‘I thought you were exaggerating at first’: Memphis DoorDash driver goes to Aldi. Then she sees something that makes her want to turn back to Arkansas
While in Memphis, an Arkansas-based DoorDash driver went to Aldi to pick up an order. Shocked by the store’s lack of cleanliness, she filmed the rest of her experience.
On Oct. 19, Stephanie Moore (@sjones1481) posted a TikTok documenting her various unsanitary encounters in the store. “I don’t ever do this, but Aldi, what are you doing?” she asked. “This is the nastiest store I have ever set foot in.”
Why was this particular Aldi location so shocking?
Among the different areas of the store Moore documents, she held up a bag of rotting potatoes to the camera. “Here’s a fun one,” she says. “Rotting potatoes. You see that liquid? Yeah. And it stinks to high heaven.”
She clarifies that she has not previously had similar experiences at any other Aldi location. “I guess I’m spoiled because all the Aldis in Arkansas and other places I’ve been have always been clean and neat,” says Moore. “The ones in Memphis are nasty. And then you’ve got rotting food everywhere, crap piled on top of each other.”
Moore adds that beyond cleanliness, she also experienced particularly negative interactions with the employees. “Aldi, if you aren’t ashamed, I’m ashamed for you,” she said. “And let me just also say I’ve never had so many rude employees either. I guess I am just spoiled because every person that I’ve went to in Arkansas has a smile on their face. They’re willing and ready to help. They’re just great. The cashiers here are the rudest people I have ever encountered”.
Is the store typically associated with this level of quality?
Overwhelmingly, the comments agreed that this is very atypical for other Aldi locations. “That’s not an Aldi thing, that’s some lazy employees in my opinion,” wrote one comment. “My Aldi is pristine.”
“I’ve never seen an Aldi in that condition,” added another. “I’ve probably gone to 6 different ones in my state.”
“I’ve never seen any Aldi here in Memphis look like that,” wrote a third. “I’m shocked. All those I’ve been to are nice and clean. One bad apple out of the bunch I guess.”
Aldi has positioned itself as a sustainability and quality leader, eliminating plastic bags across all U.S. locations and earning repeated Environmental Protection Agency Green Chill certifications for eco-friendly refrigeration that helps keep food fresh and reduce waste. Meanwhile, corporate materials from Aldi emphasize strict safety and supplier guidelines aimed at ensuring product quality and consumer trust.
@sjones1481 #aldi #alditiktok #ashamed #groceryshopping #grocery #doordash #rotten #rottenfood #disgusting #unclean #healthhazard #unsanitaryconditions #healthdepartment @ALDI USA ♬ original sound – Stephanie Moore
But despite those policies, complaints about store cleanliness and product conditions have surfaced repeatedly online and in local media, from shoppers calling out “absolutely disgusting” floors and grimy register areas to community posts about rotten produce and messy shelves at specific locations.
Moore’s TikTok is part of a pattern of shoppers publicly questioning whether certain individual Aldi stores are meeting the cleanliness and service standards shoppers expect from a brand that otherwise markets itself on value, quality, and sustainability.
We reached out for statements to @sjones1481 via TikTok DM and Aldi via email.
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