ALDI Graduate Area Manager... Am I mad?

SerialComplaint

Dewdropdeb wrote: »

I would if I could do so anonymously, but I cannot and am worried it would come back on my husband.

According to this NERA document, they accept anonymous complaints.

Just set up a new hotmail or gmail account, and off you go.

DaMagooster

I have read every inch of this thread in the last hour. I have been toying with the idea of applying for Aldi District Manager.

I feel sorry for people whose marriages are under pressure as a direct result of their work loads. Im 23 and have an Honours Degree in Business and a Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing Practice from Nui Galway (both 2.1).

I have been working for the last year (since I finished college) as a Marketing Manager. Im being let go the 23rd this month due to budget cuts.

Like most graduates I have loads loans to repay.
I would be willing to sacrifice a year or two if it meant that I am debt free and can fulfil my ambitions to travel and see the world.

It is such a pain in the hole but I have applied for everything over the last few months and I have gotten not as much as a PFO.

Even against all the advice I am going to apply. I have worked for years on and off doing road fencing during the boom where we would be working from 6 to 6 heavy lifting and driving 4" nails.

DarrenDay

Friend of a cousin was on this for a few years. He cracked up and left about 8 months ago. Hung himself over the weekend.

maxwell smart

I'm sorry to hear about your cousins friend, but it could have been any number of reasons why he took his own life.
Aldi and Lidl are very tough to work for, but if, as the above poster is, you are single and want to get in and out in a couple of years to get cash, then go for it. It's an amazing learning curve. Just remember, the more responsible the job you have, the more it will change you.

mickmcl09

I used to work for one of these Companies. I did 2 stints with them in fact.
Why?

1. For the money
2. I actually liked working for them initially and had great notions of getting on in the company.

Read some of my earlier posts to find out what it's really like.

Regarding hard physical work that one of the more recent posters refers to and that it might possibly stand you good in terms of working for these people. I've worked in the concrete business - standing pans for mass concrete walls and it doesn't help you one bit when it comes to working in these places.

What's life like since Lidl/Aldi?

More time with my Wife and Kids. A happier family. A better relationship.
I'm far healthier (last week I was in tesco doing some shopping when a customer approached me, she'd been a regular in one of my stores. She commented on how much more relaxed I was and also if I started dying my hair). The fact of the matter is that it's not a healthy work environment and whatever amount of time you spend employed with these type of companies, you'll never get the time back, and I haven't been dying my hair:)

In terms of looking for work after Lidl/Aldi - the fact is whether people like it or not, the jobs that you would percieve yourself as being good enough or qualified enough to apply for, those employers are not interested in you.

On the contrary there are employers that are interested in ex aldi/lidl area managers but for 30-40% less that what you've been earning.
What does that say? It says that, in general ex employees of these companies you refer to are (in general) not held in high regard in terms of their ability to do a job for another employer.

gooch777

my advice is to stay clear for the place.

i have been working for aldi for 7 years. in that time i have seen a lot of **** and how badly they treat people. i wont even start about how hard the work because previous post have explained how awfully hard it is. even if you can survive the work it is the hassle you receive which is the worst. i have seen people come and go all with the same reason they cant go on anymore their mental health was greatly getting bashed. as i said i have worked for them for 7 years i came back from maternity and was treated like an eejit like i knew nothing. they started to slowly chip away at my confindence. the final straw came one morning i was packing a large pallet of wine it took me 30 minutes should have been 20 minutes( i was sweating buckets trying to do it as fast as i could) when i was finished i was shouted in fronted of the whole staff that i was to slow and it wasnt good enough etc. i felt so embrassed and ashamed that i was slow. i felt so bad that on the till i couldnt hold back the tears they kept rolling out of my eyes so badly i was trying to pawn it of to customers as a cold. When i asked could i take my full hour break (doing a 11 shift) to sort myself out i was told i wasnt allowed and if i was that sick i should just go home.

So again stay clear what good is money to you when you have to put up with people treating you like crap

greenbamboo

I have an interview next week with Tesco for a Trainee Management Work Placement Programme.I am just wondering would it be a similer experience to this aldi management programme and would Tesco be better to work for.

gooch777

I think you are save enough with Tesco they have a union so they will have your back if something goes wrong. Good luck with your interview

wmpdd3

gooch777 wrote: »

I think you are save enough with Tesco they have a union so they will have your back if something goes wrong. Good luck with your interview

Managers aren't welcome in the union.

You will be working min 45 hrs per week, usually 2 late nights, 11-10pm and 3 days 8-6. One Sunday per month, 2 Bank holidays per year. No extra money, all included in the salary.

Possible 1 extra shift unpaid for duty management. You will have a 1/2 hr break and an hour for lunch.

You will spend time in each dept while training and have weekly training sessions. Theres alot of night time 'homework'.

Good luck.

Kalina

Hi all,

I've just read through this mammoth thread from start to finish (phew) as I have a 2nd interview with Lidl in the next few days for a head office position. Can anyone at all comment on the conditions for an office job with Lildl? All of the comments about the horrendous hours and ridiculous expectations seem to centre around the store management jobs so if anyone out there could offer their opinion on head office roles I'd appreciate it.

Thanks.:cool:

mikesavo2003

Hi all like above poster I am wondering has anyone expierience in head office management job. I see advertisement for Property Manager Job but unsure wheter to apply or not after reading all the posts in this thread

Tores

Hi all am thinking of applying for sales assistant in aldi.what are the benefits and working conditions like thanks

Caledonman

I have read a lot of this site, and there are a lot of untruths in here, and a lot of bitter comments.
I don't work for them now, but did for quite a while. Yes, the area management roles are tough, long hours yes, but more so for those who don't know how to manage their areas. Some area managers thing that by being aggressive, you will get results. I was demanding, as I had to be, but made sure I had good managers in the stores I had. The problem is some people see a great salary and an Audi A4, and thing great. It is tough, but many make the job tough on themselves. I never had a a problem with hours, but did work an average of 50 / 55 hours per week. I was ok with that.

Store management is completely different. You will work 45 / 60 hours per week, but if you work over 45, you get time off in lieu of work done, and you will get it. 5 weeks holidays a year and a package of around 65k. Again, the good managers get the job done with others, the bad ones shout and roar at everyone. If you understand systems, policies and procedures, understand that you do things the Aldi way, you will be fine. Physically demanding, and mentally demanding at times too.

Overall, I enjoyed my 5 years there. Would I go back?? Now, only as a Store Manager as they have a better work life balance.

Don't believe all the negatives on this site. The happy people wont write on sites like this. Its like Golden Pages, Ryanair, all tough companies, but successful... No comparison by the wasy between Aldi and Lidl. Lidl hours are known to be rediculous of store managers, 70 plus per week, and you don't get them back. If you have to think about whether you should join Aldi or not, chances are it is not suitable for you. Not for the faint hearted, but I, and many I know, like it. What you see is what you get. I think a lot of this site is negative towards Lidl, as I have a fair idea of the policies in Aldi, and Aldi dont have district managers, area directors and so on. Aldi have store managers, area managers and store operation directors, 3 of them. I will say it again, there is no comparing Aldi and Lidl. I can just add, that as I had trainee managers and assistant managers in my stores, generally, and I mean generally, staff who came form Dunnes, Tescos and Superquinn rarely worked out as they were so used to everything being official with breaks, and in general, had what I call a 'Union' mentality. They were not used to (in general before someone has a go at me) to working under pressure, and were what i called "Clipboard Managers'. Tough, but generally fair. There are some real asses in there at all levels.

paddy jack

I spent the last few hours reading everyone's comments, and most if not all have a lot of valid points in everything that has been said, as a recent ex-manager my question to those Is there Life after these German discount stores, what to do next, where to go?

All comments would be appreciated, especially those who have moved on?

thx

ALBUR182

Caledonman wrote: »

I have read a lot of this site, and there are a lot of untruths in here, and a lot of bitter comments.
I don't work for them now, but did for quite a while. Yes, the area management roles are tough, long hours yes, but more so for those who don't know how to manage their areas. Some area managers thing that by being aggressive, you will get results. I was demanding, as I had to be, but made sure I had good managers in the stores I had. The problem is some people see a great salary and an Audi A4, and thing great. It is tough, but many make the job tough on themselves. I never had a a problem with hours, but did work an average of 50 / 55 hours per week. I was ok with that.

Store management is completely different. You will work 45 / 60 hours per week, but if you work over 45, you get time off in lieu of work done, and you will get it. 5 weeks holidays a year and a package of around 65k. Again, the good managers get the job done with others, the bad ones shout and roar at everyone. If you understand systems, policies and procedures, understand that you do things the Aldi way, you will be fine. Physically demanding, and mentally demanding at times too.

Overall, I enjoyed my 5 years there. Would I go back?? Now, only as a Store Manager as they have a better work life balance.

Don't believe all the negatives on this site. The happy people wont write on sites like this. Its like Golden Pages, Ryanair, all tough companies, but successful... No comparison by the wasy between Aldi and Lidl. Lidl hours are known to be rediculous of store managers, 70 plus per week, and you don't get them back. If you have to think about whether you should join Aldi or not, chances are it is not suitable for you. Not for the faint hearted, but I, and many I know, like it. What you see is what you get. I think a lot of this site is negative towards Lidl, as I have a fair idea of the policies in Aldi, and Aldi dont have district managers, area directors and so on. Aldi have store managers, area managers and store operation directors, 3 of them. I will say it again, there is no comparing Aldi and Lidl. I can just add, that as I had trainee managers and assistant managers in my stores, generally, and I mean generally, staff who came form Dunnes, Tescos and Superquinn rarely worked out as they were so used to everything being official with breaks, and in general, had what I call a 'Union' mentality. They were not used to (in general before someone has a go at me) to working under pressure, and were what i called "Clipboard Managers'. Tough, but generally fair. There are some real asses in there at all levels.

Good man, I feel that this thread has a lot of bitterness involved. I can't speak highly enough of the company, (Aldi, that is). Obviously peoples experiences are going to vary, sometimes greatly, thats to be expected. But I enjoy working here, I have done for over 4 years now, and I'm in a store mgmt position now. Its tough, but to earn a crust nowadays, you have to work hard. And however controversial this may be, I believe that the people who complain about working for Aldi/Lidl, are the same people who we see come in to the company regularly, don't work hard enough to prove that they're good enough, and then leave the company, and complain to whoever's willing to listen, that the company is a sham.

tombrady1977

As a former Area Manager with ALDI, I would strongly discourage anyone with a university degree from going for the Area Manager role with ALDI. The typical people you will be working with in these roles are obnoxious, aggressive and over confident. This is the ALDI type they are after. They only want people with uni degrees because it shows you can achieve something. You won’t be using anything you’ve learnt at uni, so it seems such a waste of all that study. The role is basically running their supermarkets, a job which people without a uni degree could also manage easily.

They will work you to the bone for 2-3 years and then replace you with new grads. There are very limited opportunities to progress above Area Manager, as the number of Director roles is limited and everyone is competing for them, and the existing Directors won’t leave their current roles so they don’t come up often.

The progression from Area Manager is to Store Operations Director, Buying Director, Property Director or Warehouse Director. Given the existing directors have nowhere else to go, besides Managing Director, there are limited opportunities for progression. Each region can only have 1 or 2 Store Operations Directors etc., there is only 1 Managing Director. So the number of people in the Director roles is small.

Most people working for ALDI develop very specific skills in overseeing supermarkets, and there are limited opportunities to move into other retail companies with the ALDI experience. Other retailers would rather promote their existing staff into management, and so if you leave the company you will find it difficult to gain employment elsewhere with the ALDI background as your experience.

I would strongly discourage anyone from pursuing an opportunity with them, as they are a ruthless company and will use you until they can replace you. ALDI only operates for the profit of the German owners. ALDI don’t hesitate to replace people they don’t like, and their staff turnover is very high.

Uni graduates would be better advised to work in roles where they can utilize the degree they’ve studied, which in the long term will give them a lot more opportunities than ALDI can offer. Whilst other companies offer a lower starting salary for graduates, you will quickly catch up, and in the long term be in a much better position with a career that actually makes you attractive to many firms.

Whilst the ALDI starting salary is high, it doesn’t go up much further once you are in the company. It is a bait to attract lots of applicants to apply, and then you get stuck. I really regret working for ALDI and would have been better off starting off in a career oriented firm where I was using my uni degree.

Withlove

Well Smyths Toys is no different to Aldi or Lidle....the only thing you would be expected to work those hours for ridiculous money;-)

Caledonman

tombrady1977 wrote: »

As a former Area Manager with ALDI, I would strongly discourage anyone with a university degree from going for the Area Manager role with ALDI. The typical people you will be working with in these roles are obnoxious, aggressive and over confident. This is the ALDI type they are after. They only want people with uni degrees because it shows you can achieve something. You won’t be using anything you’ve learnt at uni, so it seems such a waste of all that study. The role is basically running their supermarkets, a job which people without a uni degree could also manage easily.

They will work you to the bone for 2-3 years and then replace you with new grads. There are very limited opportunities to progress above Area Manager, as the number of Director roles is limited and everyone is competing for them, and the existing Directors won’t leave their current roles so they don’t come up often.

The progression from Area Manager is to Store Operations Director, Buying Director, Property Director or Warehouse Director. Given the existing directors have nowhere else to go, besides Managing Director, there are limited opportunities for progression. Each region can only have 1 or 2 Store Operations Directors etc., there is only 1 Managing Director. So the number of people in the Director roles is small.

Most people working for ALDI develop very specific skills in overseeing supermarkets, and there are limited opportunities to move into other retail companies with the ALDI experience. Other retailers would rather promote their existing staff into management, and so if you leave the company you will find it difficult to gain employment elsewhere with the ALDI background as your experience.

I would strongly discourage anyone from pursuing an opportunity with them, as they are a ruthless company and will use you until they can replace you. ALDI only operates for the profit of the German owners. ALDI don’t hesitate to replace people they don’t like, and their staff turnover is very high.

Uni graduates would be better advised to work in roles where they can utilize the degree they’ve studied, which in the long term will give them a lot more opportunities than ALDI can offer. Whilst other companies offer a lower starting salary for graduates, you will quickly catch up, and in the long term be in a much better position with a career that actually makes you attractive to many firms.

Whilst the ALDI starting salary is high, it doesn’t go up much further once you are in the company. It is a bait to attract lots of applicants to apply, and then you get stuck. I really regret working for ALDI and would have been better off starting off in a career oriented firm where I was using my uni degree.

Anyone who read what tombrady above wrote, and believes it, is not the type of person that would be successful in Aldi. I have posted here before that I am an ex area manager. You will learn more working here, than you will from any degree, even though you need the degree to be an area manager. The work is tough, and it is demanding, you will work hard, and you will work long hours at times. Look at the salary though... you are well paid, given huge responsibility and accountability, will work for demanding people, and you will need to be demanding. You will use some of your degree, but only the practical things that you learn. You will learn how to manage staff, demand accountability, performance manage staff and stores, learn how to control stock properly, buying, discounting, productivity and so on. I moved on to a completely different sector, so what the previous poster said is rubbish. The skills I learned there were invaluable. There are limited opportunities for area managers to progress, that is true, but most go there to learn, stay for 3 to 6 years and then leave for bigger and better things. I owe them a lot, and they got their value out of me. If you want to be spoon fed, have cups of coffee every 10 minutes, sit on your ass all day, then Aldi is not the place to go. you will need to be strong in personality. Really bugs me that those who failed blame everyone but themselves. The poster above is someone that failed, and has a huge McCain chip on his shoulder. 'Leave your excuses at the door', a regular phrase in Aldi.....

Brick Session

What kinda person are these companies looking for as area managers? No disrespect to anyone who may be working for them because I admire their business model and they are a success.

Is it new and young graduates that are (and pardon my expression here) still wet behind the ears? I recently applied to Aldi for an area managers role to see what would happen. I went through the long winded online application program and submitted my application. About 5 days later I received a PFO e-mail telling me that I was not suitable. I thought that someone who had a Bachelor of Business Studies Degree with 10 plus years of sales & operations management for large multi national compaines with experience of directly managing teams from 6 staff to 250 staff and the responsilibity for a P & L of up to 50 million per annum might be somewhat suitable for this role. But no, low and behold, without even meeting me face to face, I was told no, I was not suitable. Is it my age (43), am I tarnished by exposure to other industries? I don't know, they don't give reasons in their reply and that ok too.


Again, I am not knocking anyone who has/ is working for one of these companies, I would say to anyone who is a young fresh middle 20's graduate to go for it as it will be what you make it if your are successful in getting through the application and interview process? I would keep my CV dusted down though because it seems that you will need it after about 2 years.

Caledonman

Brick Session wrote: »

What kinda person are these companies looking for as area managers? No disrespect to anyone who may be working for them because I admire their business model and they are a success.

Is it new and young graduates that are (and pardon my expression here) still wet behind the ears? I recently applied to Aldi for an area managers role to see what would happen. I went through the long winded online application program and submitted my application. About 5 days later I received a PFO e-mail telling me that I was not suitable. I thought that someone who had a Bachelor of Business Studies Degree with 10 plus years of sales & operations management for large multi national compaines with experience of directly managing teams from 6 staff to 250 staff and the responsilibity for a P & L of up to 50 million per annum might be somewhat suitable for this role. But no, low and behold, without even meeting me face to face, I was told no, I was not suitable. Is it my age (43), am I tarnished by exposure to other industries? I don't know, they don't give reasons in their reply and that ok too.


Again, I am not knocking anyone who has/ is working for one of these companies, I would say to anyone who is a young fresh middle 20's graduate to go for it as it will be what you make it if your are successful in getting through the application and interview process? I would keep my CV dusted down though because it seems that you will need it after about 2 years.

I think you are correct in your assumptions. They do look for the top calibre graduates. While they can't specify age, most of the area managers when I was there were in their 20s and early 30s. Aldi have a way of doing things, so the skills you have gained could, with respect to your skills, make you a higher risk of you wanting to show them how you could do things better, and your way which is not necessarily what they want. They want you to manage an area 'their' way. They do tend to look for fairly raw and green grads, that have worked their way through college, or had part time jobs, not grads that were born with silver spoons in their mouths, if that makes sense. They want the grafters. I suspect that in considering your application, you may be regarded as someone that could not be moulded (but this is all in my opinion)

mickmcl09

Caledonman wrote: »

Anyone who read what tombrady above wrote, and believes it, is not the type of person that would be successful in Aldi. I have posted here before that I am an ex area manager.

The poster above is someone that failed, and has a huge McCain chip on his shoulder. 'Leave your excuses at the door', a regular phrase in Aldi.....

I think you are being unfair to Tom. Yes I would agree with alot of what you've said in terms of what you learn etc etc. But, you're an ex Aldi employee as well. Tom worked there for what, 2/3 years so I'd say he's no softy in fairness and not 'someone who failed' as you so eloquently put it. Eloquence wouldn't exactly be high on the list characteristics synonymous with most Area / District Managers now would it:rolleyes: He comes across as well able for hard graft with 2/3 years under his belt (but like anything, there's a limit to that too).

Why did you want to leave?
Did you move upwards/downwards/sideways with your new job after Aldi?
Were you paid more in your new position?
Are you happy you left?
Has leaving been good for your career?

If a former or indeed current employee of Lidl made similar comments, one
might accuse them of being Lidlised - another term for 'brainwashed by Lidl'.
Is there a term for this for Aldi preachers of the business model?

From my experience with the discounters, having been employed by them for over 5 years, most of Tom's comments are indeed correct and factual, funny that because that's the German way. Area Manager for Aldi / District Manager for Lidl, neither provide even the most willing, hard grafting, warrior if you want to call them that, with even the remotest level of work / life balance. And I'm very familiar with people currently working for both companies at this level.

These positions are fine if you're willing to eat, sleep and drink the job, dressing them as anything beyond that could be labelled as a form of hoodwinking bright young graduates.

IMO, Tom has outlined perfectly what these jobs are.
Saying how it really is does not constitute having a chip on your shoulder.

Caledonman

mickmcl09 wrote: »

I think you are being unfair to Tom. Yes I would agree with alot of what you've said in terms of what you learn etc etc. But, you're an ex Aldi employee as well. Tom worked there for what, 2/3 years so I'd say he's no softy in fairness and not 'someone who failed' as you so eloquently put it. Eloquence wouldn't exactly be high on the list characteristics synonymous with most Area / District Managers now would it:rolleyes: He comes across as well able for hard graft with 2/3 years under his belt (but like anything, there's a limit to that too).

Why did you want to leave?
Did you move upwards/downwards/sideways with your new job after Aldi?
Were you paid more in your new position?
Are you happy you left?
Has leaving been good for your career?

If a former or indeed current employee of Lidl made similar comments, one
might accuse them of being Lidlised - another term for 'brainwashed by Lidl'.
Is there a term for this for Aldi preachers of the business model?

From my experience with the discounters, having been employed by them for over 5 years, most of Tom's comments are indeed correct and factual, funny that because that's the German way. Area Manager for Aldi / District Manager for Lidl, neither provide even the most willing, hard grafting, warrior if you want to call them that, with even the remotest level of work / life balance. And I'm very familiar with people currently working for both companies at this level.

These positions are fine if you're willing to eat, sleep and drink the job, dressing them as anything beyond that could be labelled as a form of hoodwinking bright young graduates.

IMO, Tom has outlined perfectly what these jobs are.
Saying how it really is does not constitute having a chip on your shoulder.

Firstly, Tom did not say he worked there for 2/3 years, he said that Aldi work you to the bone for that period. if he stayed there for 2/3 years, then i would not have made any negative comments towards him. To answer your questions above, I left because I was headhunted (thanks to Aldi), I very much moved upwards in my career, I am being paid more money, it was the right choice for me to move, and has been very good for my career. All of the above is because of what I learned in Aldi, and without sounding arrogant, was because I was good at my job. If you want a 9 to 5 and 40 hour week, the Aldi is not for you. The work life balance is fine, but only after a year or so. If you run a good territory, then its even better.
Tom did come across as bitter in his email, and Aldi didn't work out for him.
Aldi don't fudge around people not doing what Aldi expect. It is a damn hard job, tehy are very demanding, but as I said before, it is not for everyone. For a graduate, who is hungry, committed, wants to learn (the Aldi way), work in the real world and put the bits of a degree that actually are some use in real life into practice, the Aldi is as good an opportunity as any other I can see out there. Aldi Area managers are very well thought of in the general market place, if they have worked there for 2 or 3 years or more.
I have no desire to 'hoodwink' as you put it, bright young graduates. The bright ones will do their homework properly, will get up off their ass and actually go into stores and speak to managers / area managers, as I did.
The lazy ones, and those that typically don't work out in Aldi, are those that see the big salary and company car, and then complain about the hard work.
I just think it is too easy to come onto a site like this an write negative comments the whole time, and I just want to give the other side.
At the end of the day, the one thing I do miss is the structure of Aldi, but that is what I was headhunted for, to put better structures and systems in place where I now work.
Any graduate considering Aldi, really needs to do their homework properly and make their own decisions!

mickmcl09

Caledonman wrote: »

The work life balance is fine, but only after a year or so. If you run a good territory, then its even better.

Aldi don't fudge around people not doing what Aldi expect. It is a damn hard job, tehy are very demanding, but as I said before, it is not for everyone. For a graduate, who is hungry, committed, wants to learn (the Aldi way), work in the real world and put the bits of a degree that actually are some use in real life into practice, the Aldi is as good an opportunity as any other I can see out there. Aldi Area managers are very well thought of in the general market place, if they have worked there for 2 or 3 years or more.
I have no desire to 'hoodwink' as you put it, bright young graduates. The bright ones will do their homework properly, will get up off their ass and actually go into stores and speak to managers / area managers, as I did.
The lazy ones, and those that typically don't work out in Aldi, are those that see the big salary and company car, and then complain about the hard work.
I just think it is too easy to come onto a site like this an write negative comments the whole time, and I just want to give the other side.
At the end of the day, the one thing I do miss is the structure of Aldi, but that is what I was headhunted for, to put better structures and systems in place where I now work.
Any graduate considering Aldi, really needs to do their homework properly and make their own decisions!

Firstly, fair play on moving up in the world! It's very unusual for Area Manager or a District Manager to be headhunted, that in itself speaks volumes of you as a prime candidate for whatever sector you work in, and hats off!

While again, I agree entirely with most of your post, if you're even slightly less than enthusiastic about the job, you will not last long.

Like yourself, I loved the structure, especially the black is black and white is white mentality, nothing is vague and can be a very easy environment to work
in, IF you get up off your ass. Other corporates are great to have brainstorming meetings etc but the activity that stems from them tends to be very slow relative to Lidl / Aldi.

The only thing I can't agree with you is the work life balance. Ask the majority of current Area Managers and they'd tell you that they'd be lining up like formula 1 drivers on a starting grid if there were jobs to go to. There in lies the answer for the majority (not all) prospective candidates applying for the job, which is in no way related to being of a lazy disposition or not. This argument is supported by looking at the number of Area Managers that left between 2006 & September 2008 as against 2009 to 2010. You will find the rate in the earlier period is 4 to 6 times higher!

At the end of the day, everybody will have different expectations on work / life balance. Will you be happy for you 'buddy' Area Manager to take calls from your stores on your days off or indeed will your buddy take the calls.
Will you be happy to take calls on your down time.

You and I know that there is no down time and that personally, I'd much rather for me to get a call from my store managers than for them to be calling the neighbouring Area Manager for fear he spouts on about how thinks might or might not operate in your stores to other Area Managers.

I also agree that candidates for this position should think long and hard whether it's for them, it's not about the money or the car. For prospective candidates, those perks wear very thinly if the job is not for you.

Just out of interest, what sector did you move into afterwards?
Many of the poor souls giving out in this thread are obviously very burnt by the grocery / discounting profession and find it very difficult to move into a different sector, more especially on a higher salary as you have. Thanks and well done again.

Caledonman

mickmcl09 wrote: »

Firstly, fair play on moving up in the world! It's very unusual for Area Manager or a District Manager to be headhunted, that in itself speaks volumes of you as a prime candidate for whatever sector you work in, and hats off!

While again, I agree entirely with most of your post, if you're even slightly less than enthusiastic about the job, you will not last long.

Like yourself, I loved the structure, especially the black is black and white is white mentality, nothing is vague and can be a very easy environment to work
in, IF you get up off your ass. Other corporates are great to have brainstorming meetings etc but the activity that stems from them tends to be very slow relative to Lidl / Aldi.

The only thing I can't agree with you is the work life balance. Ask the majority of current Area Managers and they'd tell you that they'd be lining up like formula 1 drivers on a starting grid if there were jobs to go to. There in lies the answer for the majority (not all) prospective candidates applying for the job, which is in no way related to being of a lazy disposition or not. This argument is supported by looking at the number of Area Managers that left between 2006 & September 2008 as against 2009 to 2010. You will find the rate in the earlier period is 4 to 6 times higher!

At the end of the day, everybody will have different expectations on work / life balance. Will you be happy for you 'buddy' Area Manager to take calls from your stores on your days off or indeed will your buddy take the calls.
Will you be happy to take calls on your down time.

You and I know that there is no down time and that personally, I'd much rather for me to get a call from my store managers than for them to be calling the neighbouring Area Manager for fear he spouts on about how thinks might or might not operate in your stores to other Area Managers.

I also agree that candidates for this position should think long and hard whether it's for them, it's not about the money or the car. For prospective candidates, those perks wear very thinly if the job is not for you.

Just out of interest, what sector did you move into afterwards?
Many of the poor souls giving out in this thread are obviously very burnt by the grocery / discounting profession and find it very difficult to move into a different sector, more especially on a higher salary as you have. Thanks and well done again.

I would agree that less have left in the past year due to less jobs out there, but also, it must be harder for them to find the right candidates as they must be getting far more applications. I never found the work life balance bad, but there again, I spent a lot of time at the front end, getting my managers and assistant managers to do things exactly as I needed it done. They were given responsibility, and more that possibly other area managers gave, and this just made my life easier. I worked hard, but the hours were fine for me.

I changed industry sector completely, and I am now working as a 'business consultant'. Sounds fancy, but I am working with SME businesses, putting in systems, downsizing, sales strategies, performance management. anything that could help a business survive or possibly expand. So much of what I learned in Aldi is transferrable to other businesses. My degree background is HR & Change Management, so it all fits. I just flew in yesterday from UK with Ryanair, and they are so similar. They were actually weighing the carry on bags, so many getting caught. But they have systems, they work for Ryanair, and i would bet that the people that are on blogs commenting are those that were caught.

I know very little around the District managers in Lidl, but I do know that they work harder than Aldi. I know a few of the guys that I worked with that have moved on. The problem though is that Aldi do pay quite well, so if you are 26, earning 60k, a company audi A4, it is hard to find something that will pay more, so generally, people will have to step back in salary. There is the problem for people. A general rule is that if you are paid more, you work harder, have more responsibility and take more crap.

All I want to say really is that Aldi is one hell of a tough place, but for the right people, you will learn, have a lot of responsibility but you will come out a far better manager than you went in. You will have a lot of new skills. Do not apply if you are desperate for work, only apply because you could actually see yourself doing the job, putting up with the Aldi way, have a thick skin, don't mind doing the hours, and knowing that if the system says to do it, and it makes no sense, just do it!!

tombrady1977

I was with ALDI as an Area Manager for 3 years and they had a "restructure" last year where they effectively replaced some of the Area Managers, and moved existing Area Managers around to take over their stores. We were told the same day we were asked to leave, with no notice. There is absolutely no loyalty to existing employees, if one of the Directors decides they don't like you, they don't hesitate to move you out the door.

It has been very hard to transition to another career and I have had to start from scratch in banking and finance industry. The skills gained at ALDI are ALDI specific and are not easily transferrable into other positions, you pretty much have to start as a graduate again if you change industries. I just want to warn other graduates, that it's not a good career move joining ALDI. It is a very hostile environment, and while the skills you gain in managing staff are valuable, you need to remember it is managing supermarket staff, so in the corporate world they don't value this.

There's some good comments on the Whirlpool forum about ALDI (see http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1248116 ).

Here's one of the recent responses I've come across, from the Whirlpool forum, which echoes a lot of how I also felt about working for them:

(Posted from Whirlpool):

User #350360 123 posts
bowey
Forum Regular

Got to agree with you there tombrady. I just left my position as Area Manager with ALDI recently – and am disgusted with the way they treated me. I was very highly qualified and got bullied to the point where I dreaded going to work everyday.

As soon as one person doesn't like you – the Directors use it against you and will find a reason to as they call it to "manage you out of the business"...You can tell they are doing it as well because you are made to do the exact same thing with store staff. Never have I known a company where they are wanting people to fail, they try to make people fail, and then if you pass their tests then you might have a chance.

Yes all you potential applicants the salary is a good drawcard – but they will work you to the bone until you can't handle it anymore. The turnover is really quite high.

There is absolutely zero opportunity to advance, because they are not opening up new areas/or regions. The only place you can go is Director – and there are less than 10 of those per region, and they're not going to give up that job with the company AUDI.

Not to mention the fact that they ship all of the Germans over anyway – so you're competing with them for positions anyway.

ALDI need to realise that they are operating in Australia – and that the German culture is not appropriate here – ie, work yourself down to nothing. The Germans who work for them have no interpersonal skills and if you make even one tiny mistake you will be targeted. One AM in my region took her store managers for a warning at Head office every time she found one rotten piece of fruit in the produce department.

I was bullied and told I was too "attractive" for the role, and because I have blonde hair I should not wear high heels or skirts because the store managers and assistants would think I was too pretty. Meanwhile other girls in skirts are walking around all the time.

It's a shame because when I first started I was so excited about the role and did so well, it's just a shame because the rest of the bunch are so arrogant and are climbing over each other to try and progress. It was worse than high school, especially as a lot of the AM's in my region were in their early 20's – and thought they were God's gift.

The role really has no strategic nature, you will spend half your time checking that price cards are yellow not red, and counting inventories, checking payslips and timesheets (yes you went to uni for 5 years for that!)

As a friend of mine says (in regards to how I was treated) – they need to get over themselves, they're only a supermarket, and a discount supermarket at that!

Don't torture yourself! Stay well away!

doubtfir3

Caledonman wrote: »

I moved on to a completely different sector

Caledonman wrote: »

stay for 3 to 6 years and then leave for bigger and better things.

Just as a matter of interest, what sector/job are you working in now? (Not looking to know the company specifically, but was interested in the "progression route" after Aldi...

Caledonman

doubtfir3 wrote: »

Just as a matter of interest, what sector/job are you working in now? (Not looking to know the company specifically, but was interested in the "progression route" after Aldi...

I work in as a business consultant, as mentioned above. I work with companies in the SME sector now, typically on helping them grow their business, putting in measurements / KPI's, performance management, inventory controls and so on.
I work in different sectors, anything from hotels, restaurants, retail stores, real estates, call centres, some manufacturing, quite a wide mix really. If you have ambitions at any stage to be self employed, you would learn a lot from Aldi.
I have some friends that work in recruitment agencies, and they say that if you have worked in Aldi for anything over 18 months, it is taken as a given that you are good at your job, just like Ryanair, Golden Pages and some other places he mentioned.
Aldi for most will be a stepping stone, hopefully to bigger and better things. 2 friends moved to Operations Management roles, one in a large call centre (that's how i got the work in a call centre) and one as an area manager in a betting company in the UK. Both upward moves.
Again, not for everyone. Hope this answers your question

spankmemunkey

antoinolachtnai wrote: »

I don't have a story to tell but I do understand that the Aldi/Lidl jobs are quite sought after in Germany. The reason (and this is mostly my own view) is that these are strategically driven companies, not some sort of offshoot of a family business as many food retailers are (Fergal, I'm thinkin' of you.) And you have to hand it to Aldi and Lidl, they came to Ireland and they set about implementing the Plan.

The other thing I know about these companies is that learning German would need to be in your game plan if you are intending going further. If you hate languages, I would advise you to practice lying about it in front of the mirror before you go to the interview. Anyway, learning German shouldn't be a big deal. This is from what I have heard, not personal experience.

I lived in Germany and can tell you that Aldi and Lidl jobs arent held in high regard, They are suppose to have a very bad reputation in their treatment of staff in their German operations, German work laws rules and regulations are different to Ireland. I speak German and my partner speaks 4 languages fluenty and applied for a job with Lidl as a purchaser and even with 4 languages didnt get any job, even with good qualifications to boot, German French Spanish and English something that would seem essential to an international company

fasttalkerchat

spankmemunkey wrote: »

I speak German and my partner speaks 4 languages fluenty and applied for a job with Lidl as a purchaser and even with 4 languages didnt get any job, even with good qualifications to boot, German French Spanish and English something that would seem essential to an international company

Do you have a relevent 2.1 degree? If you had a years experience in the company or elsewhere as a store manager you would be a strong candidate.

Shooter_galway

Withlove wrote: »

Well Smyths Toys is no different to Aldi or Lidle....the only thing you would be expected to work those hours for ridiculous money;-)

Worked for Smyths for 3 years absolute shambles worked over 90 hours a week for nov and dec area managers are complete numpties have no people skills at all and pay is peanuts strongly advise people not to go there as degrees will be wasted like mine was two years later after leaving I'm only getting back to what I wanted to do in business