The cult following of Aldi’s middle aisle is unparalleled. From candles to kids bikes and cute cookware to skincare – it’s the gift that keeps on giving.
So, it came as a big shock when the bargain retailer announced the death of the middle aisle to its nearly 500,000 followers on Instagram yesterday.
Mass panic ensued, but the announcement isn’t all it seems. In fact, Aldi’s post is an early April fools stunt and the beloved special buys range isn’t going anywhere. *Breathes a sigh of relief*.
Shared less than 24 hours ago, the post shows an image headed: ‘RIP MIDDLE AISLE.’ This is accompanied by a picture of the iconic middle aisle in one of its stores, with a white angel wing either side.
Below was a concerning caption: ‘An important message from Aldi admin.’
Many quickly assumed that the middle aisle had been axed and were distraught, claiming they ‘live’ for the special buys and felt ‘sick’ at the thought of losing them.
But, if you read the full post, all becomes clear. It says: ‘RIP MIDDLE AISLE. And by that, we meant Really Impressive Prices. You might have heart that our iconic middle aisle is heading to the shop in the sky.
‘Actually, you probably haven’t. Because it isn’t. We’ve made something up for attention again (come on, at least look a little bit surprised). We’d never do you guys like that.
‘After all, what’s life without being able to grab an inflatable kayak when you’ve only popped in for milk? Rubbish, that’s what. Long live the middle aisle and all her beautiful treaty bits.
‘Had you in the first half though didn’t we? Yours (in)sincerely, Aldi admin.’
The post has had more than 20,000 likes in less than 24 hours, with traumatised but relieved shoppers rushing to the comments.
‘My heart skipped a beat then! Where else would i get a facial steamer and a bag of prawns from?’ wrote @sophie_gluten_free.
@sazbegley added: ‘Don’t do that again (unless you are planning to put heart monitoring machines in the middle aisle).’
Another said: ‘I just nearly s**t myself.’
The post was also described as an ’emotional roller coaster’, and it was intended to be.
In fact, Aldi’s post is the most recent in the latest trend where big companies are pretending to axe beloved fan favourites.
Lipton Ice Tea left Brits in tears and demanding compensation after it took to socials earlier this week to announce it had discontinued its beloved Peach Lipton Ice Tea flavour.
It used the angel wings either side of the adored beverage, and wrote: You may have heard that our iconic Peach Lipton Ice Tea flavour is getting discontinued. We know – it hurts (sorry if we’ve ruined your go-to afternoon chill bev).
‘But don’t worry, the rest of your faves are still here to keep you refreshed. And who knows? Maybe one day, Peach will make a legendary comeback.
‘We appreciate your understanding during this period of adjustment and apologise for any inconvenience caused. #RIPeach.’
The announcement went viral but ‘distraught’ fans were relieved to find out it was an early April Fools stunt, and that the drink isn’t going anywhere.
More Trending
It’s not just Aldi that has emulated the stunt either. Lynx recreated it almost word-for-word, claiming that Lynx Africa had been axed.
Shoppers claimed their Christmas presents had been ‘ruined’ but others caught on pretty quickly writing: ‘Liptons already made this prank.’
Anyway, you can rest easy that you can still peruse Aldi’s middle aisle as you please, leaving with a fire extinguisher and the ingredients for that family favourite shepherds pie.
Special buys aren’t going anywhere.
Do you have a story to share?
Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.
MORE: The £9 Aldi wine that’ll be living in my ice bucket throughout spring
MORE: Aldi branded ‘top tier’ for offering free period products in UK supermarket first
MORE: Asda is axing 6,000 products from its supermarket range across the UK
