The pandemic revealed the company is rotten at the top - Crew Member Trader Joe's Employee Review

1.0
27 Jan 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Interesting, kind coworkers - Great insurance (after three months, and who knows how long they keep that) - Good if you have trouble with boredom. - Who needs a workout when you walk 18,000 steps a day?

Cons

- Culture varies widely by store - Corporate decisions during the pandemic led to massive numbers of preventable, crew illness and some deaths - CEO would rather nickle and dime the staff to make himself richer - The company used to have a promote from within viewpoint, so now store level management is full of poorly educated white men who are complacent, lazy, and often sexist and racist. They are not trained as managers but act like tiny dictators. - Most stores have lost MANY of their mid "career" crew (the 3-7 year veterans) because the company pays new hires more. This will result in a long term deficit of people who were trained to care and work within the TJ system. The longer term veterans can't leave because while they feel trapped at a capped out wage, they feel like they can't do better.

Explore other reviews about Trader Joe's

5.0
28 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great job and benefits and happy customers

Cons

This job is really physically demanding

4.0
27 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

-Great way to meet people, socialize, and learn customer service -Always tasked with different things every hour -Friendly crew who will always help you to learn and get better at your job -Get a slight pay raise every 6 months -No outside commitments and amazing benefits if you work full time (about 28 hours a week for every 6 months) -Will take time, but find your friend group, stay with them and have fun, you can't please everybody -Care for your body, do not overdo it with physical labor, its a retail job and you only have one fragile body for yourself, get help or insist about your pains

Cons

-Not many, unless you are stuck in a bad store with bad management -I had some good luck of working in 3 great stores, so YMMV -Sometimes can get cliquey like you are back in high school -Getting promoted up to store management may involve buttering up and being a "yes-person" -Care for your body, do not overdo it with physical labor, its a retail job and you only have one fragile body for yourself, get help or insist about your pains

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