Trader Joe’s is the ideal grocery store to stop by if you’re looking for fresh produce, endless amounts of festive seasonal foods, and a wide assortment of flowers to make your own at-home bouquets. While the Hawaiian-themed shirts worn by the cashiers might have caught your eye while shopping, what do each of the rings of the bells at Trader Joe’s mean? Yes you heard me correctly, a big golden bell. You might have heard the chime ringing throughout the store as you’re searching through aisles for some soup dumplings or butternut squash mac and cheese, but if you’re like me then you’re probably puzzled as to what they mean. According to the Trader Joe’s website, the store’s bell system is created to be their own morse code. But if you want the true inside scoop on decoding this secret language, I’m sure this info can help ring a bell!
One bell ring: More crew-members needed
If you’re going to grab a handful of flower bouquets for some girls’ night festivities, and you hear a bell ring, don’t be alarmed. Usually when the store is busy and you see a cashier reach for their bell, it means there’s open registers and they’re signaling more people to work up front. This single ring usually means employees want to fill up any empty registers there might be to prevent customers from waiting in long lines as they checkout their favorite items.
Two bell rings: Product replacement
If you see your cashier ring their bell twice it could mean two things: 1.) They have a question to run by their manager or 2.) They need assistance with a product at checkout. Oftentimes it’s option two.
For instance, if you are heading to the register with a delicious Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Loaf in your hand, but there happens to be a hole in the bag, then your cashier will ring their bell twice to have a new loaf brought for you. This makes the process more efficient so that you and the cashier don’t have to run over to get a product for replacement, and a crew member is always ready to lend a helping hand. Now, you can go home and enjoy your perfect Pumpkin Loaf this fall season.
Three bell rings: A captain is being called
At most Trader Joe’s locations, a nautical theme is maintained throughout the entire grocery store. Instead of managers there are ‘Captains,’ and cashiers are all given the role of ‘Crewmates.’
So, if you’re on a grocery run for some essentials and you hear a bell chiming three times, this means that a Captain needs to be called on deck. Don’t worry this isn’t considered an emergency bell, but this just means there is a problem that usually needs more assistance from the manager.
Maybe you had a credit card that wouldn’t scan properly, a gift card that was invalid, or your cashier needs help processing a return. Either way, these three bells are a call to the captains so that they can continue to run a tight ship for their customers.