10 Customer Habits Trader Joe's Employees Hate

Trader Joe's is known for its fun vibe and friendly employees. It's such a hit that you won't believe how far some people drive to shop there. But discontent might be hiding behind that cheerful demeanor, because there are some customer habits that Trader Joe's employees hate. And we don't blame them.

People often undervalue retail workers, but, having worked in retail myself, I can honestly say that it's one of the most demanding jobs I've ever had. Customers were a big part of that. For every 10 perfectly polite or actively lovely shoppers, you would encounter at least one massive pain in the butt.

I know what annoyed me as a retail worker, but we scoured the internet to find opinions from Trader Joe's employees about the customer behavior that drives them up the wall. From the folks who come in five minutes before closing time for "just one thing" (spoiler alert: it's never just one thing) to the people who think returning a cart properly is optional, there are all kinds of frustrating customers at Trader Joe's. If you don't want to be one of them, take heed of the habits TJ's workers hate and avoid them. Add in a smile and a bit of polite chat (please, no trying to be funny at the register) and you'll be on your way to favorite customer status.

Few things sow hate in the heart of a Trader Joe's employee quite like a customer who comes in right before closing time. If the store closes at 9 p.m. and you're rocking up at 8:55 p.m., you're one of the shoppers in staff members' bad books. Policies vary by store and area, but employees claim that regional managers or store captains often enforce rules that prevent team members from asking customers to leave, even if they're there long past closing. So, if you turn up late, thinking that someone would hurry you along if you were being an annoyance, that isn't necessarily the case.

It's one thing to do it in an emergency, especially if you genuinely need one or two things and you're out the door within five minutes of closing time. Yes, you should try to be better prepared next time, but it could happen to anyone. However, Trader Joe's workers tell stories of people who routinely come in late because they like having the store to themselves while they shop. This kind of obliviously inconsiderate behavior is why customers get a bad reputation with retail staff.

Then, even worse, there are people who often come in late and then cause a disruption. Trailing kids who make a mess, request free samples, or expect extra help while team members are just trying to clean up and go home. When people come in late, they force employees to stay later — and often companies don't pay overtime for these extra hours and minutes.

What you need to know about shopping at Trader Joe's is that times have changed in the free samples department. There used to be a rule that you could ask any employee to open any product (with some exceptions, like alcohol and meds) at any time, so you could sample it. You'd get to try the product, and the rest of it would get put into the break room for staff members to snack on. A win-win. However, since the pandemic, these rules have changed. So, if you go around asking to sample a random product on the shelf, team members may get frustrated.

Fair enough if it's an honest mistake and you didn't realize the rules had changed. No harm, no foul. However, some customers act entitled and can be rude if employees don't want to open something up. Then, there's the fact that some current employees started long after the pandemic started and samples stopped, and might not know this was ever a thing. Therefore, they might be confused when you ask them to open up a product, whereas longtime staff will know and may act with some discretion.

The good news is that Trader Joe's is one of the grocery stores with the best return policies. So, rather than asking for a free sample, you can buy a product and return it if you don't like it. You can even try it right after checking out and return it a few feet away. Alternatively, some Trader Joe's stores still have official sample stations where you can try what's on offer.

Carts make the shopping experience easier, but some customers seem to think that returning them correctly is optional. This can be a major annoyance for Trader Joe's employees, making their jobs harder or giving them extra work. Putting something back where you found it and not leaving it for someone else to do seems like such a small gesture, but you'd be surprised by how many refuse to do so.

We've all experienced the annoyance of people leaving their shopping carts all over the parking lot. They end up taking up free parking spots and getting in the way of people trying to drive around and get in and out of spaces. This leaves employees roaming around, having to collect all the carts. It can also be frustrating for staff when people return a cart to the home base but don't push it in properly. When employees come to collect these carts and take them back to the front of the store, those that are not properly in place can cause even more work for the team member.

Some shoppers also think it's okay to leave their cart at the register. Instead of taking it outside, they simply leave it in the way of the next customer who needs to pay for their items. Trader Joe's employees have even reported shoppers being rude and insulting when asked to take their carts.

Cramped and sometimes crowded aisles are among the things that some customers don't like about shopping at Trader Joe's. This isn't helped by shoppers who abandon their carts in the aisle — a habit that makes team members' blood boil.

First of all, it gets in everyone's way. Sure, sometimes you've got to stop and browse, but when this is the case, you should pull your shopping cart over to the side to give other people room to get past you. Also, be aware of where you've parked your cart and move it out of the way if others want to get something from behind it.

You shouldn't stray far, either. It's okay to go a few feet either way, but if you leave your cart and wander off to another aisle, this can leave people confused. If you leave your cart alone for too long, employees might think you've changed your mind and ditched your items. If you need to use the restroom or roam the aisles, don't just leave your cart or it would be fair for workers to assume it's abandoned for good.

This bad habit comes from a good place, but it doesn't make it any less annoying for employees. When you shop at Trader Joe's, removing your items from the cart and putting them on the shelf next to the register is more of a hindrance than a help. Yes, it comes from wanting to make things easier for the person working at the checkout, but it can actually make their job trickier.

The little shelf by the register isn't roomy, so when you pile up your groceries, you can easily cause them to fall off and onto the floor, where delicate items could get broken, and fruits could get bruised. The employee at the register is likely to be eyeing up the contents of the basket, thinking about the right order to bag the items in. If you load it onto the shelf, this messes that up, as they might not be able to easily grab the next item they want. As one Trader Joe's employee said on Reddit, "If you crowd it onto the little shelf yourself, it's unstable and I have to be careful not to make an avalanche."

So, although it seems considerate, most TJ's workers prefer you to leave the items in the cart so they can grab them. Just make sure you position the cart within easy reach. But, if you have a shopping basket, pop the whole thing down on the shelf — that's what it's really there for.

Trader Joe's is one of the stores where the default is that the employee at the register will bag your groceries for you. It can be a divisive issue. Some workers are totally fine with it, while others would prefer the customer to help if they're not busy wrangling their kids or doing something else.

The main gripe is with customers who have huge carts full of items and don't at least offer to help. It's one thing expecting a Trader Joe's crew member to bag a bottle of milk and a couple of loaves of bread, but when it's your whole weekly shop, it's a different matter. Asking whether it's okay to help with bagging is the best option, because if the member of staff would genuinely prefer to do it themselves, they can tell you. In reality, most will be happy for the assistance with a big shop, rather than you just standing there watching or playing with your phone.

Offering to help is also considerate when queues are backing up. Maybe you're shopping at the busiest Trader Joe's in the world, or perhaps it's just a bustling Saturday. Either way, a helping hand is likely to go down well. And, if you've brought your own reusable bags, please don't hide them underneath all your groceries and expect the employee to dig them out. That's just inconsiderate.

We need to serve up a hard truth: It's long past time to wash your reusable grocery bags. Too many people walk around with dirty, disgusting reusable bags that have never seen the inside of a washer, and it's one of the things that Trader Joe's employees hate. If you're bagging items yourself, fine, use an unwashed bag if you don't care. But when you're expecting another person to touch it, you should really put that thing in the wash. Like, yesterday.

Most of the time, they're just a bit grubby or stinky. This is bad enough. Nobody wants to touch a grocery bag that smells bad or looks like you've rubbed it in dirt before handing it over. But sometimes things are even worse. One Trader Joe's worker on Reddit even reported being handed a bag that contained a live cockroach. If that's not a sign that you need to clean the debris out of your reusable bags and wash them ASAP, we don't know what is.

It's not a hard task, so it shouldn't be something you put off. You can wash them with your regular laundry. Check the label for instructions, but most are easy to wash, either on hot or cold, and some are fine to go straight in the dryer, too. If you've put raw meat or other items in them that could spread the likes of salmonella, wash them after each use. Otherwise, wash them every few uses or sooner if you notice dirt or a bad smell.

If there's something you can't find on the shop floor and you wait until you get to the register to ask about stock levels, you're committing a Trader Joe's sin. This is one of the most hated habits detailed by employees, as it holds stuff up for everyone else and wastes time. It's fine to ask about stock levels, but there's a time and a place.

There's no shortage of staff available in Trader Joe's stores, unlike some grocery stores, where it can be hard to get assistance. Look for crew members wearing Hawaiian shirts, and they'll be able to help you find anything you're looking for. They can use the lookup function to check stock in real time. If something isn't available right now, they'll be able to tell you when the next delivery is due. It's a simple solution and will get you the answers you need without inconveniencing anyone.

If you wait until you get to the register, it's a different matter. "Our registers do not have the functionality to look up these products for you, and we carry so many products that it's illogical to believe we know the status of every product we carry," explained one Trader Joe's employee on Reddit. Instead, employees have to call someone to do the lookup. Then, if the product is in stock, they'll have to go and grab it for you, which might take some time. All the while, other shoppers are left waiting to pay and leave. It might be easy for you, but it's a real pain for everyone else.

It's okay if you pick something up and then change your mind about buying it. We all do it. But if you put it back in the wrong place, you're making life difficult for Trader Joe's employees. Not only is it an annoying habit, but it can also result in food waste.

It's frustrating when customers put items back in random places, as it means crew members have to roam around the store returning items to the correct spots. However, even worse is when people don't even put food back in the correct temperature zone. Putting a packet of cookies with the toiletries is annoying, but putting ice cream with the chips or milk in the freezer means those items will have to go in the trash. You're making extra work for people and spoiling food.

The best thing to do is to take the item back where you found it yourself. If you can't for any reason — maybe you can't recall where you found it, or you're in a rush — hand it to the cashier when you get to the register, and they can make sure it goes back in the correct spot. It's better than just leaving it lying around somewhere, and it creates less work for employees. If you absolutely must put it down and walk away, at least put refrigerated items in the fridge and frozen items in the freezer.

Bringing a reusable bag to the store to take your groceries home in is a great idea. It's better for the environment, and it means you save money by skipping the bag charges enforced in some locations. But at the same time, Trader Joe's employees hate it when you use your shopping tote instead of a basket. It might seem easier to you, but it's an inconvenience to the cashier when you get to the register.

It's easy to put a basket down on the shelf by the register. It has a flat bottom, and it stays in its place. But if you drop a reusable bag full of groceries on that shelf, it's less stable and prone to sliding off. "The bag is less stable than a basket or cart so I have to hold onto the bag while I empty it and scan which can get tricky," complained one Trader Joe's employee on Reddit. "Or I grab a basket and place your reusable bag into it, so I can free up a hand. Either way, it's annoying."

Whatever they do, it adds extra work and can be annoying. It also means that they can't bag the shopping back into the tote until it's empty, so it takes more time at the register. It might look cute wandering around TJ's with your groceries in a reusable bag, but it's more work for the employee, so it's best to just pick up a basket.