Why Trader Joe's Employees Wear Hawaiian Shirts
NEWS
By ANDREW AMELINCKX
Trader Joe's is recognizable across the U.S. and they are known for a few things, but the employees' Hawaiian shirts stand out. The original TJ's has a Tiki aesthetic.
The original TJ's in Pasadena, California, played on the then-popular Tiki aesthetic. Coulombe instituted a uniform consisting of Hawaiian shirts and Bermuda shorts.
The company's website says that the employees are "adventurous traders on the culinary seas" searching "the world over for fantastic, interesting items to bring home."
On the reason for the shirts, Coulombe states, "I'd been reading a book called 'White Shadows in the South Seas,' and I'd been to the Disneyland jungle trip, and it all coalesced."
