Retail Interview Questions & Answers

The first interview was a one way interview by Hirevue, where questions popped up on screen, you would get 30 seconds to prepare your answer and then give a three minute answer which was recorded.

Questions included things like "How does off price merchandising and buying differ from full price merchandising/buying?", "What is your understanding of the off-price business model?", "which of our stores have you visited recently and how do you think we allocate products to different stores?".

I was then invited to the assessment centre, where I had a one-on-one interview with one of the merchandisers that lasted around 40 minutes, where the questions included "Why have you applied to TKMaxx and the particular graduate scheme?" and then several situational judgement questions of the type "Describe a time you failed at something?", "Describe a time you took a risk and what the outcome was", "Describe a time you worked well in a team".

It was all very friendly, but it could be difficult to come up with good examples for some of the situational judgement questions.

Describe a time where you disagreed with how things were run/done?

How do you think off price merchandising compares to full price?

Be well read, both about the company and the off price business model and how it differs from other companies. Be curious and personable.

Think about the presentation you will hold beforehand - you will only have the evening to prepare it, so it's good, even though you won't know the topic until the same day, to think of ways to make your presentation stand out in terms of structure and presentation .

At the assessment centre I had one interview, then a data analysis exercise which was about allocating stock to particular stores based on data about each store, then I held a presentation for one of the assessors, which I had gotten the chance to prepare the night before, then we had two group exercises, one about discussing the data analysis exercise that we had done individually at first and the second was about picking out two products that would be commercially viable in a TKMaxx store. We also got to shadow a current allocation analyst.

I applied through Morrison's website and after a few days got an email asking me to fill out a 'values questionnaire' this gave me scenarios with multiple choice answers and asked me to say which of the options I would most likely do. This was a fairly straight forward exercise. I then received an email for the next stage which was a video interview, this was done online via a webcam. You were able to do some practice questions before doing the real ones and could even do some practice questions then log out and come back later to do the actual interview. The interview was one way so the question would be printed on the screen and you were given between 30 seconds and 2 minutes to read them, I would suggest using this time to work out what you are going to say. You then have a set amount of time to answer but there was a timer on the screen so that you can see how much time you have left, you didn't have to use all the time and could stop it before the time was up. The interview lasted about 15-20 mins and was only 7 questions in all. It began with a few competency based questions however the last 3 were scenario questions which required you to think quickly as to what would be best to do.

There were a couple of scenario questions such as: "An offer is on lamb legs. It is a very busy day and you sell out. A valued customer who rang up and ordered some for his wife's birthday BBQ comes in to the store late and you realise the legs he reserved have been sold, what would you do?" and another "You are manager of a store. You are having a school outreach program and there will be a class of children coming to work in the store for 3 days. Each department will be assigned 2 children. How would you make sure that everyone was aware and everything ran smoothly?".

Read up on what they are doing as I had a question asking what do you know about Morrisons and what is going on in the retail industry at the moment? Also try to think of scenarios they might throw at you and your answer. I would make the most of the time given to read the questions to frame your answers in your mind.

No assessment centre.

The video interview consisted of about five questions. Your camera and mic are set up online and you are then ready to go.

There are a couple of informative videos, showing what to expect, how to dress (joggers on the bottom if you like but smart for the camera).

A practice question is given, and when you are ready you proceed to the formal interview. Each question is shown, then a countdown timer starts and on '0' the recording starts. I can't remember all the questions but these are the ones I can

What is the most interesting thing you have learned about Aldi from your research?

What qualities do you think the placement will bring out in you?

I'm sorry I really can't remember the rest

That's about it really, you answer the questions, and receive a confirmation email.

What is the most interesting thing you have learnt about Aldi from your research?

This was hard for me as I hadn't done much research so had to really think on the spot.

Really be yourself. Obviously you need to tailor your answers to what the company want to hear, but Aldi will be looking at your videos and if you don't smile/laugh a bit/show off some personality it will be very hard to get excited by your answers.

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filled out application form, attached my CV and Covering letter. was called to assessment for a group interview. had a chance to introduce myself. followed by a presentation (2 min) about anything at all. they give you some time to prepare prior to that. there was Q&A session.they want to know whether you are really motivated enough for this job.

survival exercise.. were given a list of things to choose from.

they want to know if you have done in-depth research about the company so everything from latest news to competitors. also, how aldi can improve services. whats good/bad

just be confident. do your research on the company. make sure you know what the role is all about and you will be expected to do in your role as an area manager. they expect people who are hardworking with leadership skills.

it was tough. there wasn't enough time to prepare for the presentation bit. had no idea what to talk about. i had already spoke about my educational and work experiences when presenting some facts about myself in the beginning.

I was interviewed by two people from HR, who were both very friendly. They asked how I thought the assessment centre had gone and if I had been myself. They then asked me some questions about how I might react if certain situations came up on the job, so what would I do if there was a very experienced member of staff on my team who wouldn't respect my opinion. I was then asked how I would fit into Toys R Us not having had any retail experience. I was also asked what would I bring to the store and what is my managing style. The questions were not too difficult and the interviewers were pretty friendly.

What would you do if a member of staff refused to carry out a task that you assigned to them?

Come to the assessment centre dressed to impress, so many people were dressed too casually and none of them got through to the interview stage. Stay positive during the interview and don't hesitate to ask questions. Be enthusiastic to answer any questions they give you and volunteer yourself for tasks. Make your voice heard in the group tasks so that they know you are able to give an opinion.

I was told the assessment centre was going to be 3 hours long, but actually I was there from 10am to 3pm! This was however because I was chosen for a panel interview after the group activities. There were 20 or so people and we had to complete group tasks as well as introduce ourselves to the group and explain why we wanted to work there. We also had a task to talk positively about a certain 'subject' for a minute which puts you under pressure. The assessment centre had people of varied experience as I'm a graduate myself but some people were applying for a higher role and had years of retail experience! This actually helped me out as they were good support and had good knowledge in the group exercises. We then had a Q&A session afterwards when everyone could ask their questions and we found out lots about the job itself and the company's values. They were very open about the commitment you have to make for the company which I thought was great. At the end, they asked a few people to stay behind stating it was to 'clarify some things on their CVs' but it was actually to give them a one-to-one or panel interview.

My telephone interview consisted of 25-30 mins of questions about myself and my suitability to the role. Initially I was asked to describe myself as a person; where I am education-wise, my personal hobbies and interests. Then I was asked to discuss why I had applied for the role, how it linked to my qualifications and career aspirations. Finally, I was asked about my interest in the company, what I thought I could offer them and what I was looking for in an employer.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years time.
Describe a time when you had to change someones opinion.

Do some preparation beforehand. Guess some of the questions you think you might be asked and plan several strong answers in which you can reply with. Also, do some basic research on the company, it is always useful to have background knowledge. It is better to be calm as you will think straight and not get yourself stressed out.

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After completing the online application, I received a letter inviting me to attend a group interview at the regional head office in Darlington. When I arrived, there was about 16 of us. I'm pretty sure they left us so long in their reception to supervise how we were with the other candidates. Then we went into a room where we were given a questionnaire to fill in. This just asked basic questions like where i'd heard about the scheme, why I applied.
We were then given our first exercise- 2 minutes to prepare a 2 minute presentation on anything but ourselves, no less and no more. Some people really struggled with this. There were some awkward moments when people ran out of things to say, and the interviewee just stared at the person until the timer ran out. Those who talked about a hobby- and had a purpose/argument to their talk- did ok. 2 minutes constantly talking is longer than you think.
Then we were given two tests to complete in 6 minutes- a verbal reasoning test and a maths test. The maths was GCSE standard- but i know some who hadn't brushed up on their maths struggled a little.
We were then given a group negotiation exercise of being plane crash survivors. Firstly, we had to individually order a list of items in terms of their importance for survival and then as a group we had to compile a list. This is to look at how good you are at persuading and influencing others, because it was assessed on how different your list was from the group's. Everyone tries to shout over here and be the leader- but its more important to show that you are active (so make sure you say something) and persuasive, but you're not going to be a bull in a china shop as it were.
Then the interviewer talked more about the job, we were given an information booklet and were told more about aldi as a company. The group interview ended with a Q&A time, but we ended up going round all asking a couple of questions- by the time it got to the 12th person, candidates were frantically thinking of what else to ask and the questions got a bit silly- which the interviewer didn't really find funny.So my advice would be don't follow the crowd- if you don't have a genuine question, just say so.
The final stage was a one-to-one interview, again at the regional centre. This was a lot less formal (and scary) than the group interview, and was just more of a chat with the managing director. I had read before the interview, and expected, the questions to be quite personal- asking about where I lived, whether I had siblings, what my parents do for a living etc. However, he didn't really go into these questions like I expected.
All the contact I had with aldi was via letters and not by phone or email, so watch out for the letterbox. I put my home address on the application, and if it wasn't for my mum accidentally opening the letter whilst I was still at university it would have been missed. The letter also didn't give much away about what the interviews would consist of. I was disappointed that when I didn't get the job Aldi wouldn't give me any feedback on my interview performance, despite getting down to the final few.

What makes you the most happy? What makes you upset?

Be confident in whatever you can do. Aldi want leaders who will go on to be directors within the company. I think where I fell down is that in the final interview I was very nervous and I think this showed through.
Aldi aren't secretive about the amount of work and hours the job involves, and you need to show that you are prepared to work hard. I've been told that the Darlington area managers tend to work 60-70 hours a week, whereas in other areas this differs, such as in the middleton where its 60-80 hours a week. Don't bother going through the process if you're only in it for the car and the salary; you won't get far.
In the group interview, you don't necessarily need to try and lead - its more important to show that you're getting on with doing the actual task in hand, and have the ability to justify your points and persuade others.
Finally, just be normal as it were. As well as emphasising their need for hard workers, throughout the interviewer just said they want friendly people who are good with others. Show your personality and people skills off- the more you interact with the other candidates the better. After all, the job is not just logistics and running of the store, its looking after Aldi's people too.

See description above. There was 16 of us, had 2 minutes to prepare a 2 minute presentation, had 6 minutes to do a maths and verbal reasoning test, had 6 minutes to order a list of objects in importance for survival, then 8 minutes to order a group of the same objects, then there was a Q&A session to finish the day.

The initial phone interview was extremely straight forward, it was a member of the Mothercare recruitment team and I was asked straight forward questions like if I knew what logistics was about and what the role would in tail. We quickly ran through my CV and she then asked me if I would be able to attend an interview the next day.
The interview was with the head of logistics and one of the team leaders, it started off with a quick run through of my CV, previous job experience, education etc. Then after that they had a sheet of pre planned questions in which they would run through. I think it was a total of 10 questions. Questions such as outside what is your greatest achievement? Name a time you have demonstrated good organisation and time management skills? What do you feel the role of an international logistics assistant involves? How would you rate your IT skills?
Once we went through the questions the head of logistics went on to talk about what the role involved and what would be expected of me on a day to day basis. I then asked the questions I had and that was the end of the interview process.

Name a time you have demonstrated your organisation and time management skills?

As always make sure you have a clear understanding of what the role involves, what it is you would be doing. Make sure you have good examples of times when you have demonstrated strong organisation and time management skills.

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First was an online application which was fairly simple in terms of questions asked,
If you succeed in this you're invited to a group assessment centre which was the toughest aspect. If you succeed on this you are then invited to a one on one interview with the director, this is your standard CV run through and competency based interview.

What is our five year plan and how are we going to compete with other market leaders?

Research the background and current plans of Aldi thoroughly and it's competitors as you are quizzed around this quite heavily.

The assessment centre is tough, first you are given 15 mins to prepare for a short 2 minute presentation on something you are passionate about. Then you have your numerical and verbal reasoning tests which you don't have long for at all. After that it is a group task where you have to prioritise 10 items that would be useful if you were stranded in the Antarctic. Here they are looking for a leader and someone to take charge of the situation.

I simply uploaded my resume and after few days I got an invitation for writing online tests. It seems that they invite everyone to write online test. Online test is pretty easy, but it has strict time constraints. If you got to clear this stage, then aim to finish all the questions at a good speed. Per question you might get only 15-30 seconds.

The next stage is video interview. This is a very crucial stage because they will select only those candidates whom they want to see at their assessment center. They got a strict budget as to whom they got to bring to their HO. Overseas (out of UK) application is always a failure as they will end up incurring huge travel cost and please be assured that they will find a way to reject your application at this stage.

Questions asked:
Q1. Why do you think you should follow rules and regulations?
Q2. Give example of dealing with challenges at your previous work and how you came up with a solution
Q3. Why finance function is important in a business?
Q4. Why do you think you are efficient?
Q5. Why did you chose Morrison finance Graduate scheme?
Q6. What steps will you take to reduce costs/
Q7. Do you like doing work with strict laid down rules and procedures or prefer to do whatever you want to do?
Q8. 2 minutes for further comments.

The video interview questions are very easy. There is one question that I believe is quite tricky one, especially for finance scheme. The question was "Do you like doing work that has strict laid down rules and procedures or do you prefer to work where you can do whatever you want to?" It is one of those questions "where they want to hear what they expect to hear."

It is a local British company. Understand the core-values of the company and also the people who are working in there. You will have an advantage, if you completely understand the company culture and resonate with them. You got to speak in video interview, what the HR wants to hear. If you are able to write to the HR for an appointment to discuss the position, then you will understand things better and finally reach the assessment centre.

If you are lucky to talk to a previously selected graduate and if he/she is kind to let you know how their interview selection "ACTUALLY" works, then you get the job!!!!!

Don't waste time too much for the interview, if you don't have the right resources.

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