Is that even still possible? To ensure that customers have a perfect shopping experience, there is a lot of work behind the scenes. Apparently this is also the case with the discounter giant Aldi.
But what exactly is in store for the employees every day is hard to believe. An Aldi Nord employee from Berlin unpacked in an interview with BERLIN LIVE.
Aldi in Berlin: Cashiers under constant pressure?
“What many customers don’t know is that there is a meter in the checkout,” revealed the Aldi employee. And he checks how quickly a customer’s goods are scanned. But not just for fun. “You should get over 3,000 attacks. If this is not the case, you will get a red note. If this happens often, then a conversation follows and there is real pressure from above,” said the cashier.
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You can see how well you as an employee make time on the printout at the end of the shift. A constant race against time. “This is also unpleasant for the cashier. “You basically throw the goods into the cart so that it goes faster,” explained the Berliner. What does the discounter itself say about it?
Aldi wants to promote its staff
When asked by our editorial team at Aldi, a spokesperson said: “Well-trained and motivated employees make a sustainable and valuable contribution to the development of Aldi Nord in Germany. Like every employer, Aldi Nord also evaluates the performance of its employees as a basis for their career development in order to create a fair working environment.”
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This also affects sales employees. “If deficits are identified, employees receive internal training and support. It’s not just about speed, but also about factors such as how we deal with customers,” explained the Aldi spokesman.
Aldi in Berlin: processes have changed
But if the customer takes longer to pack up, according to the cashier, it all depends on the employee’s time. And even worse: the payment process is also taken into account – for example, rummaging around for change can put a huge strain on the employee at the checkout. “You used to be able to tap a subtotal and then the clock would stop turning,” the woman recalled. However, when asked, the press spokesman was unable to confirm a type of “stopwatch” as described by the Aldi employee.
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According to the employee, the discounter wants to save more and more time and thus increases the pressure on its staff. For example, the team is expected to unpack a pallet of new goods in around half an hour. “They expect you to be better than a machine. No one can stand that,” the Aldi cashier from the capital made clear.
Aldi takes a stand on the allegations
But is that really effective? According to the employees, there are also regular complaints from customers. In her opinion, this doesn’t happen without reason, after all, the tense working atmosphere is not lost on anyone. “This is pure stress for us and it’s incredibly difficult to remain friendly in the situation. Even if you feel completely sorry for yourself,” the cashier justified herself.
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The fact that there are layoffs is no surprise to the Berliner. The group, however, sees it differently. “The fact that Aldi employees are satisfied with their working environment is confirmed, among other things, by the long average length of service at Aldi Nord,” said the spokesman.
