Redditors Are Furious With Trader Joe's After Reading An Employee's Note
As beloved as Trader Joe's may be, even this grocery chain can't escape the occasional scandal. Among the huge scandals that have completely rocked Trader Joe's are incidents of secrecy surrounding its brands, accusations of unfair labor practices, trademark infringement, lead-contaminated foods, and "excessive plastic use."
Over the years, Trader Joe's labor practices have unfortunately been lenient toward sexual harassment and misconduct, to the point of prompting more than 7,000 employees to sign a petition for reform back in 2020, per Wicked Local.
According to this particular Coworker petition, one employee sexually assaulted female coworkers "on a regular basis." However, despite Trader Joe's zero-tolerance policy, the investigation was dropped and the employee kept his job. The petition states that such decisions on Trader Joe's part "violates the company's core values and sends us a message that sexual misconduct is acceptable in the workplace." In an effort to force company action against misconduct, Trader Joe's employees are speaking up yet again — this time directly addressing the public.
Trader Joe's employees beg customers to take action
Earlier this week, shoppers at a Trader Joe's in Pennsylvania returned to their cars to find a note from employees. The note, posted on Reddit, claims that several female employees have been "silenced by the management" after reporting sexual harassment and misconduct. Furthermore, the note says many of the victims were left with no choice but to find new jobs, while "their abusers continue to be part of our team."
Naturally, Redditors were furious and reached out to Trader Joe's corporate office. One person commented that their concerns were met with a statement that the allegations are "untrue" and "everything is fine at the stores."
Former Trader Joe's employees said the company did not allow anonymous reporting, and several even shared their own accounts of coworkers who faced no consequences for harassment or misconduct. If we're being honest, this whole situation should be at the top of the list of things you need to know before shopping at Trader Joe's.