Aldi Stores In Illinois All Have The Same Phone Number–Here’s Why

Let's face it, Aldi stores have got a lot of things going for them. Their layout is streamlined and efficient, and the lack of brand-name products helps ensure that the prices are as reliably low as they can keep them in today's world. Aldi also uses some clever thinking to keep the prices down.

For background, Aldi opened as a discount grocery store in Germany in 1946 (less than a year after WWII ended), when it was founded by two brothers, Karl and Theo Albrecht. The name Aldi is actually a shortened version of Albrecht Discount.

Aldi opened its first location in the US in 1976 in Iowa City, Iowa, and has its American headquarters right here in Illinois, in Batavia. Overall, Aldi has more than 12,000 locations in 20 countries across Europe, North America, and Australia.

I Mentioned That Some Of Aldi's Success Comes Clever Thinking, Especially When It Comes To Things That Aldi Does Not Offer

One of those thing is something that you may have never even noticed. When is the last time you heard music being played on an Aldi store's overhead speakers? If you can't recall, that's okay--because you've never heard music being played at Aldi, and the reason boils down to one word: Money.

It's just plain cheaper to go without the music, and pass the savings on to customers.

MentalFloss.com:

Speaking with Reader’s Digest, John Stranger, the vice president group supervisor of creative agency EvansHardy+Young, said ALDI can save money by avoiding the licensing payments that would be owed for playing music inside stores. Typically, retail outlets partner with a third-party music service to provide soothing tunes that make for a pleasant shopping experience and encourage shoppers to linger.

So, Aldi Shoppers Aren't Treated To Music Playing Throughout The Store Because It Saves Money--But Don't Try To Call Your Local Aldi To Thank Them

Because you just can't.

You may not have known that Aldi stores in Illinois and everywhere else have an unlisted phone number. It's true. If you search for the phone number for your nearest Aldi store, you'll get (855) 955-2534 as a search result. Believe me, I tried this and wrote down what I heard when calling:

Thank you for contacting ALDI U.S. Due to our limited store staffing, the phone numbers for our stores are unlisted. This is part of our savings model that allows us to pass on significant savings to our customers.

The reason for the unlisted number is that Aldi wants the people working in their stores to be...well, working in their stores and not answering questions on the phone that could be answered by visiting Aldi's website instead.

If you can’t find the information you’re looking for on the Aldi website, there is an option to contact Aldi via email, or call their corporate customer service line during regular business hours at (800) 325-7894.