Trader Joe's Reviews

Current Employee – been working at Trader Joe's part-time for more than 10 years

Pros – Benefits are some of best around. Health dental vision gym membership. Employee discounts. Free food when tastings are held which is often. Retirement has been reduced. TJ's still has one of the best 401K's around with a 10% free contribution.

Cons – Having to deal with problem customers. Can be physical or freezing sometimes.

Advice to Senior Management – Stay connected to your employees. All of them.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at Trader Joe's

Pros – good pay, friendly, slight discounted food

Cons – managers can be harsh sometimes

Current Employee – been working at Trader Joe's

Pros – free food, free wine, great people

Cons – to much time at cash register

Current Employee – been working at Trader Joe's part-time for more than a year

Pros – Trader Joe's people and the customers are so nice and friendly, it is one of the best environments to work at! You're happy at work, you work as a team. Everyone has each other's back. If you have ideas or suggestions, the managers are always happy to hear about them and encourage you!

Cons – The only bad thing I can say about Trader Joe's is Gallager Bassett, which is the workman's compensation company that Trader Joe's is working with. If you are injured and out of work, let alone paying you on time (or ever), they make it harder for you to get a doctor's appointment, schedule an MRI or physical therapy. Since all these has to be done by them, if you want to get well soon, you have to call them about 3 times a day patiently. They have too much work to handle and no one has any idea what's going on or how they can help you.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at Trader Joe's part-time for less than a year

Pros – good starting salary and benefits. very flexible with employee schedules. Company is very safety consious. Great co workers good work environment.

Cons – Really no 'cons' at this time compared to other jobs I've had

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at Trader Joe's part-time for more than 7 years

Pros – Fun people to work with, for the most part. The company tries to extend the best benefits it can, although they are getting less and less.

Cons – See above. Trader Joe's gets sued a lot -- because they always settle and don't ever fight back. It's a PR thing. The $$ comes out of their employees' pockets, for te most part.

Advice to Senior Management – Spend less on the managers and more on the crew.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at Trader Joe's full-time for more than 7 years

Pros – Good pay, workers, flexible with scheduling as long as you planned in advance. Good nurturing environment and growth potential. Co workers were pretty positive and hard working for the most part.

Cons – sometimes people would not pull their weight or get specialized treatment from upper management. Others would work hard and not get recognized. Hard to get promoted and sometimes the work can get strenuous.

Advice to Senior Management – Listen to the things your crew members tell you.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at Trader Joe's full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – -Extremely competitive compensation
-Excellent benefits
-Great sense of community and teamwork
-Performance reviews and raises every 6 months
-Works hard to create long-term employees

Cons – -"Pass/Fail" review system
-Intentionally provides fewer benefits for employees under 30, who typically spend less time with the company.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at Trader Joe's part-time for more than 7 years

Pros – - Great Crew
-Benefits that are decent (But declining)
-Good pay (if you worked in the earlier years and received yesteryear raises)
-Rotating duties/assignments

Cons – -More work is added every year/quarter as the alloted scheduled hours to perform work are decreased (called spph), basically for every hour an employee works, you have a designated sales target say $200 in sales for one scheduled hour of work.

- Raises have declined from a potential $1 every six months to .45-.55 every six months (based on seniority) that is upwards of a 55%cut

-retirement, once the envy of tjs has been steadily eroded once 15.4% of gross pay contributed yearly for those over 20, then 5%, w/a 5% holiday bonus for age 20-29, w/a 15.4%contribution for those over age 30, now 10% for those over 30, with 5% for age 20-29, with the "potential" for up to 5% bonuses based on performance, in essence these amount rto over a 35% cut.

- STORE environment: At least in my store the captain habitually favors some, treats those beneath 'including mates ( assistant store managers) in a belitting fashion with condescension, there is no forward mobility no matter how hard you work. Some beg for new assignments/responsibilities (i.e kaizen opportunities) only to be denied while those that are favored are handed new responsibilites. This has been a point of contention for years, but when you confront the source of this contention you are told you should have been fired years ago, in a blind hurtful rage by your captain.

Advice to Senior Management – -Please reign in the abuses of some of your captains (they should be demoted)

- Remember that it is your crew that builds/maintains the store i.e sales
- Consider restoring the old reviews based on hardwork and integrity
-Excellent benefits produce an excellent crew , i.e positive environment for both crew and customer alike

- Safeway used to be a great place to work, Jewel also, then they expanded and lost their family oriented spirit, now they are closing stores, not expanding. Consider the ramifications of trying to conform to the industry standard. We are Trader Joes, we are neighborhood stores, We have integrity, we have a philosophy of no beauracracy, We ARE NOT SAFEWAY.

-Please remeber that the industry standard is to treat associates as numbers, not individuals, do not follow the industry standard, rise above it.

- the only uncertain times our company faces is the future of the employees, show us proof that the stores are performing badly and we will go along with the reductions as necessary, cuts when you are prosperous only eat into prosperity.

- Remember we are payed above the competitors rate, but we perform as two people, least in that on register we check and bag and carry on a wow converstion with our customers simultaneously, what competitor does that? (minimum wage positions (bagging$8.25, Cashier $8.25=$16.50 minimum per hour)

THank you

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at Trader Joe's part-time for more than 3 years

Pros – Good benefits: Medical, Dental, 401k

Cons – Constant restructuring of raises and benefits based on the "market". Trust me.., there's enough money made where it could be handled better.

Advice to Senior Management – Back up your crew members. When there's a problem and you know they are right, back them up. Stop kissing ass for someone that looks down on you for working in a grocery store in the first place. We're supposed to be a team. Also...worrying about morale should be more of a priority.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend