Modern problems require modern solutions, but sometimes when you’re living in a modern world, solutions are created to problems that don’t really exist. Just ask Kroger shoppers who now have to see screens plastered on the refrigerators of their stores.
Khaby Lame ended up becoming the most-followed TikTok user making an entire career out of slamming many of the “hacks” found on the web, highlighting their uselessness.
TikToker Joe Bartolozzi‘s clip is going viral hating on one such “modern solution” to a problem some grocery store shoppers are faced with—having to use a quarter to use a shopping cart. This is something Aldi customers will be well-acquainted with.
In his video, he slams a “25-cent” plastic dongle one can attach to their keychain that’ll allow them to slide it into the security mechanism inside the carts. This way, they won’t have to worry about scrambling for a quarter.
Bartolozzi didn’t understand why anyone would purchase these key-fobs as they cost more than a quarter, highlighting that when one is done shopping, they get their quarter back, whereas these plastic little fobs cost well over 25 cents.
However, there’s another reason to dislike these little fobs, according to a former Aldi employee and fellow TikTok user named Billy (@billy.b.33).
He stitched his explanation with Bartolozzi’s video, garnering 2.6 million views as of Saturday.
@billy.b.333 #stitch with @Joe Bartolozzi #aldi #aldis ♬ original sound – Billy
“So as an ex-Aldi employee, please never use these this is dumb as hell,” he says in his clip.
The TikToker’s video then transitions to a screenshot of a “quarter holder” keychain, which is a $1.49 product Aldi sells with a little slot that holds your quarter.
Billy then decries the little plastic discs being sold online while also mentioning that the “key hack” isn’t such a bright idea, either.
“But when you do something like this or your house key, you’re messing up the whole cart swap process,” Billy explains. “And if you don’t have a quarter, you can just go right up to one of the employees and ask them for a quarter for the cart.”
Billy shares how as an employee, he was told to give people a quarter if they asked.
“First of all, it’s helpful for the cashier when you have a cart, so most cashiers are probably happy to give you that quarter, rather than you come through the line without it,” Billy shares. “But Aldi’s not going to turn down hundreds of dollars of your business just cause you don’t have a quarter. Just bring a quarter or ask them for one. Don’t use these, these are dumb.”
Viewers wanted to know specifically how devices like these purportedly mess with the cart-swapping process. One viewer explained that these devices can jam the mechanism.
“A lot are 3d printed so they can mess up the slot if it gets stuck,” they wrote in a comment. Another reason has to do with the fast-paced nature in which many Aldi employees scan customers’ goods, with a user sharing, “Because there is a cart swap at the register. As you unload your cart, they fill the one at the register with your stuff.”
Usually, Aldi employees will have a cart, with a quarter in it, resting at the end of the register. All of a customer’s goods are quickly scanned and put into the new cart, which can be simply pushed to the side and replaced with the shopper’s cart, which also has a quarter in it. The cart that’s now housing their groceries has a coin in it as well. Shoppers can then simply push the cart to their vehicle, place all of their goods inside, return the cart, and get the coin that’s tucked away in the little lock-feeding mechanism.
However, some shoppers liked the idea of the plastic disc, like a person who wrote, “You know what’s easier than walking up to an employee and asking for a coin? Having a keychain.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Aldi via email and Billy via TikTok comment.
