to the surcharge

        • +3

          EFTPOS only works on debit cards - where it can take money straight out of your bank account.

          Not true. My Mastercard credit card from Westpac can be used as an EFTPOS card. I hit Cheque if I want to use my savings and Credit if I want to use credit. As per my previous comment, they need to ask their bank

          • +5

            @kerfuffle: okay… rephrase
            a card that's linked to your actual bank account

            • @Love a bargain: All tap goes through the cc network and incurs cc fees as tap is licensed by visa/mc n they want those $$

              Speaking of choosing chq or credit on your mc cc. It's not just a debit card with say a free/low fee or limit overdraw line of credit as the account linked to the credit option? Tbh I've never heard of that as there are good reasons to never have actual credit and debit accounts on the same card. U sure it doesn't say debit on the front bottom right corner of that card?

              • @mrhashish: yes, I know all tap and go goes through the visa/ mastercard network and therefore the fees - these why my comment that the EFTPOS option when you insert a card is only possible when you can access your bank account with that card

                I've never had any of my credit cards linked to a bank account but I believe it's technically possible and if kerfuffle said hers does that, I guess it is also done in practice

              • @mrhashish: Not true, contactless EFTPOS is a thing, keycards have it, apple pay has it, it does not go via the Visa/Mastercard networks.

                • @renza: Yes you're correct.
                  My statement was in relation kerfluffles situation with their Mastercard credit card I'm incorrect in saying all go through cc processing channel, though for a tap txn to not been processed via cc channel is dependent on a few conditions as most before new financial year 2020 would be going through the banks default choice which is the cc channel only. In the new financial year merchants can chose eftpos processing channel for eftpos tap txns or 'least cost routing' as its called. No choice - before regulation was put in place earlier this year was given to the merchant, banks default choice is cc channel as it means more money for them usually. If it's an eft terminal provided by Eftpos I assume it always routes through their processing channel one would think - same would apply with individual agreements with mobile processors applepay samsung google etc - could be wrong I left the merchant services team in the bank i worked for years ago just as those agreements were been made.

          • @kerfuffle:

            I hit Cheque if I want to use my savings

            is this where they charge the Cash advance?

  • -2

    A better question is why banks think they can charge a %age of the value for the joy of processing the tap and go?

    That's the root of the problem, rent seeking by the banks.

    • +16

      Would you work or provide your services for free?

      You wouldnt charge your clients /customers for the joy of using your product/services?

      • +1

        The cost of providing the service does not change based on the size of the transaction, or even the quantity of transactions.

        If all retailers charged a surcharge, more people would pay by cash or eftpos rather than paying tax to the banking system

        No they shouldn't be forced to offer free services. that doesn't mean that this isn't an issue, or that this doesn't require discussion or regulation.

        • +5

          Wait until you find out about real estate agent fees

          • @tensionday: There is competition among real estate agents. There are only 2 suppliers who control the majority of the market for credit cards.

          • @tensionday: Yeah they be crazy. How pissed off would I be if my house sold in the first few days and I had to hand over $10,000 for the privilege.

        • +1

          Actually it does. Have you ever had a fraudulent transaction on your credit card and had the bank reverse it? Any losses they incur if they can't recover the money have to be paid somehow - and the bigger the transaction the bigger the risk to them.

    • +5

      It's not the banks, it's the Visa/MC/AMEX etc.

    • +6

      Credit card surcharges are actually really low for a business when you compare it to the true cost of handling cash.
      I work in the POS industry, I can't exactly remember where I saw the statistic but the total cost of handling cash is somewhere in the region of 5-6%.
      It's a combination of factors such as human error (incorrect change), embezzlement, fraud (fake money), robbery and labour to handle cash (those big Armoured trucks do not come cheap).

      % for Visa/Mastercard is well justified

      • Flat fee for eftpos is even better

    • -1

      Those darn banks and their billions of dollars of infrastructure.

      Why wont they just let me use it for free?

      Why can't everyone give me everything for free?

      This world is so unfair.

      But you are right… It is rent seeking by the banks. I.e. You are paying to rent their billions of dollars of infrastructure for a fraction of a second.

  • +9

    Please shop elsewhere

    • +5

      Agree. For me it's worth their prices.
      OP can just go elsewhere!!

  • +2

    0.5% surcharge

    The surcharge is a few peanuts. That is a small price to pay for not having to touch the number pad.

    • -4

      Pea nuts as individual but collectively it’s millions
      Our community is loosing millions

      • +7

        You're losing it to the banks.
        Just insert the card and pay by EFTPOS like I do.

      • +7

        Would you feel less 'ripped off' if they didn't say anything about surcharges and just included into the shelf price, therefore you're paying an extra 0.5% even if you pay with cash?

        Ignorance is bliss hey.

        • A lot of businesses do this, they jack up their "cash" price to cover the cost of the card user (which is 80%+ now).

          I'm happy for the cash people to subsidise my card use - I've been subsidising the cash people with my taxes for years.

    • +13

      I didn't know they did this - with covid on and most places asking to tap and go and not pay cash, I think this is very poor form.

      They have a huge sign instore about the surcharge, and again on the tap and go machine. They've had this policy since they started too… It hasn't cost you more to use tap and go.

      • +3

        And if I recall correctly, it's on the receipt.

      • +1

        I'm not arguing with that, just saying most supermarkets are encouraging tap and go to limit covid spread - surely that could've taken the surcharge off while the pandemic is on - every little bit helps to keep staff and customers safe.

        • And most supermarkets build in the transaction cost into their products. ALDI don't, so what you're saying they should take a loss and cover this cost because COVID but for other supermarkets it's OK because the cost is built in? Ignorance is bliss I guess

          • @[Deactivated]: They all try and maximise profits - I don't know why people think Aldi are their friend. That's their model and I acknowledge they advertise it so people have no right to complain if they get charged that fee and don't like it, but all retail was advised it is better to use contactless payment during this crisis. They should've considered a little drop in their profit for the public good.

            • @trilby: So you're saying Coles/Woolies (and most other retailers) should be discounting all their products slightly and wear their POS banking overheads because covid?

              • @[Deactivated]: In this case, yes - everyone has to wear the overheads of increased cleaning, can't see if it's that different. They all have enjoyed increased sales during this period. All other retailers would've had an increase in contactless payment, so would have to pay an increase in bank fees.

      • They have huge signs because ASIC told them to put them there:
        https://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-08-18/asic-takes-aldi-to-ta…

    • +1

      I agree regarding COVID19. I was not so keen to be handling the EFTPOS machine when I went to Aldi.

  • +14

    Other grocers don’t do that .

    Yes and that is why they charge more for groceries.

  • +6

    There's sign that explains it near checkout.

    https://i.redd.it/wpyjode49rqz.jpg

  • +19

    You don't get to have all the things all the time, Aldi aren't a charity. They keep costs down by 1) having you pack your own bags so they don't need as many checkout operators, 2) passing on the bank fees charged when their customers use credit/tap and go and 3) leaving items in boxes on the shelf (just incase you were going to whinge about this next).

    These cost savings mean you pay less for your groceries. If you want a full service supermarket they go to Coles or Woolies. If you want to save money then pack your own bags and swipe your debit card. It's no different to choosing to fly Jetstar over Qantas.

    • LOL Yes but this is ozbargain, everyone also complains about Jetstar's cost cutting measures…😀

  • +2

    This policy has been around for as long as I have shopped at ALDI. If I'm not mistaken, it was already there even before I had a contactless capable card. If it's running on the credit card system, it has a surcharge.

    And like quite a few others have mentioned, it is and has always been clearly signposted.

    I'm not actually defending ALDI here, but no one is forcing people to shop there. If packing your groceries or paying a 0.5pc surchage are deal breakers, it's as easy as shopping elsewhere and voting with your feet.

    I don't like this surcharge very much either and always use my physical card and select debit. I still get my items and avoid the surcharge.

    Finally, I would just like to add, in my experience with establishments that do charge a surcharge for credit card transactions (there are still quite a few), ALDI's surcharge is an order of magnitude less. The usual rates I've experienced are 1.5 to 2%!! And pointedly, this has always been the case even before Canberra mandated that surcharges can't be too far from the actual cost. I remember when it was quite a bit more than 2%

    • +1

      The reason why Aldi charges less is because the code states it can only charge for Reasonable cost recovery. Aldi being so big, it gets a cheaper rate than small businesses that pay 1-2% in processing fees.

  • +10

    Also, since the OP mentioned offshoring taxes, I do not think there is much evidence Aldi is a big problem here. Per the ATO:

    ALDI FOODS PTY LIMITED
    Total Income: 7,903,971,805
    Taxable Income 257,183,934
    Tax Paid 77,155,180
    Effective rate on taxable income 30.0

    Pretty comparable to Metcash, Woolies etc. (AMEX and especially Mastercard on the other hand, profit on interchange fees are essentially all being off-shored…)
    https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/dec/12/ato-d…

    And VISA. Do you need to contact them for something? Their contact address pretty much sums up their opinions on contributing to the Australian economy and paying their fair share of taxes:

    Send a letter via mail to:

    Attention: Corporate Communications
    Visa Inc.
    Robinson Road
    P.O. Box 597
    Singapore 901147

    • +2

      Yea but taxable income is lowered thru transfer pricing arrangements, something local supermarkets don’t do.

      Ie, look at how much “expense” it pays to his motherland for rights to use the Aldi brand.

      • Of course, this is absolutely correct. However, we can see from those tables that Aldi's net (taxable) margin (3.2%) is similar to Woolies (3.7%) but half as much as Wesfarmers (6.39%) (although their businesses are/were quite different).

        Compared to Mastercard (0%) and Visa (not even listed) which are surely much higher margin businesses, Aldi is not the worst actor here. Indeed, Mastercard on it's website suggests its net margin is 57.2% -a very high margin business everywhere but Australia apparently!

  • +2
    1. I avoid the surcharge by paying with EFTPOS using my debit card.
    2. I don't tend to use a trolley. Hence everything has to go into the bags I'm carrying. If you do use a trolley, just pack your bags at the bench behind the checkout.
  • +4

    They are on a low cost strategy so by limiting what their staff have to do, they keep prices low.(just like on Low cost airlines, you pay extra for food). It's up to you to decide whether it's worth it, or whether it may be cheaper to shop at Colesworth.

    1) This has been well known and advertised for a long time.
    There was a time when the staff member told everyone that used a card that there would be a surcharge. Government agencies decided that this wasn't enough (maybe some cashiers missed some warnings), so their stores are plastered with signs. Normally one or two big ones above the checkout and small ones on the machines.
    You can still pay by savings/visa debit etc by inserting into the machine and entering your pin - The surcharge is only for Credit cards.

    2) They have long conveyor belts so that your trolley is empty before they start swiping barcodes. Put it in the trolley and then repack at the long counters they provide for this.

    It's not really your concern whether they pay taxes or not - It's up to the government to decide/legislate for this. I think you'll find most of the time they are happy for these companies to come to Australia and employ people. They then get taxes on the wages among other things. If it wasn't beneficial for the country/economy they would close the loopholes.

    Most senior citizens I know are happy to shop there

  • Not wanting to start another argument, so this is more an observation about what occurs in another territory. ALDI UK do not add the surcharge for ''Contactless'' use of Debit Card. Suspect that's because the UK Government have made it the law.

    • Different bank charges. Eftpos isn't available in the UK, so they probably only have one scheme for credit cards.

      The law is similar to Australia in the UK, surcharge has to be what it actually costs you.

  • -6

    instead of arguing about the core of the problem, people say "then go shop elsewhere" what a constructive approach, well done.

    • +9

      the core of the problem

      It's OPs personal problem, and maybe yours, but not every ones. They could easily include the surcharge in prices, so you're paying the surcharge regardless of what payment method you choose. Instead, they're being upfront and letting you chose.

      Self check out takes up a lot of space, and it isn't always faster if it's full of people who aren't in a rush or don't know how to use the machine.

      If you want lower prices, there's going to be sacrifices. Aldi is a business, not a charity. You have no right to demand them to change their business model, if you don't like it, then don't give them your money.

      • So if you were a store manager in an aldi branch, you would have said to a customer " go shop at coles then" ?

        • +1

          Easier to say that than to explain the whole concept of running a business lulz.

        • +1

          That might be what you do, but others would approach it more intelligently.

    • +5

      Think of it not as a problem, but as feature. You can get a 0.5% discount by paying with EFTPOS (or cash) rather than your credit card.

    • +10

      Probably a European thing where they have more regard for their staff welfare and not having them standing on their feet all day.

      Every major supermarket I have been to in England, France, and Germany - not only Aldi - have their checkout operators sitting.

    • +11

      Genuinely curious.

      What could you possibly have against people getting a little comfortable in a physically demanding job?

      Do you not get toilet breaks at your own workplace and want to extend that misery to others?

    • +6

      You hate the fact that they sit? Why?

      Have you ever done a job where you stand still all day?
      It isn't like a labor role, it isn't exercise. It is detrimental to health, & the staff get exhausted for nothing.

    • +1

      And I hate the fact that the checkout operators are sitting down.

      In a usual supermarket the checkout operator only does the checkout. In Aldi, they do everything.

      Given sitting down doesn't make them any slower, what benefit is there in making them standup? They get enough time standing up when they are stocking shelves etc.

    • +3

      I've seen Karen dropped a few times in this thread, but IMO, this is the biggest Karen comment right here:

      And I hate the fact that the checkout operators are sitting down.

  • +3

    You could see it as a discount for non-paywave. Any store that doesn't have a surcharge needs to build the cost into their prices, which means everyone is paying the equivalent of the surcharge even if not using it.

  • +12

    If Aldi doesn't support the Australian economy, then can you please tell us who -

    buys the land to build the store?
    pays the fees for architects, engineers, surveyors, building inspection companies etc to design and get approval to build a store.
    pays the fees to the local authorities for approval to build the stores
    pays the carpenters, tilers, glaziers, roofers, concreters, painters, plumbers, electricians, etc who build the store?
    pays the manufacturers who make the shelving, fridges, cabinetry, and other fixtures and fittings in the store?
    pays the manufactueres who make cash registers, forklifts and other equipment they use in the store?
    pays the staff who man the stores - they are not Germans who commute from Germany every day?
    pays the car dealers for the cars that Aldi area managers drive around in each day?
    pays the airfares to Australian airlines for Aldi staff to travel between HQ in Sydney and the rest of Australia
    pays the leases on Aldi offices here in Oz
    pays the farmers for the meat, dairy goods, fruit and veg sold in the stores
    pays the manufacturers of groceries sold in the stores

    Need I go on?

    Yes , profits go back to Germany. Where do you think the profits of Toyota, Holden, Ford, IBM, H&M, Uniqlo, Zara, Daiso, et al go to? Last time I looked, none of them were headquartered in Australia.

    I am not apologising for Aldi, they are not perfect by any means, but isn't it past time we got over this Aldi bashing stupidity? They provide a service you are perfectly free to reject - as many do.

    • If Aldi doesn't support the Australian economy, then can you please tell us who -

      Pfff. The battlers obviously.

    • +3

      Mate the people that are complaining are the ones who buy all their rubbish from AliExpress, some cheap and dodgy eBay company, or supporting non Australian business'/buying everything from OS based companies with zero Australian staff or footprint.

    • Yeah all except the licence fees part to shift profits earnt here to overseas.

      Practice must be outlawed

      Ikea is another one

    • Well argued

      I am not claiming that
      But I want to learn from this forum what companies like Aldi do .
      Thanks

      • You should sign-up for the ozbargain international trade course. I think Scotty is launching it early September.

        It should answer all you questions on multi-national companies, taxation and financial institutions costs.

        Sadly, it won't cover off the impact studies on the poor pensioners using different checkout technologies. You will have to wait til 2021 for that course to be available.

        Let me know if you want to sign-up for the course newsletter…

    • Besides, profits go back to Germany in AUD, which has to be spent on Aus exports or in this case, converted on the international money markets, putting downward pressure on AUD, which makes Aus exports more attractive.

      We arent an isolated North Korea style economy and thank god we arent. Global trade is a good thing.

  • +2

    Use your HSBC card and still make 1.5% or use cash Get organised and use a trolley, take the trolley to the car and place groceries

  • I take my own trolley everywhere, saves time mucking around with store trolleys, loads in the car without having to unload it

  • I think Aldi should just raise prices by 0.5% and take out the surcharge. Problem solved!

    There is magic money tree. They can either keep prices cheap and put surcharge or raise the prices and eliminate the surcharge.

  • That’s their business model re packing.

    Also, companies can charge a surcharge as long as they tell you about it.

    You know what you’re getting with aldi. If you don’t like it, shop elsewhere

  • Surcharge, I can live with. The number of times they've made scanning errors and charged me extra in the other hand..

    • +2

      Scanning errors aren't just the domain of aldi. I've had that happen plenty of times at coles and woolworths too. I've gotten into the habit of always getting the receipt and double checking it before I leave.

    • I check the receipt at all times. I am not that good at mental arithmetic so I scan my receipt for the largest value items.

  • +2

    Troll post? I am suspicious

    • +1

      That or a Karen.

    • +1

      There's been a sharp uptick in the number of whinge threads lately. Must be all the lockdowns making people crabby.

    • Excellent

  • OP, retailers have no obligation to cover surcharges charged by the CC companies.

    That might not be the norm amongst other major supermarkets, and Aldi had has no obligation to be like their competitor either

  • -3

    Royalmarker59

    61 years old?

    OK boomer

  • I used to have a problem with mwave adding the 1% CC surcharge at the end depending on what payment you use. Then I saw the Apple and Epic argument… where the companies are forced to put 30% on their prices for Apple. What they are forced to do is add 30% for everybody (on every platform) just to cover Apple (and Google but there they have a choice). That made me understand that payment choice is actually quite good. They could just increase their prices with 0.5% and then nobody has any choice or give you a choice and keep the prices down.

    • 30% is the industry standard for all platforms, including Steam, the Windows Store, Play Store, all the consoles. Apple eat the payment processing fees.

  • +1

    Does ALDI support least cost routing on contactless transactions? I paid using physical card contactless transactions at pappa rich Malaysian restaurant and it routed it through EFTPOS and saved surcharge.

    See https://www.eftposaustralia.com.au/industry/acquirers/produc…

  • +1

    Just get cash from ATM and pay with cash at the register to avoid the fee?

  • +2

    They have always charged the surcharge. And the etiquette had always been to dump everything into your trolley and sort it out at the table near the door.

    They have minimal staff compared to the big 2, they try to keep as few people on the registers and floor as possible. So customers clogging up the line is a real hassle.

    All this and more is done to keep prices more competitive and save you money.

    Feel free to pay more for the extra luxuries at Woolies and Coles if it's not to your liking.

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