Anyone who visits a Trader Joe’s retail store can say that it is not your average grocery store, but rather, it is an experience.
The store environment fosters “adventure, humor, and a warm sense of community” that isn’t found in many places.
The welcoming environment that is carefully curated is just one of the many reasons the store has attracted a large fan base.
With each wildly unique food item it introduces to its shelves, the store continues to attract shoppers and gain popularity.
Why Is Trader Joe’s So Popular? (10 Reasons)
Trader Joe’s is popular because of its sustainability efforts, quirky atmosphere, community support, and focus on employee well-being.
In a way, the store is like a scavenger hunt in that every time you visit, you are likely to find brand-new things along their aisles.
The store has a variety of unique foods that keep its customers on their toes.
1. Offers A Unique Variety Of Food At Low Cost
Trader Joe’s is well known for the eclectic variety of food and snacks that it offers.
These eclectic foods meet a wide variety of food interests and are sold for the best prices possible.
Interestingly, the food products that they sell are not chosen completely at random.
Rather, each item goes through a tasting panel to determine if it is worth selling in the store.
This tasting panel also determines the quality and, of course, the tastiness of each product.
If a product doesn’t satisfy the majority of the panel members, it will never reach the store shelves in the first place.
The retailer differs from most other grocery stores, in which vendors like Pepsi or Lay’s pay a slotting fee to the store to have their products displayed on their shelves.
The more money a company is willing to pay, the more shelf space it can have.
Trader Joe’s does not participate in this slotting system, but instead, it chooses each food item itself.
This is why you may notice very few name-brand products, like Cheerios or Cheetos.
Trader Joe’s has its own label.
The company employs buyers who travel around the world to search for exceptional and unique products that may create a fan base among its customers.
These buyers barter with the sellers to purchase their products at the lowest prices possible.
This process is also why the store does not offer sales, coupons, or loyalty programs.
The company has already done its best to price its products at the lowest possible prices.
Here’s a list of methods that Trader Joe’s uses to be able to offer unique food at the best prices possible:
- Purchasing directly from food suppliers and bargaining for the best savings possible.
- The stores buy in bulk and set contracts with their suppliers to maintain low prices.
- It removes food that has proven to be less popular to make room on shelves for new items.
- It does not charge suppliers for shelf space, but instead, it chooses its own products.
Trader Joe’s states that it wishes for every customer who visits its retail stores to feel like he or she had an enjoyable experience, got a great deal, and is genuinely looking forward to returning on their next grocery run.
2. They Offer Plentiful Options To Meet Specific Dietary Needs
While the company is known for its eclectic offering of unique foods, it is also known for its extremely wide variety of vegan, kosher, and gluten-free options.
It is common to have to visit multiple stores to find the products you want when shopping for someone who has a specific dietary need, whether it is due to an allergy or personal preference.
Trader Joe’s aims to diminish the need for multiple grocery visits by offering as wide a selection of these types of foods as possible.
Examples of uncommon products they stock include:
- Vegan butter
- Gluten-free baked goods
- Kosher salad dressings
- Sour cream alternatives
The retailer wants all of its customers to be able to find delicious food that meets their nutritional goals or requirements, without having to make sacrifices due to the inability to obtain certain food items.
3. Customers Appreciate The Quirky Atmosphere Of The Retail Stores
Besides just the food, the retailer also offers a quirky, unconventional atmosphere that excites customers and makes them feel welcome.
Employees are known for their knowledge of the food variety and often are found wearing bright, Hawaiian-inspired shirts that stand out in a crowd.
In fact, Trader Joe’s states that “vibrant, bold shirts are the uniform.”
The atmosphere is the company’s way of making grocery shopping a fun and enjoyable experience, and less of an exhausting chore to be checked off of the to-do list.
The stores are decorated with chalkboards and appropriately themed decor, such as plastic lobsters in the summer and penguins in the winter.
Another eccentric aspect of the retailer is the bell system which is used in place of intercoms.
One bell signals to employees that another register needs to be opened.
Two bells indicate that a customer has questions that need to be answered at the checkout area.
Lastly, three bells signal that a manager’s help is needed.
While the majority of customers likely are not aware of the meaning behind the bells, it makes the overall experience more interesting.
It also avoids the scratchy, usually intelligible intercom noises common in most stores.
4. Cares About The Well-Being Of Its Employees
One criticism of Trader Joe’s may be that it doesn’t offer a convenient self-checkout or online ordering for delivery or pickup.
Particularly with the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic, these easy self-service options have become a fan favorite to avoid standing too close to other people for extended periods.
However, Trader Joe’s doesn’t offer these services like its counterparts, Walmart, Aldi, and Target.
These options require funding, which the company prefers to give directly to the employees through their wages.
Additionally, self-service options eliminate the need for an employee, which goes against the company’s beliefs.
The company prefers to invest its time and money into its staff, its most valued resource.
The retailer believes that an online system cannot provide the same personal experience as an in-person staff member.
As stated on the website, “We set up our stores with care, finding just the right crew and creating a rewarding shopping experience, full of discovery and welcome.”
5. Committed To Being A Good Neighbor
The company takes part in goodwill services within its local communities through its Neighborhood Shares Program.
It is committed to helping community organizations such as local schools’ silent auctions or health fairs at a community hospital.
These local organizations can put in a request to Trader Joe’s for a donation of food items to support a community event being hosted.
The retailers request that any food and beverage donation request be coordinated alongside its Donations Coordinator.
Donation guidelines include:
- Must be a non-profit (501c3) organization.
- The organization receiving the donation may only receive one donation per year.
- Requests for donations must be submitted in writing and explain the organization and reasoning for needing the donation.
- Donations should be delivered to your local Trader Joe’s a minimum of three weeks before the date of the event or occurrence.
Additionally, food that is not as popular or just has not been sold in a specified time frame is donated to local charities.
These donated products are still safe for consumption and are not yet expired.
Donations may also include non-food items, like flowers or health and beauty supplies.
According to Trader Joe’s Neighborhood Shares Program, 100% of products that are not sold in stores (but are still fit to be eaten) are donated to food recovery organizations within the communities.
In 2021, the company donated more than $349 million worth of products to its non-profit partners throughout the United States.
The company is continuing to introduce new non-profit partners into its program, and as of 2021, it has established partnerships with 1,022 organizations.
6. Known For Its Environmental Efforts
For those shoppers trying to shop ethically and wishing to know that their consumerism is having a positive impact on the planet, Trader Joe’s is a common grocery destination.
Recently, the company has made a greater effort to sustainably package its products.
In fact, Trader Joe’s has a Sustainability Framework composed of five points that are used when evaluating and identifying where its packaging efforts can be improved.
Its sustainability initiative is focused on maintaining the integrity of its products while preventing food waste.
In many other grocery stores, it is common for products like fruits and vegetables, meats, and greeting cards to be packaged in plastic or styrofoam containers.
Trader Joe’s has worked to eliminate this unsustainable packaging by replacing it with plant-based alternatives.
The styrofoam trays they previously used to package fruits and vegetables have been replaced with compostable trays.
Greeting cards, a widely popular product at Trader Joe’s, used to be packaged in a plastic sleeve which has been replaced with a plant-based starch sleeve that is biodegradable and still protects the card from damage.
Other products that have plastic mesh packaging have been removed and replaced with alternative packaging.
The efforts that the company has put into package sustainability have so far been successful, allowing it to remove more than four million pounds of plastic packaging from its products.
In 2021 alone, Trader Joe’s made some significant efforts toward sustainability, including but not limited to:
- Recycled more than 277 million pounds of unsustainable packaging such as cardboard, plastic wrap, plastic buckets, and damaged pallets.
- Diverted over 8,800 tons or 17.5 million pounds of organic materials to a composting plant.
- Out of all products offered by the retail stores, 99% were either sold directly, donated to a food recovery partner, or sent to a compost plant.
7. It Discontinues Its Products To Make Room For More
Trader Joe’s is known for regularly discontinuing its products.
While this may seem like a negative thing, it is the company’s way of controlling the items sold within its stores.
This is to assist in continuing the retailer’s mission of offering the best quality products at the best possible prices.
In order to manage space within the stores, each product offered must pass a certain set of criteria to continue being sold.
One of these criteria, as discussed above, is that it must pass the Tasting Panel successfully.
Trader Joe’s states that there are several reasons a product will be discontinued:
- It’s a seasonal product and only available during certain times of the year.
- The cost of producing the item has increased which increases the price it is sold for.
- Items that are not as popular are discontinued to make room for new items.
8. The Fearless Flyer Is A Fan Favorite
Trader Joe’s Fearless Flyer is a unique blend of newsletter, catalog, and storybook.
Customers can subscribe to receive a printed copy or an online version.
Trader Joe’s also offers a separate e-newsletter option.
The Fearless Flyer is filled with product stories that amuse the customer while keeping them informed about the products they are purchasing.
It also keeps customers informed of where in the store the product they are looking for is located.
No more of that wandering around hoping you’ll find what you need.
The Fearless Flyer is free and is available throughout the year for customers to indulge in.
It is common for customers to visit Trader Joe’s to discover a new product.
However, for those looking for a specific product, the e-newsletter is the perfect option.
The E-Newsletter is slightly different from the Fearless Flyer in that it offers additional recipes, food how-tos, upcoming events within your local store, contests, and sneak peeks.
Alongside the E-Newsletter and Fearless Flyer, Trader Joe’s has an entire section of its website dedicated to entertainment.
It offers crossword puzzles, entertaining food guides and how-tos, and Instagram contests to win gift cards.
Trader Joe’s entertainment opportunities are perfect for people who are looking to try out a new recipe or ingredient but don’t have a clue what other foods to pair it with.
The online tools will inspire you to make a Turkey-less Roast one day and Sriracha Furikake Tofu Fries the next.
9. Its Podcast Is Witty And Informative
The company even offers its own podcast, Inside Trader Joe’s.
The podcast is good-humored, but also very informative and answers common questions received from customers.
Popular podcast episodes talk about:
- Holiday product returns
- Product hacks
- What’s up with their small parking lots?
- What is it like to work at a Trader Joe’s retail store?
- Why did Trader Joe’s discontinue my favorite product?
- Spectacular shopping lists for each season.
It can be found on streaming services like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, RSS Feed, iHeartRadio, and Stitcher.
10. A No-Questions-Asked Return Policy
The store offers a no questions asked return policy to customers.
This is a beneficial offering, as it is common for the store to sell unique flavor combinations which appeal to uniquely individual community members.
However, these unique foods may turn away customers who are not willing to purchase when they are unsure if they will like them.
Customers who purchase an item that they end up not enjoying or have lost interest in can return it for a full refund, no questions asked.
Therefore, this return policy is a selling point to encourage customers to try out new products and provide the company with feedback.
If a product is frequently being returned, that may signal that it is not a worthwhile purchase for the store to continue stocking.
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