Trader Joe’s, Our Neighborhood Grocery Store

Imagine, the newest and best-valued products placed on shelves around you. The fresh and crisp vegetables and fruits lay in the fridge nearby. 

You get closer to a shelf and see the newest product they came up with, almonds covered in almond butter. You reach for the last bag, and then realize you want a second one. At the same time, a smiling grocery clerk asks if you need any help. 

No, you are not in heaven, but pretty close to it. You just entered Trader Joe’s. Nirvana for grocery shopping lovers and even haters.

The chain started with another not-so-average man named Joe. Joe Coulombe graduated from Stanford and started working in pharmaceutics. The company he worked for shut down. But Joe saw the potential of the store. So he bought it and rebranded it as Trader Joe’s. 

Tiki decorations

Joe's store took inspiration from a Tiki restaurant called Trader Vic’s. Apart from the name, Coulombe wanted to have a tiki theme in his store. This is why the employees wear Hawaiian shirts.

The first store was established in 1967 in Pasadena California. Traveling became more prominent in America and Joe realized the changing society had a growing taste that was not satisfied by American stores and products. 

Therefore, Joe made his store's theme nautical and made sure they had international products. From then on his goal became clear: offer variety and low prices. 

In 1979, Theo Albrecht, the owner of ALDI, bought the company as a family investment. Sadly, Joe passed away in February 2020, but his store lives as a legacy of his vision and management. 

Wine

Trader Joe’s is notoriously known for its fair prices and high-quality products. To do this, 80% of the store's products are branded a Trader Joe's label. 

This doesn't mean Trader Joe's produces their food and products, but rather that they directly buy it from suppliers and assign their label on said products.

For example, instead of buying wine from a renowned brand, they buy leftovers from the wine distributors. The remaining wine did not meet all the requirements that the fancy brand strives for.

It still is high-quality, just not as much as the famous wine.

More wine

However, many customers would not notice the difference between these two and would only buy the product if it is cheaper. Additionally, wine creators want to get rid of their leftovers. Trader Joe's buys it at a discounted price, puts their name on it and customers get the product for a lower price. 

It is a win-win-win situation. 

One fun fact about the store is that the bells in front of the store do serve a purpose rather than just being decorative. 

Since the store doesn’t have speakers to make announcements, they use the bell as a type of morse code to communicate. 

One bell means there are a lot of customers by the registrar and another register needs to open, or a crew is needed by the register area. Two bells mean a customer needs help from an employee. And a third bell means that the help of a manager is needed. 

What I love about Trader Joe’s are its various frozen cooked meals. They are very convenient and easy to heat. Some options they have include eggplant parmesan, cauliflower rice, quesadillas, and pasta.

 Another factor I love is that Trader Joe’s products are always changing. 

The creators are constantly innovating their merchandise and come up with crazy products like birthday cake popcorn or a bar of chocolate with gummy bears. 

Since Trader Joe’s has a limited amount of products that can be on their shelves, and their stores are relatively small, they can’t afford to have thousands of products. 

Therefore, the products that are less frequently bought are discontinued, and new products are created to replace them. 

This facilitates the turnaround of their items and allows them to invent original items.

One controversial topic the store is critiqued for is the labeling of its international items. 

Some of their products are typically from other countries and Trader Joe’s changes their label to suit the origin. 

For example, Quesadillas are merchandised as Trader José and pasta is under Trader Giotto’s. 

Some consumers consider this is offensive, insensitive, and racist. The company said that they do it as a celebration of other cultures and it is a well-intentioned action. 

Apart from that, I cannot think of other negative traits from the supermarket. Trader Joe’s is a leader in it's industustry, with low prices and exceptional products, just like Joe wanted. Innovation, creativity, hospitality, and adventure are some of the qualities that set aside this store from others. 

I don't know if my neighbors always buy from this store, but I sure do! I give it a 10 out of 10.