Aldi shoppers rush to buy lauded $40 appliance from 'aisle of shame'

Aldi shoppers are rushing to snap up an 'essential' $40 household item while its one sale for just one week.

Eagle-eyed consumers noticed the retail giant is selling the 3.7-quart Ambiano Air Fryer, on sale for $39.99.

The cooking aide will be available for one week, starting September 18, or until sold out.

It can be found in the 'Aldi 'Finds' section,' known by fans as the 'aisle of shame' .

The aisle that runs down the middle of stores has gained its colloquial name and reputation because shoppers tend to spot great deals and lose all self-control by indulging in some impulse purchases.

The Ambiano Air Fryer has eight different cooking programs that lends itself to a variety of different recipes.

It can cook up to 400 degrees F and the frying basket is dishwasher-safe.

Its small size makes it perfect for keeping on the kitchen counter, but it is still big enough to prepare a meal for two to three people.

'This is AWESOME, I've had mine for over a year,' one consumer wrote on Reddit.

Oh my goodness, this household uses it almost on the daily. It's like a little mini oven. Perfect if you have a household where everyone is on a different schedule,' another said.

A third added that there's was 'good and reliable,' and 'well worth the money.'

Aldi is the fastest-growling supermarket in the US and is still expanding at breakneck speeds.

Some 2,400 of its small stores, packed with a limited assortment of well-curated but mostly private label goods, are now dotted across the country, and it plans to open another 800 in the next four years.

Earlier this summer the retailer was named the fastest-growing grocer in the US for the fifth year in a row by real estate firm JLL, and in terms of store count it's the third largest.

'No one else is putting up 100 stores a year in the grocery space,' Michael Infranco, assistant vice president at RetailStat said at the time.

'That's impressive. And they've been doing that for a number of years now.'

Although the retailer has been in the US since 1976, only recently did it begin scooping up a larger share of the market.

What is Aldi's story? Aldi has been in the US since 1976, but only recently did it begin scooping up a larger share of the market.

Driving its popularity has been inflation , which forced consumers to seek out substitutes for increasingly expensive branded goods like Heinz Ketchup, Kellogg's Frosted Flakes and soft drinks like Coca-Cola.

Aldi instead offers much cheaper imitation products or 'dupes' - which it has been selling for many years in Europe.

The chain is also experienced when it comes to rapid expansion. For example, in the last decade, it has more than quadrupled its market share in the UK to 10 percent.

Demand for dupes has skyrocketed in North America too. The volume of private label goods sold by US grocers has risen some 34 percent since 2019.

Aldi's private label ketchup comes in similar-looking packaging to the Heinz product - but is about half the price.

An Aldi in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, sells Clancy's brand chips which look a lot like Pringles for just $1.89, while the original product costs $2.85 at the same store.

Aldi also sells staples like eggs, milk, sugar, flour and pasta, for low prices.

Aldi stores are smaller than those of most grocery chains, averaging around 10,000 square feet.

They also only stock around 12,000 different products, which are put out in their delivery boxes to reduce the need for staff.

'It's utilitarian,' said Infranco. 'You don't have 12 versions of an Oreo cookie with different stuffing, you have one type of cookie, and that saves shelf space and money that would go on distribution and inventory.'

The approach sets it apart from other famous retail giants that offer a more complete supermarket experience.

'In their space, I think they're the king of the hill but they're not taking down Walmart or Kroger any time soon,' said Infranco. 'In general, people who shop at an Aldi or Lidl do the rest of their grocery shopping elsewhere.'

Aldi's lesser-known German rival, Lidl, however, has been slightly less successful. Last year, it closed 10 underperforming stores and laid off around 200 employees.