Having been in a T-J’s twice....I’ll just say that they go out of their way to be friendly. Maybe they recruit that way....maybe they train employees to some degree. But if you were measuring grocery friendliness, they rank near the top.
Now, that said...if you were ranking on high cost and inflated prices, they are also near the top.
I’d rather not pay to sit and eat and/or drink in a fake environment because I’d be paying in part for “atmosphere”, and then the added expense of tipping makes it a lose-win situation, unless she actually slips you a piece of paper with her phone number written on it.
I shop there occasionally. They have some high quality store brands you can’t get elsewhere, the employees are helpful and help you find things.
I’ve never had a cute employee try to flirt with me, perhaps because I’m old and unattractive, but they are all nice.
I don’t think they are expensive at all for the items they offer. Nothing like Whole Foods.
I’ve been to Trader Joe’s once and found myself surrounded by hippies and liberals.