What is a typical working day like at ALDI?

Pros

friendly environment, really good management, approachable managers, organised shifts, variety of tasks within a shift, competitive salary compared to other supermarkets, extra shifts always available but never forced upon you

Cons

quite physically challenging work, shifts start very early in the morning (5:30 am) and finish quite late (10:30 pm) so It can be quite tiring

Pros

Nice, genuine people Hard workers are appreciated by the team If you get a good Store Manager, you finish on time, you're not stressed about pallet times or closing

Cons

They can really abuse their staff with understaffing and last minute call ins when people call in sick If you call in sick, and the pressure is being put on the rest of the team, it makes a really toxic environment where other staff blame the sick team member and not the poor management My store was consistently holding us back 30-60 minutes after our shift was suppose to end after a new Store Manager reduced the cleaners hours and made us clean on top of all of our other duties

Pros

Diverse clientele and very fast paced.

Cons

Extremely busy store day and night.

Pros

The staff at each location is almost always extremely enjoyable to work with. There is a compelling comradery amongst the staff, as this job is much more intense in its high efficiency standards than meets the eye. Working for this company is not suited for every person so the staff takes much pride in their successes and day to day work. ALDI is an excellent resume builder for those in entry level management looking to progress, within the company, or elsewhere. The company has historically promoted from within for the majority of active management positions. Including Lead Store Associate, Assistant Store Manager and Store Manager. ALDI also offers above average benefits, vacation and sick time, though many benefits have very specific requirements to be met to qualify for.

Cons

If you are inexperienced in product stocking independently, the labor involved in the every day work can come as a shock. Typically, one employee will be responsible for working 5-10 pallets (4ft-6.5ft tall) of various product throughout the store by themselves, inclusive of backstock and product quality checks within the areas they are stocking. This is every single morning and the amount of labor will vary by the locations sales and labor curves. Applicants must be either experienced or willing to take on a challenge as each of these pallets will eventually be expected to be completed within an average of 30 minutes per pallet. Physical work and high efficiency standards in this job is a must and can be a severe con for those who may compare the type of work to another top grocer such as Walmart, Publix or Whole Foods ALDI has an extremely poor work/home life balance within the management positions. Retail scheduling is famously inconsistent and ALDI is no exception. Assistant Managers are scheduled 38 hours per week, but regularly working past end of shift times each day to meet extreme efficiency standards. While then faced with an entirely opposite schedule the following weeks. Additional tasks, merchandising resets, special projects and deep cleaning assignments are not properly accounted for within the daily operating procedures and result in corners being cut or employees staying late to properly complete the job. While efficiency is priority in the company, and can be achievable, if there is not a tenured staff in the location, goals are rarely met and store conditions as well as employees personal time is affected negatively. With the high turnover rate within the company, this causes consistent struggles for the tenured and dedicated staff members. ALDI can be a great place to work and live your life, if you have few personal commitments or work part-time.

Advice to Management

Be prepared for balancing physical labor, efficiency standards and administrative tasks while working with skeleton crews regularly. The management positions at ALDI can be very educational, fulfilling and opportunistic. But the work/home life can be a struggle for many. Take the time to plan out your vacations, or a three day weekend as you accumulate vacation hours relatively quickly. You also will have one set weekday off (pending time off request or sick time) to make personal plans or appointment setting, so be sure to utilize this and voice to your upper management how important that set day is to your personal routines.

Pros

work life balance, reasonable pay

Cons

rotating shifts, different shifts every week, intensity at work

Advice to Management

reduce staff turn over rate

Pros

Good pay Guaranteed hours Coworkers are usually nice

Cons

Overworked Mandatory Covid vaccine, which has forced existing employees to choose between their own health and work ( since its nearly impossible to get a medical exemption) Long hours which makes it difficult to balance your life outside of work (and you're often very tired after a shift)

Pros

-Paid time off -You’ll always have something to do never an idle moment at work. -decent pay -sick days payout if not used -usually very friendly staff

Cons

-customers can be rude -pressure to complete a pallet within 30 minutes but with the way they come stacked from the warehouse that’s nearly impossible most days. Especially if you’re working during open hours. -a couple of times I’ve not been given my 30 min break until 30 min before the end of my shift which makes no sense. -company wants store manager to more administrative and not work on the floor as much???

Advice to Management

-manage employee breaks well -if we’re short staffed I think the manager should be able to help on the floor if needed and not stay in the office so much if at all possible.

Pros

Store is always organized and efficient. There's never any huge messes to clean up or large quantities of stock to put out. You always know what is expected out of you regardless of which shift you are working. Benefits are good and pay is good for the work we are expected to do. Lots of markdowns in the store available for employee purchase, especially if you're full time. Decent gift cards given out during the holidays.

Cons

You need to be fast and efficient or you will be left behind. No employee discount. Cash registers in need of major updating, they're always breaking and so slow at times.

Advice to Management

Needs to understand that not everyone on their team has been with the company for 10+ years and that sometimes a good manager needs to slow down for a second to teach their associates something new.

Pros

Company cares about your training/development Your work/life balance matters Great benefits and pay Team building environment Respectful management/corporate leaders Availability require is 5am-9pm (never overnight)

Cons

VERY fast paced work environment (more than you may be used to) Physically demanding High stress Every employee oversees every department Few members of staff per shift Customer relations can be difficult Required to work weekends

Advice to Management

Being involved in management, it makes a world of difference if you are consistently strong and supportive of your staff. Criticism can be handled professionally, emotions can be kept outside of work, and the development of employees can be respectfully achieved through positive reenforcement. Creating a team-oriented environment will positively effect the impact of your job responsibilities.

Pros

This company will cause you to rise to the occasion of hard work and team work everyday as it is limited in the amount of staff on team during shift.

Cons

Limited support on staff during shift

Advice to Management

Continue to lead by example, reward your hard workers, encourage the rest.