No individualism. Your District Manager actually runs the store but has never worked in a store. Aldi doesn’t hire Store Managers for DMs, they hire college grads as DMs- Fact
So it’s strictly numbers, it doesn’t matter how much experience you have or who you’ve worked for. Just do the daily checklist, cut hours, and clean up the store that was trashed daily by the customers since your almost never staffed to keep up.
My experience in detail-
As a manager or manager in training, be prepared to do significant work with very little staff. The bottom line is all that is measured.
You will not be given the basic needs to do your job- examples
-Keys provided will not allow you to lock or unlock all doors, the result is not being able to do your job, causing frustration and disbelief.
-Codes given to you by management to arm the store/or disarm the store will not work due to the DM or Store Manager failing to input your code. FACT (police came to different store’s multiple times due to alarms with my code not working, (after being told it should).
-Registers will fail multiple times a week, was told this is typical.
-Cooler alarms will go off randomly or with even the slightest change of temperature. As told this is normal.
I could go on further…
Fact is all Aldi cares about is their operating overhead and efficiency. As a manager you will be asked weekly to cut hours by your DM or by the Store Manager. Even if you are way ahead on your weekly sales forecast, just one day missing projection by even a 1-2% percent and you’ll be asked did you cut hours?
I thought that some stores would be different than others, but after seeing several stores over a period, every store is the same.
I thought it would change for the better over time.. unfortunately the circus was even worse at stores where the manager chooses not to work. They would prefer to manage and delegate.
They can promise you training, you will probably get it if your at a good store that’s staffed, most are not. As a manager in training, What they will not tell you is how long before you get a store. Be prepared to work closing shifts, opening shifts and some management shifts. Some managers looking for a store manager position have waited 1-2 years for an opening.
Of course if your willing you can drive an hour or more if an opening emerges, there is no compensation for gas or mileage outside of your area.
Knowing what I do now, I would not have wasted my time on this company. They will tell you exactly what you want to hear. You will have no individualism that you can bring to the table that matters. If you are a good salesperson, good merchandiser, it doesn’t matter.
The efficiency and the bottom line is all that matters, if you speak up and voice frustration. You will be labeled as not not fitting into the Aldi way of doing things. The company preaches simplicity, then makes it nearly impossible and complex without the basics. “Welcome to Aldi!”is what I was told many times
