Aldi, the supermarket, has joined in on the Baby Reindeer meme trend by making a joke about their competitors. The Netflix show, Baby Reindeer, tells the harrowing true story of a man who is stalked and also deals with the trauma of sexual assault and rape. Viewers have been left terrified by the show, which follows Donny as he is terrorized by Martha after showing her kindness.
In response to the social media trend of posting memes using imagery from the show, Aldi decided to participate by creating a post related to their own business. The image they selected shows Martha sitting on a bar stool in a pub, pointing at Donny who is working behind the bar. They added text next to Donny that reads “Our Prices,” and on top of Martha, they wrote “Tesco and Sainsbury’s,” implying that the other supermarkets copy Aldi’s prices. The post was shared on X and also on Aldi’s Facebook page with the caption “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”
While some followers found Aldi’s post funny and praised the humor with laughing faces, others criticized the joke due to the serious subject matter of the show. One person expressed their discomfort, questioning whether it was appropriate for Aldi to use the show for marketing. Some thought that Aldi’s social media team should have avoided mentioning the show altogether. One person even called the post “tone deaf,” suggesting that it was a disservice to the program and dismissive of the serious subjects it addresses. Others expressed their disapproval, stating that sexual assault and stalking should not be made into a joke, and called for the post to be deleted.
The popularity of the show has led to speculation about the identities of the “real people” involved, and a lawyer has issued a warning. If you have a celebrity story, video, or pictures, you can get in touch with the appropriate contact.
