What is it like working at Aldi?

WantToBeSE

Does anyone work (or has worked) at Aldi? I am going for an interview soon and would like to know what it is like to work for them?

My main questions are- Do they offer full time hours? Do you have a chance to climb up the career ladder? Do your hours differ from week to week, or do you get set hours?

I have looked around online and see that most people say you work really hard for your money and that you do lots of different things (you aren't sat on the till for hours, you might be unloading etc).

To be honest, i don't mind that. I like the idea of having a variety of tasks and being busy enough to make your hours go quicker.

Thanks.

WantToBeSE

Anyone??....

RichardD1970

My wife works there part time, as a stock assistant, for 15 hours (3hrs a day).

Think they offer up to 22 hour contracts but there is usually the opportunity for extra, obviously depending on the store and other staff.

Plenty of chances to climb the ladder for the right people.

If you are a store assistant (or higher, it's even been known for the area manager to jump in and help when visiting a store) then you are expected to do whatever job needs doing, so you can be on and off the till every 10 minutes depending on how busy the store is. There is always something that needs doing and rarely any "down time", you won't be bored.

WantToBeSE

Thanks Richard. I don't mind that level of work, switching to different things. Like you say, at least i wouldn't be bored!

I am looking for 35(ish) hours, so i guess i would just have to wait and see if they offer that.

TELLIT01

From what I've read in the past, the work can be pretty full on, but pay is better than many supermarkets.

elsien

I had a colleague who looked at applying but they didn't offer full time hours. The overtime was mentioned but obviously wasn't guaranteed so he decided not to take the chance as he needed full time to cover his living expenses. Don't know if they're all like that or if it varies by area.

SailorSam

I've heard both Aldi & Lidl take no prisoners, they have as few staff as they can get away with and expect them all to do whatever work needs doing. Having said that they do pay better than other supermarkets.
I went to Lidl this afternoon and there was a big sign outside offering store assistant jobs, from £8.50 to £9.50 (approx) depending on experience. I think it may have been nation wide.

candygirl

No idea what it's like working there, but at my local ALDI the staff are all very smiley n friendly

WantToBeSE

Thanks guys

I'll go for an interview and see what happens! I am thinking on the run up to Xmas they'll be offering loads of extra hours anyway.

GwylimT

My brother works at aldi and enjoys it, he has two four hour fixed shifts that fit around his sons special school.

1886

I worked at ALDI as a store assistant ten years ago. I left after three months.

The store was very new and my shifts and hours were sporadic. I was'nt given as many hours as I was told I would have at interview. They blamed this on the store not being as busy as they had hoped. The lack of full time hours was one of the reasons I left. I cant remember how many hours I was working a week but I imagine it was around twenty five, it certainly was'nt anywhere near full time I can remember that much.

Yes it is true ALDI do pay more than the big supermarkets but on the other hand you will be expected to work alot harder. We used to have three members of staff on at a time and often one (ast manager) would be in the office which left me to go on the till as I was new (everybody hated going on the till) and the other employee would be putting stock out.

If/when the queue got longer than the check out you have to ring the buzzer so another till can be opened. This was always greeted with alot of anger by the other member of staff, usually ast manager but what can you do?

If you go in to do an 'open' you will have to check maybe 6-8 cages of fruit and vegetables. I'm 6.4' and they were stacked so full that they were higher than me. You have to check off every single item in each cage, ALDI would purposely send too little or too much sometimes to see if you were checking them off and not just putting them on the shelves. It's not an easy job and certainly not enjoyable.

I remember doing a 'close' and often the ast manager would tell me not to bother cleaning the aisle floors so we could get away quicker. They looked quite filthy.

I remember having a few issues with shoplifters, basically an organised gang who would make a distraction and then try and walk out with a big TV. This happened once and I was told I should have gone after them!

I remember very rarely getting a break, when I asked to go on a break the other staff used to get very stroppy. I think people just did'nt take them as the store was ran on a shoestring.

I knew very early on that it was'nt for me so decided to get out sooner rather than later. What I will say is that this was ten years ago and I've been in to my local ALDI (not the one I worked at) a number of times and they do seem to have more staff on now. Also I may just have been at a badly ran store. The manager was relocated as soon as I started, he was only there on my first shift so that did'nt help as he had'nt been replaced by the time I left.

When you go to your local ASDA or Tesco and you see somebody with a big cage putting all the stock out on the shop floor and just taking their time just remember that at ALDI you get given a set time to do that job.

I used to go as fast as I could on the till but it was never good enough. The problem you also have is that if you get old people they are very slow with putting the food in the trolley and ALDI don't want customers to pack at the till. You will always get people that want to pack at the till, you can ask them not to but they will still try. I suggest shopping at a local ALDI at a busy period to see what it's like, they slam your shopping across the till. I also had to work out the change in my head as back then the tills did'nt tell you how much they change was which was another pain but you're lucky as they do now.

I'd say go for the interview as you may land on a well ran store and you can climb the ladder and get to management fairly quickly and it's very well paid. I just know that Retail is not for me, the customers were'nt an issue, I just want my weekends for family and hobbies