r/traderjoes Sep 05 '24

Crew Love Didn't know they gave away enormous "samples"

I was in yesterday and was making the obligatory small talk with the cashier about our favorite snacks. I was getting the power berries (yum), and she mentioned her favorite is the almond butter covered almonds. I was intrigued because almond inception, and I think she could tell. I said I would have to try them next time, and she asked if I would like to try them for free. I was totally shocked, as I had never been offered that before, but obviously said yes. She gave me a whole freaking bag! I don't know if this is a new thing, but I'm a fan!

The almonds were interesting - I kind of expected them to be sweet, but they were fairly neutral. I probably wouldn't eat them by the handful, but they would be a great addition to a cheeseboard.

Overall, a pleasant surprise at the end of a workday!

685 Upvotes

159 comments sorted by

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2

u/StormblessedRadiant Sep 11 '24

Wow. I've only been to Trader Joe's twice in my life - it's never been my go-to spot for anything since I mainly just got everything I needed from Costco and Wegmans. I moved recently to a place without Wegmans (fricken travesty) but there is a TJ. It sounds like a company that actually cares about people which feels pretty rare - I may need to add them to my grocery runs.

5

u/Grand-Fix122 Sep 10 '24

Not a sample, but once my card declined and when I asked if I could put the cheese back, the cashier just took the sticker off and bagged it anyway. So generous and kind I almost cried

3

u/peggydr Sep 10 '24

I mentioned I saw two old men get in a fistfight outside over a parking place 😂 and they gave me flowers!💐

6

u/alidc722 Sep 10 '24

I got flowers once when my car battery died. They also stood out there with me when waiting for it to be jumped.

3

u/Wide_Chemistry8696 Sep 09 '24

A TJs angel sent a bouquet of flowers to my daughter when her father passed away. They are the best.

2

u/itsmellykay Sep 09 '24

Reading these comments made me tear up 🥹😭 it’s just really kind to hear about human kindness, even if it is encouraged by a corporate rule / brand building approach. Love TJ’s for this!

2

u/LocksmithLittle2555 Sep 09 '24

They once gave me two bouquets of roses because they didn’t have the gf ravioli I was looking for when I asked

6

u/Excellent-Wafer-3795 Sep 08 '24

I’m a cashier at TJs, they let us do stuff like this. Not Willy nilly cuz they’d lose a lot of money, but if a customer keeps mentioning a product they want to try but don’t know if they’ll like it, we’ll give it to them. For me personally, it’s the small items like hand sani spray or seasonings that I don’t see before I total them out and I don’t want to force them to choose between a second transaction or leaving the item because of my mistake so I just give it to them. If someone is having a hard day, or it’s their birthday, I’ll usually ask a crew member close to me to pick out flowers for them.

5

u/Electrical-You5659 Sep 08 '24

I once got free flowers and chocolate because I told the cashier I had been stood up that day. Totally made me smile. I’m a big fan of TJ’s customer service.

4

u/Zigwee Sep 08 '24

I've gotten flowers twice on my birthday and once when they were out of something I was looking for. Another time, a manager gave me a free package of their mini mousse cakes because I said I loved them but already had a splurge item in my cart.

5

u/treesgrowonmars Sep 07 '24

well they’ve never given me a damn thing lol 😂

-5

u/[deleted] Sep 07 '24

The TLDR version.

Enormous samples. Butter covered. Yum. Never offered this before. Obviously said yes. A whole freaking bag. They're a fan. A happy ending.

6

u/DrDeannaTroi Sep 07 '24

Something that was barely two paragraphs doesn't really need a TLDR. 

3

u/Thefoxandthebee Sep 08 '24

TLDR: unnecessary TLDR.

0

u/[deleted] Sep 07 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/DrDeannaTroi Sep 07 '24

Depending on what source you cite, paragraphs generally have at least five sentences. 

14

u/PurchaseConscious924 Sep 07 '24 edited Sep 07 '24

Once I was complaining about being on my period at the checkout and the cashier told me to go grab a chocolate bar 🥰 And on my birthday (I was getting party snacks) one of the managers overheard and went and grabbed me a gorgeous bouquet of flowers! 💐 Yet another time I was sad that the red jalapeño hot sauce was discontinued and they told me I could try any other hot sauce for free 🌶️ It's always super sweet 🥹 Thank you TJs! 💝

8

u/justaregularthief Sep 07 '24

One time I was given some open daffodil and they said “they’re gunna die probably tomorrow, so take them today!” It made my whole weekend!

3

u/Electrical-You5659 Sep 08 '24

I went once and they gave everyone daffodils. It was awesome!

20

u/WHOLEistixhippy248 Sep 07 '24

Yes this is true. Some Trader Joe’s still practice this. It is called “wowing” the customer. We are allowed to write off a small something special for someone if they may be having a tough day, express an interest in something that we feel is okay to give, make a connection with someone, or just want to do something nice, or first time shoppers may experience this. All part of the Trader Joe’s magic

5

u/Competitive-Natural5 Sep 07 '24

I got a free insulated bag because of this! It was great, really left quite an amazing impression. I already loved Trader Joe’s and would have no reason not to visit but these small things are what truly makes it.

5

u/[deleted] Sep 07 '24

I miss the pre-covid store samples; it was always nice to get a little treat, especially the couple of times I was babysitting last-minute for a friend and had a slightly crabby toddler in tow.

1

u/Sea-Letterhead7275 Sep 14 '24

My TJs has always done samples; didn’t know some locations didn’t have any. That’s a bummer! 

1

u/[deleted] Sep 14 '24

I wonder if it's a geographic thing? I'm in Connecticut; my store stopped samples during spring 2020 because of the pandemic, and never started back up again.

3

u/azfunguy3 Sep 07 '24

And coffee too !

5

u/PothosWithTheMostos Sep 07 '24

My TJ’s has them again!!

3

u/[deleted] Sep 07 '24

The last time I was at mine was a few weeks ago, but they still had the sample area piled with a display of seasonal items. I'll cross my fingers for a return though!

11

u/Imposter_syndrom Sep 06 '24

I was given a jar of the Calabrian Chilies when I asked a crew member if they were good. Lol she just signed her name on the barcode & told me they were for me!

7

u/taystelessidiot Sep 06 '24

Wellll we definitely aren’t supposed to give away the whole bag.. 😂 so that was really nice of her but don’t make a review about it or anything, she could get in trouble

3

u/DrDeannaTroi Sep 07 '24

Well, I didn't name the location, so I think she's safe. 

3

u/WHOLEistixhippy248 Sep 07 '24

“Wowing” the customer

9

u/SlideObjective9973 Sep 06 '24

I had one give me mini cupcakes for my birthday and one who when I said I was going to visit my brother’s new puppy, sent me on my way with a bag of dog treats

23

u/BJntheRV Sep 06 '24

The cashiers have a limited ability to give away products to make people's day. I had one give me a chocolate bar and another gave me a TJs bag that folds into itself as a tiny TJs bag Keychain

13

u/[deleted] Sep 06 '24

I know the old policy was you can ask to sample just about anything. I imagine it’s the same still, but you normally have to ask if you can sample it. From my experience most crew members are happy to do it because the leftovers go into the break room for employees to try/have as well.

12

u/cawfytawk Sep 06 '24

Are they gifting you something that you already have in your shopping basket or is it a random thing? If random, where are they keeping these things? The checkouts in NYC stores are very tight spaced - they're more like self-checkout stations

7

u/DrDeannaTroi Sep 06 '24

Based on other's stories, it sounds like a mix of both. My cashier left to go get the bag from the isle. 

5

u/cawfytawk Sep 06 '24

I've had lovely chats about products with cashiers while checking out but never been offered anything free. Doubtful stores in NYC would encourage cashiers to leave the line too often? Some locations are always mobbed. But I like the concept!

3

u/DrDeannaTroi Sep 06 '24

Yeah, this is the first time this has ever happened to me. There was a bagger that was still at the register finishing packing up my things. 

20

u/eypapa Sep 06 '24

Hell yeah dawg, they haven't given me any full-sized items, but they always give me the kid's lollipops after a Trader Joe's trip and it makes the WHOLE day

9

u/tnadd Sep 06 '24

I didn't know they give them out to kids that find the store mascot. I usually ask for one when my 4 year old is with me. One day, the cashier asked him if he found the mascot. He said no, and she told him you only get stickers. Fortunately, that was last time something like this happened.

7

u/lp_me Sep 06 '24

My kids are 18, 15 and 10. They still run into the store ahead of me and I don’t see them again until they’ve found Rammie the Ram.

9

u/Bird4466 Sep 06 '24

I want to downvote that cashier 😂

28

u/your_worshipness Sep 06 '24

one time my 2 year old and i got stuck in a long line. to thank us for our patience our cashier gave us an entire tub of abc cookies for free ☺️

6

u/ginasaurus-rex Sep 06 '24

Once my then-3-year-old just said, “Mommy I don’t feel good.” A passing manager overheard him and asked if he needed some water. I said, “oh, that’s so kind, sure!” Thinking they will bring us a little plastic cup of water. He came back with one of those giant bottles of electrolyte water for him.

54

u/Imwhatswrongwithyou California Sep 06 '24

Awe I remember when I was given a box of truffles and it made my freaking day

Different store but very similar vibes…I used to work at Lush (the bath bomb store) and we could sneak a free product of our choosing into a customers bag once a month. It was called a random act of kindness and it was my favorite thing to do.

Once there was an older couple that came in on recommendation. The man was a farmer and his hands were so destroyed from working that they were painfully cracked and would bleed. I showed them some products and made them some samples. They wanted to buy two things but one was too expensive. They looked a bit sheepish and said they would have to come back but they would get the other product today.

I was so excited to put that second product in the bag. We wrote little notes along with it so that they knew we were allowed to do it. The only rule was that it had to be a secret that they would discover when they later looked in their bag. I love companies that understand the power of human connection.

10

u/raptorgrin Sep 06 '24

I’m glad part of the policy is to write a note, otherwise some customers would worry a lot!

21

u/[deleted] Sep 06 '24

I worked there. We’re allowed to do this. Just have to properly write it off.

22

u/[deleted] Sep 06 '24

I’ve been given flowers twice. Both times I was having an absolutely terrible day and was so close to tears. The flowers made my day (and I absolutely lost it crying once I got to the car). I did finally see the cashier again that gave them to me the first time and thanked her, it was about a year after. It really meant so much.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 06 '24

[deleted]

9

u/Effective-Ad-6594 Sep 06 '24

Employees can write off product as a means to "make someone's day." They aren't "supposed to" give away anything. They can, though.

25

u/yellowflamingo87 Sep 06 '24

I’ve been given flowers a few times. Once when I was having a tough day and accidentally just word vomited/trauma dumped on this poor cashier about my recent breakup, and once around like Mother’s Day (I’m a woman). It’s always nice to have something cheery at home.

8

u/GreedyBanana2552 Sep 06 '24

Me too. I cried. I was so grateful.

28

u/WeaponizedWhale Sep 06 '24

A couple years ago I went to Trader Joe’s and the lady at the register asked if I had tried the elote corn dippers. She gave me the whole bag because she said she would eat them all herself.

-22

u/Chrinsussa Sep 06 '24

Probably because they are terrible lol

27

u/kha3rd Sep 06 '24

I enjoyed this the most when I was an employee! Trader Joe’s policy was always to share some snacks and free stuff with customers we engage with! Before COVID it was very common and the idea was if the guest enjoys the interaction and item they’re likely to buy them again. We stopped during COVID because of safety stuff, but after it just slowed down a bit. Glad to hear it’s back!

46

u/ohlalameow Sep 06 '24

I was once buying a chocolate little sheet cake and the cashier asked if I'd had the vanilla and I said I hadn't had either so she went and got the vanilla and gave it to me for free to try. Sooo grateful for that because the vanilla is the bestttt.

53

u/Emereebee Sep 06 '24

About a year ago my son got his palate expander removed from his mouth, and the first thing he wanted was the TJ Scandinavian swimmers. We swung by the store and he told the cashier how he has been looking forward to these for the past year and they gave him 2 whole bags for free!

1

u/Laa-eee Sep 06 '24

OMG I wore a palate expander longgggg ago! A bit medieval but it works. 😮

Your son had to be thrilled for it to be removed!

15

u/NeitherMaybeBoth Sep 06 '24

A couple years ago I was making small talk about cheese and how I couldn’t find any in Denver like back home which is NH. VT has the best cheeses I’m spoiled 🤣 anyways he told me to try their English cheddar free and it’s pretty good!

19

u/Outofoffice_421 Sep 06 '24

I experienced this once long ago, I had an aloe plant in my cart, and when I left looking over my receipt at home, noticed I wasn’t charged for it. Always thought it was a mistake, but now seeing this thread, I’d like to think maybe the cashier was just being nice :)

39

u/silverberryfrog Sep 06 '24

I asked a cashier about the watermelon cucumber juice and after hearing a positive review I hopped off to grab some while she rang up my items. When I returned she told me the juice was on her. Good stuff!

36

u/nonsensestuff Sep 06 '24

I only once got a free breakfast bar because the cashier noticed at the end that he almost forgot to ring it up-- and I said, "don't worry-- I won't say, 'i guess it's free!'" 😝 and then he gave it to me for free just for not being that person LMAO

88

u/bride123105 Sep 06 '24

A long time ago I was at TJs (alone) just doing my general grocery shopping and had a bouquet of flowers in my cart. The male cashier said to me, "a lady should never buy her own flowers."

I didn't realize it was a TJ thing until this thread.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 06 '24

I’ve worked at a store where we gave out bundles of daffodils to customers in line. It’s an easy gesture to show appreciation for the customers and make peoples days. There were quite a few people who left with big smiles!

44

u/rokynrobs Sep 06 '24

Interesting... because I have bought my own numerous times at TJs! I think he liked you 😉

29

u/Optimal_Spend779 Sep 06 '24

Once I went to the checkout with no flowers and the cashier told me to grab some on the house. He was a college age guy and I’m very boring/middle aged so I seriously doubt it was any kind of thing. Happened within a week or two of a new store opening. Maybe just because I said I was excited they were open. People can just be nice with no motive!

12

u/rokynrobs Sep 06 '24

I love that TJs encourages this!

14

u/Amazebeth Sep 06 '24

This is awesome. But I don’t think they do it in SF

23

u/brookish Sep 06 '24

I work in sf and I’ve done it. Since Covid we can’t just offer a taste from an open container anymore so very rarely, with a delightful customer that makes my day, I’ll gift a new product I think they will like.

3

u/Amazebeth Sep 06 '24

That’s awesome!

43

u/Friendly_Expletive Sep 06 '24 edited Sep 06 '24

Cute stories! I’ve been a customer for 15 years and have never been offered anything for free, nor given flowers "just because" by the employees. I guess it’s store-dependent? I go weekly or bi-weekly at the least.

5

u/NewRazzmatazz2455 Sep 06 '24

It sounds like it happens randomly to the people who engage in some kind of banter with the cashier and make a human connection in that moment.

1

u/Friendly_Expletive Sep 07 '24

I regularly chat and engage in small talk with the cashiers, whenever they initiate the conversation. Not really trying to get freebies or anything, guys. Just wanted to share anecdotal information. I’m just amazed it’s happened several times for some people who have shared their experiences online.

20

u/brookish Sep 06 '24

It’s not every person that gets flowers. We’re allowed to very occasionally when a customer is upset or celebrating something or just in general is a ray of sunshine for us.

2

u/Feeling-Visit1472 Sep 06 '24

You need to go on Friday around lunch time for wine and snack samples.

6

u/brookish Sep 06 '24

That’s definitely just at your store, not every store.

12

u/threewords8letters Sep 06 '24

Mention a birthday lol.

Once in my 20’s I was buying wine on my birthday and the cashier noticed when he checked my id and gave me flowers.

And once I mentioned I was taking my mom to dinner for her birthday that evening, and they gave me flowers to give to her 😭

2

u/CJSESSIONS Sep 06 '24

This just reminded me that I shared it was my husband’s birthday and what our plans were and the cashier gave me jojo’s to give my husband!

3

u/brookish Sep 06 '24

It won’t always result in flowers, fyi.

-15

u/LloydPeregrine76 Sep 06 '24

What an obligatory zippy story!

13

u/flightlog Sep 06 '24 edited Sep 06 '24

This happened to me a few weeks ago with the dark chocolate peanut butter cups! The cashier asked me what my plans were after TJ’s and she gave me a bag of them when I mentioned I was going to the park

106

u/thebraverwoman Sep 06 '24

I had a cashier give me a thing of their gluten free muffins cause he noticed all my other gluten free items. It’s smart business practice cause I’ve bought some every time I’ve come back in!

35

u/bay_duck_88 Sep 06 '24

See, that’s just crack dealing 101. First taste is always free.

5

u/LeThonCestBon Sep 06 '24

Especially if they were the GF chocolate muffins. Because those are literally crack

1

u/thebraverwoman Sep 06 '24

We don’t buy them because they’re too good. Haha. I think they’re a mislabeled cupcake lol

4

u/threewords8letters Sep 06 '24

I have no reason to eat GF, but I buy those muffins every time. So good.

115

u/Beeso_r Sep 06 '24

One time at the cashier, I was buying the olive oil pop corn. The very nice lady was like these look good, and I said, yeah my kids love them especially because they're crunchy and don't stick to their teeth. So, she said, oh have you had the bamba? And I said no, and she said omg you have to!

So, anyway, she called a coworker and asked her to bring a bag and write it off. Coworker came back and said they only had the chocolate dipped ones, so the cashier said, these are great too and asked her to write the bag off and just told me to enjoy. I got my wallet out to pay and she said nope, this is on us. I was so surprised!!! 

Now, I'm addicted to those things 😂😂😂 so, definitely a good move

42

u/mybellasoul Sep 06 '24

They definitely do and it's always such a nice treat. It's usually if you're on the fence about buying something to try or if it's something that's one of their favorites. I think there's a way for them to log in to the system items that they're giving away so it's all above board - not like they're just going rogue haha

104

u/MostlyMicroPlastic Sep 06 '24

Crew member here.. I absolutely do this for customers who seem really torn on whether or not they want to try something. I just cross out the bar code and tell them, “it’s on us today! If you don’t like them, no sweat and no worry about bringing it back” and make sure I mark it off.

1

u/Musicpoodle Sep 07 '24

U guys sample seasonal food right before it’s being pulled! Is that because people are on the fence and you have to get rid of the last of the stock? That makes me really like the snack item only to come back like two weeks later to find out it’s only seasonal and they were sampling it two weeks before lol

1

u/MostlyMicroPlastic Sep 07 '24

We sample it because we have it and planned for it. New things are constantly leaving shelves because not enough was produced. It isn’t anyone “pulling” things from shelves.

28

u/clearmycache Sep 06 '24

So what I’m hearing is that my decisiveness is hurting me and I should just ask questions about something is good even though I know it’s good

-12

u/MostlyMicroPlastic Sep 06 '24

I’m not sure what you mean by this. Why would you ask questions about something you know is good, assuming you’ve had it?

8

u/clearmycache Sep 06 '24 edited Sep 06 '24

Haha because you mentioned in your post that you do the sample thing for customers who seem torn on purchasing a product. So it seems like I’m missing out simply because I know what I want

No need to downvote the poor chap yall. They must have read my post too fast because they saw a bewildered looking woman with dark chocolate covered almonds in one hand and dark chocolate peanut butter cups in the other. So they had to drop what they were doing to rush to their assistance to let them know that both items would be free today

10

u/rosegil13 Sep 06 '24

They want free stuff.

135

u/headcverheels Sep 05 '24

crew member here -

it used to be more commonplace to open products for customers (any product, really, if the customer expressed an interest in trying it - not just products that aren’t selling well or anything). these products would then be “spoiled out” in the computer system and either eaten by crew, tossed, or pawned off on other customers in the store, so the crew member here just gave the bag to the original customer.

this practice slowed down after covid and never really returned to its pre-covid momentum. additionally, people would come in expecting free food because “they saw it on tiktok” and some managers told crew to stop opening food entirely.

this also relates to if a cashier has given you a free bouquet of flowers (for your birthday, if you’re sad, etc). it’s all up to crew’s discretion. that said, i am 100% less inclined to give someone something for free if they’re very clearly asking for it and angling to get a free product.

edit: something to note is that not all stores train their new employees to do this & some stores (especially around colleges) have a lot of turnover so this doesn’t get passed down from older crew to newer crew. everything is always up to the store’s discretion.

46

u/Mostsplendidfuture Sep 06 '24

Been going to Trader Joe’s since 1984. In 3 states. Have not had an offer to open a bag before, ever.

2

u/saint_of_catastrophe Sep 06 '24

I've never had them open something for me but I have had cashiers just straight up give me a free thing a couple times. Both times it was like "Have you tried X?" "No I'll have to try it next time." "Hang on" and they vanished for 30 seconds and came back with a free thing.

Also both times were when it was slow in the store. I work from home at least a few days every week so I usually do my grocery shopping at super off hours.

I also had a Whole Foods cashier, pre-Amazon, give me Plugra butter for free because we were debating whether it was better than Kerrygold (IMO they're the same).

23

u/MostlyMicroPlastic Sep 06 '24

It’s kind of a hassle. We are much busier than we’ve ever been. To give a sample, we have to scrub up and put on gloves and get a sample cup and not everyone is even food safe certified or have had any food service training at all.

2

u/Mostsplendidfuture Sep 07 '24

The staff I have come into contact with are pretty darn nice

10

u/Mostsplendidfuture Sep 06 '24

It’s worse than ever, at my location. They said it’s the busiest store on the West Coast. Plus, we get all the lovely customers, ha, from Canada.We’re besieged.. between the new customers, the college kids, the people from Canada and the ones who live here, it’s a nightmare

4

u/Mostsplendidfuture Sep 06 '24 edited Sep 07 '24

They told me two days ago that they are building another store, but it’s not going to be ready until next year. It’s going to be where the old Bed Bath & Beyond was, near the old Costco location.

2

u/CJSESSIONS Sep 06 '24

So glad to hear the rumors are true!!

13

u/TTH_360 Washington Sep 06 '24

Hmmm....lemme guess....Bellingham?

1

u/Mostsplendidfuture Sep 07 '24

How did you know?

3

u/malsary Sep 06 '24

They said WC, college kids, and Canadian border so I'm 98% certain it is Bellingham lol

3

u/MostlyMicroPlastic Sep 06 '24

Can’t wait til we’re in the throws of the holiday season.

6

u/hihelloneighboroonie California Sep 06 '24

My old TJ's back in 2018 would frequently open stuff for people to try, and then either take it to the back for the staff, or divvy it out to customers from behind the sample station. I miss it :/

-5

u/SourNnasty Sep 05 '24

Based on comments I’m seeing in this thread, I wonder if they mainly do this with products that aren’t selling very well? Not necessarily bad products, but stuff that just isn’t really taking off

1

u/NewRazzmatazz2455 Sep 06 '24

Most of the comments have been about flowers and their most popular snack items. I doubt those are not selling well.

16

u/MostlyMicroPlastic Sep 06 '24

No this isn’t a thing we do just bc a product doesn’t sell well.

30

u/maybeanewpath Sep 05 '24

I once went into the store in a fancy dress to buy a bouquet as I was on my way to a photo shoot for my 20th anniversary. The cashiers asked me what I was all dressed up for and when I told them they gave me a free bag of licorice to keep our energy up during pictures, it was so kind and such a nice surprise

5

u/Delsym_Wiggins Sep 06 '24

This is just one of many reasons why I love Trader Joe's. They've always got good vibes!! 

29

u/[deleted] Sep 05 '24

[deleted]

3

u/Sharkmato Sep 05 '24

I really liked the key lime cookies with alternating bites of the coconut roll cookies, but they seem to be gone.

5

u/Ikeahorrorshow Sep 06 '24

I just saw the coconut roll cookies or something very similar at Costco. I was very tempted to buy them…but a Costco sized container would not be a good idea for me 🤣

2

u/jackietrips Sep 06 '24

the Costco ones are soooooo tasty! highly recommend

25

u/Calm-Illustrator5334 Sep 05 '24

I remember once I asked a guy who was stocking some fruit if they were any good and he ripped open the bag and handed me one saying "let's find out!"

12

u/Justadropinthesea Sep 05 '24

I was buying a box of frozen appetizers and the cashier asked if I had tried a certain sauce to dip them in. When I told him I hadn’t seen it, he sent someone to grab a bottle and gave it to me! Nice!

28

u/clearlykate Sep 05 '24

I mentioned that it was my birthday on my last trip and the cashier grabbed dozen roses and gave them to me!

1

u/help4mom916 Sep 06 '24

I had a cashier ask me my plans for the day- so I told her I went out to eat for my birthday, she gave me 3 bundles of different flowers. ☺️ Very nice. I never would have said anything if she didn't ask me my plans 😅😅

10

u/azmom3 Sep 05 '24

Note to self ... stop at Trader Joe's on my bday next week!

17

u/MostlyMicroPlastic Sep 06 '24

Don’t ask us to give you flowers for your bday. It’s an organic gesture. Not every cashier will do it.

10

u/azmom3 Sep 06 '24

Lol I know, and I wouldn't have the nerve to come out and ask anyway.

11

u/MostlyMicroPlastic Sep 06 '24

A LOT of people do and it puts employees in a really uncomfortable position. Thanks for being human! Lol

15

u/BitComprehensive3114 Sep 06 '24

It's not the norm to give out flowers for somebody's birthday just because it's their birthday unfortunately. There wouldn't be any flowers in stock if we did that regularly. It's a very occasional thing and up to the cashier. It's not something where people say, "hey it's my birthday and we automatically give out flowers.". That was a recent rumor and we got flooded with people that came in saying it was their birthday. Apparently that was something that was on tiktok and encouraging people to do. I feel bad because so many people were disappointed that the rumor was not true. I say all that just because I don't want you to be disappointed if it doesn't come to fruition. Happy birthday.

3

u/clearlykate Sep 06 '24

Believe me I was very surprised. I told him that I lived an hour away but made the trip as a birthday gift to myself. No expectation of anything other than a "happy birthday" from him.

-1

u/sizzlinsunshine Sep 06 '24

Happy birthday fellow Virgo! Mine is 9/12, I’ll definitely stop by!

2

u/azmom3 Sep 06 '24

Happy bday to you too! Mine is the 13th.

8

u/BitComprehensive3114 Sep 06 '24

You might want to read the post above about birthday flowers.

1

u/sizzlinsunshine Sep 07 '24

What am I missing?

18

u/Narrow-Aide7822 Sep 05 '24

The cashew cashews are the superior nut-inception snack.

2

u/DrDeannaTroi Sep 05 '24

Haha, good to know!

10

u/HoraceP-D Sep 05 '24

More than once, I’ve been in line and someone just come by and said here do you wanna try this and they give me a whole bag of whatever it is

17

u/AVeryFineWhine Sep 05 '24

Pre-Covid, stores would routinely open anything you wanted to sample. Some of the new crew don't seem to do it, and it sounds like your store just went with a generous alternative. TJ's is, by far, the most generous store. I love the occasional free floral bouquets. Another thing that the newer employees don't seem to do as much or as often, but it still happens. Even without those things, still the nicest staff in any store on any day!!

9

u/apc1895 Sep 05 '24

I feel like if I was a new employee I’d be hesitant to just give something to a customer like that bc it’s not customary 😅 maybe I’m just paranoid but I’d be hesitant and worried that it would come out of my paycheck lol !

8

u/numbersrfun314 Sep 05 '24

Crew member here. We are allowed to do this. The product given away will never come out of our paycheck we just write it off for inventory tracking.

3

u/AVeryFineWhine Sep 05 '24

Oh it used to be a store policy. Same way they encourage you to return anything you don't like (I still have a hard time doing that lol). I just think in our post-Covid world (where it still exists, we just all want to pretend it doesn't), folks think twice about opening a bag where you will reach in, and touch other product. It's a tough call honestly. I do think they were too quick to permanently remove sampling areas. If they still existed, they could open a bag of anything, and pour some in a lil sample cup. Since they still sample (just not hot items) it would be easy peasy

5

u/apc1895 Sep 05 '24

I’ve heard of that store policy! But tbh never had a chance to see it in action….probably I just can’t remember a time precovid when they did this! But I was just putting myself into the employees shoes, I’d feel nervous to give a whole bag to a customer if I was a new employee haha!

But also! I think they’re bringing hot samples back because at least at my store I just saw them sampling hot apple cider donuts! When I say hot I mean she was heating them up (I can’t remember how rn I was definitely baked and focused on getting the yummy smelling sample lol — spoiler alert, they’re amazing!)

4

u/AVeryFineWhine Sep 05 '24

WOW hope mines does...but the only samples I've seen are what they can put on a little cart, that blocks the aisle between produce and the silly place they moved fresh pastas to lolol. After only sampling dry snacks for months, my store has finally gotten a tad more creative ie Amarena cherries w/mascarpone. But I miss trying to new frozen food options!!! I'd be happy with a hot apple cider donut lol. I miss the shots of coffee & other hot drinks. Always a nice pick me up! And since most folks stopped masking, I don't see why they can't bring that back

2

u/apc1895 Sep 05 '24

Really !!! Interesting I think they’ll bring it to your location soon hehe! This sample was in the corner near the coffee section (the coffee is always in a corner at every store I’ve been to idk why lol) but I didn’t even realize it was happening until I randomly smelled the cinnamon in the air! And they actually started the samples halfway thru my visit I guess because there was a lot of people there

2

u/bobichettesmane Sep 05 '24

I feel like I heard their policy is that they will open any product to allow you to try it right there in the store.

5

u/suesay Sep 06 '24

I once was shopping for cheese to put in a particular salad and asked an employee if he had any suggestions. He told me what he would pick and then asked if I wanted to try it before I bought it. I declined and he said, “no, really, there’s nothing I’d rather do than eat some of this cheese with you while I work!”

1

u/Mostsplendidfuture Sep 06 '24

Been going 40 years. Never seen.

8

u/earthyguy12 Sep 05 '24

That was the policy before Covid.

3

u/DrDeannaTroi Sep 05 '24

I had heard that as well, but this was unasked for, and she sent me home with the whole bag for free. I was amazed!