Happy Employees

I've noticed most of the people working at Walgreen's don't seem that happy to be there. I've also noticed similar employee attitudes at other grocery or convenience stores like Jewel Osco and Dominick's. Sometimes they will offer a half hearted "welcome" or "thank you' but you can tell they don’t mean it. Sometimes I play a little game to see if I can complete my purchase in silence without any interaction other than the financial one between myself and the company’s representative. I’ve got about a 70% success rate.

I’m guessing these people aren’t excited about their jobs because there’s no reason to be. They probably don’t get paid very well and have little incentive to try very hard.

Somewhat recently I’ve started shopping at Trader Joe’s where I’ve found decent prices, good products, and happy and friendly employees that make driving the extra few miles worth it.

I wonder what Trader Joe’s is doing for their employees that Walgreen’s isn’t.