AldiThe website crashed after more than 76,000 shoppers today tried to get their hands on merchandise from the store’s festive character, Kevin the Carrot.
The cuddly carrots came out this morning as part of the discount supermarket Christmas campaign with the character.
People were desperately queuing outside their local stores from 4am to buy products from the new range, while this year Aldi warned shoppers ‘when they’re gone, they’re gone’.
However, shoppers are currently being held in a virtual queue with the most recent status being ‘Almost! Kevin and his family are back together and can’t wait to meet you.’
A message on the website read: ‘You are in line…We are very sorry, but there are a lot of people trying to access the Aldi website right now.
“We’ve automatically put you in a queue. Don’t worry about refreshing – this page will update automatically once you’re able to visit the site.’
Aldi’s website crashed after more than 76,000 shoppers today tried to get their hands on merchandise from the store’s festive character Kevin the Carrot
People were desperately queuing outside their local stores from 4am to buy products from the new range, while this year Aldi warned shoppers ‘when they’re gone, they’re gone’
And customers were quick to respond on social media with one user tweeting, “It’s carrot day first in line, been here since 6:30am, one hour to go”
Another shared an image of their collection and commented, ‘@AldiUK @KevinTheCarrot just need to get them on the shelf. Worth the six hours outside aldi lmao’
One person said: ‘Never in my life did I think I’d be on the @AldiUK website trying to get my hands on that turtle! But I did it and I’m way too excited’
And customers were quick to respond on social media, with one user tweeting, “It’s carrot day first in line, I’ve been here since 5:30, one hour to go.”
Another shared an image of their collection and commented, ‘@AldiUK @KevinTheCarrot just need to get them on the shelf. Worth the six hours outside aldi lmao.”
One person said: ‘Never in my life did I think I’d be on the @AldiUK website trying to get my hands on that turtle! But I did it and I’m way too excited.’
An Aldi spokesperson said: ‘Demand for our Kevin the Carrot plushies was extremely high and as a result, customers were queuing up to enter the website.
“This was to improve the customer experience on our website and we apologize for any inconvenience.”
It comes after Aldi once again invented a festive classic for them Christmas ad this year.
The supermarket has released a cheerful vegetable version of Home Alone, in which Kevin the Carrot replaces Kevin McCallister as the hero who has to spend the holidays alone.
After his wife and their carrots leave for Paris without him, Kevin makes the most of his time at home, but ends up getting scared when an intruder tries to break into his house.
In an homage to the original film, Kevin devises a plan to keep the mysterious intruder at bay, including throwing a Christmas party and lighting up the house with decorations.
The whimsical ad, which premieres tonight at 8.30pm during the break of Aldi’s Next Big Thing on Channel 4, also highlights the work of the Neighborly app, helping British families in need during the holiday season.
In the sweet ad, Kevin’s wife Katie is seen on the plane with their kids, Baby, Chantenay and Jasper, before realizing her husband is missing and shouting “Kevin,” in homage to the 1990 Home Alone movie.
Home again, Kevin is shown watching a football game – possibly the 2022 World Cup – and relax.
But his downtime is interrupted when he hears an intruder fall down the chimney shaft.
Kevin gets scared and comes up with a plan to get rid of the man who keeps trying to get into his house.
He throws a dinner party and stuffs a balloon full of water over the French doors of his living room, stopping the intruder.
Kevin also tries to connect all of the house’s Christmas lights, but the plan backfires and Kevin ends up “fried” and one of the tree’s decorations calls him a “roasted carrot.”
In the end, a final mishap causes Kevin to escape the house and end up in a snowman outside his house.
Fortunately, he is saved by Santa Claus as it is revealed that it was he who tried to get into the house to deliver his presents all along.
Meanwhile, Kevin’s family has returned to their house and run to him, with a worn-out Kevin eager to spend the holidays with his loved ones.
Hugging his wife, he jokes, “Sorry about Paris, at least we saw the Trifle Tower.”
Aldi has released a cheerful vegetable version of Home Alone, in which Kevin the Carrot replaces Kevin McCallister as the hero who has to spend the holidays alone
After his wife and their carrots leave for Paris without him, Kevin makes the most of his time at home, but ends up getting scared when an intruder tries to break into his house.
Santa and his family come to Kevin’s rescue after he tried to escape his house and ended up in a snowman
Kevin devises a plan to keep a mysterious intruder at bay and throws a deceptive Christmas party
Adam Zavalis, Marketing Director at Aldi UK, said: ‘Christmas celebrates the joy of being with loved ones and this year more than ever we all need a little light entertainment as we celebrate the season together.
And it wouldn’t be the holiday season without Kevin the Carrot on our TV screens, and this year’s Christmas performance is sure to bring the nation “KEVIN!” as we welcome him for the seventh year,” he added.
Aldi teased their Christmas ad this weekend with a comical ad that referenced the upcoming World Cup in Qatar and paid homage to Nike’s classic “Airport 98” commercial.
As in the sports giant’s now-retro ad, Aldi’s redesigned version showed a kickabout taking place in an airport waiting lounge.
However, instead of starring famous players like Ronaldo, this clip shows a carrot family, including Kevin, who is accompanied by his loved ones.