Rude customer service. This store has to have the most adversarial clerks I have ever encountered. I was in the store today and got a cup of coffee. Upon realizing I didn't like it, I asked the clerk whether I should throw a cup hot liquid in the trash can (didn't want to create a mess) or give it to him to dump in the sink. Seems simple.

He frowned at me and said, "Why are you giving this to me? I can't reuse it."

Crazy. Who in their right mind assumes I want him to recyle the coffee. A simple, "Here, let me take care of that for you" or a "Please toss it in the trash" would have sufficed.

Typical of this store. I could cite at least 5 other inciidences when a simple question was met with over-the-top hostility and miscommuncation.

I have been a loyal customer of Trader Joe's since the birth of my son on January 1, 2000. Since that time I have shopped in the following stores Oceanside, NY, Hewlett, NY, Marleton, NJ. I recently moved to the Metro DC area an immediately looked for a Trader Joe's store. The nearest store to my home is Silver Spring, MD and I went along my weekly shopping routine as I always do.

Until today, on Friday December 3, 2010 at about 3PM I was harrassed at the Siver Spring store by an employee and accused of stealing. I returned an item as I often do. Somedays I have a reciept and somedays I don't. Since I buy my groceries on debit card there is always a record of my purchases. I noticed an employee stop what he was doing and take an interest in me when I evetered the store. I found that curious but did not pay attention to it as I was returning an extra bag of chips that I purchased.

As I began my checkout the employee who took an interest in my behavior interrupted the cashier and told me that I could not return an item that I bought the day before. He in fact did not ask me if I had a receipt but instead suggested that I had been taking items off the shelf and returning them as purchases. He then proceeded to tell me that he witnessed me on two different occassions take items off the shelf and return them as a purchase.

I was furious!! I asked to speak to the manager. The manager at the time said "whatever he says is true" suggesting that the employee was telling the truth. The manager then stated that he watched me through the "glass" in the store and witnessed me do what the employee accussed me of. I asked the manager what it was that he exactly observed and he said" exactly what he told you"

Over the ten years as a shopper I have spent about 60, 000 dollars between the New York, NewJersey and Maryland stores. This means that I love the positive energy and products that you provide. I was extremely upset that I was profiled and accused of stealing without proof.

As a reslut, I feel unsafe going into the Silver Spring store for fear of being accused again or worse arrested. I am a father and a husband and I cannot afford that.

I would like an apology for being accused of doing somethingthat I did not do.

I went to the store on 11/23/2010 to buy a kosher turkey. It was the 3rd store I went to since 2 other stores were out of the product. Seattle just had a severe snow storm so I just rush in just for the turkey. When I went to the cash register I wrote a check but for the 1st time the check was declined in the machine that was processing it. The cashier went to a supervisor to figure out the problem and the supervisor tied again but no luck. I then said I had just enough cash but insisted on getting a phone number to call to clear up the problem. The supervisor told me to contact my bank. I said I was just at my bank earlier and they could even call the bank. He just replied that it must be my bank and I replied that I really need a phone number to clear this up and that it was not my bank that was the problem. He just repeated it must be my bank and would not give me a phone number. I was so frustrated I thew done the money on the counter and told him where he should put the money (up his ass). He said he will not tolerate such language and would not accept my money so I had to leave with no turkey. I tried to call the store later at home but the person just hung up on me. All I tried to say on the phone was how bad the customer service was and what can be done to resolve it. I then googled the headquarters and left a message about the problem. No one called me back the next day. When I call the office in the afternoon a women said she called the store to find out their story and to have them resolve the problem. She then told me that they were upset because I used bad language. I told her it was expected under the circumstances but she continue to defend the store. I continued to try to explain the problem but each raising my voice more since I was getting very frustrated (without shouting). She then said I was raising my voice and she would not tolerate that. I told I was raising it because she was not trying to listen. Then I was hung up again. I don't know if I will be able to get a turkey now since today the weather was undrivable and only 1 other store had a kosher turkey. Hopefully I can get to that store on Thanksgiving but more snow is expected tonight.

Trader Joe's Compressed Rawhide dog bones made my dog ill. He puked bile 5 or 6 times and had dry heaves after consuming the bones on a several different occasions. He did not have access to any other bones at the time nor have any other changes in his food.