Aldi Gets in ‘Friendsgiving’ Mode With Payment App

In a holiday partnership between seemingly disparate entities, the hard discount retail chain Aldi and Venmo, PayPal’s peer-to-peer payment application, are teaming to support a hunger-relief charity.

Aldi said it would donate 10 meals to food banks associated with Feeding America every time a Venmo user includes a custom “Friendsgiving” emoji as part of a payment. The emoji, based on a child’s handprint turkey art rendered in Aldi’s distinct color scheme, marks the first time Venmo has partnered on a custom emoji, and “symbolizes the spirit of giving,” the companies said in a release.

Aldi said it would donate up to 1 million meals, or $100,000, during the promotion.

Beyond the charitable recipients, Aldi could also benefit through the association with the social payment app popular with millennials, an Aldi spokesperson told Winsight Grocery Business in an email.

“We want everyone to have high-quality food at affordable prices. That’s why we do everything we do. So, to bring more food to more people this season, we teamed up with Venmo to develop a simple and fun way for people to give back, including our fans and new shoppers.”

The program also plays on the growing popularity of “friendsgiving” among young people – a celebration of the Thanksgiving holiday held among friends, often the day before or after the holiday, which is typically spent with family.

 “Friendsgiving has become a popular American tradition over the years. We wanted to team up with Venmo to develop an effortless and surprising way for people to give back, simply by sharing their Friendsgiving celebrations,” the spokesperson said. “Our goal is to bring more food to more people this season. Venmo is a trusted and established service that has a track record of providing great customer service and a unique experience, just like Aldi.”

 Aldi stores do not currently accept Venmo as a form of payment, although it accepts credit and debit cards that may be associated with parent PayPal.