Ever Heard Someone 'Caw Caw' In An Aldi? Here's Why

True Aldi aficionados know that the budget store is far more than cheap canned goods and speedy cashiers. Beyond that, there is a whole aisle that fans of the grocery chain refer to as the "Aisle of Shame" — and that's where the fun begins. It's also where you're most likely to hear someone utter the phrase "caw caw."

The Aisle of Shame (AOS), typically located in the center of the store, got its name from the supposed shame one might experience when you buy something unnecessary and silly. Here, shoppers can find things like holiday-themed leggings, Aldi-branded dog hoodies, or even a $20 she-shed. Inventory here changes often, so if you see something you can't live without (like a crochet pumpkin craft kit), don't sleep on it. Like other discontinued Aldi products, it may not be there when you get back.

The practice of caw cawing in the AOS has unclear origins. Some say it's how "old crows" who have long shopped at the store find each other. Others believe it refers to the sound a crow makes when it spies something shiny and interesting. Either way, the caw caw call is a method AOS shoppers — kindred spirits, if you will — use to find one another in the store.

The Aisle of Shame is so popular among Aldi shoppers that it has a website and more than a few social media pages and hashtags dedicated to its find. Through the internet, a whole community of Aldi shoppers has come together over the AOS. One person may send a complete stranger a coveted item from their Aldi's AOS that cannot be found in another's local store. Members keep track of others who are struggling, pictures of new babies in a shopping cart on their first Aldi run are shared (though avoid some shopping cart etiquette fails while you're at it), and dresses found in the AOS are modeled for the camera. From time to time, members in the same town even find each other with a well-placed caw caw and a picture is snapped.

The Aisle of Shame phenomenon has been very lucrative for the Germany-based chain, as an estimated 20% of Aldi's annual sales come from items purchased there (though the store prefers to call it the Aldi Finds section). People apparently come for the bargains ... but stay for the motion-activated toilet bowl nightlight.