Working At Trader Joe's: Company Overview and Culture

Q: When was Trader Joe's founded?

Trader Joe's was founded in 1958.

Q: How many employees does Trader Joe's have?

Trader Joe's has 50,000 employees.

Q: How much money does Trader Joe's make?

Trader Joe's generates $13.3B in revenue.

Q: What industry is Trader Joe's in?

Trader Joe's is in the grocery store industry.

Q: What is Trader Joe's's mission?

Trader Joe's's mission statement is "To give our customers the best food and beverage values that they can find anywhere and to provide them with the information required for informed buying decisions."

Q: What type of company is Trader Joe's?

Trader Joe's is a private company.

Q: Who are Trader Joe's's competitors?

Trader Joe's competitors include The Fresh Market, Wegmans Food Markets, Safeway, Hannaford Supermarkets, Harris Teeter, ShopRite, Whole Foods Market, Publix, Ridemakerz, Jreck Subs, Sam's Italians, HOPKINS EATERY, Henry's Soul Cafe, Little Stores, SSP America, Inc., Raging Rivers Water Park, Autobell Car Wash, Pirates Cove Adventure Golf, Cotti Foods Corporation, West Wind Fine Art.

Q: Who works at Trader Joe's?

Daniel T. Bane (Chairman & CEO) Joe Coulombe (Founder)

Q: Does Trader Joe's drug test?

Yes, Trader Joe's drug tests. In fact, Trader Joe's has a strict no-drug policy. Trader Joe's will not tolerate drug use during work, and you can be tested for drugs such as cannabis, amphetamines, cocaine, opioids, barbiturates, and benzodiazepines. Testing positive for any of these drugs can get you in serious trouble.

Q: Does Trader Joe's hire felons?

Yes, Trader Joe's hires felons. There are certain factors, however, such as the nature of the felony, duration from when it occurred, and the position that you are applying to - all of which might hurt your chances. Felonies related to violence or theft make employment at Trader Joe's difficult to obtain.

Trader Joe's overview

Industry

Grocery Store

Revenue

$13.3B

Headquarters

Employees

50,000

Founded in

1958

Website

Organization type

Private

CEO

Daniel T. Bane

Trader Joeâ€™s is a retail company focusing on grocery products, employee diversity, and customer satisfaction. This California-based chain offers unique, high-quality products at competitive prices, with a wide range of private label brands that have gained a loyal following.

Founded in 1958, and under the leadership of CEO Daniel T. Bane, Trader Joe's has grown to operate over 500 stores across the United States, with an estimated 50,000 employees and an impressive $13.3 billion in annual revenue. The company is known for its diverse workforce and strong employee retention rate, creating an inclusive and dynamic work environment that contributes to its continued success in the retail industry.

Trader Joe's's mission statement

To give our customers the best food and beverage values that they can find anywhere and to provide them with the information required for informed buying decisions.

Trader Joe's employee reviews

3.8/5

Based on 37 ratings

Work at Trader Joe's? Share your experience.

Employee reviews

3.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2024

Pros of working at Trader Joe's

Easy work for decent pay and benefits

Cons of working at Trader Joe's

Highly subjective performance criteria/caters to brown nosers

Trader Joe's benefits

Crew discount

How does your compensation at Trader Joe's compare to the industry average?

I don't know what the industry average is but I started at above minimum and got semiannual raises

What's the diversity at Trader Joe's like?

It's about 95% white with any minority forced into an Uncle Tom-esque role.

What brings you the most joy at Trader Joe's?

Helping customers

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2.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2024

Pros of working at Trader Joe's

Affordable health insurance; discount

Cons of working at Trader Joe's

Many, so many. Disenge

Trader Joe's benefits

Health insurance, discount

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5.0

A zippia user wrote a review on May 2024

Pros of working at Trader Joe's

Great place to work everybody is so friendly and there is always something to do there.

Cons of working at Trader Joe's

Rude customers

Trader Joe's benefits

Earning a raise and learning new tasks.

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2.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2023

Pros of working at Trader Joe's

Discount on groceries, biannual raises

Cons of working at Trader Joe's

40% below average and median wages for my area. The pay is unsustainably low.

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1.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2023

Pros of working at Trader Joe's

Free food tasting

Cons of working at Trader Joe's

I do all the work and no one else helps and mates don’t do anything

Trader Joe's benefits

Payday

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4.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2022

Pros of working at Trader Joe's

Busy environment, fun workplace vibes, and we are constantly trying new foods or eating our favorites

Cons of working at Trader Joe's

Management and rules can vary by location, which makes it confusing to know what is the right protocol

Trader Joe's benefits

20% discount on groceries when you spend more than $20, I've also heard they have good health insurance, but its not easy to get

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5.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2022

Pros of working at Trader Joe's

The Culture, very inclusive

Cons of working at Trader Joe's

How the pandemic affected the business. But I’ve learned to accept change

Trader Joe's benefits

The people I work with

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5.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2022

Pros of working at Trader Joe's

Coworkers, customers, flexibility and the atmosphere.

Trader Joe's benefits

Health insurance and free tastings.

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4.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2021

Pros of working at Trader Joe's

the customers, my coworkers. a lot of feedback to improve performance

Cons of working at Trader Joe's

the pay rate, how understaffed the store was

Trader Joe's benefits

discount on groceries, health insurance

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5.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2021

Pros of working at Trader Joe's

The culture, learning about food and new products and the people

Cons of working at Trader Joe's

I love working at Trader Joe’s I’m looking for new career opportunities

Trader Joe's benefits

Learning and 401k vey personably working there

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4.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2021

Pros of working at Trader Joe's

Personal interaction

Cons of working at Trader Joe's

Nothing. I enjoyed working there_y_

Trader Joe's benefits

Being able to shop there.

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4.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2021

Pros of working at Trader Joe's

Personal interaction

Cons of working at Trader Joe's

Nothing. I enjoyed working there_y_

Trader Joe's benefits

Being able to shop there.

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5.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2021

Pros of working at Trader Joe's

Relaxed management and friendly attitudes of workers and customers.

Cons of working at Trader Joe's

Laborious work with a lot of customer interaction.

Trader Joe's benefits

Discount on purchases and job benefits.

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5.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2021

Pros of working at Trader Joe's

Great employees, very understanding with hours, good work/life balance, fun, never bored.

Cons of working at Trader Joe's

Unhappy customers

Trader Joe's benefits

Discount, health benefits, retirement plan

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5.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2021

Pros of working at Trader Joe's

very accommodating while I was in school. Co-workers are very positive.

Cons of working at Trader Joe's

Does not have the job I need with my degree

Trader Joe's benefits

health care and hopefully a higher salary enough to pay my student loan

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4.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2021

Cons of working at Trader Joe's

The constant ensuring of outstanding customer service, little to no down time/breaks.

Trader Joe's benefits

Employee discount on groceries is 20% during this pandemic. That has been so helpful.

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5.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2021

Pros of working at Trader Joe's

Multitasking abilities, interaction with customers and crew, product ordering and merchandising, and solving different daily challenges.

Cons of working at Trader Joe's

The water falling scheduled hours/shifts

Trader Joe's benefits

Received great training and was allowed to make decisions regarding all store matters without question.

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2.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2020

Pros of working at Trader Joe's

The pay is great

Cons of working at Trader Joe's

- Harassment in the workplace is dismissed, - not great communication from management. Being yelled at by people who refuse to wear a mask, managers do not do anything about it

Trader Joe's benefits

Hazard pay and 20% discount

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1.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2020

Pros of working at Trader Joe's

Flexible hours although many weekend hours.

Cons of working at Trader Joe's

Freaky co-workers and people who don't believe coronavirus is a threat to our health

Trader Joe's benefits

401-k

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5.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2020

Pros of working at Trader Joe's

Fun and friendly work environment, variability in tasks keeps things interesting.

Cons of working at Trader Joe's

Customers are not always nice.

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5.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2020

Pros of working at Trader Joe's

Amazing environment

Cons of working at Trader Joe's

Small store, difficult to move around and work efficiently.

Trader Joe's benefits

Very easy to accumulate paid time off.

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4.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2019

Pros of working at Trader Joe's

The speed and efficiency that is required to get the job done.

Cons of working at Trader Joe's

Currently there are no parts of the job I do not like.

Trader Joe's benefits

The ability to be yourself and a friendly management team.

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5.0

A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2019

Pros of working at Trader Joe's

I enjoyed the customer interaction, and the hands on work the was in the store. Was also a very happy place to work at.

Cons of working at Trader Joe's

I didn’t like working really late at night. Doing the same thing in the same spot everyday was also boring.

Trader Joe's benefits

Free food And the discount I. The food. They gave great benefits and treated there workers great.

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A reddit user wrote a review on Sep 2017

Have a younger sister in community college that would be interested in applying there, due to the rave reviews from other employees. Tips for the interview process? Currently working in a apparel retail element. How would TJ work with her school schedule? Thanks for doing this

About half of the employees at my store (including myself) are students. Assuming you can work weekends, they're very accommodating. Interview process - make sure to be really friendly and bubbly. They prefer that over everything else. Once had a mate tell me "we can teach you how to stock, we can't teach you how to be interesting."

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A reddit user wrote a review on Sep 2017

What's the nicest thing a customer has done for you?

I honestly can't think of anything. I've had people compliment my looks?

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A reddit user wrote a review on Sep 2017

oddest request you got from the a customer?

An entire case of goat milk.

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A reddit user wrote a review on Sep 2017

How did you get a job at Trader Joes?

I was recommended by a family member, and killed my interview.

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A reddit user wrote a review on Sep 2017

Does the store give you Hawaiian shirts to wear as uniform? Or do employees purchase them and wear them as part of the uniform? What about the Trader Joe branded shirts?

All free!

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A reddit user wrote a review on Sep 2017

how amenable is TJ to hiring part-timers who have their own schedule (that may or may not be easy to work around)?

That's the majority of employees, actually

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A reddit user wrote a review on Sep 2017

What are some Trader Joe's knock-off versions of brand name stuff that is just as good or better? Any recommendations? How does the job treat you? Management and finances/benefits? Anything you wish were different?

The peanut butter cups! Much better than Reese's. I also recommend the cheddar popcorn. They treat you really well - it's a very physically demanding job, but management is amazing. The health benefits/insurance are great (you can get comp for being injured off the job, even if you're part-time, and we get vision/dental). The pay isn't great to start out with, but gets better the longer you stay. I wish there were more safety protocol in place to help with stocking - we were never really taught how to lift besides pictures/videos, and I feel like that should be explained by the mates. I know many people with back/wrist/knee problems, including myself.

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A reddit user wrote a review on Jan 2017

Will you really open any product (ETOH excluded I bet) for a taste test?

Yes, within reason of course. They do encourage the crew members to open product up if a customer is curious but hesitant. I've only experienced two or three occasions where a customer tried to take advantage of this and wanted us to open literally 10+ products. Management had to step in and kindly inform them that one or two products is fine but we have to draw the line somewhere, plus we have the no hassle return policy where you don't even need to bring a receipt, so they can buy with product with confidence and if they don't like it are welcome to return it. For the most part people are very good about this but we do have few people who do regularly abuse it, the biggest offenders being mean little old ladies.

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A reddit user wrote a review on Jan 2017

Do you get discounts on groceries?

10% off. Alcohol is an exception though in some states. In California they'll give you the 10% off but in some other states they can't do it because of alcohol laws and tax issues.

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A reddit user wrote a review on May 2012

I've never been to a Trader Joes, but my wife goes all the time. What's the big *** deal? It just a grocery store isn't it? Any glory holes in the bathroom? That's why I don't go.

It's not really JUST a grocery store. 95 percent of our product is house label, which is either cheaper rebadges of major "hippie food" brands or self-produced stuff that kicks ***. Plus the employees are well-compensated so we're always in a reasonably good mood when you come in. If I had to do that job for minimum wage and no benefits I guarantee you I would not be a pleasant fellow; it's demanding work.

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A reddit user wrote a review on May 2012

Do you guys really get your panties in a wad over dumpster divers or is that just management giving you a hard time?

Management gives us a hard time about it because it is TECHNICALLY theft. But nobody really cares other than allowing it could get us in trouble. At least at my store, we're shut down completely by one in the morning, if you want to dive just make your dive at 2 in the morning.

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A reddit user wrote a review on Sep 2011

I am surprised no one has asked you why you quit yet. May I ask why you quit?

Sure thing, but it isn't too simple. It's a few things mixed together. 1. I was promised another, better job that was semi-related to my field of study through a family friend. This later fell through, after I quit (on good terms), and I was livid. 2. School. I needed to focus on school, to keep my grades strong and to remain a full time student. I was going to be living on campus when the school year started, which would have made the commute to my store 20-30 minutes for a part time job (if there was no traffic). 3. Mental health - I became pretty bitter at many aspects of the job. Many customers were rude *** and that gets very tiring after a long time, even for someone like me who has thick skin. Over time, I looked for reasons to be bothered with customers, who I became very cynical of. I was not a jerk to customers at all, I was actually very friendly! But in my mind I was very bitter and fed up.

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A reddit user wrote a review on Sep 2011

So, anything that is bad about Trader Joe's?

Hmm, can you be more specific? On the corporate, or store side? Regarding employees, store cleanliness, etc? There are the customers that *** all over the bathrooms, or stand on the toilets while they *** which was so *** in it's own way for starters.

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Highest paying Trader Joe's competitors

Compare Trader Joe's salaries to competitors, including Hannaford Supermarkets, The Fresh Market, and Ridemakerz. Employees at Hannaford Supermarkets earn the highest average yearly salary of $33,711. The salaries at The Fresh Market average $33,469 per year, and the salaries at Ridemakerz come in at $33,250 per year.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Jobs
1		$33,711	0
2		$33,469	0
3		$33,250	0
4		$32,976	0
5		$32,699	0
6		$32,176	0
7		$32,172	0
8		$32,042	0
9		$32,039	0
10		$31,960	0

Working at Trader Joe's

Trader Joe's overview

Trader Joe's's mission statement

On this page

Trader Joe's employee reviews

The team at Trader Joe's

Trader Joe's rankings

Trader Joe's salaries

Trader Joe's diversity

Trader Joe's financial performance

Highest paying Trader Joe's competitors

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Trader Joe's FAQs

When was Trader Joe's founded?

How many employees does Trader Joe's have?

How much money does Trader Joe's make?

What industry is Trader Joe's in?

What is Trader Joe's's mission?

What type of company is Trader Joe's?

Who are Trader Joe's's competitors?

Who works at Trader Joe's?

Does Trader Joe's drug test?

Does Trader Joe's hire felons?

How do you answer "why are you interested in working for Trader Joe's?"

How do you write a cover letter for a job at Trader Joe's?

How old do you have to be to work at Trader Joe's?

What benefits does Trader Joe's offer?

What is the dress code at Trader Joe's?

What is the hiring process at Trader Joe's?

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