this post was submitted on 26 Jan 2024
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Grocery chain Trader Joe’s is joining Elon Musk’s SpaceX in arguing that the US labor board, which is prosecuting cases against both companies, is unconstitutional.

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[–] [email protected] 177 points 6 months ago (7 children)

I'm disappointed. I really thought that TJs was more like Costco. You look at the employees and they are always smiling, just like Costco. Guess not all things are equal.

[–] [email protected] 118 points 6 months ago (2 children)

The founder died, shit has changed drastically in the last 5 years or so

[–] [email protected] 34 points 6 months ago

Gotcha. Too bad.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

I looked this up and he hasn't been at the helm on the company since 1988, and had already sold it to the Aldi founder long before.

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[–] [email protected] 84 points 6 months ago (2 children)

Trader Joe's is overpriced Aldi. Their employees are told to smile, just like everywhere else you go that employees are always smiling. Nobody's that happy at work, and that shouldn't come as a surprise to anybody at this point.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 6 months ago (3 children)

Trader Joe's is owned by Aldi

[–] [email protected] 43 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

Different brother. There's Aldi Sud and Aldi Nord (I think that's right), who have common family history but are now separate companies. One operates the US chain called Aldi and the other owns TJ's.

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[–] [email protected] 39 points 6 months ago

Trader Joe's is owned by the OTHER Aldi, which is related historically but entirely separate from the Aldi stores in the US.

Interestingly the US is the only country to have both companies other than Germany itself, and even there one is in one half of the country and the other in the other.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 6 months ago

Different aldis.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 6 months ago (2 children)

The frozen stuff is WAY better at TJs; my local Aldi has mostly stuff that’s cheap because it’s about to expire

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 6 months ago

Joe literally ate the motherfuckers who don't smile.

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[–] [email protected] 120 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (4 children)

What the F, TJ? Want to make a loyal customer of 15+ years quit? This is how you do it. We’re a union family, we vote with our dollars too.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 6 months ago (5 children)

Where are you gonna shop that's better? Kroger? Safeway? Walmart? Whole foods? It's fucked up.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 6 months ago

I used to shop at a kroger that had a UFCW sticker on the sliding doors out front. They represent 835,000 grocery workers. Unions have a strong foothold in American Grocery stores. Sounds like TJ's needs em.

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 6 months ago

Presumably union families have more dollars to vote with as well.

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[–] [email protected] 100 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (10 children)

I know I'm in the minority likely, but Trader Joes is shit it isn't because it can't survive unionization. Just because your chips are organic doesn't make buying it from overly outgoing cashiers any healthier. Prepackaged junk food is prepackaged junk food and they sell a ton of it. Frozen dinners are still sodium bombs even though they don't have "preservatives". That said, fuck these two anti-union shitstains of companies.

[–] [email protected] 77 points 6 months ago (2 children)

They can survive it. Every company can survive it. They just don't want to give up their dictatorship.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 6 months ago

I shop at union grocery stores. The boutique chains see this as a something to exploit instead of a feature. Many union chains are local too, most boutique ones are national.

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[–] ryathal 21 points 6 months ago (8 children)

I don't understand the trader Joe's love. It's a grocery store with a poor selection of fruits, vegetables, and fresh meats. They have a decent wine and beer selection. It's basically half frozen stuff, it's maybe higher quality than other places, but it's just frozen shit.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

I was so disappointed the first time I went to Trader Joe's. It had been so hyped up and people made it sound like a mini Jungle Jim's. Then it opened and it was just a more expensive Aldi.

Edited to remove a mistyped word.

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 6 months ago

It was better back in the early 2000s, in my opinion for two main reasons. First, the prices and quality were better. Second, and biggest of all, they carried a wide variety of products that had a limited presence in many American supermarkets, namely vegan/vegetarian meals, organic crap, and eclectic snacks. Most major grocers have caught up with demand and now they don't stand out all that much.

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 6 months ago (3 children)

Come on, the quality of food at Trader Joe's is FAR better than the brands you find at a Safeway.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 6 months ago

Most of the food at Trader Joe's is just white label with fancy packaging. It's the same food you find at a Safeway.

[–] xmunk 9 points 6 months ago (3 children)

There are a few specific items that Trader Joe's is notable for... but ditto for Safeway, Hannaford's, Food Lion, Star, Superstore, and SaveOn - I think two decades ago Trader Joe's was a trailblazer in high quality offerings but they've slowly compromised for profits and competitors have realized that high quality offerings are valued by consumers - not just price.

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago) (1 children)

The no preservatives label needs better regulation. Every food that has it is loaded with either salt or sugar. The reason that they are loaded with salt and/or sugar is because salt and sugar are two of the oldest and most used preservatives. And that's my soapbox, thanks for listening.

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[–] [email protected] 95 points 6 months ago (1 children)

The end of our patronage of TJs.

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[–] [email protected] 65 points 6 months ago (1 children)

No more Trader Joe’s for me.

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[–] [email protected] 46 points 6 months ago (4 children)

If people don't have the right to decide what their labor is worth, then they are no better than slaves.

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[–] [email protected] 41 points 6 months ago (1 children)
[–] xtr0n 9 points 6 months ago

Well played

[–] gravitas_deficiency 33 points 6 months ago

Wow so that kinda fuckin sucks. Guess I’m down to market basket.

[–] [email protected] 31 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I guess labour has no choice but to go back to the old style of negotiating. Aka. Rocking up at the bosses house on mass and ‘asking nicely’ for a raise.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 6 months ago

Don't forget bidding them "a very good day" if they see them in the streets.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Is this the Michael Scott defense? Instead of yelling “I declare bankruptcy” they yell “I declare this unconstitutional”?

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[–] [email protected] 25 points 6 months ago

I didn't realize 2024 was the year I was going to stop shopping at TJ's.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 6 months ago (1 children)

wow. Tjoes is just throwing its goodwill away by aligning with spaceX. Its to bad as I like them and aldis.

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[–] xmunk 23 points 6 months ago

Being in agreement with Elon Musk is a clear sign you're an idiot.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

We can go back to mob violence if they don't like our mutually agreed upon legal framework???

[–] [email protected] 20 points 6 months ago

“The working class having a board that helps them is unconstitutional” for those who need a direct translation

[–] [email protected] 17 points 6 months ago

Hey Trader Joe's owners,,,Don't be a dick! I'm not a large customer, but I can always stop shopping there. Very disappointing.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Im about to declare corporations unconstitutional. Their heads are so big their thoughts need launch vectors to get to their lobbyists.

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[–] [email protected] 12 points 6 months ago (5 children)

Hmm. I couldn't read the full article because of a paywall, but from what I understand, the constitutionality of the NLRB was upheld by the Supreme Court in NLRB v. Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp. 301 U.S. 1 (1937). I'm not sure there is any foundation to contemporary claims that the NLRB is unconstitutional.

[–] [email protected] 34 points 6 months ago (2 children)

As with overturning Roe v. Wade, the legal foundation will be "our conservative cult says so".

[–] [email protected] 12 points 6 months ago (1 children)

"ThE NLRb isn'T in the cONSTITutIoN!!1!" - The Supreme Court, probably

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 6 months ago

These companies trying to do away with civilized negotiations, you'd think they want to go back to the bad old days when Labor got the bosses to come to the bargaining table by blowing shit up.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Never spent a dollar there. Won’t start now, thanks

[–] [email protected] 11 points 6 months ago

It used to be a good store, but I guess the owner died and they've gone anti-union. I have not been in one for a few years and won't ever now (unless they change their tune).

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