I work at Trader Joe's. AMA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you find that the customers are mostly polite, kind of goes with the jimmy buffet vibe or have you had many rude encounters?

Most customers are polite and kind. There are some unbelievably, incredibly rude and impatient ones though. Especially from Thanksgiving, peaks Christmas/New Years, tapers off through January.

My #1 customer pet peeve: please pick up after yourself. Stop leaving the wipes in carts, baskets, etc. Like the National Park Service, "leave no trace" - take all your trash wish you. If you don't want to pick up your own dirty wipes and trash, do you think we enjoy it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is everyone so peppy even in the back room?

There's a great camaraderie among the crew - lots of laughing and joking. We know that it's a job and all jobs require work and responsibility, but we find a way to figure out what *not* to take seriously. For all the corporate greed, the positive tradeoff is reality the ability to laugh on the job a lot.

[Anonymous]

Do you all really want to talk to me? Are you really so happy to see me and ask if I liked the prudish you recommended?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How long have you worked there and what led you to apply there?

A number of years. More than 2, less than 10.

I applied because it seemed like a fun place to work. People seemed to like their jobs, and I noticed that the same people would stay for years, so it must be a chill place to work. And I heard that the employees were treated well and with respect.

But as mentioned, the corporate attitude about employees has changed considerably.

For example: Today, they announced that 2021's 401k contributions would be cut in half. So we worked there a year, gave the company a year of our lives, and they tell us this now. Today in the employee bulletin. And it was posted under a reminder of their #1 core value, which the company states is "integrity."

As a company, Trader Joe's has changed a lot over the past few years.

As a corporation, it's like any other - profit first, people last.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you all really want to talk to me? Are you really so happy to see me and ask if I liked the prudish you recommended?

Sure! Some customers are awesome, and having good conversations makes the day go by better. Sometimes when it's so busy I feel bad that I can't strike up a conversation with people because we're slammed and stretched thin. But when it's slow, it's actually quite nice.

[Anonymous]

Do you/Did you have another job or career?

[Anonymous]

who is Joe?

[Anonymous]

What’s your employee discount?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:TJs milk is cheaper but goes bad much faster than a traditional grocery store. Why do you think that is? Is it older?

I have no idea, sorry. I don't buy milk that frequently but when I do, I haven't had that problem. Is it all kinds, or a specific kind (like the organic 2%)? Maybe it's the specific store's refrigeration?

Different poster, but we have had this problem with TJ's milk for the last decade or two. It's less of an issue for us currently, as one of my kids drinks a lot of milk and helps us get through it fast. But before this, we'd avoid the milk.

Tangent but we also avoid FreshDirect milk.

I get my milk delivered from a local farm. It's extremely fresh and minimally processed, and it goes bad way faster than grocery store milk. Any milk that last a long time is heavily processed and probably has added preservatives.

Sigh. This is such a great thread. Milk that lasts is ultrapasteurized, which causes flavor loss but it is just heating. No preservatives. Let’s keep to TJs.

[Anonymous]

Why do they never have chicken soup buns in stock? And what happened to the orange muscat vinegar and the black bean-corn salsa??!!!

[Anonymous]

Is there dating among the employees? Any good stories? Hookups in the walk-in freezer or something?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you get training on how to pack the bags? That's some real skill!

You get your training from other employees/crew, so yes. The pros give you their tips and the wisdom passes on

When I was 14 I worked as a cashier at a supermarket in NY, and learned to bag groceries. Trader Joe's employees totally suck at packing bags. I let them do whatever they want, then I move away and fix it all so the eggs are NOT under jars of sauce, so the bag of romaine is not folded in half, so the container of berries is not on the bottom, etc.

Yes, I love TJs, but pre-pandemic I always packed my own bags. I did not work at a supermarket, but most of my family members worked at supermarkets (also in NY!) and boy would I hear it if the bag was not packed correctly. When you're done, you should see the tomatoes, avocados, bananas, lettuce and bread at the top of each bag! (Berries go right underneath there, usually.) And freezer stuff separate from cardboard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:TJs milk is cheaper but goes bad much faster than a traditional grocery store. Why do you think that is? Is it older?

I have no idea, sorry. I don't buy milk that frequently but when I do, I haven't had that problem. Is it all kinds, or a specific kind (like the organic 2%)? Maybe it's the specific store's refrigeration?

Different poster, but we have had this problem with TJ's milk for the last decade or two. It's less of an issue for us currently, as one of my kids drinks a lot of milk and helps us get through it fast. But before this, we'd avoid the milk.

NP - were you referring to the milk at the Chevy Chase / Bethesda store on Wisconsin, or do all TJs have milk issues?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you get training on how to pack the bags? That's some real skill!

You get your training from other employees/crew, so yes. The pros give you their tips and the wisdom passes on

When I was 14 I worked as a cashier at a supermarket in NY, and learned to bag groceries. Trader Joe's employees totally suck at packing bags. I let them do whatever they want, then I move away and fix it all so the eggs are NOT under jars of sauce, so the bag of romaine is not folded in half, so the container of berries is not on the bottom, etc.

Yes, I love TJs, but pre-pandemic I always packed my own bags. I did not work at a supermarket, but most of my family members worked at supermarkets (also in NY!) and boy would I hear it if the bag was not packed correctly. When you're done, you should see the tomatoes, avocados, bananas, lettuce and bread at the top of each bag! (Berries go right underneath there, usually.) And freezer stuff separate from cardboard.

I think most employees know how to pack their own brown paper bags. Bringing your own is another story - they are all different sizes and shapes and it makes it really difficult to know what works. When people bring their own bags, most employees hugely appreciate when they bag (honestly because some some reusable bags are kind of gross). Our paper bags are a breeze.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The bread at TJ's definitely goes bad quickly too. I avoid buying bread products there.

I’m not the OP. That’s because it doesn’t have preservatives in it. Keep it in the fridge or freezer and it’s fine.