Michael Skodnick will soon be celebrating his fifth year of working for Trader Joe’s in Rego Park, New York. His five years have been marked by hard work, honesty, reliability, and excellent customer service. Along the way, Michael Skodnick has gained the respect of many coworkers and managers.

“I wouldn’t be where I am today without the opportunities I’ve received from this company,” said Michael Skodnick. “They have allowed me to grow into the worker I am today, so I owe a lot to them.”

Trader Joe’s started as a string of small convenience stores in the 1950s under the name of Pronto Markets. The name changed in 1967 to Trader Joe’s and the stores have rapidly expanded in size and number over the last 40 plus years. Michael Skodnick believes much of the success is directly linked to the quality and service they provide. “They provide hard-to-find foods that most grocery stores do not offer. That’s something that many of our customers appreciate,” said Michael Skodnick. “We also provide exceptional customer service, so I think that keeps people coming back time and time again,” Michael Skodnick continued.

Exceptional customer service is one of the reasons Michael Skodnick has seen so much success at Trader Joe’s. He has a natural way of working well with customers, something his managers really appreciate and take notice of. To Michael Skodnick, it’s easy. “I just love people, so it only seems right that I would interact well with my customers,” Michael Skodnick stated.

Before working for Trader Joe’s, Michael Skodnick spent a period of time working for Super Fresh. Super Fresh is a chain of supermarkets in the northeast United States. It is there that Michael Skodnick first learned the skills he has now perfected at Trader Joe’s. “That job really helped establish my work ethic. I learned through a lot of trial and error there, but it made me better,” said Michael Skodnick.

Michael Skodnick has spent five years wearing the famous Trader Joe’s Hawaiian shirt uniform, and he is looking forward to many more. “It’s been a great ride and I’m not done yet,” said Michael Skodnick.