What’s it like to work at Aldi?

With an estimated 4,000 jobs due to be created by the end this year, the supermarket Aldi has been having a big growth spurt this year. 

The reliance on supermarkets during the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how important these retailers are in the UK. 

And as a big supermarket actively hiring in the UK, Aldi has become a port-of-call for job seekers. 

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?

So 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

• How much does Aldi pay per hour in the UK?

• Do you have to be 18 to work at Aldi?

• Key takeaway from Aldi’s pay rates

• Do Aldi employees get paid weekly?

• Does Aldi have part time jobs?

• Do Aldi staff get a staff discount?

• What do workers say about working at Aldi?

• The Breakroom verdict on Aldi jobs

• Where to find out more about similar jobs

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:

As you can see, there’s a big difference in the pay rates between store, warehouse and driving jobs.

For 75% of Aldi workers, store workers earn 58% less than drivers.

In the job reviews that Aldi employees have left on Breakroom, it’s clear they’ve noticed this pay gap. This is what one worker had to say when they shared the worst thing about their job:

“The pay difference between store and warehouse”

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:

Aldi pays significantly above the minimum wage. 

However, the older you get, the smaller the gap between minimum wage and Aldi’s hourly pay becomes.

Aldi’s age-based pay rates compared to RLW

Here are Aldi’s average pay rates again, but this time we’ve compared them with the Real Living Wage (RLW).

To find out more about the RLW and why it's important, see our guide to the living wage.

Apart from under 18s, all of the age groups still exceed the RLW.

The gap between Aldi’s hourly pay rate and RLW, however, isn’t as significant as it is with the minimum wage.

Aldi’s pay rates for managers

One last thing we want to dig into with pay: what is the pay difference for Aldi workers who manage people and those who don’t. 

Here’s what we found:

75% of Aldi workers who manage people only earn 4% more than their colleagues that don’t manage anyone. 

This isn’t a big pay increase, especially when considering that these management jobs have more responsibility.

Key takeaway from Aldi’s pay rates

Your pay at Aldi is likely to be over Real 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:

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 83% 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?

No: Aldi doesn’t offer a discount to their employees.

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: 81% 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, 61% 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 pressures 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 practises 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

• Want to know what other supermarkets are like to work for? Read our guide to the best supermarket jobs.

• Or maybe you're more interested in other types of shops? Here's our guide to the best retail jobs.

• Looking for particular types of retail jobs? We've got guides on the best retail assistant jobs, the best retail supervisor jobs and the best retail manager jobs.

• Find out what working in a retail has been like during a pandemic. Read our State of Hourly Work in the UK: 2020 report.

Data used in this blog post is from 6 August 2020