ALDI reviews

3.4

55% would recommend to a friend

(14,597 total reviews)
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Atty McGrath

52% approve of CEO

51% positive business outlook

ALDI has an employee rating of 3.4 out of 5 stars, based on 14,597 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The ALDI employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Einzel- & Großhandel industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

15K reviews
5.0
May 8, 2012
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

As the second largest grocery store chain in the world ( WalMart is first) the largest benefit is working for an enormous company and the ability for that company to offer affordable benefits. ALDI benefits includeo include Health, Dental, Vision and Life insurance as well as 401K, at a VERY low cost to single employees, and under 300 for families. Additionally, they are incredibly selective in their hiring practices so your "team" will generally be comprised of hard working, ethical, personable and responsible people. Their entry level hourly rate is much higher than minimum wage, and an additional 1.00 per hour for work on Sundays. Corporate management, while demanding, are personable and ethical in their treatment and interaction with entry level employees. Check out ALDI on the internet. Wikipedia etc.

Cons

This is a very demanding job, 100% of the time. The store seems understaffed to casual observers and customers because there are very rarely more than two to three employees running the entire store. One dedicated to the register, one to the floor and one manager. Or a manager and a cashier only. Cashiers and managers fulfill all needs, from stocking to cleaning to checking out customers. If a cashier assigned to the register has a single moment free from customers, that individual has to jump up immediately and stock until the next customer has unloaded their grocery cart. If the cashier is assigned to stocking, he or she must leave her pallet of stocking and assist the dedicated cashier when a long line forms and then return to stocking. If the stocking is not completed during the shift due to time spent as a back up cashier or cleaning, the employee may not leave until is finished. If you are unable to complete your job in the time allowed, the hours you require to complete your job will become a problem for the manager on duty, possibly requiring him or her to send another employee home early that night. It is incredibly stressful. Additionally, lifting 40 pounds is a requirement. Understand it is not unusual that you will have to lift 40 pounds over your head, with your arms fully extended forward while balancing unwieldy and poorly constructed trays of goods... in a very quick, efficient manner... for long shifts. If you are not physically fit when you start working for ALDI, you lose ten to twenty pounds your first month. It IS that demanding. Also, understand that you will NOT get your breaks. Yes, you could sue. But the job market is not positive and it costs ALDI less to pay legal fees and damages than it does to hire enough employees to have staff on hand to give the one to three breaks required by law per shift. You will, however, be paid the additional 15, 20 or 30 minutes wage or the portion you do not take if you do not get your paid break. The people you work with will be a team and you will feel incredible pressure to not let them down by calling in sick or requesting days off for family obligations.

4.0
Jun 15, 2008
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The pay at Aldi is what keeps us going back to work every day. We're a group of people who have largely never seen the inside of a college, aren't the type of people who care for (or can find a job in) manufacturing, but want to make an honest wage. We can safely say that we make as much or more than at comparable jobs throughout the industry. Benefits are also good. Health, Dental, Life and Vision are all available to full time employees (which is classified as 20+ hours a week at Aldi). The rates are cheap, and the company will pay you $50/month for opting out. Retirement plans are available in the form of a 401k through T.Rowe Price. The company pays 5% of your salary into the plan regardless of your contribution amount. This is, obviously, only a plus if you're paying less than 5% into the plan. The payments also seem to be discretionary, but have been paid without a hitch thus far.

Cons

The company largely disregards labor laws with regard to breaks. The few employees who have pushed to receive their lawful breaks have been given them and then terminated for some unrelated reason a few months later. This wouldn't be so bad if we were working at a normal grocery store, but when you're running a store with no more than 2 or 3 people on staff at any given time it starts to get to you, especially when you're working a longer shift. Theo Albrecht is the 10th richest person in the world, and it's no secret that pinching pennies is how he got there, but when you're working in a store that's pushing $30,000 in product through the doors each and every day, it stings a bit when you're told that an extra $120 in labor costs would throw the budget off. Another big downside, (also related to our small staff), is that there is very little sympathy for out of work obligations. Aldi offers no support for their employees who need days off for college, children, 2nd jobs, etc. We are told that we need to make ourselves available from 5am to 11pm without exception.

1.0
Sep 10, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Pay and car nothing else

Cons

Are you reading reviews thinking Surely it can’t be that bad?’ Well I’m here to tell you that it really is that bad. Do this graduate scheme only if your number one priority in life is making money and you are willing to sacrifice everything else. Even the most resilient graduates will be pushed past breaking point. Every horror story you hear about this graduate scheme is true. Before I started, I ignored all the reviews, blinded by the salary and the car. A few months in, I am burnt out, constantly exhausted and regretting ever taking this job. Grads are worked to the bone and you're always expected to work longer than your 10 hour shift and come in on your days off. Don't expect to be allowed to take your holidays either. If you are one of the few who makes it through the training, there is little room for advancement. And forget about international opportunities- chances of being seconded somewhere after 5 years are almost zero. This job gives you with a specific skill set of retail management and it will be hard to find a job in another field.

Viewing 82 - 84 of 14,597 Reviews

Glassdoor has 17,819 ALDI reviews submitted anonymously by ALDI employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if ALDI is right for you.