The culture that made Trader Joe's a billion dollar company is quickly fading away
Pros
-Friendly coworkers. They become one of the only reasons to enjoy this job. -Good food and many food tastings. -10% discount. Can't go wrong with that. -With enough notice, you can take off basically as much as you want -Ability to work the hours you want (if your store is big enough). -Bonus (cash if you're under 30, money into your pension if you're over 30) -AR starts accumulating after 6 months of work
Cons
-Management literally does nothing. Most managers are extremely lazy and pass all work along to the crew members. If they like you, you get an easy day's log. If they don't, they'll put you down for long and tiring tasks. They micromanage to make sure you do the work they are responsible for. -You are required to work at least one weekend day. -They purposely schedule you in such a way so that you can't qualify for the health benefits. -The entire staff is a slave to the antics of the captain. Getting a new captain changes your entire work life. -Absolutely never become a mate. Most are a slave to the descending work schedule: Day 1&2 1pm-11pm, Day 3 7am-5pm, Day 4&5 4am-2pm. So if you value your health (no time for sleeping, exercise, etc.) or your friends and family (no time for them, either) do not move up. The money is not worth it. -While sales go up year after year, benefits and raises keep getting cut. Dan Bane likes to send letters out after these cuts to remind us how much better we have it at Trader Joe's, anyway. -The work is very physically demanding, no matter how young or in shape you are. -If they do not like you, they will find a way to fire you. Period. Kiss ass or be fired. -They withhold raises from people they know won't fight back such as the disabled, immigrants, etc. Anything to save money. -While managers (who do nothing) get an hour break, the crew members are allowed 30 minutes. -You start at $10 for the most part, but if you knew how physically demanding the job was, it's really not so great after all. -Overpriced products. You think you're getting quality but many of the products are just repackaged America's Choice and Green Giant products