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Trader Joe's
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60 reviews

Trader Joe's Employer Reviews

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Fun and Flexible
Sales Associate (Current Employee), Daly City, CA – May 22, 2013
It is a great place. People are generally pretty friendly, and the management really take care of us. They understand when we need days off for school or important events, and help us work around these constraints.

We receive feedback regularly, and every 6 months we have reviews, and receive raises.
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Not for qualified retail management applicants over 40
crew member/ management trainee (Former Employee), Contra Costa County, California – May 22, 2013
Pros: benefit package
Cons: age discrimination, immature lower management, weak training
Worked at a Northern Ca. Store with the intent of working my way into management. Transition was easy. I was trained to do the following: running both morning and night crews, run the 'pit', do deposits, etc. Run the entire store for up to 5 hour stretches while the management had their meetings. I went on a couple of 'interviews' with store managers – more... for an entry level 'full timer'. Both managers I interviewed with did not offer me position. One even asked me my age and race. The other I assumed perceived me as a threat to his authority, his reputation as a bully to control his people. I was 50 at that time. Apparently young, blind followers with no employee relation skills and marginal customer service skills are the requirement. Summary: weak management skills at the lower level, uneducated managers in Ca. labor laws, great benefits, age discrimination, various Ca. labor law infractions (breaks, consecutive hours/days), inconstant management requirements and immature lower level management. – less
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– May 28, 2013

Very clique-ish unprofessional atmosphere.

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Great at first....
Crew Member (Former Employee), Lincoln, NE – May 18, 2013
Pros: good healthcare, decent wage, employee discount, good workout
Cons: no breaks, erratic schedule, total compensation decreasing, physically damaging, lack of training
When I started here two years ago (2010) I loved it! Opening a new store was so hard but really fun. In the last year, the company and store management style changed, integrity became questionable, favoritism developed, and there seemed to be no more structure. We felt like "bodies" filling positions. We busted our butts on register, stocking, and everything – more... else with no breaks to sit for 5 minutes except for a 30 minute lunch in 8 hour shift. It seemed like the crew members that did the most slacking got the easiest log, with very little training for new crew and teamwork went out the window. Many of the crew started having physical complaints from the registers; back problems mostly and repetition injuries, even physical therapy for some. Reviews became sources of confusion without any substance for bad marks or explanation. Recently, the retirement benefits got cut by a third, the raises went from merit-style (which were substantial and encouraging) to standard for everyone and average amount. Maybe the company has overextended? I bailed, it's not fun anymore. – less
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Exciting Place to Be
Team Member (Former Employee), Kansas City, MO – May 7, 2013
Pros: benefits and great pay
One of the best places to work. You actually enjoy coming to work because theres so much energy from your team members.
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Energetic and fun atmosphere to work in.
Beer/Liquor Section Leader (Current Employee), Los Gatos, CA – April 29, 2013
Pros: excellent benefit package.
Cons: hours can be eratic.
A typical day consists of 3-4 hours of register time engaging with customers and meeting their needs, Constant replenishing of products on the sales floor; Unloading trucks and staging product on the sales floor; operating the bailing machine; maintaining inventory/ordering for my section; cleaning of all work areas in the store. Management is very – more... proactive and hands-on in all areas of the store. The hardest part of the job is stocking small items in rows on shelves. The most enjoyable part of the job is working on register and engaging with customers, making them feel satisfied with their experience. – less
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Productive and fun place to work.
Crew Member Store Clerk (Former Employee), Seattle, WA – April 29, 2013
Trader Joe's is a solid company with solid products and excellent customer service. They are accommodating to employees in almost any situation, although the pay is somewhat low.
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Stock groceries
Crew Member (Current Employee), Brookline, MA – April 28, 2013
Pros: great benefits
Cons: awful work environment
employees are great to work with. Work environment is extremely hectic, rushed, and disorganized. Management is not very good, they are often caught in double standards and treat other employees unfairly and with sometimes with little respect.
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Great place
Crew Member (Former Employee), New York, NY – April 22, 2013
Pros: everything
Cons: nothing
This is a well run company with very productive workers. A great environment as well as people like I previously wrote.
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It's the coworkers and customers that make this job worthwhile.
Crew Member (Current Employee), Norcross, GA – April 15, 2013
Pros: financial reviews 2x per year, great benefits
Cons: inconsistent management with unclear motives and goals
It's a unique environment with a focus on company core values but management doesn't always practice what they preach. I give them high marks for hiring some of the best people with outstanding focus on sense of self, job ownership and purpose. It's a very physical job and you're in motion constantly and that can be hard. One unfortunate aspect is as – more... associates, management encourageds us to communicate yet it's a double edged sword because if you feel you are communicating, it is sometimes seen as "being insubordinate". You don't have a voice even if you have an accurate assessment of the situation. However, TJ's has a loyal customer base and seeing the regular customers each day and seeing your coworkers is one of the best and most enjoyable parts of the day. A smile from a regular customer can wash away any disgruntled feelings. – less
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Fast Paced Work Enviroment
Section Leader (Current Employee), Commack, NY – April 13, 2013
• Increased sales and productivity using Just-In-Time (JIT) practices while ordering for the high-volume CEREAL section and the high-margin NON-DAIRY section
• Accurately handled cash and credit transactions at a $500,000 / week location
• Trained and assisted new employees in company policies and procedures
• Operated independently at a high level – more... and consistently earned high review marks and pay raises – less
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Trader Joe's is a cool store/
Deckhand (Former Employee), San Francisco, CA – April 3, 2013
Pros: fast paced.
Cons: too far from home.
It's a good workfield.I learned how to clean properly. I did customer service. Most of my Co-workers are good people. Maintaining organization was my hardest part of the job. The part I liked the most was they had flexible hours for me.
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Productive and fun workplace for everyone
Crew Member (Former Employee), Los Angeles, CA – April 3, 2013
Pros: friendly employees, laid back yet hardworking environment
Cons: short breaks, low discounts
A typical day at work would be doing everything, literally. I would be on register for about three hours, and as soon as that's over, there will be a stock of avocados that need to be put up. This might sound like it's not fun, but Trader Joe's had the magic factor which made the workplace fun. It was a place where all employees helped customers and – more... usually work a 110 percent. The care that they give to customer satisfaction was extraordinary. The hardest part of the job was the physical labor, but i really didn't mind the extra work-out. I'd say that most enjoyable part of the job was speaking with customers on a daily basis. – less
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COMPANY HAS CHANGED TREMENDOUSLY, EMPLOYEES ARE NOT VALUED ANYMORE
crew (Former Employee), DC area – April 2, 2013
Pros: benefits if you can get enough hours
Cons: managers who are inexperienced and lack of skills about how to treat employees and motivate them
When I begin with Trader Joes 9 years ago it was a great place to work. I had a cool boss, he showed appreciation for his workers and I looked forward to coming into work to see him & my other co-workets... NOT ANYMORE!
My manager was transferred ( which happens to very often because they rotate managers), the successive managers we've had were hell.
My – more... opinion is that upper management is trying to force long time (higher paid) part time workers to quit so they can hire lesser paid new employees. They do things to make them miserable, making work conditions difficult, & judge very harshly during reviews to avoid giving raises. You may find yourself being a dedicated employee during the year thinking you're doing a great job... coming in on time, never calling in sick, being an excellent employee, and at the end of the year getting no raise. I quit working there because I was feeling increasingly unappreciated and didn't
need the hassle.
One of the pros here, are there benefits but keep in mind that employees are only eligible for benefits if they work more than the minimum required number of hours ( consistently over a 10 week period) and management may keep you from obtaining those hours to avoid giving you benefits. they may say they just don't have the hours to give you. – less
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Great High Volume Experience
Department Manager/ Company Trainer (Former Employee), CA – March 28, 2013
There is a lot to be said about this giant of a company. Flexible hours, career growth and great food!
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A fun working environment with an outstanding management team and crew members.
PART-TIME CREW MEMBER (Current Employee), Newington, NH – March 27, 2013
Pros: sharing product knowledge with customers and other crew members.
Cons: standing all the time.
The day is filled with customer interaction while being part of a team promoting productivity and quality of work. Management and crew members work together to achieve company goals. Working with this wonderful staff is the best part of day.
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great work environment and flexiblity with hours-keeps you in shape!
Crew Member (Former Employee), Kirkland, WA – March 27, 2013
Pros: regular reviews and raises; great healthcare-esp if you only work 20 hrs/wk
Cons: long time spent on feet
If you like people, and getting to learn about the new 1000's of products they put on their shelves daily....this is a great place!
The shifts can get long, and standing on your feet for 8 hours at a time can be difficult.
The customers tend to be very loyal, so it is easy to get to know them. I still have friends that I met while working there, even – more... though it has been almost two years since I quit working there.
They hire only positive, hard working fun people.
The prices are great-employee discounts are nice; they give to Food Bank daily
Good morals, and fair – less
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Shocking discovery
Employee--hourly--part-time (Current Employee), Overland Park Kansas – March 27, 2013
Pros: easy going for the most part
Cons: management and the "in the club" kind of mentality.
I was shocked to find out that it is a company policy against hiring older workers with very few exceptions. We work hard at the store but I have worked with people who are 15-20 years older then the employees currently and can run circles around them!
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jwk987 – April 7, 2013

I am 62 and was hired about 6 months ago. Many of our recent hires at our store have been 50+. The original comment is totally inconsistent with our store - we are probably 50-50 in crew members who are under and over 50.

TJCM – May 23, 2013

I don't think it is policy that the company hire only younger workers. Working for Trader Joe's is quite physically demanding and I know from experience that TJ's will hire anyone who thinks they are capable of handling the workload. Anyone is given a chance and it is usually the employee that bails after finding out how hard one is expected to work as a crew member at a busy Trader Joe's store. In fact, the Trader Joe's that you speak of has an "older" staff as far as the average age of employees.

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fun staff
Sales Associate (Current Employee), Westchester, CA – March 25, 2013
Pros: love the staff
Cons: get stuck
Love my job and the people of course. But it is customer service and sometimes you can't stand the public, but hey it comes with the territory. but good pay and the company takes care of employees
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Best Place To work
Crew Member (Former Employee), Newton, MA – March 21, 2013
Pros: excellent people to work with, great company and benefits
Cons: long periods of standing, busy daily.
This job is great fun and everyone I worked with was excellent. Positive reinforcement on the reviews and employees were treated great. Excellent starting pay, and benefits were also offered. Gave good insight into the company, and promoted working in different areas to meet different people. Products that they carried were excellent, and always promoted – more... trying a product before purchasing it. Unloading truck in the morning and distributing product to different areas of the store, stock the bread daily, clean floors and cashier for the rest of the shift. Great benefits and discounts. – less
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fun work place
Floor Associate (Current Employee), Gaithersburg, MD – March 6, 2013
i learned customer service
i enjoy working with my crew
the food there is great
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About Trader Joe's

When it comes to grocery chains, Trader Joe's isn't your average Joe. With some 375 stores in 30-plus states, the company offers – Read more