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Trader Joe’s has shut down a long-running rumor that its employees are trained to flirt with customers while working the checkout line.
“Definitively, no,” Bryan Palbaum, CEO of the California-based grocery store chain, said on the Trader Joe’s podcast in 2023.
Still, the rumor persists — and not entirely without reason, according to some.
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“I think we just have such a unique environment in our stores,” Palbaum said.
“I could see how that might be misinterpreted.”
Trader Joe’s employees have been shutting down rumors that they are trained to flirt with customers. (Jeff Greenberg/Getty Images)
The “neighborhood store” is known for hiring outgoing employees, according to multiple reports about the company’s workplace culture.
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The Trader Joe’s website states that its crew members are “helpful [and] friendly” — and take care in “creating a store environment that imparts adventure, humor and a warm sense of community.”
What may seem to be flirtatious interaction at Trader Joe’s is actually just employees “creating a store environment that imparts adventure, humor and a warm sense of community,” according to the company. (Ryan Murphy/Getty Images)
Less than a year ago, a Reddit forum addressing the Trader Joe’s “flirting trope” received substantial feedback from self-identified employees who shut down the rumor.
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“I think it’s just the energy of our workplace and the general vibe of how people are trained on register,” wrote one Redditor.
“Be friendly, talk about something, ask them how they are … it can be seen as flirtatious for a checkout interaction, but totally normal at Trader Joe’s.”
“Ninety-eight percent of the time, no — but there is that 2% when I actually am flirting.”
“So many customers mistake our kindness for flirtation,” commented another. “When I’m on [the] register, I definitely feel out the vibe to see if I’ve got a more quiet customer. But if they’re engaging back, I enjoy the genuine conversation.”
Others took to the message board to lament what the rumor implies about the decline of society.
Trader Joe’s employees have been vocal online about their interactions with customers. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
“A lot of people confuse our sometimes over-the-top friendliness for flirting,” wrote one person.
“Which, in my mind, just shows you how much the world in general lacks common courtesy and a friendly conversation to the point where we think, ‘this person is nice to me, they’re flirting with me.'”
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“It kinda makes me sad that customers aren’t used to strangers being kind to them, so they take it as flirtation,” chimed in another user.
“If more people in this world were kind, maybe this trope wouldn’t be a thing!”
Some Trader Joe’s employees say it’s sad that people misinterpret their friendliness as flirting. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Still, there’s always a chance for chemistry beyond the Steamed Pork & Ginger Soup Dumplings.
“Ninety-eight percent of the time, no, but there is that 2% when I actually am flirting,” another Reddit user posted.
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When contacted for comment, a Trader Joe’s representative referred Digital to Palbaum’s podcast remarks.
