Sorry, But Trader Joe's Employees Aren't Flirting With You

If you've ever been to Trader Joe's, you know that their employees are a chatty bunch. As they scan your cart full of reasonably priced goodies, they may remark upon how Trader Joe's frozen lasagna tastes like it's from a restaurant, or ask if you've tried the beloved Irish Garlic Butter potato chips. Some may find this level of familiarity off-putting, while others may even mistake it for flirting in an attempt to get you to spend more. But not to worry (or sorry to disappoint) — Trader Joe's employees absolutely, categorically are not trained to flirt with you.

The notion that Trader Joe's employees might flirt with customers is one of those ideas that sounds like it makes sense until you think about it for five minutes, like when people claim that "news" is an acronym derived from the cardinal directions. For one thing, it would be enormously unethical to make Trader Joe's employees, many of whom are presumably in relationships already, get a little frisky with the guests. For another thing, it wouldn't do very much to boost sales: If you're talking to a Trader Joe's employee, you're probably already checking out, aren't you? Unless their flirtation is unusually Scandinavian Swimmer-centric, it's unlikely to activate the consumerist part of your brain and make you go back to shopping.

In one sense, though, you're not entirely imagining things. Trader Joe's employees are exceptionally friendly, especially in comparison to other supermarket cashiers. There's a reason for that, but it's really not anything sinister: Trader Joe's makes a point of hiring friendly, outgoing people. Reasoning that it's easier to train someone with good people-pleasing fundamentals, Trader Joe's interview process screens for affability, asking applicants about their favorite color or sense of adventure to get a feel for their personality.

It helps that Trader Joe's is also a pretty good place to work. Employees are paid more than at other grocery chains, and receive health benefits as well as 401(k) contributions. It is by no means perfect — the working experience will differ depending on your manager, and Trader Joe's has received flak for its aggressive anti-union activity — but if you have a choice between working at Trader Joe's and working at Walmart, the biggest grocery store in America also reputed for its anti-union practices, you'd probably rather work at TJ's. And hey, you even get to ring a little bell from time to time.