With Aldi announcing they are to recruit 6,000 new staff across the UK, the supermarket Aldi has been having another big growth spurt this year.
If you’ve been thinking about working for a supermarket, and Aldi in particular, you may have been wondering what it’s like to work in one of their stores?
We’ve asked real Aldi workers what it’s actually like to work for the company. Read on to see what they say.
Here's what we'll be looking at:
A bit of background to Aldi
Before we get cracking, here’s a summary of what Aldi is and what they do.
Aldi is a German-owned discount supermarket chain. They opened their first store in the UK in the early 90s, and now have over 800 stores in the UK. They only sell in brick-and-mortar stores.
Their business practises are very much no-frills, aiming for cost savings through efficiency. These include simple in-store displays, quick restocking practices, own-brand products and minimal staff on the shop floor.
It’s these practices that mean they can offer products at lower prices than their competition.
How much does Aldi pay per hour in the UK?
First things first: let’s see how much Aldi actually pays.
Pay rates massively differ based on which area of Aldi you work in.
We’ve broken down the pay rates of some of Aldi’s job areas here:
| Job | Aldi pay per hour |
|---|---|
| Store Assistant | £10.10–£11.50 |
| Selector | £11.95–15.90 |
| Deputy Manager | £8.25–11.10 |
If you’re thinking about working at Aldi, it’s really worth looking for opportunities across different job areas. You may find similar types of jobs that have a big difference in pay.
Do you have to be 18 to work at Aldi?
Aldi hire workers aged 16 or over, although there are some tasks that are age-restricted. This includes tasks like selling alcohol or knives.
Along with which area of the business you’re working in, age is a big factor that affects Aldi’s pay rates.
Aldi’s age-based pay rates
We’ve compared Aldi’s average aged-based pay rates with the minimum wage. Here’s what we found:
| Age group | Aldi average pay rate | Minimum wage | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | £9.69 | £4.81 | +102% |
| 18-20 | £10.10 | £6.83 | +48% |
| 21-22 | £10.10 | £9.18 | +11% |
| 23 and over | £10.40 | £9.50 | +10% |
Aldi pays above the minimum wage.
However, the older you get, the smaller the gap between minimum wage and Aldi’s hourly pay becomes.
Key takeaway from Aldi’s pay rates
Your pay at Aldi is will be over the National Living Wage. But if you take on more responsibilities, it might not be reflected in your pay rate.
Do Aldi employees get paid weekly?
No: On Breakroom, 96% of Aldi workers have shared that they get paid monthly.
Does Aldi have part time jobs?
For many workers, the amount of working hours they can commit to can make or break how suitable a job would be for them.
Here are the amount of hours Aldi workers typically work per week:
| Hours worked per week | % of Aldi workers working these hours |
|---|---|
| Low hours (under 16) | 4% |
| Part-time (16-34 hours) | 83% |
| Full-time (35 hours or more) | 13% |
As you can see, the vast majority of Aldi workers work part-time.
If you are looking for a full-time supermarket job, Aldi might not be the right fit for you.
Even if you get a part-time job, there’s no guarantee that you’ll get more hours. Only 32% of Aldi workers work 8+ hours a week more than they are contracted for.
The good news is that 68% of Aldi workers aren’t worried about getting enough hours.
So if you’re looking for a part-time supermarket job working 16 hours or more a week, Aldi could be a really good choice for you.
Do Aldi staff get a staff discount?
You don't get an employee discount but other perks are available including discounted gym membership and cinema tickets.
What do workers say about working at Aldi?
So we’ve seen how Aldi pays the Real Living Wage and mostly offers part-time positions.
But what do the workers say about Aldi as a workplace?
Some good stuff: 79% of Aldi workers get proper breaks, and 95% of Aldi workers get paid breaks.
This means that, throughout the working day, Aldi workers are able to rest without this being deducted from their pay.
However, despite having proper breaks, there are things about working at Aldi that can make it a stressful place to work. In fact, 67% of Aldi workers have shared that they are stressed.
Let’s look into the reasons why.
What makes Aldi workers stressed?
Based on what Aldi workers have shared, there are three causes of stress that come up frequently:
Too much work to do
Time pressures to hit targets
Not enough staff
Here’s what Aldi workers are actually saying about these causes of stress:
The worst thing about working at Aldi is that there is too much work
“It’s non stop work”
“It’s physically exhausting”
“Work really really hard, tired all the time”
“The pressure on the job is to much”
The worst thing about working at Aldi is the time pressure to hit targets
“I’m given too many jobs to do in a short amount of time”
“The amount expected of you leading to stress like you're constantly being watched/judged”
“The stress of hitting figures”
“The unrealistic time frames we are given to complete are jobs through the day,”
The worst thing about working at Aldi is that there’s not enough staff
“There are not enough staff in one shift”
“The managers expect too much from 1 person”
“We’re understaffed, too much expectation with not enough resources”
“I’m doing the job of 3 people”
As we mentioned earlier, Aldi has no-frills business practices that means they can offer products at lower prices.
However, it is these business practices that can also make working at Aldi stressful and very tiring.
The Breakroom verdict on Aldi jobs
Although it is great to see Aldi offer pay rates above the Real Living Wage, there are still big changes that they can make to improve their Breakroom rating. These include:
Offering pay rates that reflect job responsibilities, like managing people
Finding ways to carry out their low-cost business practices without overstretching their workers
If you’re on the lookout for a part-time supermarket job, Aldi is a company to consider.
It’s good to remember that not all of Aldi’s jobs are on the shop floor. There are quite a few different options available that pay better and aren’t customer-facing.
In fact, the best-paid Aldi jobs are driving jobs, like making deliveries to customers. This is closely followed by warehouse jobs.
However, you should be prepared for a big, physical to-do list with tight deadlines. If you like this sort of challenge, Aldi could be a good choice for you.
Where to find out more about similar jobs
As with any company, employee experiences can vary and it's important to do your own research. Visit Aldi's page on Breakroom to get a better understanding of what it's like working at Aldi.
Search for jobs at Aldi
We use the responses from the 460,000+ people like you who've told us about their jobs when they've taken the Breakroom Quiz. We include an estimated pay range for all jobs, even if the pay isn’t in the job advert you'll still have an idea of what you'll be earning.
You can search for supermarket jobs by visiting HERE. Find the right job by filtering jobs by what matters to you 🫵 Things like do they pay breaks? Are all ages are paid the same? and how much notice do you get for your shifts?
* Our rankings are based on employers with over 30 Breakroom Quiz responses from employees at that employer.
** All reviews, ratings, rankings and job postings are accurate as of the 16th of February 2023
Last updated on 16 February 2023