Trader Joe's reviews

4.1

81% would recommend to a friend

(10,591 total reviews)
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Bryan Palbaum

73% approve of CEO

71% positive business outlook

Trader Joe's has an employee rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars, based on 10,591 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The Trader Joe's employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Retail & Wholesale industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

11K reviews
1.0
Mar 13, 2017

Lousy experience

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

10% discount on groceries.

Cons

Tj hired me as a temp right before the holidays. Sure, they pay more than most manual labor jobs ($13) but you are doing $20 an hour work for it. Your shifts and days of the week are constantly changing and can range from 5am to 12 am (although they do ask for some parameters from you in the beginning) and definitely weekends. You empty the shopping carts, bag up the items and lift all the bags back into the carts. That alone is different than any other supermarket. But, in addition, you also have to stock the shelves (which can entail lifting really heavy boxes) at a pretty fast pace and go out in all types of weather to gather shopping carts. It is A LOT. You do all of this every day as you are constantly moving every hour or two to a different area . There are about 5 ‘mates’ with the Hawaiian shirts on any one shift with about 20-30 ‘crew’. So, the ratio is about 1/5: almost like day care (apt analogy). So, as you move from place to place, a mate is there to check you in and basically watch you. And, they have a lot to say to pick at your performance. So, if you like a job with absolutely no independence and love being micro-managed, this is the place for you. And, did I mention medical? Their website alludes to the fact you can get medical while only working 28 hrs/ wk. I was clear to mention at my interview that I would like to qualify. Thinking back, I should have known that that was a pipe dream as no one even acknowledged that that was a possibility. It would be easy to attain during the holidays (before you are eligible) when I was scheduled for 38 hrs/wk. However, after the holiday rush, I am sure that is why I was let go while they retained most of the other seasonals, none of whom wanted medical coverage. Why pay out for medical when they can keep a high school kid? So, don’t believe all their California, kaisen, touchy-feely nonsense. That only has to do with how you treat the customers, not how they treat employees. They are a corporation, just like FedEX, and watch their bottom line just as ruthlessly. Am I bitter, you bet. I quit another job hoping to get medical, worked like a dog and their reason for not retaining me was ‘we are going in a different direction’. Even when I asked for clarification, they repeated that phrase, which doesn’t even seem to apply in this situation. So even though glassdoor says it is a great place to work, I didn’t drink the kool-aid and am offering a more realistic perspective.

4.0
Nov 19, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Trader Joe's has great benefits and pays very well, especially if you've been around a while. Two days off together and rotation of days off every 3-4 months- a weekend day off every 3 or 4 rotations,

Cons

Long hours, company focuses on crew engagement too much. Feels as though the tail is wagging the dog at times.

3.0
Aug 11, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Flexible hours, great co-workers, above average part-time pay, good for students and short-time employment.

Cons

Not the company it used to be. Very physical job. The company cut back or eliminated many of the benefits TJ's was known for. Health insurance is much harder to qualify for and easy to lose coverage altogether. To advance, work hours are ungodly - late night shifts, followed by early morning shifts wreck havoc with one's sleep cycles. A lot of favoritism.

Viewing 163 - 165 of 10,591 Reviews

Glassdoor has 10,928 Trader Joe's reviews submitted anonymously by Trader Joe's employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Trader Joe's is right for you.