I look forward to my weekly grocery shopping. Well. Maybe that’s an overstatement. I like running errands about as much as the next person. But I guess the fact that my grocery shopping is done at Trader Joe’s makes things just slightly less terrible. TJ’s is a wonderful place, full of delicious, exotic, quality foods at an affordable price. And, all of their employees exude a slightly off-beat, laid back charm, what with their Hawaiian shirts and “I-only-eat-organic” attitudes. With one particularly embarrassing exception involving a dispute over a box of ground meat, my mother’s acute sense of justice, and my youngest brother being posted as a lookout at the head of an aisle, all of my interactions with TJ’s employees have been very pleasant indeed.
Which led me to ponder what working at Trader Joe’s might be like, which led to some scavenging for information. Which led to the conclusion that working at TJ’s might be really awesome. Seriously, somebody hand me one of those oversized shirts. Incidentally, there is also a pretty large collective of people who seem to spend their time starting blogs about how much they love Trader Joe’s. Google it.
Trader Joe’s fosters a very loyal workforce. They pay well, make health benefits available, take time choosing and screening potential additions to the team. They have a leadership development program, encourage their hires to multitask, and offer an employee discount. A closer look:
Salary: full time crew members this year get $40-60,000 a year. Store managers earn in the “low six figures,” according to Fortune. In addition, TJ’s contributes 15.4% of the employee’s salary to a company-funded retirement plan. Health insurance covers medical, dental, and vision.
Advantages: The Hawaiian t-shirt. Being addressed as “dude.” Making bank. Eating fresh goat cheese salads and sipping acai juice for lunch. Getting away with being just slightly kooky. Knowing the difference between 20 types of apples. Ringing those bells that hang above the check stands.
Disadvantages: The Hawaiian t-shirt. Being addressed as "dude." Working for one of the most secretive companies on the planet. (I’m starting to think TJ’s might be a front for the NSA.) Being perceived as slightly off-beat. Dealing with actually offbeat and yuppie customers. General lack of "real" food. Finding out people are blogging about you.
And Finally: Happy labor day to all of you out there laboring, searching for labor, or in labor!
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