Trader Joe's FAQ

Pros

Friendly people, very organized management system that helped guide new crew members and train effectively. Free coffee and occasional tastings of new items.

Cons

There are often long hours, especially early on. Management will sometimes schedule you consistently for either early morning or late evening (to 2a) shifts. Understandable, but sometimes unpredictable.

Pros

Trader Joe's pays very well for a retail job, including great health and dental benefits. The atmosphere is very relaxed and the managers are very understanding. I never had any issues with scheduling and the overall job experience was great!

Cons

Unfortunately, a retail job is still a retail job. Trader Joe's may be the best when it comes to retail work, but you will still get yelled at by customers and work some less than ideal hours.

Advice to Management

None. The management was the best part of working here!

Pros

Great insurance with fair hours, flexibility for students, great culture.

Cons

Hard on the joints and body. Small amount of roles to fill within store.

Pros

Great health benefits--for retail (if you meet weekly/hour minimums) Met some good friends through the company Stable business Regular raises I really like our company values and the group within our crew that live up to them

Cons

Constantly shifting priorities within the store from management Communication is always a struggle The casual atmosphere can make things like safety slip through the cracks way too easily High turnover and difficult paths to promotion The national office can seem disconnected from its stores at times A regular worry over meeting minimums to get benefits, which can end up making vacations and mental health days a very stressful decision

Advice to Management

Trader Joes is great because of the people you hire and the standards you expect of them--if you do the right things, people won't ask for a union. If you obsess over avoiding a union, you're probably not doing the right things. There's no excuse to avoiding good safety practices and respecting the immense financial return you receive from the really hard work we do for you in the field--often going above and beyond the job description. You should also pay order writers, it's a lot more work for the crew that volunteer and even a little bump or bonus would help you retain your best people.

Pros

If you fit into the TJ’s crew atmosphere, you’ll love it. Very initially open people, decent starting pay, insurance if you work a lot of hours, and a discount (20%).

Cons

Very close social group, can have problems if you don’t mesh with the people there or annoy a popular person.