You don’t have to go to Trader Joe’s very often to realize that it is one awesome store. It is more than a grocery store, it’s a place to shop and to see some items that you may not be able to find anywhere else.
In fact, you are likely to shop at Trader Joe’s for a wide variety of products that they offer and you likely have your favorites. If you run out, you will find yourself back in the store and shopping once again.
As you are doing your shopping, you may suddenly hear some bells that are ringing throughout the store. It seems to start almost innocently but before long, it is heard everywhere. This may make you wonder why they are ringing the bell in the first place.
It might come as a surprise to you that the ringing of the bell has a meaning behind it. Staff members would communicate with each other using large brass bells when they needed some help. They actually use symbolical ship bells to communicate, as did maritime travelers.
The Trader Joe website shines a little more light on the subject, saying:
“The bells are a kind of Trader Joe’s Morse code. Those blustery PA systems just didn’t feel right to us, so we came up with a simple system to communicate, à la our maritime (Trader’s on the culinary seas) association. One bell lets our Crew know when to open another register. Two bells mean there are additional questions that need to be answered at the checkout. Three bells call over a manager-type person. And three short bells—two long bells—three short bells…now we’re just playing.”
That’s all there is to it. You don’t have to wonder why you are hearing the bells any longer, you can just enjoy the experience when you do hear them.
