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‘Cosby Show’ star’s experience shows work is different at Trader Joe’s

Written by George Anderson

Source: Fox News; Photo - Getty Images

Geoffrey Owens, best known for playing the character Elvin Tibideaux on “The Cosby Show,” has more recently gained notoriety after the Daily Mail and Fox News tried to job shame him by publishing photos of him working at the checkout in a Trader Joe’s located in New Jersey.

Mr. Owens, who took the position at the store to make a steady income while having the flexibility to pursue acting roles, decided to leave Trading Joe’s after the story spread across social media and news outlets.

"As soon as I heard this story was in the works, I resigned because I didn't feel that for my peace of mind and my dignity that I was going to be able to function there in a positive way, spiritually and emotionally," he told CNN in an interview.

Mr. Owens’ said he hoped the lesson from his experience for others would be a shift of what constitutes “good honest work.” He added, “Certain work is more lucrative, certain work looks better on a resume or may have better benefits,” but, “I don’t think anyone should ever look down on somebody because of a type of work because society has decided is not as good, is inferior ...”

While the publicity around his employment at Trader Joe’s made Mr. Owens feel that he had no choice other than leave the company, management at the store had another take. Rather than accepting his resignation outright, it was suggested that he take a leave of absence. "I can go back whenever I want," he said.

As an Inc. article points out, the retailer has made it easy for Mr. Owens to return should he find himself in need of work in the future. In doing so, “Trader Joe's showed that it cared about the person, not just the employee.”

Editor’s note: As I’ve written before on this site, I too had an experience working for a short time at Trader Joe’s as part of a research project on corporate culture. Having made my decision to leave, I too was encouraged to opt for a leave of absence rather than just quitting. The offer, one I never expected to receive, made me feel good about the store’s view of my contributions while there and solidified my view that Trader Joe’s personal approach to employee relations was worth emulating by employers both inside and outside of retailing.

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