Trader Joe’s stores have a secret theme that inspires EVERYTHING from décor to job titles – & even bells at the register
TRADER Joe’s stores are renowned for their nautical theme that inspires its décor and job titles.
A worker, who says they’ve been employed by the chain for at least a decade, revealed staff use bells to communicate with employees.
Trader Joe’s has more than 500 stores nationwide and workers are not formally known as employees.
The store uses job titles captain, mate, merchant, and crew.
Crew members are responsible for making shoppers' experiences as fun as possible.
They do different tasks - from running the cash register to stocking shelves.
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Merchants are chosen from crew members and they’re considered to be the “champions” of customer service, according to thewebsite.
Mates are assistant store leaders. They can either be promoted from within or hired externally.
The grocery store chain says that captains are always promoted from within.
Captains are the leader of the store and they direct the strategy from the shop floor. They are supported by the Mates.
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Shoppers may have seen wooden crates packed full of either corn or watermelons and these are thought to resemble a coastal port, according to .
The crates look like they’ve just been taken off a cargo ship.
Customers that visit Trader Joe’s may have heard bells going off at the checkout.
One bell means more cashiers are required at the registers.
If two bells are heard, it means that a customer needs help at the register and the cashier cannot provide assistance.
RINGING BELLS
And three bell rings mean that a supervisor's assistance is required for a transaction.
Trader Joe’s was founded by Joe Coulombe and the first store opened in 1967.
Workers are known for wearing their colorful Hawaiian shirts and Coulombe said it was a deliberate decision.
He said: “I'd been reading a book called 'White Shadows in the South Seas,' and I'd been to the Disneyland jungle trip, and it all coalesced.”
The book, which was written by Frederick O'Brien, takes place on an island in the South Pacific.
Writing on their official website, Trader Joe's says: "We wear Hawaiian shirts because we're traders on the culinary seas, searching the world over for cool items to bring home to our customers," Trader Joe's writes on its website.
"And when we return home, we think grocery shopping should be fun, not another chore.
"So just relax and leave your worries at the door. We'll sail those seven seas, you have some fun with our finds at your neighborhood Trader Joe's."
Trader Joe’s CEO Dan Bane told an in-house podcast that he had lost count of the number of Hawaiian shirts he owned and donates to charity each year.
Other workers suggested they have wardrobes cluttered with the patterned clothing.
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One even claimed that he owned almost 40 of the colorful shirts.
Bane revealed that produce is sold for a flat rate rather than by the pound.
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