We all have rotten days. Yesterday was one of mine. Or at least, a day where things didn’t come together well, posed more problems than it solved, and just left me with a sad, crummy feeling.
And I needed to go to Trader Joe’s.
So, I tucked my feelings under my hat and went.
Walking around hunting and gathering for my dinner, I smiled at other shoppers and TJ’s staffers. I was OK. But as I walked to check out, I got sad again. Of course, that’s not too weird – feeling better walking around TJ’s, and getting sad as I’m leaving!
The checker Shaun greeted me with, “How ya doing?!” I said, sluggishly, “OK.” He said, “Just OK?” “Yeah,” I said. We continued chatting a bit. He loaded my bag and put it in the cart.
As we waited for my chipped card to finish processing, Shaun asked, “Do you like chocolate? Do you like dried fruit?” I said yes.
He walked to the product pylon by the check out lane, picked up a container of chocolate-covered dried fruit, put it on top of my bag and said, “I hope you have a good evening!”
I was blown away. And this isn’t the only time I’ve encountered amazingly kind behavior at Trader Joe’s. The store’s feel-good culture is an example for us all in how to care and treat each other. Just a little kindness goes such a long way. Thank you, Shaun! And thank you, Trader Joe’s.

This container holds a world of kindness
Once when unloading my groceries, my wine bag fell out and broke four bottles of wine. I’m retired, and that’s a big expense for me, even though wine is cheap at Trader Joes. The next week, I was telling them my story, and they replaced all four bottles. It wasn’t even a product issue. I love TJs.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Sandy. I love that story!
Me too, Judy. I started shopping TJs in New Mexico, then moved back to Houston where there weren’t any TJs. So sad. Less than a month later, one opened up a mile from me. Now my friend Alicia and I go there every Sunday to shop, then have our wine and dine with our purchases. And – two months ago, I won the weekly drawing for a bag of groceries. Definitely my happy place.
That’s fantastic, Sandy! Congrats on winning the weekly drawing – and for scoring a TJ’s in Houston! Continued happy shopping! 🙂