<P> Originally, Aldi shops were often ridiculed as being cheap shops selling low - quality goods, whose customers could not afford to shop elsewhere . </P> <P> In the United Kingdom, Aldi has won Supermarket of the Year two years in a row (2012 / 13), and in 2013, Aldi won the Grocer of the Year Award . However, in February 2015, Aldi narrowly lost to Waitrose for the title of Supermarket of the Year 2015 . In April 2015, Aldi overtook Waitrose to become the United Kingdom's sixth - largest supermarket chain . In February 2017, Aldi overtook Co-op to become the United Kingdom's fifth largest supermarket chain . </P> <P> In the United States, due to the relatively low staffing of Aldi locations compared to other supermarket chains, Aldi has a reputation of starting employees out at significantly higher than minimum wage, unusual among American supermarkets . </P> <P> In Ireland, Aldi has been accused of a "lack of corporate responsibility" to their farmer suppliers by the Irish Farmers' Association . </P>

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