Aldi is betting on cashless stores with an entry fee in London. The Brits are only partially enthusiastic about it. The requirement for card-only payments is also not to everyone’s liking.
What kind of system is this? Aldi Süd has tested a new model in a store in Greenwich, London: Anyone who wants to shop at the Aldi store must pay an entry fee to even enter the store. Aldi calls this principle “Shop & Go.”
The entry fee or deposit is 10 British pounds (approx. 12 euros). Once you have finished shopping, the deposit is deducted from the total purchase. The remainder is refunded. In Aldi’s terms and conditions, it says:
If you spend less than 10 [British] pounds – or nothing at all – the difference will be refunded, but the timing of the reimbursement is controlled by your card issuer.
No more long lines at the checkout, as everything happens automatically and digitally
Why is Aldi doing this at all? With this model, they want to promote contactless payments and especially avoid long waiting lines. Because in the store, everything is automated: there is no human staff at the checkout, and payment is automatically deducted from the account or credit in the app.
Upon entering the store, the AI-controlled cameras track the items taken from the shelves, and the total amount is deducted from the customer card upon leaving the store.
The deposit of 10 British pounds is, by the way, intended as a security for the operator to ensure that the payment method can indeed be charged and that the customer does not end up at the checkout unable to pay for their purchases.
Criticism from customers and the British press against Aldi
Since the introduction of the new system, there has been criticism from customers and journalists from the UK. This has been reported, for example, by the British magazine GBNews.com. Some customers report that they were charged multiple times upon attempting to enter the store, particularly if they accidentally pressed the app button more than once. According to Express.co.uk, this advance payment in the app was disabled in May 2025.
Another problem: When you want to help other customers, for example, with hard-to-reach products, the AI does not recognize that as help, but instead charges the helping person for the purchase, even if they did not actually buy the product.
No plans for Germany with cashless systems
Does Aldi have similar plans for Germany? No, Aldi has no plans to introduce such a system in Germany. The German-language magazine IT Boltswise reports that the new concept remains limited to the UK: Aldi has no plans to implement it in Germany.
In Utrecht, the first “Shop & Go” store of Aldi was closed at the end of 2024, according to the German-language magazine Lebensmittelzeitung (Paywall). According to the company, the concept is not profitable and will not be further expanded.
German customers will therefore continue to wait in line at the checkout when they shop at Aldi.
By the way, supermarkets are also posing problems for Generation Z. Young people primarily shop online. The corona pandemic has only intensified this trend. However, as soon as young people have to go to a “real” store, it becomes embarrassing or uncomfortable for many: Gen Z explains that their new nemesis lurks at the cheese counter and in the supermarket
