When TikToker Jai (@Jai_tavia) shared a suspicious encounter at Aldi, her story struck a chord with nearly 600,000 viewers. The Aldi shopper is now warning others to check their receipts after utilizing the cashback button at checkout.
“Thought 60 secs would be enough time, but plz make sure you’re checking your receipts! Cus clearly, that’s what cashiers like that are banking on,” she wrote in the caption, along with the hashtag “#beware.”
In the clip, Jai delves into a potentially troubling cash-back scam at the popular discount grocery chain.
In a direct-to-camera address, Jai recounts a routine shopping trip turned questionable. She says she’s heard of the Aldi cashback scam before.
“When I got off work, I went to Aldi because they’re cheap and I was going to stop in there and get some stuff for the house real quick,” she says. “I go to the checkout, the girl is checking me out and I tap my card, it’s like 20-something dollars. I tap my card and I put in my PIN, it goes through, it says approved.”
Jai then noticed something strange.
“And as I’m waiting for my receipt, the register pops open like she’s getting cash,” she explains. “So now I’m standing there looking confused ’cause I’m like…” Jai then re-enacts a side-eye.
The TikToker says the Aldi employee then handed her the receipt and told her she got cash back.
“I’m looking confused, like, ‘I didn’t,’” Jai recalls. “She was like, ‘You didn’t know you got cash back?’ I was like, ‘No, I didn’t, but OK, let me grab it.’”
Jai’s video ends abruptly at the 60-second mark, but the implication is clear: she suspected the only reason she actually received the cashback, which she didn’t request, is that she noticed the cash drawer open. Had she not seen it, she might have left unaware of the extra transaction, and the Aldi worker would have taken the cash.
This isn’t an isolated incident. Another user, Dominique (@welcometothenashhouse), reported a similar experience just months earlier, suggesting a recurring issue.
The comments on Jai’s post were a mixed bag.
Some viewers were skeptical of any wrongdoing: “As a former employee, we cannot choose cashback for you. It must be a fault in the system,” one explained.
Another seconded, “I used to be a cashier, You can’t pick cash back for a customer!”
However, not everyone was convinced, with one user expressing relief, “Glad my Aldi has self-checkouts,” and another warning broadly, “NEVER USE DEBIT! A LOT of places put skimmers on their machines, gas stations, 7-11 etc.”
@jai_tavia Thought 60 secs would be enough time, but plz make sure you’re checking your receipts! Cus clearly, thats what cashiers like that are banking on! #aldifinds #beware #columbusga ♬ original sound – JaiONeal
These personal testimonies are volunteered against a backdrop of rising grocery prices, which have surged by 25% since before the pandemic. Shoppers flock to stores like Aldi to mitigate these costs, but unexpected cash-back charges, whether due to error or deliberate deceit, can exacerbate financial strain if gone unnoticed.
In today’s climate of high grocery prices—driven by factors like inflation, global supply chain disruptions, and geopolitical tensions—every dollar counts. Stories like Jai’s serve as cautionary tales of the importance of vigilance at the checkout. Whether the cause is a system glitch or something more nefarious, keeping an eye on receipts and transactions is more crucial than ever in today’s touchy financial climate.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Jai via TikTok comment and Aldi via email for further information.
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