popped a coin into a lock to free a cart. You slide your quarter in, the cart releases, and when you chain it back up at the end, you get your quarter right back.
So it’s not a fee. It’s a deposit. The point is to keep carts from wandering off into the parking lot and rolling into cars. It also means Aldi doesn’t have to pay someone to round up strays all day, which is part of how they keep prices low. Handy system, right up until the moment your pockets are coin-free.
shopping carts
source: Pexels
Just Ask a Cashier for a Quarter
The simplest fix is also the one people forget: walk up front and politely ask a cashier if you can borrow a quarter. Plenty of Aldi locations keep a few on hand for exactly this reason, because the store would rather you shop than leave
