Fans Told Mashed Which Grocery Store Has The Friendliest Staff - Exclusive Survey

Kindness goes a long way in the customer service industry. According to Forbes, the key to turning a one-time customer into a lifetime client is an empathetic customer service representative. The best fit for the job are people who truly love their customers and value the company as if it's their own. 

Of course, to find employees like this, you have to build a workplace worth striving for. According to Soocial, a kind workplace is able to birth better workers. When it comes to younger workers, 74% want to work in a kind environment, and 64% value their jobs more when kindness is at the forefront.

The same concept applies when it comes to grocery stores. If you're within driving distance of two or more stores, you're likely to find yourself at the one where you feel the most respected. Which one is that, exactly? Mashed conducted a survey to find out the answer.

Mashed conducted a reader survey to find out which grocery store has the friendliest staff. Out of 582 participants, 34.36% believe that Trader Joe's rises above the rest. Second place goes to Whole Foods with 21.48% of votes, and Aldi came in third place with 18.21% of votes. Readers believe the grocery store with the least-friendly staff is Kroger, with 11.34% of votes. And only a smidge higher than Kroger sits Publix at 14.60% of votes.

According to The Kitchn, Trader Joe's president Bryan Palbaum revealed in the grocery store's podcast that he only hires people who are "outwardly nice" from the start. He finds it more difficult to train somebody to be nice if they aren't already. He also revealed that Trader Joe's employees strive when it comes to kindness because they enjoy their job. 

With the chance of a raise twice a year, 20% of employees have worked at the company for more than 10 years. If employees are happy, customers will be, too.