“You have to be quick and highly focused” Edit, Customer Assistant

Edit is a working mum with two children. When she joined Lidl, Edit was happy that she was able to arrange to work hours that fitted in with her responsibilities as a mother.

When did you join Lidl and what were you doing before you joined?

I started in 2016. Before I joined Lidl I was working in a coffee shop.

What is your role at Lidl and what does it entail?

I’m a Bakery Assistant and work four mornings a week. It’s a very important role, because the  bakery is the first thing customers see - and smell - when they enter the store! They see it looks really nice and they are happy to come in. I have to bake everything we sell and we’re the busiest bakery in our area - we sell around 36,000 units per week, so it's a lot of work. You have to be very quick and highly focused. It’s a nice job, the customers recognise me and I build relationships with them.

Is there anything you’re particularly proud of?

I like it when a customer says something nice to me about my work. I'm proud of myself, because I know what I'm doing and how to work quicker when it’s busy and still make everything look really nice.

Are Lidl an understanding employer?

Yes, I am on a 20-hour contract, but I sometimes work more. I have two kids so I asked if I could work only four days - Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and they agreed. I really appreciated that they could give me the hours I wanted because it meant I could go and pick up my kids from school, and on my days off I can spend time with them. So I'm really happy.

What sort of qualities do you need to do your job?

You need to be very quick and very focused - and happy to work in the freezer as well, because the temperature in there is minus 22! You have to work in there when you have a delivery, so you have to be very fast and do things right. Speed and accuracy are the most important things.

Do you enjoy your role?

Yes, I'm happy, I like the customers. Some days I’ll give good customer service and they will tell me I made their day. One elderly lady comes every single day at 10 o'clock and she really loves our French baguettes. I know that she wants it a bit crispy, a bit browner, so I bake one especially for her. If you can be nice with customers, they will always come back.

What about the rewards and benefits?

Oh, I'm so happy with the discount card. I spend a lot of money on it. People ask how can I eat that much stuff!? At the end of my shift I'm always going and buying things. I go home with a big bag every single day. So yeah, that’s my favourite benefit. I'm happy here, and I really appreciate that I can work the hours that I do. If I couldn’t, I would have to find a nanny to take care of my kids in the afternoon. I’m not sure another company would be so flexible. I guess that was a surprise at first, but it’s also why I'm happy here.

Finally, what four words would you use to describe Lidl?

Clean. Inexpensive. Quality. Quick.