Michael Skodnick and Trader Joe's

REGO PARK, NY, March 16, 2014 (Press-News.org) Michael Skodnick is celebrating five years as an employee at the Trader Joe's in Rego Park, New York. Michael Skodnick has earned a reputation for hard work and reliability during his tenure at Trader Joe's. His co-workers know him as honest, too, and an employee devoted to delivering outstanding customer service.

Michael Skodnick has a real knack for customer service. "I just love people," he says modestly, "so it only seems right that I would interact well with my customers."

When he's not at work, Michael Skodnick enjoys nothing more than tuning up his guitar and playing. He performs regularly with different bands around town. For now, music is mostly a hobby for Michael Skodnick, but it's a hobby he takes seriously. He has put up profiles of himself and the bands he plays with on different social media sites. These are great ways, he says, to promote a band.

Before he started at Trader Joe's, Michael Skodnick worked for a chain of supermarkets called Super Fresh. Super Fresh is based in the northeast United States, and it's where Michael Skodnick first learned how to apply himself at work. "That job really helped establish my work ethic," Michael Skodnick says now. "I learned through a lot of trial and error there, but it made me better."

Michael Skodnick says he has no plans to quit Trader Joe's, at least not in the foreseeable future. Trader Joe's started as a string of small convenience stores in 1958. The stores originally went by the name of Pronto Markets. They became Trader Joe's in 1967, and the chain has rapidly expanded in size and number over the last forty-plus years.

Michael Skodnick says a lot of Trader Joe's success is directly linked to the quality of its products and the service it provides. "They provide hard-to-find foods that most grocery stores do not offer," Michael Skodnick explains. "That's something that many of our customers appreciate. We also provide exceptional customer service, so I think that keeps people coming back time and time again." Among the most famous products at Trader Joe's is "two buck Chuck," its line of well-made, affordable wines. It also features unique confections, like almonds covered in dark chocolate and sprinkled with sea salt.

Trader Joe's buys directly from suppliers whenever possible, and they bargain hard to get the best price. Those savings, as countless loyal and satisfied customers can attest, are passed along to the consumer. "Value is a concept we take very seriously," the company says on its website.

In 1967, when Pronto Markets became Trader Joe's, the company introduced the trademark Hawaiian shirts worn by all employees. Michael Skodnick has been happy wearing his for the last five years. "I wouldn't be where I am today without the opportunities I've received from this company," Michael Skodnick said. "They have allowed me to grow into the worker I am today, so I owe a lot to them." He is looking forward to many more in that colorful shirt. "It's been a great ride and I'm not done yet."

About: Michael Skodnick is marking five years as an employee at Trader Joe's.