Unsere Werbung liegt im billigen Preis. Our advertising lies in the low price. Karl Albrecht said this in 1953. After the 1948 currency reform he and his brother had rebuilt their mother’s shop around a small range of goods and low prices. The discounter Aldi grew from it. When Aldi cut the price of its cheapest 250-gram pack of butter from 1.45 to 1.39 euros on 1 August 2023, it was national news. Aldi called itself the Preisführer, the price leader. Edeka and Rewe said their supermarkets and discount chains would follow.
The competition over price takes place between the retailers, in public. The customer is not part of it.