A Week In The Life Of A Trader Joe’s Employee

If you are interested in how Trader Joe’s works, you may find this interesting. It’s part of a Huff Po series called Food Informants – “a brand-new, week-in-the-life series profiling fascinating people in the food world”. This post from the series is from a TJ’s employee.

I find it has a few interesting facts one can glean about TJ”s employee conditions (which sound better than your average supermarket’s working conditions) and the Trader Joe’s corporate mentality as an employer. I’ve noticed that TJ’s employee’s seem more engaging with customers than any supermarket I’ve been to – as if they’ve been drinking the Kool-Aid. It seems partly that this is what they are instructed to do with customers, but also it does seems TJ’s hires employees who seem to be “people persons”. I’ve been told by staff they have very good benefits. I like that TJ’s recognizes that people should not be stuck doing the same thing all day and lets them rotate around tasks and doesn’t make them work a whole shift at Checkout (which this employee says is the most tiring thing).

I had someone I know tell me they did not like the way TJ’s employee’s engaage them in small talk while checking out. I find it totally refresing and humanizing – even if the employees are encouraged to do so. As “Jane” states customers can be very rude and condescending to Checkout people, “especially where she works” Gee – I wonder if its NY?

Comments?