Aldi giving out old fivers and old pound coins in change - check your change!

Legacy_user

My Dad, bought a couple of things from Aldi costing £3.something, Handed over £10 and he got an old fiver and an old pound coin in his change. He asked the cashier to swap them. The cashier rolled his eyes muttering "not again" and gave my Dad the new ones of each. On opening the till to swap them over, Dad saw the section for the old £1 was overflowing.

It's not the first time Aldi have been issuing old fivers in change after May 6th - the day after the old fivers were withdrawn. I work in a shop about 7 mins/3 mins drive from the Aldi. About 12 customers since 6th May have handed me over an old fiver to pay for their goods. I refused it and all said they got in Aldi. I have heard at least 30 other incidents from my colleagues - the ones that they told me about. All of customers were clearly embarrassed and/or horrified

I'm not too sure why are Aldi doing this - whether they are not trained their staff on accepting the old fivers and pound coins and giving them back as change. The one theory which fills me dread is this one - Aldi have told their staff to give the old fivers and notes away. If a staff member questions it its tough!

If you don't want any old currency in your change, try to pay with card and ask change to be in 50p coins.

My Dad will be ringing their customer service number today and mention him receiving an old fiver isn't an isolated incident!

Ebe_Scrooge

I suspect it's probably more a case of the staff just not noticing - they are under pressure to scan a minimum number of items per minute, and get customers through the checkout as fast as possible. They probably don't have the time to scrutinise every coin and note they give in change.


It's a bit of a pain, admittedly, but hardly something to be "horrified" or "filled with dread" over. Banks and post offices will accept old notes and coins long after they're officially withdrawn from circulation.

antrobus

Ebe_Scrooge wrote: »

..It's a bit of a pain, admittedly, but hardly something to be "horrified" or "filled with dread" over. Banks and post offices will accept old notes and coins long after they're officially withdrawn from circulation.

There was a chap from Nat West on BBC Breakfast a few days ago, who said that the RBS group was still accepting over a million quid a year in pre-decimalisation currency.

Decimalisation was in 1971!

comeandgo

For Aldi to be using old £5 notes then they must be accepting them too, why would they have a lot of them otherwise? I got an old pound in my change yesterday, not from Aldi but from Tesco. Am I upset, not in the slightest.

Autumnella

Aldi have said they will accept old pound coins for another 2 weeks but they obviously shouldn't be giving them back out. I would be annoyed at this as I normally juat throw my change back in my purse without checking it and don't have time to go to the bank to change them later.

peachyprice

ScarletMarble wrote: »

The one theory which fills me dread is this one - Aldi have told their staff to give the old fivers and notes away. If a staff member questions it its tough!

I don't understand why Aldi would deliberately do this. All they need to do is put them in their normal cash collection for banking, there is nothing at all to gain by giving them out to customers.

It's far more likely that their customers know that their staff haven't been trained not to accept them and are offloading all their £5 & £1's without being challenged.

London50

Perhaps they are just being sneaky ,ie give out the old money knowing they are only one of few places that will still take them. That way they COULD have a set market with customers only using them to shop just to use them up.

peachyprice

London50 wrote: »

Perhaps they are just being sneaky ,ie give out the old money knowing they are only one of few places that will still take them. That way they COULD have a set market with customers only using them to shop just to use them up.

Or people could just go to any bank and have them swapped.

NBLondon

Most likely, they are not taking the time and effort to separate them so any that have come in go out again.

I may be wrong here - but I recall reading that no shop is legally obliged to give change - so Aldi could offer Fry Fives and round pounds as change and tell the customer "take it or leave it" then pocket the profits at the risk of the customers going to Lidl instead. Risky option though.

takman

Autumnella wrote: »

Aldi have said they will accept old pound coins for another 2 weeks but they obviously shouldn't be giving them back out. I would be annoyed at this as I normally juat throw my change back in my purse without checking it and don't have time to go to the bank to change them later.

You should always check your change anyway to make sure it is correct, i don't see why you wouldn't when it only takes a few seconds.

NBLondon wrote: »

Most likely, they are not taking the time and effort to separate them so any that have come in go out again.

I may be wrong here - but I recall reading that no shop is legally obliged to give change - so Aldi could offer Fry Fives and round pounds as change and tell the customer "take it or leave it" then pocket the profits at the risk of the customers going to Lidl instead. Risky option though.

They don't legally have to give change but if you give them a note and they refuse to give change then you can simply take the note back and leave the goods there. I doubt many people would still buy the stuff if they refused to give change.

meer53

Never happened at my Aldi, nor to anyone else i know who shops there (most of my friends/colleagues, all use different stores to me). 30 other incidents ? I've never heard it before, maybe a call to Aldi head office would work, looks like it's just one store.