Why Aldi is giving away free mystery boxes of groceries

Aldi is encouraging shoppers to stray from their grocery lists.

Borrowing a tactic more commonly associated with collectibles, toys and unboxing culture, the Germany-based discount retailer next week will offer free blind boxes to customers. The four-day “Aldi Blind Box” promotion begins Monday at noon Eastern time, the company said.

Though blind boxes have a long history of driving excitement around products like Labubu dolls and cosmetics, experts say the concept is less common in the grocery space. For Aldi, the promotion offers a way to generate interest, encourage product discovery and differentiate itself in a crowded grocery market.

“Grocery retailers today have to work harder than ever before to attract customers, and to differentiate themselves from other stores that sell food,” said Jon Hauptman, founder of supermarket pricing adviser Price Dimensions. “How does one chain, like Aldi, stand out from the crowd?”

The straight-to-consumer approach skips influencers and targets shoppers at an opportune time amid rising grocery prices, Hauptman said.

“The timing of it is actually quite good, because this is when people are looking more intently for lower-priced solutions,” Hauptman said.

Each box will feature more than a dozen Aldi-exclusive products, said Bridget Kolzowski, Aldi’s director of communications, in an email. In total, the boxes will be available to “hundreds of shoppers” at no cost, including shipping, she said.

“Because grocery shopping can easily become routine with shoppers sticking to the same aisles and go-to products, we wanted to create a fun, low-commitment way to explore new items and food trends,” Kolzowski said.

The blind boxes will not be available in stores, but the featured products will be, the company said. Aldi, which opened 200 U.S. stores last year and plans to open 180 in 2026, drew 17 million new U.S. customers last year. The grocery has more than 2,400 U.S. stores, including at least 19 on Long Island.

A blind box contains products that customers purchase or receive without knowing exactly what is inside.

Customers can visit www.aldiblindbox.com at noon from Monday to Thursday next week to order one of four varieties of boxes — Snack, Fiber, Protein or Mystery — according to a news release.

A campaign like this “can open up a curiosity gap,” said Jonah Berger, a Wharton School professor and author of “Contagious,” in an email. The uncertainty of what will be in the box can instigate interest and engagement, he said.

“The retail landscape is always shifting and evolving, with companies looking for new and interesting ways to engage customers,” said Berger, who has studied consumer behavior, brands and online sharing.

For a manufacturer, a blind box could introduce a product to customers who may not have otherwise bought it, said Andrew Forman, associate professor of marketing, international business and legal studies at Hofstra University.

For consumers, he said, the appeal may be the experience.

“Maybe they get a little dopamine hit when they open the box to see what’s in there,” he said. “And if it’s something that they’re pleasantly surprised by, then that can get amplified on social media.”

By Arielle Dollinger

arielle.dollinger@newsday.com@aridollinger

Arielle Dollinger joined Newsday as a staff reporter in 2022. Previously, she covered local and national news as a freelancer for The New York Times, Newsday and other outlets.