Bloke Sent To Aldi To Get £4 Wine, Comes Home With £40 Inflatable Kayak

Anyone who's ever walked into an Aldi will know about that magical middle aisle, where literally anything can happen and all the dreams you never even knew you had come true.

A 3D printer? I will use this approximately once - at most - and yet somehow it feels entirely essential. A patio heater with a bluetooth speaker and colour-changing lights? WHY DIDN'T I OWN ONE BEFORE???

But while most of us lose our nerve and end up walking away from the Specialbuys section with nothing more than a three-piece set of storage containers, one man managed to pull off perhaps the find of the century: a kayak.

Problem is, Craig Holland had only been sent out to pick up a bottle of wine by his fiancée Holly. And he'd never actually been in a kayak before.

Craig, 33, was dispatched to his local Aldi on Radford Bank in Stafford for a fairly standard post-work pit stop and a bottle of Holly's favourite Cambalala South African dry white wine, which sells for the wallet-friendly price of £3.99 a bottle.

"On this particular day I went straight in for the wine, but couldn't resist a browse of the middle two aisles," the train driver from Stafford told LADbible.

"I saw an inflatable kayak and thought it looked great, and would be ideal for our camping holidays with our daughter."

Better still, the kayak was an absolute bargain; Craig said he expected a £100 price tag for what he felt looked like a 'well-made' product, but was pleasantly surprised to see it cost just £39.99.

After deciding on a colour - the kayak comes in black/red or grey/green, btw - Craig made the purchase and decided to take it for a spin at their local river next to Cannock Chase Forest.

"It was a hot day and my daughter was at her childminder's so I had a few hours to myself," he said.

"I got to the local river and found an access point where I could launch. I was slightly anxious as I wasn't sure how stable it would be - that and the fact that I had never been in a canoe or kayak before."

Putting his phone, keys and wallet into the wet bag provided inside, he set off, opting to paddle upstream just in case he couldn't get back after going too far down river. Smart cookie.

"I was relieved to find the canoe nice and stable and easy to paddle," Craig said.

"I was loving it. I've gone to get a bottle of wine and now I'm paddling through the countryside when I'm probably supposed to be cutting the lawn."

Understandably, partner Holly was a little baffled by Craig's impulse buy at first ("What the hell have you bought?!"), but Craig feels chuffed to bits with the kayak, which is 328cm long and is suitable for up to two adults, with a load capacity of 160kg.

Oh, and it comes with a paddle.

Craig continued: "I was really surprised with how good it looked and what was included. You have a dry bag that attaches inside for all your belongings, a collapsible paddle and even two inflatable seats with back rests to support you in the kayak."

Craig even said one of his mates has now gone out to buy their very own Aldi kayak after hearing about his.

He added: "Aldi still has quite a few left and I'm tempted to get some more... But don't tell Holly."

And don't worry, despite getting distracted by the prospect of an inflatable kayak, Craig didn't forget Holly's wine. A true hero.

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