What’s the Deal with Those Bells Always Ringing at Trader Joe’s?

Our love for Trader Joe’s is undeniable. But one thing we’ve never quite understood about our go-to grocery store (aside from how its organic produce is so damn affordable) is what the deal is with all those ringing bells at checkout. So we did some digging to discover what those Trader Joe’s bells actually mean. 

TJ’s doesn’t use an intercom system (“those blustery PA systems just didn’t feel right to us,” says the website) so instead it uses nautical-style bells for in-storm communication.

One ring lets the friendly, Hawaiian-shirt clad crew know to open up another register. Two bells means that a customer has a question at checkout, and three rings indicates that a manager is needed. Simple yet clever (and we wouldn’t expect anything less). 

According to a former employee, the rarely heard but highly dreaded four bells means that it’s “all hands on deck,” i.e., the store is super crowded. For you, that means it’s time to grab that Speculoos Cookie Butter ASAP and bounce.

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