Retail Management Placement Review

The first 6 months involves working in different stores to assist with the daily operations acting as a Store Assistant and working up to an Assistant Store Manager. Following this each placement student is given a project to work on as well as time to shadow different Area Managers. You get a great overview of the business from working in stores and develop a wider understanding through shadowing Area Managers.

I have developed my confidence from working in environments that challenged me to develop as a person. From assisting management in stores to managing maintenance within property for my project I developed my leadership, communication and project management skills. The Aldi placement gives you responsibility like no other placement which has really helped me develop as I have overseen the roll out of self check outs in numerous stores across a period of time. This allowed me to network with the store teams and area managers during snagging visits. Additionally this has aided my time and diary management as I had to plan when to visit each store depending on location as well as when the works was taking place. The structure of the placement has also help to develop my adaptability.

Aldi is an amazing placement to do if you are willing to work hard and want to gain responsibility. When you start in stores you work up to an assistant store manager meaning you are fully responsible for the store while they are not present. The responsibility to manage people and other managers within the store is so valuable. After stores I was given a great project to step in as a property manager as the department was short of resource. This allowed me to have regular communication with area managers as well as manage our external contractors. Furthermore I was responsible for the department while the other PM was on annual leave which was a great opportunity to oversee the department. Moreover I managed the SCO project with multiple installs within the month in the area, snagging each store as the works were done. Additionally while shadowing area managers I had the responsibility of holding interviews for recruitment.

Aldi are great at linking you up with a mentor from your first day of starting placement. Your mentor is very much there for support and to give guidance as well as delivering regular feedback. It is great to have a reliable area manger who is your mentor to seek support from when required. I had often catch-ups, often every week to check how I was getting on with tasks.

As a placement student I felt very involved in the team within both area manger and store teams. The atmosphere is positive and everyone is working hard together towards the same objectives. The company culture is very consistent within different stores as everyone works as efficiently as possible to deliver a quality customer experience by delivering quality products for a low cost.

I really enjoyed my placement year and I am sad that it is coming to an end. The Aldi placement is like no other in terms of the level of responsibility that you are given. The skills that I have learnt and developed within this year will definitely aid my future employment. Overall I am so grateful to have developed my experience and understanding of the business while working with amazing people.

Yes

If you are willing to work hard and learn this is a great placement. You gain an understanding into how stores operate from working different shifts during store time. The store time is not to be underestimated as it is challenging but very rewarding as you build relationships with your teams and work towards goals with your store manager. The second half of the placement is a great opportunity to widen your understanding of the business and get a feel for the area manager role. The skills and responsibility you gain from shadowing area managers is very valuable for development.