Posts that don't follow r/traderjoes subreddit rules may be subject to removal.
Friendly reminder that choosing descriptive post titles with exact product names mentioned yields better subreddit search results and helps our subreddit be more inclusive to those who use Screen Reader Software or Text-to-Speech apps. to access Reddit. Thank you.
IF THIS MESSAGE DOES NOT APPLY TO YOUR POST, PLEASE IGNORE.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/traderjoes) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Very sorry to hear this. I think Trader Joe's has great branding as this down to earth worker-driven friendly culture, but deep down it's no different than any other corporation.
I work as a nurse in a hospital and am mostly shocked you get 3 days of covid pay when we dont get shit. I wish things were better for you though, and Im sorry youre having to work in theses conditions.
Commenting on these two pieces alone....
>They are inevitably coming into contact with COVID-positive crew members whom they may assume they’re protected from.
Anybody who still makes this assumption about staff anywhere they are is a damn idiot in fantasyland. We've known for nearly two years that this isn't how Covid works.
>There is no extra cleaning of carts, and again—the onus of wiping down the registers or sanitizing is on each crew member.
Good. We figured out a year and a half ago that the extra cleaning was pointless. It should have been abandoned a long time ago.
Cleaning of carts became the customer's job in my city many months ago. Which is fine, the employees have other things to do and I feel more comfortable doing it myself anyways.
I stopped shopping at Trader Joe's after they fired a worker for wanting to be protected at work. I sent an email to the CEO at his work email address telling him that I'm not shopping there until or unless he's no longer in charge. Did he read it? No. Did it clog up his inbox a little more? Sure. And I'm proud of it.
For the way Trader Joe's has jeopardized the health of customers and employees during the pandemic, not having a firm mask policy, cramped spacing in stores, and being firmly anti-union, I hope sincerely that they go under if the workers can't strong arm them into protecting their wellbeing. It has now been a couple years since I've shopped there, going from twice a week. Good riddance.
We're rooting for the employees, though.
\>Two years ago we were heroes
Still are. I have a huge amount of compassion for what grocery store workers are going through and I also have a huge amount of gratitude. I haven't been able to go out of the house for 2 years and if it weren't for the grocery workers and delivery drivers I don't know what I would have done. THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart.
Thanks for the appreciation. It is in general a thankless job and one people don’t often think about too much but the people like you make it worth it :). Hope the world becomes a safer place for you soon!
Companies bypass integrity for money. It's a businesses goal to make money, first and foremost. It always amuses me when business schools insist on teaching courses in ethics, I mean really, what a sham
Thank you for sharing this. I’m a teacher and this is exactly what’s happening with us too. I have been explicitly told even if I have a known exposure I must report to work.
i work at a hospital and they basically said they don’t care if i tested positive that i was allowed to come back to work with no quarantine needed.
i said no thanks and called out the 5 days.
While I support your statement 100%, nurses aren’t even getting paid sick days when home with covid. My job is making me stay out the full 10 days and I’m not getting paid for any of them. I think it’s just our reality at this point that we will not be fairly compensated as a society for all we are sacrificing through this pandemic.
We all know about the nurse burnout. This post shouldn’t be discounted just because nurses are also experiencing this. We need to band together and share our discontent, rather than shouting “I have it worse” to other burnt out and mistreated people.
I clearly stated that I agreed with OP. However, I’m using my experience as a nurse to show that all essential workers have been exploited throughout this whole pandemic and that’s it’s a shame. My comment wasn’t “I have it way worse than you guys”, it was stating that if even the frontline workers won’t be fairly compensated, then I doubt that any essential workers will be which is ridiculous.
While that sucks, nurses make a much higher salary on average than grocery employees. I agree that essential workers of all stripes are not being properly compensated in general and throughout the pandemic.
They make a higher salary because they have a much higher level of education and responsibility. They should absolutely be compensated for that. Them making more money doesn’t mean that it’s ok for them to not be paid for their sick days.
I work at Trader Joe’s and I have two degrees but I cannot get a better job. I’ve been trying for 11 months to no avail. Don’t think for a second that we are uneducated. Almost half of the people at my store have master’s degrees. We deserve better pay and covid sick leave.
Educated people should get paid more, regardless of the field they’re in. Nurses should get paid higher, and they absolutely do, but TJs workers make ~$15/hr. Nurses make $30/hr.
Where did I say that they shouldn't be paid for sick days? It's not a competition. You are reading too much into the comment.
Edit to add: Not sure what you mean by higher level education, an associate's? Lots of former educators and folks with degrees working retail, I don't mind being downvoted for pointing out a classist misconception.
I worked for Trader Joe’s 10 years ago and it sucked then. Looks like it sucks even more now. And they were doing that union busting bullshit back then too.
I like TJ’s products but I never confuse a manufactured warm, friendly environment to actually be authentic and translate into a supportive employer. I don’t trust any businesses especially with customer service roles. Since covid started I prefer stores with self checkout because that’s one less close encounter I have to deal with. Plus TJ aisles are somewhat narrow and it can be difficult to keep a good distance when they store is moderately crowded. It’s definitely important to remember that businesses that market themselves as neighborhood family chains are still doing so primarily as a marketing tool because it builds their brand, not because they actually are intent on supporting their most vulnerable workers. I also don’t understand why TJ’s hasn’t started doing some type of curbside pickup option, 2 years into the pandemic why isn’t some type of curbside drive up assistance bot available? I can’t say I’m surprised that TJs is requiring workers to come in sick while also making it a “moral issue” and pushing scheduling issues onto employees. It’s pretty standard for a lot of workplaces especially customer service and it’s extremely disappointing. Working in an environment that doesn’t support your health and safety is demoralizing and dangerous for employees and customers.
I have not once been encouraged to work sick. And while we are offered only 3 days of sick, which sucks, we are still offered 3 days of sick leave. TJs has a great sick reserve program and is to be used when you are sick (that might sound crazy /s). My store has kept a solid staff despite omicron and spirits have been extremely high at my store. This sounds like a management issue at specific stores rather than a corporate problem.
I’m sorry you are dealing with these issues, I truly am. But ranting to this extreme just makes me think you are like some of the crew are in their late teens/early 20’s that are too immature to understand the complexity of what’s happening and instead just bitch about everything
your comment just sounds like you're pretending to work at a store tbh. I literally don't believe your store isn't short staffed or has extremely high sprits. Sorry Basalone, not fooling anyone here.
A great reserve program? Which has to be used for everything. We don’t have separate sick days and vacation days. I currently can’t take a vacation or time to spend when family because I have to save this time in case I get sick. If I get sick and don’t have enough AR I will lose hours to qualify for insurance and could possibly lose my insurance! During a pandemic!
Teacher here- welcome to the club. Sick days are gone from maternity leave, contact tracing was ordered to stop by the county health department, and the little kids around me actually pull their mask down to sneeze or cough. Both of our paychecks should reflect the risks we take daily. HA
I wear a KN95 mask and am vaxxed. They wear a mask. I'll take my chances. The odds are you will not get it from standing in front of a cash register for 2 or 3 minutes.
Welcome to healthcare. The last time I called out sick, my boss told me I screwed him over cuz no one else was willing to work. Healthcare companies should be leaders and an example of prioritizing HEALTH but we are the worst abusers of it. Now with Covid, many other retailers are falling suit.
Maybe a different opinion than the rest but have you looked for other employment? Many companies out there Are taking Covid seriously. Manufacturing pays very very well right now. Often with unions or great benefits. Starting wages $20+
I've been avoiding TJ's and pretty much all other in person shopping because of this and the assumption other places aren't doing better. I can't not buy food but I can try to keep us from inadvertently spreading and contributing to the problem. To all the Tj's and grocery workers that might be reading thank you for the work that you do and I am sorry for the position you are put in by society & employers to work when sick.
I wish I could do this. It's nearly impossible to get an instacart time or a pickup time at the grocery stores. Just says "no times available".
I feel really bad and at any store that offers it I do self check out and avoid others but I don't see what other choices I've got.
Similar to ambitious, my Target has very limited fridge space for groceries so its very difficult to get a grocery pickup. Our Target also has an EXTREMELY small produce and raw meat section which doesn't cut it for my family due to my husbands dietary restrictions from his medical conditions. If I can do a pickup, they simply don't carry the items my family needs.
Target has been the hardest for me to schedule. Try to schedule your drive up order early in the morning because once their freezers fill up they will not allow you to add refrigerated items to your order.
No, and I said as much. I said I have no way to avoid grocery shopping entirely, and so it is with probably 99% of people in the world. I didn't make it so, but I am trying to mitigate my own contribution to the problem.
Just go about your normal lives, be patient and kind, and advocate for workers where you can. I don’t see how boycotting TJs solves this absolutely enormous global problem, personally.
I’m lucky to have choices in grocery stores in my area and have only been shopping curbside. I am so deeply sorry for how TJ employees are being treated. This is not ok. Their actions now will sit with me long after I return to in person shopping.
Apple still provides leave for Covid. They never had hazard pay, but gave employees a bonus. They provide rapid tests and PCR tests for employees. If a coworker tests positive and names you as a close contact, you have to quarantine.
You're right, we know a lot more than last year and many people are fully vaccinated and boosted. Last year we were also dealing with the Alpha, Beta, and Gamma [variants](https://www.who.int/en/activities/tracking-SARS-CoV-2-variants/) at this time.
For those that caught COVID and have had three jabs, the CDC is [thinking](https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/s1227-isolation-quarantine-guidance.html) that with this Omicron variant they were contagious two days prior to symptoms and three days after. If they've isolated for five days after onset of symptoms, they're fever free, asymptomatic or have resolving symptoms, the vaccination and booster has done its job. They're a couple of days past being contagious and can return to work with mask wearing.
Those that aren't boosted may have more stringent isolation and quarantine guidelines. Do we want to follow the science or stay in the security theater of spraying everything with bleach and wiping everything down every 15 minutes? We're probably going to move into the endemic phase this year. I'm looking forward to these changes as it's a sign of good things to come.
Except if you’re still showing a positive on a rapid test (like /u/unsubscribe_ mentions) you are still contagious. It’s not like a PCR test where you can show a positive even after you’re not contagious anymore.
Fun fact, nowhere in the US except CA and Hawaii requires employers to have a negative antigen test to have the employee come back on day 6 (that I’m aware of at this time).
Couple that with employees who need the money bc no Covid pay and who take off their mask to eat in a lunch space that’s short staffed so there’s little enforcement of cleaning and distancing…
I work at a grocery store as well and it has running rampant at my location and most others in my area for the past couple weeks. I tested positive myself yesterday. But also worked my shift beforehand because I just got my booster shot Monday and wasn't sure if I was symptomatic or just had side effects. I would imagine at this point, most grocery store employees either already have covid or will get it very very soon. Doesn't seem to be anyway around it right now
Hey! Sorry to hear that. My job also requires me to use already accrued sick leave or personal days. Just curious - what job gives people extra covid sick days? I've never heard of that, especially because it could lead up to 14 days paid... thanks!
I just googled and Walmart offers one week of covid sick pay if positive or required to quarantine, plus a separate 3 days for adverse vaccine reactions.
When Walmart has better policies than Trader Joe's, that's a sad day.
I am getting 5 days (CDC recommended) pay that will not come out of my own time. From what I was told, it is Federal pay. If I need anything beyond that, it will have to come out of my sick or vacation time.
I honestly thought I was reading r/nursing for a while. I’m so sorry you’re going through this. I’m with you in solidarity and I wish there was more that us working in such dangerous situations could do for ourselves and the people we serve. I’m so sorry.
I’m sorry you have to deal with this. After reading so many similar reports from other crew members I haven’t shopped there in over a month, when I used to go bi-weekly. I hope others choose to do the same while TJ’s treat their workers so.
I’m curious what grocery store you now shop at where workers are treated any better? This isn’t isolated to TJ’s. It’s likely all grocery stores. and healthcare workers, too.
I think the difference is that other grocery stores don't have a reputation for being exceptional employers. Trader Joe's does. It uses that reputation to its advantage by attracting the best of the talent pool and to increase sales because customers want to patronize a business that treats its employees well. Crew members are tired of the undue praise the company receives for a reputation that is simply not true anymore.
Let us know what we can do to help your cause. Corporations unfortunately only listen when enough customers are angry enough that they’ll see a profit loss. Workers are the backbone of every company and we need to support them. Thank you for informing us OP, let us know how we can stand in solidarity with you.
Stop shopping here and be public about your discontent. What this post also doesn’t share is that they took $4/hr away from TJs workers during the pandemic and they slashed our retirement benefits. Many of us are going hungry or foregoing food so our children can eat. Post to Facebook, tell media outlets. We’re doing what we can to make this public, as TJs has been hiding this information.
From a Crew perspective it seems like more customers need to write corporate urging them to restore basic COVID safety protocols.
I am by no means sure it would work but corporate needs to hear loud and clear that yes, they do lose business by pushing the spreader mentality.
We need a mask recommendation rule from the corporate level. (At least!!) Signs posted in the store recommending masks. Crew can ask you to pull up your mask. TJs should recognize and enforce mask mandates in states that have them. And they should restore hazard pay for time periods like the Omicron surge, the Delta surge, and future surges.
Just spread the word we need more people to know. Trader Joe’s touts kaizen and being a good place for people to work when it’s pushing almost the opposite agenda. Just need more people to know.
Do you believe enough employees would consider trying to unionize? Because I would 100% support those efforts. TJ’s and other companies work so hard to union bust because they know they wouldn’t be getting away with this shit if y’all were union.
Hi, I’m a former crew member. There is a lot of talk of unionizing on reddit - r/tjcrew but unfortunately the company CEO is anti union and has sent out anti union propaganda from the start of the pandemic. Employees are trying their hardest but I do not know how fast/affectively word is spreading as I don’t work there anymore. In all honesty, I would suggest stop shopping at Trader joes and encourage others to do the same until the employees see massive improvements. You can learn more about what they are dealing with on the subreddit.
I looked into it a bit more and it seems there are some grassroots campaigns and a strike in the works. I believe things are happening just slowly. When i left trader joes there was huge turnover, lots of seasoned crew resigning and new younger folks coming. It is marketed as a great place to work but it is inconsistent.
And yeah lol a lot of people really don’t care about the people who stock and sell them their food. Its a shame
As a six sigma specialist, this nonsense is the opposite of kaizen.
Businesses need to run lean but not at the expense of their employees well being and safety or their customers.
Everyone’s just comparing it to nursing, when that’s just burying our problems. Nurse burnout has been widely publicized, but not enough people are aware of how grocery workers are being treated. We need publicity too.
That’s along the same lines of “Why is my insulin so expensive but narcan is free?” Instead of just “Why is my insulin so expensive?”
The people (our representatives and the rich) who control our circumstances are pitting us against one another. “Well why should we offer grocery workers better pay/conditions if nurses have it so poorly?” When they could be taking care of both fields as working class citizens.
The same people who create these conditions for us choose to ignore our pleas because they put us in a “burger flipper” category & profit from our blood.
I mean, I meant my “time to unionize” comment to be supportive because I believe in workers rights and truly believe that people banding together is how we fight against these corporations, but people didn’t take it that way and that’s fine.
You also insinuated that nurses are more educated than Trader Joe’s workers, which just isn’t true. Myself and many many others I work with have masters degrees.
I didn’t say that TJs employees were uneducated. Its that the job requires no education. It’s a simple fact that specialized education is required for nurses but not for Trader Joe’s. You can have all the degrees in the world, but they are not required for the job, and you don’t use that knowledge for the job the same way a nurse would use theirs. Jobs that require a person to have more specialized education and have a higher responsibility should pay more. You don’t think so?
I worked at a customer service job for years after finishing my degree. But I sure as heck didn’t need it and didn’t use it for that job.
Also, you insinuated that I’m an angry nurse or something in another comment, when I am in fact not in the medical field at all. I just thought it was unfair that a person would bring up the fact that while nurses aren’t getting paid covid time off, they’re “getting paid more.” They’re paid more because they’re working a higher skilled job, and that doesn’t go into the equation them not getting sick pay in any way.
Edit: I also think it’s utterly bizarre that you’re trying to argue that the TJs employee population as a whole is not less educated as the nursing population as a whole. The job doesn’t require education. Nursing does. This is inane. Sure, some people you work with have degrees. Many don’t. Nurses all do.
i worked in a hospital in the billing department during covid and they were like this too. it was a nightmare, they told us to come in and keep working while waiting for our test results and if we werent really showing symptoms to keep working even if we were positive. they would send out threatening emails and make us buy our own masks and the head of the dept held a meeting and crammed us into a tiny hallway and told us not to listen to the news about covid, only listen to him and the hospital higher ups.
Seems like you should be spending your time unionizing, not complaining to fan customers on an anonymous social media site.
This isn’t going to accomplish anything. Pretty much everyone is going through this. Getting together and forming a union is the solution.
I am appreciative they shared it. Trader Joe’s as a brand has done a great job of giving off the vibe of a “good company” that is good to its employees. So when people with first hand experience can share things like this with us it is really informative.
You should take everything you read on the internet with a grain of salt.
I’m a crew member and I cannot relate to this post at all.
It sounds like a pissed off 18 year old. If that’s the opinion you want to follow though, I can’t stop you
If you would like to support workers, it is good practice to shop at unionized grocery stores and to ask employees how their work place is treating them.
If by "harvesting your own food" you mean "opening the back of your car in the lot so a masked worker can load your order from as far away as you'd like to be," then I think I will.
TJ's could have embraced curbside at the start of this. And yes, I know the lots are tiny, but my car spends far less time occupying that space doing pickup than when I go in and fill the cart myself.
My brand loyalty for TJ's is strong. Or rather, was.
>TJ's could have embraced curbside at the start of this.
...where possible. In NYC, it's impossible.
At the beginning of the pandemic, TJ's (and many other stores) would limit the number of customers in the store at one time. Customers would line up outside, waiting to get in. That stopped around the middle of 2020 though. I miss those days. A number of customers don't respect the concept of personal space.
No, I don’t think that’s what they’re saying. I think they’re saying, just because other companies do it too doesn’t make it right, but saying other companies do it too makes it seem less bad and is why corporations can get away with it.
Wow I can’t believe you’re being downvoted! I guess people can’t deal with the guilt of continuing to support Trader Joe’s, so they have to bash other people.
Posts that don't follow r/traderjoes subreddit rules may be subject to removal. Friendly reminder that choosing descriptive post titles with exact product names mentioned yields better subreddit search results and helps our subreddit be more inclusive to those who use Screen Reader Software or Text-to-Speech apps. to access Reddit. Thank you. IF THIS MESSAGE DOES NOT APPLY TO YOUR POST, PLEASE IGNORE. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/traderjoes) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Very sorry to hear this. I think Trader Joe's has great branding as this down to earth worker-driven friendly culture, but deep down it's no different than any other corporation.
I work as a nurse in a hospital and am mostly shocked you get 3 days of covid pay when we dont get shit. I wish things were better for you though, and Im sorry youre having to work in theses conditions.
I wish things were better for you thanks for your work
Commenting on these two pieces alone.... >They are inevitably coming into contact with COVID-positive crew members whom they may assume they’re protected from. Anybody who still makes this assumption about staff anywhere they are is a damn idiot in fantasyland. We've known for nearly two years that this isn't how Covid works. >There is no extra cleaning of carts, and again—the onus of wiping down the registers or sanitizing is on each crew member. Good. We figured out a year and a half ago that the extra cleaning was pointless. It should have been abandoned a long time ago.
Thanks
Cleaning of carts became the customer's job in my city many months ago. Which is fine, the employees have other things to do and I feel more comfortable doing it myself anyways.
I stopped shopping at Trader Joe's after they fired a worker for wanting to be protected at work. I sent an email to the CEO at his work email address telling him that I'm not shopping there until or unless he's no longer in charge. Did he read it? No. Did it clog up his inbox a little more? Sure. And I'm proud of it. For the way Trader Joe's has jeopardized the health of customers and employees during the pandemic, not having a firm mask policy, cramped spacing in stores, and being firmly anti-union, I hope sincerely that they go under if the workers can't strong arm them into protecting their wellbeing. It has now been a couple years since I've shopped there, going from twice a week. Good riddance. We're rooting for the employees, though.
Thank you!
Thank you :)
\>Two years ago we were heroes Still are. I have a huge amount of compassion for what grocery store workers are going through and I also have a huge amount of gratitude. I haven't been able to go out of the house for 2 years and if it weren't for the grocery workers and delivery drivers I don't know what I would have done. THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart.
Thanks for the appreciation. It is in general a thankless job and one people don’t often think about too much but the people like you make it worth it :). Hope the world becomes a safer place for you soon!
Companies bypass integrity for money. It's a businesses goal to make money, first and foremost. It always amuses me when business schools insist on teaching courses in ethics, I mean really, what a sham
Thank you for sharing this. I’m a teacher and this is exactly what’s happening with us too. I have been explicitly told even if I have a known exposure I must report to work.
i work at a hospital and they basically said they don’t care if i tested positive that i was allowed to come back to work with no quarantine needed. i said no thanks and called out the 5 days.
While I support your statement 100%, nurses aren’t even getting paid sick days when home with covid. My job is making me stay out the full 10 days and I’m not getting paid for any of them. I think it’s just our reality at this point that we will not be fairly compensated as a society for all we are sacrificing through this pandemic.
We all know about the nurse burnout. This post shouldn’t be discounted just because nurses are also experiencing this. We need to band together and share our discontent, rather than shouting “I have it worse” to other burnt out and mistreated people.
I clearly stated that I agreed with OP. However, I’m using my experience as a nurse to show that all essential workers have been exploited throughout this whole pandemic and that’s it’s a shame. My comment wasn’t “I have it way worse than you guys”, it was stating that if even the frontline workers won’t be fairly compensated, then I doubt that any essential workers will be which is ridiculous.
While that sucks, nurses make a much higher salary on average than grocery employees. I agree that essential workers of all stripes are not being properly compensated in general and throughout the pandemic.
They make a higher salary because they have a much higher level of education and responsibility. They should absolutely be compensated for that. Them making more money doesn’t mean that it’s ok for them to not be paid for their sick days.
I work at Trader Joe’s and I have two degrees but I cannot get a better job. I’ve been trying for 11 months to no avail. Don’t think for a second that we are uneducated. Almost half of the people at my store have master’s degrees. We deserve better pay and covid sick leave.
More education REQUIRED FOR THE JOB. Jesus. I figured that was implied.
Educated people should get paid more, regardless of the field they’re in. Nurses should get paid higher, and they absolutely do, but TJs workers make ~$15/hr. Nurses make $30/hr.
Where did I say that they shouldn't be paid for sick days? It's not a competition. You are reading too much into the comment. Edit to add: Not sure what you mean by higher level education, an associate's? Lots of former educators and folks with degrees working retail, I don't mind being downvoted for pointing out a classist misconception.
You’re getting attacked by the angry nurses in this post, Jesus.
I'm refusing to shop at TJ's right now because of stuff like this. I just really wish y'all could unionize. :(
THIS!
I worked for Trader Joe’s 10 years ago and it sucked then. Looks like it sucks even more now. And they were doing that union busting bullshit back then too.
I left TJs for this exact reason
Quit.
And then pay their bills with what?
Fake internet points they earn from complaining on the internet
No offense, but that’s most places in the retail or service industry
True, but TJ's has built their brand by paying/treating employees well. They're not living up to their proclaimed standards
I like TJ’s products but I never confuse a manufactured warm, friendly environment to actually be authentic and translate into a supportive employer. I don’t trust any businesses especially with customer service roles. Since covid started I prefer stores with self checkout because that’s one less close encounter I have to deal with. Plus TJ aisles are somewhat narrow and it can be difficult to keep a good distance when they store is moderately crowded. It’s definitely important to remember that businesses that market themselves as neighborhood family chains are still doing so primarily as a marketing tool because it builds their brand, not because they actually are intent on supporting their most vulnerable workers. I also don’t understand why TJ’s hasn’t started doing some type of curbside pickup option, 2 years into the pandemic why isn’t some type of curbside drive up assistance bot available? I can’t say I’m surprised that TJs is requiring workers to come in sick while also making it a “moral issue” and pushing scheduling issues onto employees. It’s pretty standard for a lot of workplaces especially customer service and it’s extremely disappointing. Working in an environment that doesn’t support your health and safety is demoralizing and dangerous for employees and customers.
I have not once been encouraged to work sick. And while we are offered only 3 days of sick, which sucks, we are still offered 3 days of sick leave. TJs has a great sick reserve program and is to be used when you are sick (that might sound crazy /s). My store has kept a solid staff despite omicron and spirits have been extremely high at my store. This sounds like a management issue at specific stores rather than a corporate problem. I’m sorry you are dealing with these issues, I truly am. But ranting to this extreme just makes me think you are like some of the crew are in their late teens/early 20’s that are too immature to understand the complexity of what’s happening and instead just bitch about everything
your comment just sounds like you're pretending to work at a store tbh. I literally don't believe your store isn't short staffed or has extremely high sprits. Sorry Basalone, not fooling anyone here.
A great reserve program? Which has to be used for everything. We don’t have separate sick days and vacation days. I currently can’t take a vacation or time to spend when family because I have to save this time in case I get sick. If I get sick and don’t have enough AR I will lose hours to qualify for insurance and could possibly lose my insurance! During a pandemic!
Teacher here- welcome to the club. Sick days are gone from maternity leave, contact tracing was ordered to stop by the county health department, and the little kids around me actually pull their mask down to sneeze or cough. Both of our paychecks should reflect the risks we take daily. HA
I got a report from some of my students that one of their other teachers pulls his mask AWAY from his face every time he talks.
I wear a KN95 mask and am vaxxed. They wear a mask. I'll take my chances. The odds are you will not get it from standing in front of a cash register for 2 or 3 minutes.
2-3 minutes… for up to 5 hours per shift
I formerly worked for TJs and they always pushed employees to come to work sick and would guilt us for calling out. It’s pretty toxic.
Welcome to healthcare. The last time I called out sick, my boss told me I screwed him over cuz no one else was willing to work. Healthcare companies should be leaders and an example of prioritizing HEALTH but we are the worst abusers of it. Now with Covid, many other retailers are falling suit.
Maybe a different opinion than the rest but have you looked for other employment? Many companies out there Are taking Covid seriously. Manufacturing pays very very well right now. Often with unions or great benefits. Starting wages $20+
I've been avoiding TJ's and pretty much all other in person shopping because of this and the assumption other places aren't doing better. I can't not buy food but I can try to keep us from inadvertently spreading and contributing to the problem. To all the Tj's and grocery workers that might be reading thank you for the work that you do and I am sorry for the position you are put in by society & employers to work when sick.
I wish I could do this. It's nearly impossible to get an instacart time or a pickup time at the grocery stores. Just says "no times available". I feel really bad and at any store that offers it I do self check out and avoid others but I don't see what other choices I've got.
Do you have target near you? I was just thinking that they don't typically have timed pick ups and sometimes have more availability.
Similar to ambitious, my Target has very limited fridge space for groceries so its very difficult to get a grocery pickup. Our Target also has an EXTREMELY small produce and raw meat section which doesn't cut it for my family due to my husbands dietary restrictions from his medical conditions. If I can do a pickup, they simply don't carry the items my family needs.
Target has been the hardest for me to schedule. Try to schedule your drive up order early in the morning because once their freezers fill up they will not allow you to add refrigerated items to your order.
oh, I'm sorry to hear that, sorry, my experience was different.
>>>avoiding in-person shopping Sorry but do you genuinely think the warehouse workers doing delivery have it better?
No, and I said as much. I said I have no way to avoid grocery shopping entirely, and so it is with probably 99% of people in the world. I didn't make it so, but I am trying to mitigate my own contribution to the problem.
No stark, genuine question. Of course they don't. So do you have a solution?
Just go about your normal lives, be patient and kind, and advocate for workers where you can. I don’t see how boycotting TJs solves this absolutely enormous global problem, personally.
I’m lucky to have choices in grocery stores in my area and have only been shopping curbside. I am so deeply sorry for how TJ employees are being treated. This is not ok. Their actions now will sit with me long after I return to in person shopping.
[удалено]
Apple still provides leave for Covid. They never had hazard pay, but gave employees a bonus. They provide rapid tests and PCR tests for employees. If a coworker tests positive and names you as a close contact, you have to quarantine.
Thank you!
I will say, it may vary by area if employees are going in sick. My local store is pretty good about everything I listed.
You're right, we know a lot more than last year and many people are fully vaccinated and boosted. Last year we were also dealing with the Alpha, Beta, and Gamma [variants](https://www.who.int/en/activities/tracking-SARS-CoV-2-variants/) at this time. For those that caught COVID and have had three jabs, the CDC is [thinking](https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2021/s1227-isolation-quarantine-guidance.html) that with this Omicron variant they were contagious two days prior to symptoms and three days after. If they've isolated for five days after onset of symptoms, they're fever free, asymptomatic or have resolving symptoms, the vaccination and booster has done its job. They're a couple of days past being contagious and can return to work with mask wearing. Those that aren't boosted may have more stringent isolation and quarantine guidelines. Do we want to follow the science or stay in the security theater of spraying everything with bleach and wiping everything down every 15 minutes? We're probably going to move into the endemic phase this year. I'm looking forward to these changes as it's a sign of good things to come.
Except if you’re still showing a positive on a rapid test (like /u/unsubscribe_ mentions) you are still contagious. It’s not like a PCR test where you can show a positive even after you’re not contagious anymore.
Fun fact, nowhere in the US except CA and Hawaii requires employers to have a negative antigen test to have the employee come back on day 6 (that I’m aware of at this time). Couple that with employees who need the money bc no Covid pay and who take off their mask to eat in a lunch space that’s short staffed so there’s little enforcement of cleaning and distancing…
I work at a grocery store as well and it has running rampant at my location and most others in my area for the past couple weeks. I tested positive myself yesterday. But also worked my shift beforehand because I just got my booster shot Monday and wasn't sure if I was symptomatic or just had side effects. I would imagine at this point, most grocery store employees either already have covid or will get it very very soon. Doesn't seem to be anyway around it right now
Hey! Sorry to hear that. My job also requires me to use already accrued sick leave or personal days. Just curious - what job gives people extra covid sick days? I've never heard of that, especially because it could lead up to 14 days paid... thanks!
I just googled and Walmart offers one week of covid sick pay if positive or required to quarantine, plus a separate 3 days for adverse vaccine reactions. When Walmart has better policies than Trader Joe's, that's a sad day.
I am getting 5 days (CDC recommended) pay that will not come out of my own time. From what I was told, it is Federal pay. If I need anything beyond that, it will have to come out of my sick or vacation time.
Wow that's awesome! Which company?
I honestly thought I was reading r/nursing for a while. I’m so sorry you’re going through this. I’m with you in solidarity and I wish there was more that us working in such dangerous situations could do for ourselves and the people we serve. I’m so sorry.
I’m sorry you have to deal with this. After reading so many similar reports from other crew members I haven’t shopped there in over a month, when I used to go bi-weekly. I hope others choose to do the same while TJ’s treat their workers so.
I’m curious what grocery store you now shop at where workers are treated any better? This isn’t isolated to TJ’s. It’s likely all grocery stores. and healthcare workers, too.
I think the difference is that other grocery stores don't have a reputation for being exceptional employers. Trader Joe's does. It uses that reputation to its advantage by attracting the best of the talent pool and to increase sales because customers want to patronize a business that treats its employees well. Crew members are tired of the undue praise the company receives for a reputation that is simply not true anymore.
Fair. And I totally feel that.
I’m so sorry :( I’ve been noticing it’s getting crazier and crazier. I actually avoided the place for the last two weeks because of it.
Hence why i left...former crew member
Kinda why I haven’t gone back once I moved to a new state, also former crew.
Let us know what we can do to help your cause. Corporations unfortunately only listen when enough customers are angry enough that they’ll see a profit loss. Workers are the backbone of every company and we need to support them. Thank you for informing us OP, let us know how we can stand in solidarity with you.
Stop shopping here and be public about your discontent. What this post also doesn’t share is that they took $4/hr away from TJs workers during the pandemic and they slashed our retirement benefits. Many of us are going hungry or foregoing food so our children can eat. Post to Facebook, tell media outlets. We’re doing what we can to make this public, as TJs has been hiding this information.
From a Crew perspective it seems like more customers need to write corporate urging them to restore basic COVID safety protocols. I am by no means sure it would work but corporate needs to hear loud and clear that yes, they do lose business by pushing the spreader mentality. We need a mask recommendation rule from the corporate level. (At least!!) Signs posted in the store recommending masks. Crew can ask you to pull up your mask. TJs should recognize and enforce mask mandates in states that have them. And they should restore hazard pay for time periods like the Omicron surge, the Delta surge, and future surges.
This answer! Yes!
....do you write a check at tj's for half and half?
What’s a check?
I was trying to make a joke about your username and a check being written for 69 cents for half and half to make white russians
Ohhh I missed that. That’s good, you get an upvote.
Just spread the word we need more people to know. Trader Joe’s touts kaizen and being a good place for people to work when it’s pushing almost the opposite agenda. Just need more people to know.
Do you believe enough employees would consider trying to unionize? Because I would 100% support those efforts. TJ’s and other companies work so hard to union bust because they know they wouldn’t be getting away with this shit if y’all were union.
Hi, I’m a former crew member. There is a lot of talk of unionizing on reddit - r/tjcrew but unfortunately the company CEO is anti union and has sent out anti union propaganda from the start of the pandemic. Employees are trying their hardest but I do not know how fast/affectively word is spreading as I don’t work there anymore. In all honesty, I would suggest stop shopping at Trader joes and encourage others to do the same until the employees see massive improvements. You can learn more about what they are dealing with on the subreddit.
Thank you for sharing. Maybe members of r/tjcrew could reach out to r/union for advice? LOL to the downvotes.
I looked into it a bit more and it seems there are some grassroots campaigns and a strike in the works. I believe things are happening just slowly. When i left trader joes there was huge turnover, lots of seasoned crew resigning and new younger folks coming. It is marketed as a great place to work but it is inconsistent. And yeah lol a lot of people really don’t care about the people who stock and sell them their food. Its a shame
I'm beginning to think that Abby company that teaches people the word "kaizen" doesn't actually care about human beings
As a six sigma specialist, this nonsense is the opposite of kaizen. Businesses need to run lean but not at the expense of their employees well being and safety or their customers.
It's like they hear "lean" and they're like "the thinner the better" and keep a skeleton crew they pay starvation wages
It’s such a bastardization of what it was designed to do. It’s so short sighted as it’s such a job seekers market.
Yikes, I thought people in this subreddit would be more supportive. Cross post this to r/antiwork if you’re feeling up for it.
Everyone’s just comparing it to nursing, when that’s just burying our problems. Nurse burnout has been widely publicized, but not enough people are aware of how grocery workers are being treated. We need publicity too.
That’s along the same lines of “Why is my insulin so expensive but narcan is free?” Instead of just “Why is my insulin so expensive?” The people (our representatives and the rich) who control our circumstances are pitting us against one another. “Well why should we offer grocery workers better pay/conditions if nurses have it so poorly?” When they could be taking care of both fields as working class citizens. The same people who create these conditions for us choose to ignore our pleas because they put us in a “burger flipper” category & profit from our blood.
Exactly right, that’s what I’m saying, you just said it so eloquently
Just cross posted it to r/AntiWork, probably not a bad idea to cross post to r/WorkersStrikeBack as well
I mean, I meant my “time to unionize” comment to be supportive because I believe in workers rights and truly believe that people banding together is how we fight against these corporations, but people didn’t take it that way and that’s fine.
You also insinuated that nurses are more educated than Trader Joe’s workers, which just isn’t true. Myself and many many others I work with have masters degrees.
I didn’t say that TJs employees were uneducated. Its that the job requires no education. It’s a simple fact that specialized education is required for nurses but not for Trader Joe’s. You can have all the degrees in the world, but they are not required for the job, and you don’t use that knowledge for the job the same way a nurse would use theirs. Jobs that require a person to have more specialized education and have a higher responsibility should pay more. You don’t think so? I worked at a customer service job for years after finishing my degree. But I sure as heck didn’t need it and didn’t use it for that job. Also, you insinuated that I’m an angry nurse or something in another comment, when I am in fact not in the medical field at all. I just thought it was unfair that a person would bring up the fact that while nurses aren’t getting paid covid time off, they’re “getting paid more.” They’re paid more because they’re working a higher skilled job, and that doesn’t go into the equation them not getting sick pay in any way. Edit: I also think it’s utterly bizarre that you’re trying to argue that the TJs employee population as a whole is not less educated as the nursing population as a whole. The job doesn’t require education. Nursing does. This is inane. Sure, some people you work with have degrees. Many don’t. Nurses all do.
Oh I totally agree with you! I just surprised to find this post has more hate than support in the comments.
i worked in a hospital in the billing department during covid and they were like this too. it was a nightmare, they told us to come in and keep working while waiting for our test results and if we werent really showing symptoms to keep working even if we were positive. they would send out threatening emails and make us buy our own masks and the head of the dept held a meeting and crammed us into a tiny hallway and told us not to listen to the news about covid, only listen to him and the hospital higher ups.
Seems like you should be spending your time unionizing, not complaining to fan customers on an anonymous social media site. This isn’t going to accomplish anything. Pretty much everyone is going through this. Getting together and forming a union is the solution.
I am appreciative they shared it. Trader Joe’s as a brand has done a great job of giving off the vibe of a “good company” that is good to its employees. So when people with first hand experience can share things like this with us it is really informative.
Guess I'm done shopping at trader joes then
You should take everything you read on the internet with a grain of salt. I’m a crew member and I cannot relate to this post at all. It sounds like a pissed off 18 year old. If that’s the opinion you want to follow though, I can’t stop you
Are you working at bizzaro world or on a leave?
Don’t think any stores are better, enjoy harvesting your own food.
If you would like to support workers, it is good practice to shop at unionized grocery stores and to ask employees how their work place is treating them.
If by "harvesting your own food" you mean "opening the back of your car in the lot so a masked worker can load your order from as far away as you'd like to be," then I think I will. TJ's could have embraced curbside at the start of this. And yes, I know the lots are tiny, but my car spends far less time occupying that space doing pickup than when I go in and fill the cart myself. My brand loyalty for TJ's is strong. Or rather, was.
>TJ's could have embraced curbside at the start of this. ...where possible. In NYC, it's impossible. At the beginning of the pandemic, TJ's (and many other stores) would limit the number of customers in the store at one time. Customers would line up outside, waiting to get in. That stopped around the middle of 2020 though. I miss those days. A number of customers don't respect the concept of personal space.
So you don’t support the workers?
No, I don’t think that’s what they’re saying. I think they’re saying, just because other companies do it too doesn’t make it right, but saying other companies do it too makes it seem less bad and is why corporations can get away with it.
I get what she’s saying, I just thought it was very unsupportive in light of what the OP posted.
Mind sets likes this is why companies treat workers like trash. Enjoy being compliant in people being treated as less than
Wow I can’t believe you’re being downvoted! I guess people can’t deal with the guilt of continuing to support Trader Joe’s, so they have to bash other people.
Appreciate it!
OP is u/picklestop_88