Complain about a product or service

Trader Joe's

Angela of Rohnert Park CA (09/12/08)
I turned around and took a few steps away from my shopping cart to grab some cheese. In a matter of seconds, the shopping cart came crashing down on my 3-year-old, with my 11-mo.-old strapped in his seat. The children where screaming horribly and a young woman helped me pull the cart up off my little girl. I tried to determine their injuries as they were screaming, asking Did they hit their heads? to anyone that would offer any help.

A store employee approached me with suckers and asked if they would want a balloon. No one ever approached me to offer medical assistance or help stabilize the situation. I struggled horribly to exit w. my screaming children and daughter out of control. Certainly every person in that store heard, yet still no assistance.

My daughter suffered immediate swelling of the ankle and was seen by her physician immediately, who ordered X-rays to rule out fracture. She is suffering w. severely sore ankle and is still apologizing for hurting her baby brother. I try to comfort her by telling her it wasn't her fault.

Reginald of Lawndale CA (07/24/08)
To Whom It May Concern: I feel I am being mistreated at my local Trader Joe's. Basically, people are giving me odd, disrespectful, and demeaning looks. They have also been singing songs in front of me. I don't feel welcome nor comfortable when I shop at this store. I believe this inappropriate behavior has to do with prejudice and/or discrimination.

Yesterday, between 7:30 and 9PM, one of the cashiers was singing Help! in front of me while a song was playing on the stereo. In response to her singing, the other cashier/clerk next to her looked at me, and then laughed as well. Although I believe they will deny it, I believe the employees at this location somehow know me and for one reason or another, are not treating me with the respect any normal customer should get. This is the second time an employee has serenaded me at this location.

In addition to this, I have also caught the manager giving me these odd looks as well. I believe each customer should be treated with the respect they deserve and feel comfortable while they are shopping. Due to what I believe is inappropriate behavior, I believe something needs to be done to stop it.

I did not lose any money due to this incident. I just want this inappropriate behavior put to an end. There seems to be prejudice and/or discrimination occuring at this Trader Joe's location.

Doug of Santa Cruz CA (11/29/07)
This may seem petty but I have gotten no remedy from the store so thought I would give this a try. Trader Joe's sells a product called Soy and Flaxseed Tortilla Chips that states on the Nutrition Facts label that it contains 50 mg of sodium per serving - about 7 chips with approximately 12 servings per container yeilding approximately 600 mg per bag.

When I first started buying the product I was pleased at the low sodium content as I am very sensitive to sodium and am careful how much I take in. But as time went on the chips got saltier and saltier to the point where one or two chips will actually burn my lips. I have written to the company twice and spoken directly to the store manager.

I quit buying the product a couple of months ago but decided just today to try another bag on the off chance that they had remedied the situation. Unfortunately this proved to be the saltiest bag yet - actually inedible. If I knew where to send the product for testing I would because I am certain that the amount of salt contained in the product is probably ten times that stated. I buy other chips from other manufacturers with similar sodium contents stated on the label and they do not burn my mouth.

I am sick of dealing with Trader's directly so thought I would give this a shot and see if there is any way to get them to either correct their misleading nutrition labels (truth in advertising) or reduce the sodium content to match that stated.

The ecomonic damage is minimal - I've had to throw away several bags of chips. The physical damage is also minimal. I can feel the effects of too much salt (higher blood pressure, swollen eyelids, etc.) but there is no real specific damage. It just ticks me off that the label indicates a very low sodium content and my mouth and body tell me different. And I want them to know that I have taken this matter up with Consumer Affairs.

Sandra of Suffern NY (08/27/07)
This past Sat afternoon, 8/25/07, I was shopping at this Trader Joe's grocery store at the above address. I was gathering my grocery selections off a shelf. There we're others around me with their carriages, as it is a small store.

There was a rude woman bumping in to me continuously with her carriage. I tried to ignore her, but she continued being obnoxious and then demands me to move out her way. I just looked at her and saw that she was a senior citizen, as I am my self.

I'm 64 yrs old and I did move, even though I wasn't finished with my selection and thought I'd return later. As I moved on to go to another counter, I glanced over at her and she raised her arms and made a gesture of a grimaced face at me and it was then I snapped back at her saying that I was there first and she could have waited her turn that she didn't have to be so nasty. Then I proceeded to do my grocery shopping. She then purposely walks by me and is now quietly verbally harassing me with her comments and I turned to her and said are you talking to me. At that point a store representative (whom I don't know by name) approached me personally and very arrogantly told me to let it go.

I understand that and requested that he also speak to the rude lady who initiated this situation. He very impolitely replied to me was that he only saw me and not her.

I thought this was unfair and just because he didn't hear or see her actions, he reprimands only me. I tried to explain what happened and he didn't want to hear of it and just told me to let it go. I was so humiliated and upset, I replied that I'll let my grocery shopping go too and I walked out.

I just think you should suggest to this Trader Joe's Store, that they should send this particular store representative for a Dale Carnegie course in sesativity training.

Denise Anderson of Landenberg PA (11/17/06)
Found three tumors in a roast I purchased there!

Disgusted! Would like to know where this beef came from!

Harvey of Beverly Hills CA (09/17/06)
Recent tainted Spinach from Trader Joe's - I spent five days in the hospital (8/27 - 9/1/06) due to food poisoning. Sweats, fever, severe pain, muscle spasms. Today I read that e. coli can cause a type of kidney failure and permanent damage. I need more testing to determine long term damage.

Laura of Fresno CA (08/21/05)
The store is fine, it's the product Think Thin Low Carb Peanut Butter Lite bar. I've been purchasing these bars by the box for 3+yr's,until recently the bars have been fine. The last 3 boxes contain bars that are not edible. I have 3 opened bars in front of me, 2 w/dates of 080806, and 1 w/051406, as the use by date. The two from 080806 have a horrible chemical/metal like after taste, you can't even eat them, the taste/flavor of whatever it is, is very distinct. As long as I've eaten these (one every morning) I've never experienced this strange taste????

I'm not looking for damages, the bars w/the strange taste make me very nauseous & I believe someone needs to ck this product. I have dumped 3 boxes due to this.

Cristina of Canoga Park CA (05/16/05)
I had just finished having dinner with my sister and her boyfriend at a sushi bar and we decided to grab some more Saki from Trader Joes, which we frequently go to. The store was packed and very busy for a Friday night. The lines were long and we waited patiently until it was my turn to pay for my item.

When I approached the cashier, a young lady maybe in her late teens to early 20's, asked who was paying for the item. I gladly accepted and handed her my ID. She had a very loud voice, slightly obnoxious.

She asked me what my weight was, while she looked at my ID. She said this very loud, and since the store was crowded, there were about 20 other people staring at me, while she was waiting for me to answer the question. I then answered quietly, and she then said, What hill do you live on? My address on my ID shows my residential city as, Agoura Hills.

If I live in that city, it doesn't mean I live on a Hill. She stumped me with that question and just stood there and waited for me to reply, while the bag boy shouted out, Hey, ask her what the Capital of Arkansas is?, while he laughed and giggled about the situation.

My sister's boyfriend at this point was very upset, as I was too, and said something along the lines of this is F'ing ridiculous. The cashier then said, You don't have to be rude, sir, I am just doing my job. From the way it stood, she was completly rude and out of line, the way she handled checking my age to buy alchohol. She asked ridiculous questions, and I have NEVER been treated like that anywhere, EVER.

When people ID me, which is fine, they usually ask what my Date of Birth is, or WHAT STREET I LIVE ON......NOT, What HILL I live on. And when the bag boy added in his little comment, I was then officially embarrassed and humiliated, and will not go through that again. I will not step foot in that store ever as long as they decide to continue to ID people like that.

Chris of Mountain View CA (03/28/05)
On Friday March 18th a red runaway Trader Joes shopping cart rolled down a small slope and hit my E-Class Mercedes Benz causing a dent outside the store. An employee that could have seen the accident, prevented it or caused it wrote a report, and sent it to the headquarters.

Trader Joe forwarded the claim to Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. who manages claims for Trader Joes. Trader Joes and Arthur Gallagher & Co have denied the caused by Trader Joes negligence and Arthur Gallagher & Co fraudulent or negligent investigation.

The fact that Trader Joes has to hire one of the worlds most aggressive risk management control companies to deal with a small claim proves that they are trying to railroad average customers.

They deny any liability. They claim that carts hit cars all the time. Thats a lie. I have never before been hit by a cart at that or any other store. I spoke with an employee in an adjacent store. He said its a very dangerous situation, and that shopping carts frequently cause accidents at that particular corner due to the steep, non visible curb, staff negligence, and the difficulty in controlling carts, when turning the sharp corner to the narrow return area.

I have obtained 2 estimates from authorized Mercedes repair centers:

Auto West Collision Repairs: $1297.06

Pan American Collision Center: $940.87

Additional expenses include: Premium or luxury rental for 3 days: $250.00

Cabs to/from repair center and/or to/from rental agency: $50.00

James of White Lake NY (07/31/04)
Not a complaint but I wish to cite tacky behavior. I drove over 100 miles today to my nearest Trader Joe's. (That tells you what I think of you.) At check out the clerk had on his name badge, Sayno2Kerry. I said, tongue-in-cheek, That's enough to make me walk out. Then we talked about it. At the same time someone from the management booth shouted, That's how Kerry would spell to. I assume the inference was that Kerry is dumb, which is hardly the case by any objective standard. I merely cite this as sloppy behavior, which I have not encountered in Trader Joe's before. Otherwise, keep up the good work.

Elizabeth of Los Angeles CA (01/16/04)
This woman was very rude to me. I have always had good experiences at Trader Joe's until 1/15/04 at about 8:45pm. I was standing in a line that I hadn't realized was 12 items or less, because I usually go to a different TJ's. She started checking me out, but then very rudely informed me that I was in the wrong line, and proceeded to treat me with a lot of condescension and attitude.

I was also almost run over by another young woman re-stocking bread from a giant cart which she was moving through the aisles very quickly; when she almost hit one woman she and the man working with her laughed and said did you see the expression on her face?

I will not return to this TJ's. The attitude of some of the emloyees is rude enough to make shopping there an unpleasant experience. I will shop at the Glendale, CA, Eagle Rock CA and Daly City, CA Trader Joe's, where I have only ever experienced wonderful service.

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