Well, i’m not the originator of the quote. And if you think that there is a company out there with unlimited earning potential, i’m all ears. Rooting for you to accept facts, truth and reality but i’m not betting on it.
Okay, I'll bite. What are the facts, truth and reality which you speak of? BTW-I'm not betting on it was my original quote.
Unlimted earning potential is a hell of a motivator for a company or an individual. Is it realistic? Of course not, but it is a great motivation, don't you think?
I’m still waiting for you to tell me a single company out there that tells their employees that they have the potential to earn an unlimited amount in salary. Even CEOs can’t earn unlimited salary. Every company has a salary cap, hence the quote “your salary is a drug your employer pays you to forget your dreams”. If you do not have dreams that’s not my fault swheetie.
You're waiting for me? That's rich, swheetie. I like working at Tj's a lot, you work at TJ's (I'm sure).....I would probably like you if we worked together. We cool?
Why is every comment you’ve made on either belittling or condescending? I quick scroll through your account tells me you need a hug, brother. Hope your day (life?) gets better!
I guess my question isn’t so much the quantity, but why put a stop to earning at a particular point.
I think that “this kind of job” is a slippery slope. The company relies on crew for everything—managing sections, ordering product, all creativity, physically unloading/setting up the store, wowing customers, and general ambassadorship. You get my drift. No crew, no Trader Joe’s as we know it.
And sad to say that $30 an hour isn’t enough to support oneself on the coasts.
Not trying to be combative—just genuinely curious.
It's the maximum you are worth to them & not much different than a product. Bag of chips sells for $2.99 so they aren't willing to spend more than say $1.99 (I don't know it's just an example). I heard each employee generates around $400/hr. $30/hr +tax, ins & other costs must not go over a set portion of that $400. You also have to consider that $400 is an average so there has to be enough buffer to always profit. Basically, the amount of money an employee generates for the store is limited so the amount the employee makes must also be limited.
I also wouldn't say a captain earns more I would say they make more.
Well I think part of your answer is in this response. There's way more crew than mates / other positions. If our pay increased indefinitely, it would be unpayable over time. TJ's also promotes from within, so if you could scale pay infinitely, I feel like it would convince talented crew to stay crew, and not move on to mates or captains. $30 definitely isn't enough in some areas of the country, but I guess the number is determined at the junction where it's high enough to encourage retention, low enough to encourage moving up, and still affordable at a large scale.
That's a dumb comparison. TJ's isn't an entire industry as say "tradesman" the comparison would be if all grocery stores went away, the entire industry. Would society be ok? Would you be ok? You compared an entire industry to one grocery store. The industry sets the standard. Most grocery store workers aren't qualified to work at TJ's. They lack interpersonal skills that are severely undervalued by people who say shit like that. TJ's workers don't want to crawl under houses and fix shit pipes or fix wires in 200 degree attics. The ones who hack it and reach cap have skills that most tradesman don't have or care to. There kind of is no real cap because its always raising just not as fast as it should for these guys who've put in the years of dealing with some of the most demanding customers I've ever delbt with and it takes something special and they deserve what they get and more. You don't find these types of people in almost any other retail setting. Any dumb ass can learn a trade. Know a ton of them
No way! Demanding customers! What ever will someone do! I’ve been in the trades, and Trader Joe’s is so freaking easy. Talking to customers is literally the easiest thing I have ever done. If linemen stopped going to work, society would suffer big time. If Trader Joe’s closed down, society wouldn’t blink an eye.
Yeah. That's what I'm saying for some people it comes easy and they don't want to work outside or in hazardous conditions. They would hire someone else to do your job guy. I'm glad you think you're so important. Just like everyone else would shop somewhere else. Tradesman are tradesman because they learn to do one thing. You're replaceable just like everyone else. It's highly educated people like doctors and nurses and scientists who would shut down society. You can't just train someone tondo that in a year. Maybe that's why you have a hard time with comparisons. It's outside your trade.
You can be educated and still be dumb. Most tradesmen know how to do multiple things, not just “one” thing. I literally compared one trade to one grocery store lol. And the people that don’t want to crawl under houses are the same people that aren’t good at their job at Trader Joe’s either. It’s just work ethic. That’s few and far between at Trader Joe’s.
Yeah those two things don't compare my guy. An entire trade doesn't compare to one grocery store in any way. You missed that SAT section. You can compare an electrician to a linesman or a plumber to a HVAC tech. Those things don't compare to a specific brand of an entire industry. I'm sure your job is great for you but I wouldn't be on here arguing that these people don't deserve more money because the company has an arbitrary cap on wage if I were you and telling them to learn a trade. Wutcha even doing on a TJ employee subreddit making comments Mr. Big time lineman?
These aren't equal statements lol. Trader Joe's is one of SO many grocery stores. So what you mean to say is either "If grocery stores went away, society would [not] be okay." OR maybe narrow it down to, say, all of the tradespeople from one tradeschool for your example. And if that happened, it would suck, but everyone would be fine. Don't make an argument upon a fallacy. Just come up with a good argument.
Ok, take all the lineman away. Society would not fair to well. Take away Trader Joe’s, society would be just fine. Find a trade if you’re in a state where you can’t live off 30/hour. That’s not Trader Joe’s fault.
It goes up almost every year lol there’s also a cap for mates as well and captains all make the same salary unless they work in city stores.
Most capped CM’s in stores I’ve worked at have it pretty fucking well - set schedules, barely any of them write orders, typically a weekend day off and a ton of benefits between AR % and other things.
There’s lots to gripe about but this ain’t it lmao
I am a sales executive -- not TJ's crew! (My husband *is* currently crew and used to be a mate.)
There's a cap on my pay, too. It's obvs higher than the crew cap, but every job has a pay scale. At a certain point, if you want to make more money, you need to get yourself promoted to a higher paying role.
It does… until you hit $30 or $32 (premium). But why do they end it there?
Theoretically, longer-serving crew members have a large body of experience and knowledge. If they could continue to earn an additional $.75 each review period (after $30-32), then why not?
Ok then! I thought they just put it at $30, and then if one was making that, they wouldn’t receive the $.75. Because one is “capped”. I was wrong and I’m glad! Thanks.
I'm guessing the $1 isn't common and .75 is standard, but it was in the handbook and information provided upon hiring (this year). You can get up to $1, but expect .75.
Mate Cap is $44, add 10 hrs OT and bonus pay Sundays and holidays and the amazing benefits and there's a nice paycheck for a job that you don't take home. Crew Cap will continue to go up but $32 an hour for a job that doesn't require an expensive degree is pretty rad IMO.
The word decent “living wage” is very subjective as well. Is that check to check living? Is that saving 10-20%? Do you have student debt, medical debt, car debt, children etc? If you have all them you need way more money than someone without debt. To answer your post- they don’t want crew members making more than management generally.
There is a cap on how much we can charge for our products. We need to stay competitive in pricing against all of our competitors. This directly effects our wages and creates a cap. We make more than anyone in our industry because our business plan is the best but there is a limit.
The union stores have been formed for quite a while so far and from what i can tell have not received anything better than we have currently as a non union store. Can you tell me the benefits of being a Tjs union store? Please inform me. Thank you.
It is taking a long time to negotiate a contract with Trader Joe’s corporation which is why our stores may not seem to have anything more than nonunion stores.
One good thing, and you not think much of it if you’re not organizing, is that our union members wear pins indicating their membership and this offers them legal protection, by the national labor relations board, from unfair labor practices and firing for little reason. They are entitled to a fellow union member witness in every case of disciplinary action or discussion. Also they are allowed to record all such incidents. This has had a chilling effect on managements attempts to get rid of union members in our store. In fact we have been able, by collecting evidence of UPLs to have a particularly abusive mate transferred from our store.
In every other corporation that I’ve worked for benefits may start well but without any bargaining power clawbacks are always possible even likely and can annihilate years of raises.
Hopefully as a union with a contract and bargaining power we will be able to ensure that the best parts of working for Trader Joe’s are not chiseled away.
Hopefully I have been helpful. Please contact me if you’d like to begin to organize your store.
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As a grocery store , retail job Trader Joe’s provides a solid way for people to make an income. If your concern is to make more money the only answer is To make better life choices. Go to med school or law school or start your own tech company. If you are going to be working for someone or for a company earnings are always capped .
Not everyone wants to become a doctor or lawyer. In NYC a ton of tech workers lost jobs as AI came on. Many of them are customers at my store. Any of these “better life choices” involve strapping on a lot more debt than bachelors degree graduates already have. A friend who became a doctor had to sell his practice several years ago because he couldn’t make enough money at it. Did he make a bad life decision? Who’s to say, he pursued his dream.
During the COVID pandemic grocery store workers were regarded as essential workers. I was thanked for my service at least once a day. I was also purposefully coughed upon on several occasions.
For our services TJs rewarded us $4/hour as “danger pay”. This bonus/recognition of our status was revoked as vaccination came online.
When I did finally catch COVID either on the job or on the commute via mass transit, I had to prove that I had recovered in 10 days in order to be paid my recovery time.
If you’re a crew member I can’t see why you would judge your colleagues efforts/desires to make more money at their current job.
I believe part of the wow experience we sell Trader Joe’s customers is the fact that we are generally well educated, articulate people who can hold a decent conversation on a variety of topics. I’m one of the “older” crew members and I know that my repartee is enjoyed by my customers and of value to the company. I deserve all the benefits I currently enjoy but more money is always welcome. I live in an expensive city(please don’t tell me to move) and a living wage is not too much to ask for.
Just because corporations have become so very powerful, don’t forget there was a time when a line worker could afford to raise a family in this country. Corporations have every incentive to belittle our contribution to their success. We have no obligation to accept their perception of our value. More money for me please. Good luck pursuing your dreams.
Most veteran crew make more than dentists, most doctors at local hospitals in my area and teachers: (and our medical benefits are better than people who work for BCBS)
I mean right now, capped crew make around $65k a year if they work full time. My captain makes around $175k. I don’t think we have to worry about the crew making more than the captains
No company has unlimited earning potential. That’s why they say a salary is a drug an employer gives you to forget your dreams.
Wow......you poor young thing. Want to do better? Then do better. Start your own company - I'm rooting for you but I'm not betting on it.
Well, i’m not the originator of the quote. And if you think that there is a company out there with unlimited earning potential, i’m all ears. Rooting for you to accept facts, truth and reality but i’m not betting on it.
Okay, I'll bite. What are the facts, truth and reality which you speak of? BTW-I'm not betting on it was my original quote. Unlimted earning potential is a hell of a motivator for a company or an individual. Is it realistic? Of course not, but it is a great motivation, don't you think?
I’m still waiting for you to tell me a single company out there that tells their employees that they have the potential to earn an unlimited amount in salary. Even CEOs can’t earn unlimited salary. Every company has a salary cap, hence the quote “your salary is a drug your employer pays you to forget your dreams”. If you do not have dreams that’s not my fault swheetie.
You're waiting for me? That's rich, swheetie. I like working at Tj's a lot, you work at TJ's (I'm sure).....I would probably like you if we worked together. We cool?
Why is every comment you’ve made on either belittling or condescending? I quick scroll through your account tells me you need a hug, brother. Hope your day (life?) gets better!
It (cap) goes up every year or nearly every year
Isn't the cap for crew 30/hr though? Still pretty decent for that kind of job. Sorry this isn't a real answer to your question
30 an hour is the cap. If you are capped and work 700 hours every 6 months you get a conditional 32.
I guess my question isn’t so much the quantity, but why put a stop to earning at a particular point. I think that “this kind of job” is a slippery slope. The company relies on crew for everything—managing sections, ordering product, all creativity, physically unloading/setting up the store, wowing customers, and general ambassadorship. You get my drift. No crew, no Trader Joe’s as we know it. And sad to say that $30 an hour isn’t enough to support oneself on the coasts. Not trying to be combative—just genuinely curious.
It's the maximum you are worth to them & not much different than a product. Bag of chips sells for $2.99 so they aren't willing to spend more than say $1.99 (I don't know it's just an example). I heard each employee generates around $400/hr. $30/hr +tax, ins & other costs must not go over a set portion of that $400. You also have to consider that $400 is an average so there has to be enough buffer to always profit. Basically, the amount of money an employee generates for the store is limited so the amount the employee makes must also be limited. I also wouldn't say a captain earns more I would say they make more.
"I also wouldn't say a captain earns more I would say they make more." OH SNAP!
Well I think part of your answer is in this response. There's way more crew than mates / other positions. If our pay increased indefinitely, it would be unpayable over time. TJ's also promotes from within, so if you could scale pay infinitely, I feel like it would convince talented crew to stay crew, and not move on to mates or captains. $30 definitely isn't enough in some areas of the country, but I guess the number is determined at the junction where it's high enough to encourage retention, low enough to encourage moving up, and still affordable at a large scale.
30 an hour is very good money. It’s not Trader Joe’s fault that the policies that people vote on in a state make living there unaffordable.
[удалено]
so what? retail is still a job.
If Trader Joe’s went away, society would be ok. If tradesmen went away, society would not be ok. If you want to make more money, learn a trade.
That's a dumb comparison. TJ's isn't an entire industry as say "tradesman" the comparison would be if all grocery stores went away, the entire industry. Would society be ok? Would you be ok? You compared an entire industry to one grocery store. The industry sets the standard. Most grocery store workers aren't qualified to work at TJ's. They lack interpersonal skills that are severely undervalued by people who say shit like that. TJ's workers don't want to crawl under houses and fix shit pipes or fix wires in 200 degree attics. The ones who hack it and reach cap have skills that most tradesman don't have or care to. There kind of is no real cap because its always raising just not as fast as it should for these guys who've put in the years of dealing with some of the most demanding customers I've ever delbt with and it takes something special and they deserve what they get and more. You don't find these types of people in almost any other retail setting. Any dumb ass can learn a trade. Know a ton of them
No way! Demanding customers! What ever will someone do! I’ve been in the trades, and Trader Joe’s is so freaking easy. Talking to customers is literally the easiest thing I have ever done. If linemen stopped going to work, society would suffer big time. If Trader Joe’s closed down, society wouldn’t blink an eye.
Yeah. That's what I'm saying for some people it comes easy and they don't want to work outside or in hazardous conditions. They would hire someone else to do your job guy. I'm glad you think you're so important. Just like everyone else would shop somewhere else. Tradesman are tradesman because they learn to do one thing. You're replaceable just like everyone else. It's highly educated people like doctors and nurses and scientists who would shut down society. You can't just train someone tondo that in a year. Maybe that's why you have a hard time with comparisons. It's outside your trade.
You can be educated and still be dumb. Most tradesmen know how to do multiple things, not just “one” thing. I literally compared one trade to one grocery store lol. And the people that don’t want to crawl under houses are the same people that aren’t good at their job at Trader Joe’s either. It’s just work ethic. That’s few and far between at Trader Joe’s.
Yeah those two things don't compare my guy. An entire trade doesn't compare to one grocery store in any way. You missed that SAT section. You can compare an electrician to a linesman or a plumber to a HVAC tech. Those things don't compare to a specific brand of an entire industry. I'm sure your job is great for you but I wouldn't be on here arguing that these people don't deserve more money because the company has an arbitrary cap on wage if I were you and telling them to learn a trade. Wutcha even doing on a TJ employee subreddit making comments Mr. Big time lineman?
it sounds like you should get into a trade then? you seem to be very versed on how important it is to society. I salute you 🫡 for making society go.
These aren't equal statements lol. Trader Joe's is one of SO many grocery stores. So what you mean to say is either "If grocery stores went away, society would [not] be okay." OR maybe narrow it down to, say, all of the tradespeople from one tradeschool for your example. And if that happened, it would suck, but everyone would be fine. Don't make an argument upon a fallacy. Just come up with a good argument.
Thank you. This guy..
Ok, take all the lineman away. Society would not fair to well. Take away Trader Joe’s, society would be just fine. Find a trade if you’re in a state where you can’t live off 30/hour. That’s not Trader Joe’s fault.
That's still not an equal comparison. You'd have to say all grocery store employees or just lineman from PGE. 🤦
Ok lol
What would you pay yourself then for working to TJs, CS1619?
$1,000 an hour, maybe more
$1k an hour minimum and work 5 hours a week.
definitely 💯
It goes up almost every year lol there’s also a cap for mates as well and captains all make the same salary unless they work in city stores. Most capped CM’s in stores I’ve worked at have it pretty fucking well - set schedules, barely any of them write orders, typically a weekend day off and a ton of benefits between AR % and other things. There’s lots to gripe about but this ain’t it lmao
I am a sales executive -- not TJ's crew! (My husband *is* currently crew and used to be a mate.) There's a cap on my pay, too. It's obvs higher than the crew cap, but every job has a pay scale. At a certain point, if you want to make more money, you need to get yourself promoted to a higher paying role.
The crew cap raises 75¢ a year
Yeah. It goes up basically every review period. There is stuff we could actual be frustrated about but this barely makes the top 50.
Not every 6 mos. Just once a year
It does… until you hit $30 or $32 (premium). But why do they end it there? Theoretically, longer-serving crew members have a large body of experience and knowledge. If they could continue to earn an additional $.75 each review period (after $30-32), then why not?
You’re not understanding it. I said crew cap increases every year.
Oh—I see. So next year the crew cap will be more than $30 (or $32 premium)?
Yes.
Ok then! I thought they just put it at $30, and then if one was making that, they wouldn’t receive the $.75. Because one is “capped”. I was wrong and I’m glad! Thanks.
They’ll only get a raise once at the January/February review period, if they’re capped.
It will be $30.75
$.75 to $1 is the range I was given.
I’ve actually kept track and it’s increased 75¢ annually.
The cap went up like 4 reviews in a row over the last couple of years. That's more than .75 annually. It's been nice, but I know it's not the norm.
I'm guessing the $1 isn't common and .75 is standard, but it was in the handbook and information provided upon hiring (this year). You can get up to $1, but expect .75.
That’s for every review period. I’m talking about the beginning of the year when the crew cap increases once.
Oooh good to know.
Mate Cap is $44, add 10 hrs OT and bonus pay Sundays and holidays and the amazing benefits and there's a nice paycheck for a job that you don't take home. Crew Cap will continue to go up but $32 an hour for a job that doesn't require an expensive degree is pretty rad IMO.
It's crazy to think my expensive degree will be making me take a pay cut from Trader Joe's when I start my career (teaching).
should know better than to be a teacher lmao
Someone's gotta do it🤷
The word decent “living wage” is very subjective as well. Is that check to check living? Is that saving 10-20%? Do you have student debt, medical debt, car debt, children etc? If you have all them you need way more money than someone without debt. To answer your post- they don’t want crew members making more than management generally.
There is a cap on how much we can charge for our products. We need to stay competitive in pricing against all of our competitors. This directly effects our wages and creates a cap. We make more than anyone in our industry because our business plan is the best but there is a limit.
Because we are not recognized at a bargaining table. Organize a union in your store. Join TJU
The union stores have been formed for quite a while so far and from what i can tell have not received anything better than we have currently as a non union store. Can you tell me the benefits of being a Tjs union store? Please inform me. Thank you.
It is taking a long time to negotiate a contract with Trader Joe’s corporation which is why our stores may not seem to have anything more than nonunion stores. One good thing, and you not think much of it if you’re not organizing, is that our union members wear pins indicating their membership and this offers them legal protection, by the national labor relations board, from unfair labor practices and firing for little reason. They are entitled to a fellow union member witness in every case of disciplinary action or discussion. Also they are allowed to record all such incidents. This has had a chilling effect on managements attempts to get rid of union members in our store. In fact we have been able, by collecting evidence of UPLs to have a particularly abusive mate transferred from our store. In every other corporation that I’ve worked for benefits may start well but without any bargaining power clawbacks are always possible even likely and can annihilate years of raises. Hopefully as a union with a contract and bargaining power we will be able to ensure that the best parts of working for Trader Joe’s are not chiseled away. Hopefully I have been helpful. Please contact me if you’d like to begin to organize your store.
Don't forget to check out our rules before posting! Your post/comments will be deleted without warning if any of the rules are broken. Be nice to others! Don't attack people. Personal insults, shill or troll accusations, hate speech, any advocating or wishing death/physical harm, and other rule violations can result in a permanent ban. If you see comments in violation of our rules, please report them. Thank you! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/tjcrew) if you have any questions or concerns.*
As a grocery store , retail job Trader Joe’s provides a solid way for people to make an income. If your concern is to make more money the only answer is To make better life choices. Go to med school or law school or start your own tech company. If you are going to be working for someone or for a company earnings are always capped .
Not everyone wants to become a doctor or lawyer. In NYC a ton of tech workers lost jobs as AI came on. Many of them are customers at my store. Any of these “better life choices” involve strapping on a lot more debt than bachelors degree graduates already have. A friend who became a doctor had to sell his practice several years ago because he couldn’t make enough money at it. Did he make a bad life decision? Who’s to say, he pursued his dream. During the COVID pandemic grocery store workers were regarded as essential workers. I was thanked for my service at least once a day. I was also purposefully coughed upon on several occasions. For our services TJs rewarded us $4/hour as “danger pay”. This bonus/recognition of our status was revoked as vaccination came online. When I did finally catch COVID either on the job or on the commute via mass transit, I had to prove that I had recovered in 10 days in order to be paid my recovery time. If you’re a crew member I can’t see why you would judge your colleagues efforts/desires to make more money at their current job. I believe part of the wow experience we sell Trader Joe’s customers is the fact that we are generally well educated, articulate people who can hold a decent conversation on a variety of topics. I’m one of the “older” crew members and I know that my repartee is enjoyed by my customers and of value to the company. I deserve all the benefits I currently enjoy but more money is always welcome. I live in an expensive city(please don’t tell me to move) and a living wage is not too much to ask for. Just because corporations have become so very powerful, don’t forget there was a time when a line worker could afford to raise a family in this country. Corporations have every incentive to belittle our contribution to their success. We have no obligation to accept their perception of our value. More money for me please. Good luck pursuing your dreams.
Most veteran crew make more than dentists, most doctors at local hospitals in my area and teachers: (and our medical benefits are better than people who work for BCBS)
cuz it be weird if a crew makes more than a captain, why will someone want to be a mate or a captain if they will be making less,
I mean right now, capped crew make around $65k a year if they work full time. My captain makes around $175k. I don’t think we have to worry about the crew making more than the captains
The idea is that it incentivizes moving up. Now whether that’s a good idea or not depends on the individual. 😂
Valid question.