Brookfield Trader Joe's is Hiring

About those rumors that Trader Joe's wasn't opening in Brookfield after all....

No worries!

Not only did TJ's erect all its exterior building and monument signage in the past week, but its crews have moved in and are building the interior design.

And starting on Monday, the store will be hiring.

From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, Trader Joe's will accept applications at the store, 12665 W. Bluemound Rd., said Jeff Clark, who is transferring from the Bayshore Mall store to run the Brookfield one.

Trader Joe's is looking to hire "crew members."

Assistant managers are called "mates" and there's one store manager who is the "captain." Employees wear Hawaiian shirts.

Starting to get the idea this isn't your typical retail job?

That's what Trader Joe's says, anyway.

"If ordinary makes you yawn, then keep reading," says its job listing for the Brookfield store, aka store #726. "Do you have a sense of adventure? Do you like to make people smile? Do you like to eat? We have opportunities that will challenge and excite."

Crew members do a variety of jobs, including cashier, bagger, stocker and display-builder. The listing also encourages employees to tap their talents in art and cooking by creating fun signs ("We use a lot of chalk, so if that's a medium you are comfortable with, even better"), or conducting food and wine demonstrations.

To apply, print and complete the application and bring it to the store.

The Brookfield store is opening Nov. 2 and will be open daily 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Trader Joe's, founded in 1958, operates more than 350 stores in 31 states, including about six in the Chicago area. Both Wisconsin stores — at Bayshore Town Center in Glendale and in Madison — opened in fall 2006.

Owned by the same German family that owns the Aldi discount grocery chain, Trader Joe's is known for its private label specialty products and wines — including the Charles Shaw line with bottles dubbed "Two Buck Chucks" (now about $3).