Trader Joe's Employee Review

I have been working at Trader Joe's full-time for more than 10 years

Pros – The position of 'Mate' is the Trader Joe's equivalent of 'Assistant Manager'. Trader Joe's has opportunity for unlimited advancement, if you can prove yourself to the right people at the right time. Competitive salary and (albeit small) annual bonuses. GREAT benefits, including an employer-paid retirement and easy acquirement of time-off. Plenty of job stability.

Cons – Working a rotating shift is usually required, meaning 1-2 closing shifts, 1 midday shift, and 2 opening shifts per week. The shifts for this position are 10 hours/day, and often you stay late. The raises are one per year, and they are almost laughable, at least in the beginning. For the amount of work that this job requires, the raises and compensation should be higher.

Advice to Senior Management – Mates need to be compensated for how much work they put in. With the restructuring that happened last year, Merchants (even the ones who were demoted from their previous positions) are still receiving the same pay, raises, and benefits that they were receiving before, while the newer Mates are not. Hopefully this issue will sort itself out over the next few years as the company gets more comfortable with the new system.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend