This Grocery Store Beat Costco & Wegmans for the #1 Spot on the 2019 Best Employer List

The results are in! Forbes just released its annual report ranking the best companies to work for in 2019. In the anonymous survey of 50,000 working Americans, a grocery store topped the list. The winner is Trader Joe’s, known for its delicious frozen foods, small market charm and high-quality curated products.

Here’s why employees love to work there, and why you’ll love shopping there (if you’re not already a loyal customer).

Great Wages and Benefits

Many grocery stores start their employees at the minimum wage rate set by the law. But Trader Joe’s takes a different approach. They determine their starting hourly rates by taking a look at the local competition, setting their own wages accordingly. If they stay long enough, part-time crew members can earn up to $24.75 an hour! They also enjoy paid time off, access to health insurance and a company-funded retirement plan. Those incentives bring some of the very best workers to Trader Joe’s, which means shoppers get the very best service.

Casual and Friendly Atmosphere

Trader Joe’s employees—including the executives—wear the same uniform they’ve been wearing since the 1960s: a Hawaiian shirt and a “crew member” name tag. The result is a close camaraderie among co-workers, which makes for a fun and friendly atmosphere in the store. As you shop, you’ll feel like you’re picking out groceries with a group of friends. (Psst: You need to know these grocery shopping secrets.)

Tasty Products

Trader Joe’s is known for their unique, gourmet frozen foods and other ready-made products (including these customer favorites). Crew members join in on weekly tasting panels that actually determine what gets put on shelves, so anything you buy has been personally approved by the employees. Yep, they’ve tried the Mandarin Orange Chicken, and they love it.

It stands to reason if the employees are happy, the customers are happy and that makes execs happy. Trader Joe’s has a simple but winning workplace formula that other businesses would do well to take note of.