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Is it this complex? Or is it just that Aldi realised that middle-class people don’t want the store ‘discount’ label on their shelves as it makes them look poor?
by jen729w 3y ago
Is it this complex? Or is it just that Aldi realised that middle-class people don’t want the store ‘discount’ label on their shelves as it makes them look poor?
Some bland ‘brand’ isn’t noticeable. And they’re all different, so you don’t pattern-match ‘Aldi’.
Our eyes just pass over it. And so Aldi is acceptable in your middle-class lifestyle even though it’s the cheap one.
It’s genius.
- IneffablePigeon 3y agoExactly. It also makes sure you don’t pattern match the product as “inferior quality”. You assume “average quality”, and in fact (at least in the UK) many Aldi versions of products now have a reputation for being surprisingly high quality - but not all of them, so the segregation here between product lines allows some to get that reputation without being dragged down by the actually average ones. They help all this by stocking the real branded versions of some products, and the fact their own brand products look roughly equivalent on the next shelf reinforces all of this. Aldi have successfully manufactured a feeling that when you buy something cheaply it’s a _bargain_, rather than that you have compromised on the product you actually wanted to buy. They also very hard when legally challenged for trademark disputes on their clone products with similar packaging, it’s certainly an important part of their strategy as far as they’re concerned.
- sublinear 3y agoI feel pretty strongly that the middle class stopped stocking its pantry with cans. Fresh ingredients not only taste better but are usually cheaper, and work from home only gave people more free time for the prep work involved. It's not even about cost, but taste and showing off to the neighbors at the next gathering.