#5: Behind the Scenes at Trader Joe's
with special guest & Trader Joe's Crew Member, Sylvie Kunz
Dearest Friends,
Welcome to 2022, the year we start (if we haven’t already) eating whatever we want because food has no moral value and therefore can’t be “good” or “bad”. As we start thinking about what we want out of the new year, I thought it was the perfect chance for all of us who have decided to cook more and eat out less to find inspiration on the shelves of the beloved grocery store, Trader Joe’s. I FaceTimed my sister, Sylvie, to discuss the topic as she is an employee of the glorious institution and can give us the inside scoop.
I must first preface this entire newsletter with a disclaimer that, while TJs is the superior grocery store, my opinion is heavily influenced by nostalgia. As a third generation TJs shopper, there are many items on the shelves that are associated with memories of home & childhood.
That being said,
TJs is great because there is always something to look forward to. With the constant cycle of holiday products and seasonal offerings, you can always find food that is “new”. They also have an extensive array of cheese, nuts, dried fruits, and other snacks that keep you coming back so you can try them all.
Their frozen section has great offerings for breakfast, lunch, or dinner (or any other meal you feel like eating). You can find meals that are already made, or they have helpful components for a full meal that you put together yourself (I am a fan of the chili lime chicken burgers). This is especially amazing for someone like myself who is cooking for one.
Sauces. As the self appointed (& family confirmed) sauce queen, they have so many options! I am partial to the Green Dragon Hot Sauce, but with their range of salad dressings, pasta sauces, hot sauces, and other/dipping sauces you can’t go wrong.
Beverages. Their juice selection is fabulous (I recommend the tangerine juice) and it’s complemented by the sparkling water, soda/Italian soda, milk, & milk alternative selection. 10/10 recommend the lemon and elderflower soda (COLD) and the chocolate cashew/almond milk (I haven’t seen this one lately so it may be discontinued, Sylvie told me she’d investigate it for me).
At the end of the day, TJs makes grocery shopping a destination and not just a chore. It’s fun whether you’re just browsing around or fully restocking your fridge. On my Christmas Eve trip to NYC I accidentally got off the subway 2 stops early and had 17 minutes to spare before the next train came. I went above ground and walked around the neighborhood TJs for a few minutes to pass the time. I also bought a bottle of lime sparkling water because I have this thing where I feel guilty leaving stores having not bought anything (I am working on this in 2022).
Last year I asked on Instagram and in a slack community I’m part of why people love Trader Joe’s and what their favorite items are. Here is what they said:
I believe I have opined enough, let’s see what our resident expert has to say*.
Liesl Kunz: Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us! To start, how long have you been working at Trader Joe’s?
Sylvie Kunz: It’s been since the beginning of September, so this is my 4th month.
LK: What is something customers do that drives you crazy?
SK: As coworkers our favorite thing to do is complain about customers in the break room. However, in general I think that TJs customers are more pleasant than other retail places. They tend to like being at TJs and know what our ethos is so they tend to be nice. I was expecting the holidays to be worse, but they were surprisingly not too bad.
A few things that are frustrating:
Bagging. We don’t have designated baggers or people there to bag for us so we have to check items and bag simultaneously. It’s frustrating when people have a full cart and just stand there and watch you frantically try to bag everything without offering assistance. If it’s taking the cashier longer than it takes for the transaction to be finished (you’re done paying, etc) then please help!
Cart etiquette. The baby seat isn’t meant to hold groceries. People will put bottles of wine/oil/etc in the front part without flipping up the seat and they items can often fall out and break. Please use your carts thoughtfully and responsibly.
Customers asking if workers are “hiding” products in the back because they don’t see them on the shelves. There isn’t a conspiracy against you!
Don’t just walk up and say “crackers?”. Workers don’t mind helping you, but use manners. Old people tend to be the most rude and have a lot of entitlement. (Note from Liesl: Let’s all talk to our grandparents about how to talk to retail workers!)
LK: What is something customers do that you love?
SK: One thing you can do to make the employees happy is to bring your own bags!! Creates less waste and less hassle for them bagging.
Bring your kids, but only if they’re nice and well behaved. I’ve had sweet experiences with kids in the check out line asking for stickers or finding the hidden animals.
On Christmas Eve a customer gave me a gift card when I was out on a cart run. Many customers thanked me for working over the holidays (Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve) and during the heightened weeks of the pandemic.
My interactions with customers when I am on register can make or break my mood at work. It can be weird if a customer comes through the line and is on their phone the whole time/have their AirPods in and doesn’t acknowledge my presence.
Generally, TJs customers are very pleasant and kind-just treat us like people.
LK: What has been your most memorable customer experience?
SK: Back in November I was at work on the register. It was pretty slow toward the end of the night and 2 people came through the line. I was bagging for my register partner. We talked to them and they said that they were visiting from Canada touring with their band. We asked what their band was called. They said that it was Valleys and they were opening for COIN at the Showbox [a concert venue in Seattle]. I told them I was a big fan and listened to them all the time. We finished their transaction and on their way out the guy asked us if we wanted to go. We asked if they were serious and they said yes they would put us on the guest list. The concert was on Thursday night which was my day off so I was able to go. It was a good concert and my first since 2018 so it was awesome! I think this makes up for all the horror stories I have.
LK: Who makes the burritos and salads in the ready to eat section? I am a big fan of the green pork burrito.
SK: We call that the fresh section and it comes to our store prepared. I don’t know who or how it’s prepared, but it comes with our daily morning truck deliveries. All of it is made fresh daily and is delivered the day it’s made.
LK: Of all the jobs in a shift rotation which one is your favorite and why?
SK: There are 2 parts to working at TJs. Customer experience (register/carts/helm-sing [walk around the store and answer questions or respond to the bells]) and the other part is product (you’re assigned a different section of the store and restock the shelves). It depends on the day whether I prefer customer experience or product. You can get burned out if you spend too much time on customer experience. In an 8 hour shift it can be rough to spend 4 of them on register. Not just emotionally, but it can also be tough on your body. It can be exhausting.
When I am working product I like Frozen & Little Italy (the section where we have ravioli and pizza supplies). I don’t mind wet produce, but it’s also the biggest section of the store so there’s always a ton of work to do in that area. If you want to be busy that section is great, but if you’re tired it’s not the best.
My favorite job depends on my mood and the day.
LK: How does working at TJs differ from Albertsons? What sets it apart?
SK: Everything. TJs is better in every single way. You’re not dedicated to just one task your whole shift and there’s no hierarchy. At Albertson’s the cashiers were on a pedestal and just sat there the whole shift. At TJs everyone has equal responsibility and rotate through all the areas.
The general environment is better at TJs and I really like my coworkers. The store and products are better; as is management. Everything is better.
LK: What are your favorite food items from TJs?
SK: Since working there I’ve realized there are many things that I haven’t tried before. I am working on trying more things and we also have crew tastings where we can taste things.
Currently:
Vegan Thai green curry with rice (in the frozen section). It has tofu in it and I generally am not a huge tofu person, but the tofu in this is really good and the curry is great. The perfect spice level and it’s $4. The perfect little meal.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Joe-joes. I tried them last year in the variety box & was happy when they brought out single boxes of them this year.
Chocolate hazelnut cookies. I wish there was a little more chocolate, but they are really good.
LK: What are your favorite non-food items from TJs?
SK: I really like the mango shave cream, it’s super good. I also really like the candles (out of the scents I’ve tried Fresh Currant is my favorite). The coconut body butter is great for my dry skin in the winter. The plants!!! The price of them is amazing and they’re good. This is a problem because I am constantly seduced by the plants and want to buy them almost every shift. I have bought 7 in 4 months.
LK: Has working at TJs increased or decreased the magic for you?
SK: I was worried that I might get jaded from seeing behind the scenes. I have seen the underbelly of how TJs works and I think working for them has helped me appreciate it even more. Seeing how the company is run and what their values are. So far TJs hasn’t been ruined for me and I will keep shopping there for a while.
LK: Do their publicized values reflect what they do internally?
SK: TJs is such a customer focused brand that sometimes we have to go the extra mile at our own expense. When customers are rude or in the wrong we still have to keep it up. Sometimes I feel like we don’t need to do that.
We are supposed to close at 9pm and most stores will announce the closing and kick you out but TJs won’t. We’ve had people still in the store shopping until 9:45p. I wish we didn’t have to do that.
LK: When is the best time of day for people to go with highest likelihood of them getting everything on the grocery list?
SK: Don’t come on Saturday, Sunday, or Monday. But the best time to come is in the morning. We get 2 truck deliveries a day. The produce, fresh food, cold drinks, & dairy comes on the morning truck and the opening crew shelve those products. The frozen, shelf stable, & other products come on the evening truck and the closing team will shelve it. The shelves are the most stocked in the morning, but we are stocking products through-out the day.
LK: Anything else people need to know about TJs?
SK: I’d say just be kind to your retail workers especially through Covid and the holidays. I know everyone is going through their personal stuff, but be nice.
Also, people need to work on their spacial awareness. Our stores aren’t big so be aware of where you’re putting your cart and how you’re taking up space.
Overall, it’s a really great job and a good place to work. It’s exhausting and my body hurts all the time but I love my coworkers and it’s a good experience.
Our generation (gen Z) has this idea that all TJs employees are trained to flirt with you and this is not true. We are supposed to create wow customer experiences and they hire friendly conversational people, so sometimes people can mistake a friendly interaction with flirting. I’ve been tempted, but it’s not something they teach us or endorse.
Thank you to Sylvie for sitting down and talking shop with me!! I’m heartened to know that working for Trader Joe’s hasn’t ruined the magic. My friends gave me this TJs sweatshirt for my birthday, maybe I’ll wear it next time I go & see how many people ask me for help. Let me know what your favorite products are in the comments & happy grocery shopping this year!!
As always enjoy a slice for me 🍕 & take a moment to enjoy this week’s song suggestion from Sylvie.
If you haven’t already and wish to participate the 13th annual Trader Joes Customer Choice Awards voting ends tonight (1/9) at 11:59p PST.
*Some answers have been paraphrased for concision and Sylvie’s answers are based on her experience at the Ballard, Seattle Trader Joe’s Location. That being said, treating your retail workers kindly is a universal principle.
Favorite products have got to be the grapefruit juice and dark chocolate peanut butter cups! I also get cheese almost exclusively from TJ’s and really love their olive oil/salt popcorn (green bag).