Trader Joe's Etiquette And Rules Every Shopper Should Know

Trader Joe's isn't like other grocery stores. Sure, a pessimist might say that's because the parking lots and aisles are small. An optimist, though, would point to Trader Joe's generous return policy or free sample policy as positive examples of TJ's setting itself apart. The point is, there are different rules here than there were at your great-grandpappy's Piggly Wiggly, and maybe that can make things confusing. In general, most people want to get their grocery shopping done as quickly as possible, and most grocery store employees want to get through their shifts as quickly as possible. Trader Joe's, however, endeavors to be a more pleasant place to spend your time. All parties having good manners helps that.

Yes, we're all probably breaking some etiquette rules at any given point of the day. We understand. We've forgotten the produce politeness rules before, too. No one's here to judge, or act holier than thou. If you've worked in any grocery store, food service, or retail job, maybe a lot of this advice is old hat. If you've never had a service-based job? Maybe you'll learn something about how workers think. Here are some etiquette rules to remember at Trader Joe's.

The return policy at Trader Joe's is great. You can return any item for a number of reasons. There were rotten strawberries hiding in the middle? Happens to everybody. Buyer's remorse because you bought an overpriced Trader Joe's item? Sure. You didn't like the taste? Fair enough. Lenient policies like this don't exist in many places. It's a good idea, then, for customers to operate in good faith, too.

People claiming to be Trader Joe's employees on Reddit have some wild return stories. One thread included a woman who would take meat directly off the shelf and bring it to the manager's desk for return processing — the employee said, "... and [she] had been getting away with it for a while until we caught on." Another post had an employee confessing that while they process returns as per company policy, sometimes the things customers ask for make them cringe. They said, "I literally had someone say they were moving so they cleared out their pantry of all Trader Joe's items (yes, even expired/seasonal/discontinued junk) and returned it for cash."

Someone else chimed in with a reminder that crew members aren't paid enough to care why someone is returning something. Still, there's a certain amount of pressure being part of the team who is nevertheless entrusted with cash-handling decisions. So, it's in everyone's best interest that you return items with some common sense restraint. Don't be the person who ruins the policy for everyone.

Whether we're talking about Trader Joe's delicious fall foods appearing on shelves or you finally got to the store when there was a fresh stock of Dubai chocolate, don't buy up items. Hoarding is not a good look. Leaving half-empty shelves in your wake isn't fair to other people, nor is it fair to the workers who have to hear customer complaints about scarcity. An item getting bought up in one go could leave the store with an empty shelf for days. Besides, as one Redditor claiming to be a Trader Joe's employee said most items have limits on the quantity that customers can buy at a time. They said, "Technically the staff is supposed to enforce limiting the # of items that people buy across the board to limit the possibility of resale, and so there's actually enough stock to get through the day." Do you want to be the person that a crew member has to enforce that rule on?

Take what you need, no more. Etiquette experts frequently talk about moderation and restraint, and it's good to keep those two virtues in mind when scrolling TikTok. Hey, we anxiously await the arrival of Jingle Jangle all year long, too. Oh, and if the store is out of some trending TikTok delicacy? Maybe instead of getting frustrated with workers, you can ask them for a recommendation on alternatives.

Shopping at Trader Joe's should be as fun as grocery shopping can possibly be, which is why you shouldn't ignore one of Trader Joe's nicest policies: You can sample almost anything in the store just by asking. That's right, if you're curious about coffee ice cream or skeptical about the ingredient ratio in peanut butter pretzel nuggets, you can ask a crew member to open the product up for you. It's a good deal for workers, too, since they get to eat the leftovers.

By the way, this sample policy is different from when the store has demo booths set up. Demo booths are great, but not uncommon in grocery stores. This particular perk means you're only limited by items that are ready to eat. Still, with great power comes great responsibility, and it's good to use some tact. Try to ask questions about the product before asking for an opened bag.

Most importantly? Whether with items off the shelves or demo booth products, don't overindulge samples. For one thing, it's a system based on good faith. For another, it's common courtesy. Opening an item for sample is done at a crew member's discretion, and they do have the right to refuse.  

The frozen food aisle is many people's favorite aisle. It's completely understandable, as stocking up on Trader Joe's frozen items is one of the keys to a happy kitchen. Luckily, the frozen aisle is often the widest aisle in the store, too. The problem is that the frozen food aisle can quickly become a traffic jam. The simplest solution here is to treat this aisle like a road, and stay to the right. This way, everyone's carts are facing the same direction. You can circle the aisle if you need something on the other side.

Some former employees have suggested customers should have a kind of "home base" for their carts. You leave your cart somewhere that's both uncrowded and within your line of sight, then venture into the aisle to grab your items. This works best when shopping with friends or family, but can be done with discretion if on your own. Just be conscientious of where you're leaving the cart. You don't want to be in someone's way while trying to get out of someone's way, you know?

If you've gone shopping with a friend, or maybe you want to use separate payment methods for different items? That's fine, but don't expect the cashier to be a mind reader. Separate your groceries so that there's no confusion at checkout. Oh, and we should specify: Do the sorting before you get to the checkout line, not while you're in it. Certainly don't hand items one-by-one to the checkout worker, calling out which one is yours or your friend's.

Shopping with a friend can be fun, and sharing a cart is a great way to be economical about space — Trader Joe's isn't the most spacious grocery store, and having one less cart banging around the aisles is a good thing. But take that same consideration to the next level by knowing — and clearly demarcating — which groceries belong to whom. A little courteousness goes a long way. 

Grocery store checkout lines can get backed up quickly. For having such an assembly line feel, ringing up and bagging groceries is a clunky production. Most employees have personal systems to maximize efficiency. It's the finish line for you, the customer, and workers understand that. All they ask in return is for you to help keep things moving. Yes, even if said cashier is chatting you up about your items.

It's cute if your child hands one or two items to the cashier. But you'll want to hand your cart or basket over, then get ready to either bag your groceries or not. Contrary to what some might think, customers aren't obligated to help. If you do bag your own groceries, that's great. Just make sure to move quickly. If you have a lot of items, maybe load them into your cart and bag your food items outside. That way, you won't block the line for longer than necessary. Don't bag your own groceries? No worries, just be polite. As one person on Reddit claiming to be a TJ's employee urged customers not to micromanage which item goes in which bag if you're not going to do the work yourself. "They kinda rub me the wrong way."

Trader Joe's cashiers have a reputation for being chatty. No, there's not some company edict to flirt with customers. Workers are encouraged to be friendly and to be themselves. So to a certain extent, the chatting is natural. It makes sense, too: Trader Joe's is a store with a unique inventory that engenders a lot of enthusiasm. As one Redditor claiming to be a Trader Joe's employee said it's not a mandatory thing. "But the company's culture has a way of making even reserved quiet crew members into talkative inviting people at the registers. It's part of the job and the spirit of Tj's ..." Stocking limited items and employing knowledgeable, enthusiastic workers have been twin building blocks of the company since the beginning. This combination can easily lead to effusive praise for your shopping decisions.

So talkative cashiers are a natural outgrowth of company culture, but don't feel the need to reciprocate. Not everyone wants to talk all the time, and that's okay. Just remember that you don't have to be rude. Rather than something dismissive and curt, like "I'm in a rush," a few short answers should be enough to signal that you're not in the mood for small talk.  

Trying to reach a shelf above where an employee is stocking, making trite jokes before asking for help, trying to squeeze your cart past a stocker working with a box cutter — these are all examples of times when you need to say "excuse me." Yes, Trader Joe's are generally pretty cramped places. It's important to remember, though, that crew members at TJ's are there to do a job. They're also not automatons.

Maybe that sounds like basic advice. Who, besides children, need to be reminded that grocery store workers are human beings? Well, if you've ever worked in food service or retail, you understand. Employees at Trader Joe's change tasks frequently, meaning a work day can consist of working a cash register, stocking shelves in the store, stocking the walk-in, and taking out trash and recycling. It's a mentally and physically demanding occupation. Little jokes about the binary between working hard and hardly working are not what a TJ's worker needs to hear. A quick "hello," followed by whatever question you have, is ideal.