Very Interesting Read on Trader Joe's

[Moderator1]

At least to me. I may be weird. Lots of stuff about the business I didn't know. Including the pay rate for managers.

http://money.cnn.com/2010/08/20/news/companies/inside_trader_joes_full_version.fortune/index.htm

 

[JackReacher]

Nice pay, but I'd need more than that to interact with those awful yuppies on a daily basis. Puke.

 

[bagelchick]

I read this article yesterday. I thought the article was interesting as well. But I'm weird too. There is just one small store here in Pittsburgh and it's not real convenient to where I live or work. But if I'm nearby, I will very often stop. I love their hummus.

 

[Ben_Hecht]

Nice pay, but I'd need more than that to interact with those awful yuppies on a daily basis. Puke.

Low-six-figures covers copious quantities of airline-sickness bags.

 

[JackReacher]

Still not enough.

 

[93Devil]

Good stuff at a good price with good employees.

That is a good business model.

For some background...

http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/69255/

 

[Mystery Meat II]

One of the people who lost their jobs when my paper went down landed at a Trader Joe's for a few months. She really liked it -- of course, her personality synched up with the store culture perfectly, so that helped. Didn't realize salaries were so high even at that level (the full-time crew member numbers are a touch misleading, only in that most of the crew is PT, from what I understand).

The shoppers do seem somewhat cultic, though. One time there I put my sunglasses on and the bottles of Two Buck Chuck bore labels that read OBEY, and the ringing bell sound was replaced by a computerized voice repeating the word CONSUME. Now I can't find my sunglasses.

 

[Ben_Hecht]

Good stuff at a good price with good employees.

That is a good business model.

For some background...

http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/69255/

Jeez . . . they're willing to pay for good employees.

What a concept.

 

[Pancamo]

The stores described in the story are nothing like the one near me. A cluttered, messy and dirty ****box with limited fruits, vegetables and meat.

 

[JackReacher]

I will say....someone in the office brought in some cookies from there once, gingersnaps I think, and they were delicious.

 

[Moderator1]

I think the "yuppie" think is way overrated (maybe not at Whole Foods). The one here is about 30 miles away so I don't go that often. When I do, the crowd is a nice mix. Drug the wife a couple of weeks ago, she was amazed at some of the prices. She thought it would be Whole Foods-esque. It is not, not by a long shot.

The meats are exceptionally reasonable and amazingly fresh. Their coffee is half the price and a better quality than the "specialty" coffee at my local store.

 

[JackReacher]

The yuppie thing is definitely not overrated in the DC area. Ugh.

The Whole Foods around here is about the same, but the meat coolers make me cised! Little expensive, though.

But on a yuppie scale from 1-10 (at least around here), I'd give Trader Joe's a solid 8 and Whole Foods an easy 10.

 

[JR]

Great business model and a pretty good story.

Can't speak about their products...they have 344 stores and not a single one in Canuckistan.

Hey guys, your market does not end at the 49th parallel. There are 35 million people up here, a quarter of whom live in SW Ontario. And our economy is doing fine, thanks very much.

 

[Ben_Hecht]

I think the "yuppie" think is way overrated (maybe not at Whole Foods). The one here is about 30 miles away so I don't go that often. When I do, the crowd is a nice mix. Drug the wife a couple of weeks ago, she was amazed at some of the prices. She thought it would be Whole Foods-esque. It is not, not by a long shot.

The meats are exceptionally reasonable and amazingly fresh. Their coffee is half the price and a better quality than the "specialty" coffee at my local store.

Pancake syrup is first-rate. So's the pancake mix. You keep your head and your shopper's thinking cap on, they're terrific stores.

 

[playthrough]

Good stuff at a good price with good employees.

That is a good business model.

For some background...

http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/69255/

Jeez . . . they're willing to pay for good employees.

What a concept.

Some grocery stores get it right. Ask longtime Publix workers.

 

[poindexter]

Nice pay, but I'd need more than that to interact with those awful yuppies on a daily basis. Puke.

WTF?

 

[Webster]

Just a great store -- in our little corner of suburbia, we have three large grocery stores and a Trader Joe's. With the exception of meat and fresh fish, I do all of my shopping at Trader Joe's where I can. Great prices and much friendlier service -- which makes up for a lesser selection. Plus beer and wine at excellent prices.

 

[YankeeFan]

Good stuff at a good price with good employees.

That is a good business model.

For some background...

http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/69255/

Jeez . . . they're willing to pay for good employees.

What a concept.

Some grocery stores get it right. Ask longtime Publix workers.

Employee owned, right?

I liked Publix a lot when I was living in Florida.

 

[Stitch]

The one I used to go to in north Phoenix wasn't too bad. Some yuppies, but a good mix of others.

I wonder how happy the employees are. There are some businesses that aren't just about making a buck, but do OK because they know employees, customers and vendors are all important.

 

[LongTimeListener]

Anyone who says "Man cannot live on Trader Jose's Mildly Spiced Vegetable Burritos alone" is a liar.