General Management Review

I very much enjoyed the work that I carried out whilst at Aldi - the range of work you are given is very broad; ranging from Running shifts in a busy store to completing project work for regional directors. You really get to see all aspects of the business and though challenging; Aldi is a great place to work and start a career.

Aldi is a place where respect is earned rather than given. If you work hard showing grit and determination to your staff then they will, in turn, respect you. It can feel daunting disciplining staff who have been with the business for 10+ years when you yourself have been there for 5 months, but this too gains respect and builds your own confidence!

Whenever I needed help with any issues, both in and out of work, I could rely on my personnel leader to take time to have an unbiased discussion with me. This always resolved my issues. I never had an issue I couldn’t talk about with my Area Manager which was greatly appreciated.

Never a day went by when I had a minute spare! In store I was always rushed off my feet so time always went very quickly! A 10 hour day sometimes wasn’t enough! In head office you experience a different kind of tiredness altogether. You can really let your degree show when doing projects for regional directors. Some ideas even go to a national level!

On day one you are given your managers uniform and as such, staff look to you, an inexperienced Uni student as there peer! This can be daunting at the start but it’s great once you settle in. You are also given full responsibility over a full store and all that that entails such and ordering, rota’ing and safe management! During HO time you are directly responsible to the directors.

Time management and leadership skills were severely developed during my time at Aldi! I can now take management, leadership and many more skills into my degree and beyond. I never thought that I would be able to run a store, manage 40 staff and balance a social life inbetween but here I am! I wouldn’t go back and do something different even if I had the option.

Everyone is on the same team in Aldi. I think that we all understand that we are one big team focusing on the same end goals. This atmosphere is clear in store and in Head office and I believe that if you don’t consider yourself as someone who likes to work in teams; you will after Aldi!

Store time was fairly organised in regard to the training that I received and the planning of the Rotas. I did however have some issues regarding the consideration of repetitive, often gruelling shifts sometimes having 8-10, 10 hour shifts in a row. Head office wasn’t very organised in regard to training, a lot of departments didn’t actually know I was coming and so had to make things up on the spot that they thought would be relevant.

At the start of the placement you receive an invitation to a national placement presentation which takes place over a 2 day period. This trains you about the company’s background and history. You also receive training packs which you have to find time to read through in order to pass a series of tests and assessments online. In terms of management training I didn’t really receive much, it was more of a teach yourself kind of approach, which seemed to work well for me.

I do not want to work for the company again simply because I prefer the office based work over the store management side so I don’t think area management is for me. Also, I want to live in Northern Ireland and as there are no Aldi stores currently there, the option isn’t really present for me.

You are told from the start not to socialise with your Staff out of store as it is unprofessional so there was no social aspects in store at all. Head office time allows you to work with other industrial placement students on projects which is nice and social activities are easy to arrange from here.

Living in student accommodation is never cheap. When you have to pay for a car on top of that every month as well as LOTS of food you need to eat to actually maintain some sort of healthy weight when you’re in store, you don’t really have too much left to socialise. If you’re living at home then the placement is perfect.

Haven’t been out once as it would be unprofessional to go out with my staff. Plus, I spend at least 10 hours every day with them so I have no intention of then spending all night with them as well! You don’t have the time to go out and party! It’s a 50 hour week!

Throughout the year, events are organised for teenage cancer trust which can be anything from running to golf to a bake sale. Other than this there are meals and events that you get invited to for Christmas etc but nothing in the way of an event just for the sake of it.