Pluspunten
The DM internship was very structured and thorough. I saw all aspects of the DM job and learned a lot about how Aldi operates. DM's work independently and make a lot of decisions. Great flexibility as far as hours are concerned, but overall the hours are still very long. Great people at the store level who welcomed me with open arms. Solid business model from a customer's perspective but behind technologically. The intern pay is great and so is the DM pay, however, not enough for me to give up my life.
Minpunten
Very intense work environment and extreme sense of urgency. Very long hours, many are spent driving from one store to the next. I wouldn't recommend the real DM job to anyone who wants to spend time with his or her family. Some female DM's with kids have full time nannies to get it all done. Productivity is king which often hurts store employees who work extremely hard. People who don't want to "live" at Aldi are labeled as lazy. The atmosphere is very rigid and doesn't make sense at all. Many store employees are just working at Aldi for the money and benefits. Young DM's lack leadership skills. Very few DM's are over 40 due to the high burnout rate (I only saw 2).