Trader Joes keeps the hungry starving

awesome reporting...i think i might have to monitor the situation now here...

Do you think perhaps management has an exclusive deal worked out with a favored diver? Maybe they're throwing out the stuff you found, to be picked up by someone they've made arrangements with. Maybe they can't directly and knowingly give those items to employees or interested parties openly by allowing access to their dumpster, but can do so discreetly with a very select group. Could be they have concerns about attracting numbers of unknown people coming to their dumpster in a manner they find isn't manageble for them.

Business probably throw out tons of usable products and materials many people would love to have for the taking, but the close-quartered and paranoid world we live in probably makes giving a lot of that stuff away to people seem like an additional unwelcome and complicated task.

I'd never dumpstered til this year. Was having a great time for about six weeks untill the security guard for the property the store sits on came around. Oh! you can't take that stuff (but the store obviously doesn't mind, since they don't bother to use the locks attached to the dumpster to prevent the public's access to the contents)...it's private property...we can't have people going through the dumpster, they make a big mess(I never saw or left one), blah-blah-blah. I didn't want to create a problem, so I just said o.k., but it's been on my mind since.

Granted, I hadn't asked the merchants permission to sort through the stuff they were throwing away...it's not a dumpster containing personal or confidential material, ever. I imagined they might not be able to officially give me permission if I did ask....there has to be the potential, in their mind, for some kind of damaging lawsuit. Still, I felt, particularly in view of the fact that the dumpster was consistently unlocked, that there was an unspoken concession to the needs of those who could benefit from what they had to throw away.

My thoughts of the moment are that, with some consideration, merchants might be able to see merit in letting people sort through their throw-a-ways. I don't really want to do it, (for me, I don't know if it's worth the hassle)but I think could probably go to the store manager, formally introduce myself, and make a proposal to salvage from what they throw away. I'd be willing to allow them the option of a standard background check to allay any relevant concerns they might have in exchange for permission and I.D. authorizing permission to sort through their refuse.

Seems like a lot of bullshit, but in this day and age, well.... Salvaging should be seen as a benefit to everyone, saving stuff from having to hauled to the landfill and all that implys. In this crazy world, the TJ manager probably is afraid divers will come to think they're entitled to pickings, or that fights might break out, or someone will get sick off of stuff out of there and figure out some kind of lawsuit based on a perceived implied acceptable consumption by humans on the part of the store management.

Hey, don't be to hard on the dude. I'd be interested in hearing what happens if someone actually does go and formally asks for permission, signs a waiver of responsibility on the part of the store for any injury or sickness that arises from the diving activity, etc., etc.

why did you put it back?

thanks, but, why didn't you take the food and RUN from the garbage specific facist??

kudos for your reporting and dumpster diving--d-diving is not a crime in oregon, is it? and (this ? is directed at tj's), if tj's says that edible food is donated to the hungry, why was it in the dumpster?

take the food and run next time! and how about a few of us doing informational leaflets at tj's to inform the public about your post re: your experience and tj's refusal to recycle?

one other note--what is tj's hiring practice? i don't think i've ever seen a substantially multicultural crew working in many of the local stores...

only buy eggs from chickens that aren't kept in battery cages. that practice is cruel and unusual and no socially responsible company should support it. granted, some of you don't think that this is the most important issuee, but this small action takes almost no time/energy. let them hear from the customer!

There are also excessive amounts of eggs disposed of at TJs, even weeks before their expiration date.
One cracked egg is enough to waste a whole dozen.

So not only are they selling caged cruelty-induced eggs, but they're also wasting them as well!!!


Here is a list of items I've found in their dumpsters which could EASILY have been given away or reused:

Plastic planting pots (recyclable)
Wooden Baskets used to hold produce (Limbo uses them)
Cheese with specks of mold (where 80% is clearly fine)
Wine
Cases of peanut butter (with a chipped plastic lid)
Ice cream & Sorbet
Excessive amounts of bananas (cases, perhaps up to 30 lbs worth... ended up having them brought to a food bank which accepted perishables)
All the plastic wrapped produce they sell (peppers, apples, etc)
Chips, cookies, nuts, and other plastic wrapped snacks
Cereal
Juice
Frozen meals (fish, pot stickers, etc.)
Energy bars

The list goes on and on. At least New Seasons leaves out items that people can take which would normally go to waste. Trader Joes doesn't even have a produce/organic-material-only dumpster.

It doesn't make much sense for them to have this policy against dumpster diving. It's selfish, cruel, and impractical. It would be a great asset to those who simply can't afford quality foods (even excessive in their plastic wrapping) to provide them free for the community. When we left last night, Captain Protector-of-all-things-trash said we should grown our own if we wanted it for free. Thanks buddy, keep obeying your corporate policies without the addition of compassion and human emotion!

So I'm starting a sorbet & banana garden today, any tips?

I need to start hitting up TJs!

i volunteered at rose haven. tj's donated tons of good stuff.

Their fruit has excess packaging and lots of it grown in Mexico, rather than local. Here in Vancouver, people are not supposed to go into others' recycling, but going in dumpsters for food seems reasonable. Go to the local markets for produce!

I'm admit I'm always at the TJ's dumpster on sandy, but every time but one that I have been kicked out of that dumpster, the person who kicked us out told me to come back once they left. They are almost always gone by midnight. Try going just a little bit later to pick up what they took from you, and they should leave you alone. Good luck and happy eating

the extra packing is good when you have to fish some veggies out of a raw-meat bag of sticky goo. i was at tj's last night with the author and we were just about to leave with the mother of all soy ice-cream scores (3 quarts totally fine) when the helpful "worker" busted us. he told us that none of the food in the dumpster was edible but it is just not true. i've had tons of food from the tj's "trash" that has been perfect and yummy. once we got 30 pounds of ripe bananas. why can't they donate the excess to FNB's or the Food bank? the most amusing part of the whole ordeal was him saying, "grow your own (if you want it for free)." FREE THE TRASH !!!

I have to say to an above post that they're staff does not seem very culturally diverse. I have been to most of the TJ's in the area as well as one in WA. The one that I used to normally shop at had a bunch of frat boys who worked there who seemed more intent on staring at young girls who walked by the window than paying attention to the customer in front of them. Unless they were a hot young girl, then you got their full attention.

What time where you dumpstering at TJ's? And I think it is some law that Stores are liable for waste food hence putting it into there dumpsters and telling you to get out. I perfectly understand that, but I don't care that much for laws majority of the time.

By the way, what and the hell do you need 30lbs of banana's for? Realize that a lot of us use are bikes to dumpster, so don't take everything. Your 30lbs of banana's or 3 quarts of ice cream could be 2 lbs for 15 people and 1 quart for 3:) It's really a bummer when I see kids hitting up all the dumpsters in their TRUCKS and taking everything.

I agree, initially it does get crazy when you discover a plethora of free goodness. The excess amounts of bananas were given to various friends (banana bread heaven), and the rest ended up being donated to a food bank that accepted produce. Even if the food is pulled from the trash and left at the corner of 39th and holgate, it fairs better than at the bottom of a dumpster after a few days.

The food is always piled underneath excess amounts of plastic, and bags of the HUNDREDS of sample cups used during open hours. I've come back a few times during the week to see some things still left untouched, which makes me wonder how many people know about the rich resources available there.


Going late, after all the lackies are gone is the best solution, if they really have the desire to stay and wait for possible "law-breakers" just to protect their corporate trash, then that's a whole other issue to discuss.

There really is no reason to throw that sort of stuff out other than laziness and greed. New seasons' cart of discarded produce is a great resource weekly, TJs has no excuse not to emulate that same action.

we took the bananas to food bank. and the soy ice-cream (we never got) would have been shared between the serval community households we share our meals with. also in the case ice-cream you are fighting a battle with time. it was half melted when we got to it, so leaving it would have been a total waste.

I think there's two issues here:

1) Trader Joe's staff may need better training about what is "donateable" and what isn't. This is an opportunity for the Oregon Food Bank.

2) There's liability issues here at play also, and that isn't really TJ's fault. Some of it is reactionary, but some of it is public safety stuff.

Thanks!

HEy - you know if they arn't making Money off it then they arn't making money off it . And there is so much damn food in this country it could feed enery body ten times over that is what they get rid off every day , cool right ? .

It really does boil down to whether or not this business can profit off these goods or not. There really is no other reason.

Profit beats people and compassion ALL THE TIME in this capitalist system, it's how the structure was built.


I'm curious to know the true legalities of diving in Portland if anyone has the information.

I haven't returned to the scene yet, so I'm also wondering if locks have been used since the original incident. It would be an absolute disgrace.

If anyone is interested in additional locations for dumpstered goods, feel free to contact me... there is SO much in this city simply being tossed aside w/ no regard for reusing it.
Also, if you have any great locations you're willing to share (we all should be sharing, isn't that the point?) drop a message to me.
Cheers!

It's all about manipulating the prices by manipulating the supply/demand. When they throw out all this perfectly good food, they are artificially keeping the supply of those goods small. Assuming that demand is the same, they can sell their stuff for higher prices. If they didn't waste this food, then there would be an over-supply of that food, which would lead to them having to lower the prices.
They also don't want you taking it out of their trash (for free) because that would lower the demand as now you would no longer be forced to buy their overpriced goods. They even punish their employees for taking something home that is expired and will end up in the trash, because then that employee would not have to buy the item and they would lose potential $$ from him as a consumer.
That's why you pay $2 for a f***ing loaf of bread that costs them 25 cents to bake, and in a non-manipulated marketplace could sell for 50 cents or less.

But TJ's is not alone in this. All supermarkets and any retail food seller does this too.

Trader Joe's is a privately owned company and has the right to do whatever they please with their garbage. Keep your stupid nose out of their business and out of their garbage, if you know what's good for you.

Hey Capt Thug!

Threaten all you want, but your waste and your poor recycling affects a larger picture than your privately owned business. Since that is the case, it is my responsibility, and whoever else decides to take part, to take from your garbage wasted goods and provide them to those which can eat them, to point out your lousy recycling habits, and to open a discussion concerning what to do about it all.

Sorry Dan Barton, but my stupid nose will not be kept out of your privately owned business.

i actually work at a trader joe's in dirty jersey, and it appears that this is not an isolated incident. although some food is donated, it is only done on certain days of the week when it is picked up. And still, much food is thrown away. We also have some "dumpster divers," who frequent our store attempting to salvage some of the food, most of which is definately edible. Often they are turned away by high-management. However, most of the employees do sympathize with the cause and turn a blind eye.
For sure, Trader Joe's presents a conscientious, environmentally-friendly, etc.. attitude, but for the most part it is just a facade. The company as a whole does not recycle plastic, or anything, save cardboard, for that matter. I guess the main idea is not to get caught up in the bullshit and take things for face value.

Having worked for the company for a number of years I know first hand that Trader Joes donates thousands of dollars worth of groceries weekly. Unfortunately not all food always makes it to the food banks for reasons such as the driver didn't have room for everything or for some reason couldn't make the pick up that day. Alot of Trader Joes locations are too small and unable to store donations for too long and if a pick up isn't made then there aren't alot of other options than discarding the merchandise. Unfortunately when it comes to dumpster digging there have too many instances of people getting items from the trash and then trying to return them for profit by saying they didn't need the product or it was unsatifactory. Also, by dumpster digging, spoiled product could lead to sickness or illness which, in turn, could also lead to lawsuits against TJs.

I understand your frustation. I shop at the corporate store in Monrovia, CA. and I have asked them. The answer is that the State of California, in this case, I am in California, has laws that say one cannot give out expired food to persons. The main reason is liability. You can come back and say, well i got sick from it and i want my million dollars.

You are right, they throw out many boxes of salads that I have even said
they should sell for half price and still make money. but they claim NO.

so continue to pilfer the garbage can. slip the ape a banana for himself.
the food is always good. i know cuz i shop there alot.

good luck

mario duron
monrovia, CA

listen i have been working with trader joes for a while. no one is perfect. they shouldnt throw away that much food. what should they do? they give what they can to the local homless shelters who come and pick it up every week. they dont want anyone to get sick so what will spoil they toss. what other option? he should have let you keep what you found. if ur gonna eat it great! he was just controlling. not every trader joe's is like that. this was one place. one guy. sorry it happend but dont judge all the stores because for the most part they are a great company. we do sell cage free eggs and a lot of organic foods. Trader Joe's while no where near perfect is better then your avrage store. so cut them some slack and go get your food out of the garbage another time.

for everyone else who had questions... trader joe's hires anyone who is nice and hard working. they treat their emploees wonderfully. we get full bene for ourselves and husband/wife/same sex partner. please dont think that they are so bad until you actully do know ALL the facts. oh and we have many recycle bins too. however it can be hard to force EVERYONE to remember to use them. we try. everyone tries.

Please include and direct your save the world ethics at the pro sports venues. After every event at every stadium, arena, etc. mass amounts of food product is dumped. Even employees cannot take the food. The claim is that the food is not packaged, therefore the facility would be liable should someone get food poisoning, choke, have an allergic reaction. Come on, get the word out!! Those $7.50 hotdogs could feed a lot of hungry people.

i've worked there for 7 years, i have never had a 10 minute break, i had days/hours cut when i returned to work after breaking my hand at work. practically forced to transfer stores. and yes the company throws all kinds of food away and i have never heard any reason as to why. they are a very shady company and its getting worse!

i come from a food store that recycles, has compost, and donates food to the food bank. granted, we are a coop, so our customers take an active role in our store. they feel they have a voice for suggestions, being that the community created our store to fit the communities needs. as for trader joes, where i am applying, i hear that each store is allowed to be run as needed, based on the community and employees. i feel that if more employees (who make great money and have benefits packages) were to take initiative, and if more customers voiced the values supported by their shopping dollars, then any good manager, or captain, would listen and find a way of integrating any changes. many companies do not allow employees, customers, or anyone to take product they throw away, including michael's arts and crafts. why these companies choose to create waste and pay for it (with their current bill, or in the future with adverse changes in the environment and community), is another topic altogether. in that discussion, we need to include our schools and their lunch programs. luckily, at my current coop store, the employees get to take home damaged food. some people wouldn't eat from a dented can, period. now bloated, definitly not. but if i dented it when i dropped it while stocking shelves, and it may be difficult to open, then i'll take it. our store keeps track of all damaged merchandise. if our store actually throws any food stuff in the trash dumpster, it is not safe to eat. i know other local stores donate to the gleaners and the shelters and food kitchens. at our store, we even pass on the food to others in our store. the produce bin overflows almost daily. for us, its free, and for the occaisional rainbow bus passing through, or food not bombs downtown. another health store in town has a discounted section and a "day old" produce section. one thing to consider, while diving for food stuff, is that many of these products have strict temperature requirements, especially if they are organic or raw. then there is also the rodent factor. maybe they are there because a rodent already sampled it. maybe they feasted after it was dumped. rats and racoons, possums, are every where. some of their holes in the product are very small, but still packed with germs. in town here, there is a bagel shop that is conscious of dumpster divers. all of the day old bagels they didn't sell are each bagged in dozens, then all doubled trash bagged and placed on top of the trash container. they are free for the taking. being a college town, dumpster diving here is a way of life.

While visiting a Trader Joe's in Northern California, a display fell on me. The staff was not real helpful, and did not want to fill out an accident report. After viiting the local emergency room it was discovered I had broken some bones. Well after a lengthy and expensive legal battle. TJ's awarded me less than a months pay for pain and suffering, not to mention a permenant disability to that area of my body. They paid their legal eagles plenty to stave off a proper settlement. I have seen many accidents at Trader Joe's in various stores and this makes me wonder, do they do this to everyone who is injured in their stores? Also I have seen the wasted food being dumped as well. As an avid donator to the many homeless shelters, and starving people in California I think TJ's should maybe have someone go to the food banks daily. If they can afford to pay their legal eagles as much as they do, they certainly should be able to pay someone minimum wage to drive to the shelters or foodbanks daily. Their profit margin is certainly high enough. I urge anyone who shops at Trader Joe's to wear a hard hat, and protective footwear. Or better yet, shop at a smaller, family owned health food store or co-op.

Trader Joe's is a decent company to work for. You get a raise every 90 days and don't start off at minimum wage to begin with. There are several practices I don't agree with in the store, such as un-scheduled 10 minute breaks, but the thing is, if you want a break, you can go over to the demo and eat and relax for a couple of minutes without anyone saying anything to you.

One time I caught a man diving into the dumpster behind the store. He was grabbing meat that was a day old and wanted to eat it. This is maybe why the staff stops people from dumpster-diving. I asked my boss why couldn't he just take the food if he was hungry? and his response was that he really did not want the dumpster-divers to get sick from old foods. I did the spoils frequently, and any edible and usable breads and/or meats and milks/eggs were donated to two or three different food banks around the area. Sometimes they would receieve two carts full of food at any given time. (The dumpsters aren't locked because employees frequent the dumpster to remove of trash bags and/or spoils from the store. If it were locked, it would cause a back-up of trash in the storage area, which is already tiny as it is.)

Trader Joe's does the best it can. People should be attacking even larger corporate monsters such as Shaws. They tried to force their store open on the holidays in which every store around in closed just to make an extra buck.

As for diversity, my best friend at Trader Joe's was a woman from Ghana, my store captain was a gay man, and I am a Jew. I think that has enough diversity to last a lifetime.

Worked at a Stater Brothers for a while. Several times I was instructed to take bread which had past expiration dates, (but was still fine to eat) and not simply toss it in the dumpster, but rip open each bad individually then dump the bread by the piece.

Until recently our store threw out a lot of food that was definitely still edible. I'm just a part time employee with no clout but I would constantly ask why we couldn't donate this food. Finally we got someone in management who was willing to make the effort to get it donated. This charity shows up like clockwork everyday to pick these items up.
The company itself is not the culprit in terms of incredible waste of food product. It's the individual stores that make the decision. If you are a shopper at Trader Joe's encourage the management at the TJs you shop at to get on the ball with this. The more shoppers that give TJs management this message, the better.
Remember to think globally and ACT LOCALLY. What's more local than your neighorhood grocery store?

I am currently employed by TJ's (in So. CA), have been for some years now, and I must say that it is very painful to see all the stuff that gets needlessly wasted or tossed out on a daily basis. The company does try to cultivate a "progressive" image, but it is still all about the dollar. We give plenty of stuff away but at least about a quarter of everything goes straight into the dumpster. The first time I caught someone dumpster diving behind the store, I intervened and told them to scram. But now, realizing that its better for someone/anyone to eat all the perfectly good food we discard, I just look the other way. I understand some of the reasons why the company doesn't want us (employees) to eat "write-offs," but sheesh, it doesn't take long before someone realizes that there are some serious flaws in a system that allows for this sort of prodigious waste. I can't speak for any other grocery store, but if people knew or saw all the stuff we waste or don't bother recycling, they would be shocked. But for no longer that would be comfortable. Convenience is the name of the game and we're all guilty of playing it in some way.

Trader Joes is a sham of a company. The managment are almost all complete idiots. I have been a manager in different work arenas, and now what it means to be a managager. The managment teams at TJ's run about 10 strong for one small store, usually 3-4 on at a time. They are hired form within, and because TJ's is in such need of managment, because of their rapid expansion, you have a bunch of people running a store who really don't know what the hell they're doing. Oh let's not forget they are your neighborhood grocery store, give me a break. All I want to really say about this company is don't work there, you will hate it. You have to completely buy into the TJ's mentalitiy, and managment must have some kind of goal to make you believe that TJ's is all you have in life. Maybe they are all just good soldiers and have bought into the idea themselves, "Company Men/Women." And to all who read this and work at TJ's you can do better, 30 cents every ninty days is a joke. Believe in your abilities, and get out while you still have a soul. You are completely lost if you think TJ's is a great place to work.