The cost of missed experiences? I think a great many (most? Nearly all?) people are missing out on a great deal. Working two jobs seems relatively normal. I'm of the impression that most people work so much to just get by and largely miss out on the category of "missed experiences." Missing their kids grow up, missing the scenery as it goes by, not having the time to keep friendships going. I think that someone who builds an empire like Trader Joe's likely led a more rich in experience life than most.

He sold the company in 1979 to Aldi and retired in 1988, according to the article. It doesn't speak anywhere about an overworked person. Maybe he had a great time and was energized by his work?

It's interesting because the experience between Aldi and Trader Joe's is very different. I personally find Aldi to be a depressing experience, and I don't know why people say such great things about it, whereas Trader Joe's is an excellent example of success created in large part by treating employees well. The culture of Trader Joe's doesn't seem to have been incorporated into Aldi in any way. Then again, maybe the Aldi locations in California are subpar compared to elsewhere?

The Aldi that owns Trader Joe’s (Aldi Nord) is not the same Aldi that owns Aldi in the USA (Aldi Süd). The two companies split in 1960.

Yeap. There's Trader Joe's (Aldi Nord) and Süd in Texas. I'm curious how similar are Aldi Nord in Europe and Trader Joe's, because I heard there's some resemblance.

Did not know that - valuable insight. I was also perplexed by the dichotomy outlined above. Thanks.

There are currently rumors they might re-unite.

Aldi in Europe is just another budget supermarket, but carry a variety of goods that you can't get elsewhere, certain cosmetics and German bread. It's loved by many for this reason. Otherwise, I also find Trader Joe's much more satisfying. If it came to Europe I wouldn't protest!

Aldi (in Germany) is a special discounter who optimized processes extremely early on and takes optimization much further than everyone else.

For example, I'm usually shopping at Edeka (higher tier, more SKUs, more expensive; a full-sortimenter).

Every time I shop there, there are several articles their bar code scanner does only recognize after two or three attempts, often the cashier has to try a handheld scanner, sometimes he must enter the digits by hand.

Every five or so times I shop there, an article is not recognized by the system, and the cashier must phone the department and ask for the price.

Aldi has larger bar codes on their packaging, often one on every side. Aldi barcodes are usually black on white, not black on transparent (with the content confusing the scanner). There is never an article missing in the system.

That's why the cashiers handle your articles faster than you can bag them. Because scanning works on the first try, every time.

Have you been to a TJ’s? I’d imagine no experiences were missed. The store is fun, so I’d imagine the founder had a pretty fun life too.

Everyone regrets missed experiences. Whatever you're doing, you're not doing all these other things.