When I made my trip to Georgia last week (more on that in another post), I had the opportunity to visit Trader Joe’s. My reason for going was that I wanted to get my hands on some of that cheap but good Charles Shaw wine. $2.79 a bottle = WIN. I’m no wine snob. I like the way it tastes.

Trader Joe’s bills itself as a “specialty retail grocery store” and that is an accurate description. Trader Joe’s is not the place you do everyday food shopping unless you have the wallet for it.

I liked the place the moment I walked through the door. The store is laid out very well and instead of using the same old boring static signs, they use what appears to be chalk-board signs for their products. The selection of items ran from the average to the exotic. They sell ‘fair trade’ coffee and it’s not all that expensive for a pound. My wife bought some tea there. I of course, grabbed some Charles Shaw chardonnay.

But what I have to say I liked the most was the customer service. No matter who it was, if you walked past an employee they would greet you with a smile and a friendly hello. The cashiers actively engage the customers in conversation. It’s not just a token, “How are you?” but a real attempt to talk to the people shopping there. When the gentleman loading our things noticed the watermelon, he said, “That’s some good watermelon. But, if you don’t like it, make sure you bring back your receipt for a refund.”

I asked him, “You offer refunds on eaten fruit?”

He looked at me and said, “We look at it this way. We’d rather pay you back $4.50 for a watermelon than lose you as a customer.”

Awesome.

What isn’t awesome is the fact there are no Trader Joe stores in Florida. Of course there isn’t.