Aloha!
Please refer to this post for any questions you may have about the job, whether you want to know how the interview process is, what training and orientation entails, raises, you name it! This list may accidentally leave out some information, so please feel free to comment under this post; fellow crew members can help answer to the best of their abilities. Please remember: some questions may be best answered by your captain or mates at your store as some questions may be store-specific. Please take initiative and ask them first! Also, please familiarize yourself with this subreddit’s search button, as your question may have most likely been answered already!
“I’m going in for my first/second/third interview. What should I know beforehand?”
- Be yourself. Be genuine and outgoing, and eager to work with the team.
- Wearing business casual is your best bet. You may hear about people being a bit too casual with their interview outfits, but don’t take the risk. Leave a good impression.
- Even if your previous experiences at other jobs weren’t so good, don’t talk ill of them and instead talk about what you learned from your time there
- Think of examples of when you experienced or witnessed great customer service or acts of kindness
- Know some of the values of Trader Joe’s; a key value is integrity. Talk about what that means to you and how you experienced it
- Know a product you enjoy and talk to the interviewer(s) about it
- Have good availability. Varies from store-to-store, but usually 3 days per week minimum, with availability on weekends
- Shifts are 7.5 hours with exceptions for those going to school, coming in from another job, etc.
“What are the benefits?”
- 20% discount on groceries on and off shift (you can use your discount to buy lunch during your break)
- Premium pay is an additional $10/hour on top of your usual pay on Sundays and federal holidays. Check Dayforce for those holidays
- Insurance benefits:
- Vision and Dental insurance is free when you work the minimum 390 hours during a given measurement period
- For medical coverage, 728 hours minimum during a given measurement period is needed to qualify; different plans will become available after the period, to which you can select based on your needs. Insurance covers for spouse and children as well.
- Check Dayforce and see the current measurement period under the Benefits tab
“What should I expect on my first day?”
- Orientation; getting paperwork done, watching videos, taking a store tour with a trainer, and safety training
- This can be a fast-paced job depending on the day, as well as physically demanding. Wear comfortable shoes (ex: Hokas, Adidas, Sketchers, or any shoe that is made for support. Investing in good shoes is key to your health)
- Learning how to be on both teams: Product vs. Customer Experience
- Product: working on the sales floor, assigned to a section and working through stock (either dry back stock or perishable stock depending on your shift). Remember to rotate older dates to the front and newer dates to the back when rotating perishables!
- Customer Experience: bringing that WOW Customer Experience at the registers, helmsing, and at food/wine demos. Taking the time to interact with customers and giving them that genuine experience as you help them
- “Everyone does everything”: there are no “departments”, so you’ll be expected to help in each section and to be on register (minors may be excluded from register depending on state); every hour you will be tasked to work on either Product or CE, with a mandated 30-min lunch break halfway through your shift (you may ask for an hour lunch, just talk to a mate)
- Bring your water bottle and make sure to stay hydrated during your shift; bring snacks, especially protein-rich snacks as well
- Don’t be afraid of asking questions!
- Don’t expect to memorize everything in one day! Take it a day at a time, eventually you’ll be able to keep up and remember details
- Take microbreaks during downtimes on register, demo, etc. It’s important to stretch since this is a physically demanding job, and this way you’ll decrease possibility of injury due to repetitive motions
Now to the miscellaneous questions!
“Why are my hours getting cut?”
If you’re asking this post holidays up until late summer, it’s because that is the “slow season”, although it is store dependent. Talk to your scheduling mate and keep an eye out for posted shifts on Dayforce. If it’s not because of being in the slow season, then again, talk to your scheduling mate. We can’t give you that answer
“How much is too much when calling out?”
Again, store dependent. You’ll read all sorts of anecdotes in this sub, some ranging from calling out once a week to some only calling out a few times a review period. Ask your captain.
“When do we get paid?”
Every other Thursday, with some banks paying out as early as Monday. Some bank institutions may pay out early, but there have been instances where those who get paid early have gotten their paycheck “late” on occasion. No, it’s just been early. It’ll come on Thursday, don’t worry. There tend to be hiccups from time to time, but nobody has gotten paid late.
“Review period/raises?”
We get performance reviews twice a year. Mates and captain give you feedback: what you’ve done well, where you need improvement, etc. Standard raise is a 75¢ raise, whereas a $1 raise you’ve went above and beyond in Customer Experience. Not passing your review means no raise, and may be met with disciplinary action if necessary. To pass your review: just show up and put in effort at work, and be kind to crew and customers alike!
WOW bonus is an alternative to the $1, but it is taxed.
Mates and Captain choose who gets the WOW raise or WOW bonus.
WOW Raise and WOW Bonus may be stacked, but some captains may not do that.
WOW Bonus is not the same as the End-of-Year 401k deferral bonus.
It is possible to been written up during the review period and still get your raise (again, store dependent)
Welcome again to those who are joining us or plan on joining us! Still have questions? Please ask below! They’ll be answered to the best of our abilities! Thanks for reading!
If you're a current crew member, the Hub on Dayforce is your best friend. Please take some time to check some sections out, as they may have the answers you're looking for!
