Aldi queues: the sign of a food crisis nobody wants to see
Queues at an Aldi in Manhattan and in Spanish cities: food inflation is driving demand for low-cost supermarkets while the big chains keep their margins healthy.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Queues at Aldi: when buying food becomes an act of resistance
In a Manhattan neighborhood, people are lining up to get into an Aldi. It's not a grand opening with free samples. It's the routine of those who can no longer afford reasonably priced unprocessed food at conventional supermarkets. The scene repeats itself in cities around the world: food inflation has turned the weekly grocery shop into a luxury.
Meanwhile, in Spain, the debate over the margins of the big supermarket chains is heating up. Mercadona, with its savings-focused message, has seen its founder, Juan Roig, protect himself with a 500-million-euro sports pavilion. Carrefour, for its part, doesn't flaunt its wealth, but its margins are just as juicy. Supermarkets aren't charities, true, but food is a basic necessity, and the gap between prices and wages is becoming immoral.
The curious thing is that the queues at Aldi aren't just about price. In some towns with socialist mayors, the lines have become a spectacle: people queueing for fun and then posting it on TikTok. But the truly striking figure is that, despite the crisis, many still prefer the plastic of ultra-processed foods to fresh vegetables. Saving money comes at a price.
In a Manhattan neighborhood, people are lining up to get into an Aldi. It's not a grand opening with free samples. It's the routine of those who can no longer afford reasonably priced unprocessed food at conventional supermarkets. The scene repeats itself in cities around the world: food inflation has turned the weekly grocery shop into a luxury.
Meanwhile, in Spain, the debate over the margins of the big supermarket chains is heating up. Mercadona, with its savings-focused message, has seen its founder, Juan Roig, protect himself with a 500-million-euro sports pavilion. Carrefour, for its part, doesn't flaunt its wealth, but its margins are just as juicy. Supermarkets aren't charities, true, but food is a basic necessity, and the gap between prices and wages is becoming immoral.
The curious thing is that the queues at Aldi aren't just about price. In some towns with socialist mayors, the lines have become a spectacle: people queueing for fun and then posting it on TikTok. But the truly striking figure is that, despite the crisis, many still prefer the plastic of ultra-processed foods to fresh vegetables. Saving money comes at a price.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (12 replies).
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