Trader Joe's has quickly become one of the countries most popular grocery stores. With
its low-cost gourmet food, unique food selections, and great brand awareness, Trader Joe's has
become a real cult favorite while also gaining mass appeal. You are about to find out everything
you need to know as we look at the Top 10 Untold Truths Of Trader Joe's.
Joe Was Real
Like most products and food chains that go into business, the name of the brand is named
after the person or people that created them. Trader Joe's is no different and was named
after the creator of the store, Joe, obviously. The Joe in question was Joe Coulombe, an entrepreneur
who graduated from Stanford Business School. In the late 1950s, Coulombe launched his grocery
store under the name Pronto Markets. However, as Pronto Markets was more in line with the
rapidly growing 7-Eleven than a normal grocery store, Coulombe felt that the competition
from 7-Eleven would be too much. So, with a quick re-think and re-brand, Coulombe launched
Trader Joe's. The reason behind the re-brand, especially Trader Joe's unique style, is said
to be down to Coulombe's vacation. While in the Carribean, Coulombe got inspired by the
'Tiki-themed' idea, which was popular at this time. Adding to that theme further, Coulombe
wanted a store that focused more on fresh and local foods, just like the stores and
markets from his vacation. Then a legend was born as Trader Joe's opened up and became
a huge success. The chain of grocery stores is getting bigger and bigger and yet it has
still managed to keep its original themes and ideas intact.
Trader Joe's Stores Are Ready To Set Sail
It's fair to say that Trader Joe's has a unique style with all its stores. As we've already
mentioned on our list of untold truths of Trader Joes, Joe's founder, Joe Coulombe,
got the idea for his stores while on vacation in the Carribean. The nautical theme has continued
to this day and it doesn't just apply to the store, it applies to the workers too. With
job titles such as Crew Members, they also have Mates, Captains, and Merchants to keep
their theme alive. The workers, or Crew Members, are also decked out in Hawaiian shirts, and
this isn't just a fashion thing either. The idea for the shirts is because the Crew Mates
are traders on the culinary seas, searching for great foods and cool items to bring home.
They certainly have a lot of fun at Trader Joe's. They also have a very unique way of
communicating with each other in the store. Not content with the usual loud speaker or
buzzer system that most grocery stores have, Trader Joe's uses bells. Just as ships communicate
with flags and bells, Trader Joe's does the same thing, and they are not just ringing
the bell for fun either. Each ring of the bell means a different thing and Crew Members
must learn the bell language.
The Plastic Lobster
While Trader Joe's doesn't go in for the marketing tricks that a lot of other companies have,
it does have it's own little gimmicks as well as some fun and games for the children. One
of them is the plastic lobster. The tropical look of any Trader Joe's wouldn't be complete
without a lobster somewhere on the premises. Becoming their unofficial mascot since the
mid-1970s, the plastic lobster now appears in every store. Sometimes they like to hide
it for customers to find, but be assured that no matter which Trader Joe's you go to, there
will be a pair of lobster eyes watching you. Another game Trader Joe's likes to play with
its customers is to find the plushy toy. Trader Joe's knows that bringing kids along to do
the grocery shopping can be a chore, so they have tried to make it a little more interesting
for the kids. Having several stuffed toys hidden around the store can inject a little
bit of fun into your grocery trip. The trick is that the kids have to find them all and
if they can complete this stuffed toy scavenger hunt, they will be rewarded with a treat by
the manager.
Sale Is A Four-letter Word at Trader Joe's
Many companies in the world use advertising tricks in order to get us to buy their products
or visit their stores. Whether they are slick advertising campaigns or promotions linked
to things like movies or video games. On top of that, these companies bombard us with coupons
and membership cards that promise to give us great deals and prizes. But the one trick
that always gets us rushing through the door is a big sale. The promise of getting our
normal goods at a lower price is irresistible. Because all these marketing tools work, surely
Trader Joe's has them too? Actually, it doesn't. In fact, Trader Joe's doesn't use any of them
at all. They don't do membership cards, glitzy promotions, giant sales or any other discounts.
What they do is great food at low prices, and that's all. Rather than spending time
and money on all the trimmings that other companies and brands do, Trader Joe's focuses
on what it does best and they ensure that people come back into their stores because
they've had a great experience and bought some great food, not because of some fancy
deal or points. Trader Joe's also sells a lot of its own brand which can only be bought
in their stores. That's another reason they don't need to over advertise. If you like
their food and their prices, then Trader Joe's is the only place to go.
Charity
While Trader Joe's is here to bring us great foods and products at a low price, all while
giving us a smile with their themes and games, it also does a lot for charity. A lot of food
that comes into the store isn't good enough for sale, and therefore the products can't
be put on the shelf. While there is nothing wrong with eating a slightly damaged or bruised
piece of food, Trader Joe's can't sell it to customers, so what do they do? They actually
donate all the food to charities. Known as 'spoils,' the slightly damaged food is rounded
up and donated. Trader Joe's usually gives the 'spoils' to local nonprofit organizations
and charities. As well as contributing to their local communities with their food donations,
Trader Joe's also helps out when it comes to recycling and composting. Not only do they
have information in their stores but their website has many helpful tips and guides on
how and what to recycle and compost. Not only is Trader Joe's here to serve, but they are
helping save the planet too.
Trader Joe’s is Owned By Aldi
There may be many people out there that can see certain similarities between Trader Joe's
and the German grocery store, Aldi. They both sell great products, great wines, and at low
prices. Are they, in fact, the same store? Well, actually no they are not but Aldi does
own Trader Joe's, sort of. The reason that we say sort of is because there are actually
two international companies with the Aldi name and brand. Originally the Aldi supermarket
chain was one name and one brand. They very quickly opened up discounted grocery stores
all over the world. That is until the two brothers that ran the company had a big falling
out. Since then Aldi has split in two; Aldi Sud, which operates the grocery stores known
as Aldi, and Aldi Nord, which now owns Trader Joe's. While this big grocery chain did buy
out Trader Joe's, they have never interfered with it. Instead, they have kept the brand
pretty much the same, with the same mission statement and brand awareness, and they have
even kept the old management the same. All of this can only be a good thing as Trader
Joe's has such a unique and interesting take on the grocery store that it would be a shame
to turn it into just another boring chain.
Disappearing Items
Have you ever walked around a Trader Joe's, looking for your favorite item only to find
it's not there? You've discovered this great store and many great products but now those
products aren't sold anywhere. This happens a lot at Trader Joe's. The biggest reason
for the sudden shortages of products is that Trader Joe's doesn't order as much stock as
most other grocery stores. In fact, the average grocery store has an estimated 50,000 products
on its shelf or in storage at any one time, whereas Trader Joe's has only about 4,000.
That's a huge difference and those numbers also make it quite likely that a product will
run out and not be re-stocked. What they actually do is called 'Truck to Shelf.' This means
that Trader Joe's only orders a small amount of product so they don't have any waste, or
foods sitting on the shelf for days on end. 'Truck to shelf' guarantees fresh foods and
produce are on their shelves. If you are a regular shopper at Trader joe's grocery stores,
apart from having to deal with disappearing stock, you will probably have to deal with
stock that has been discontinued altogether. This is another thing that Trader Joe's does.
In order to keep the cost down, and therefore sell their products at a lower price, they
can't stock a product for too long if it's not selling well. Even if you love a certain
food, if not too many others do, then that food will go. Trader Joe's may also discontinue
items if the supplier ups the price or if it costs too much to transfer or store. While
all these things may be annoying for the customers, especially if you find a food you truly love,
it is beneficial in other ways, as it keeps their prices low.
Trader Joe's Vs Canada
When your company becomes famous and a household name, you may find that people suddenly want
to take advantage of you or try to cash in on your name. That's exactly what happened
to Trader Joe’s. In 2012 a man from Vancouver, Canada, opened up a store called Pirate Joe's.
While the name sounds similar, it can't hurt Trader Joe's that much can it? Actually the
man didn't just open a store that had a similar theme and name, he actually sold Trader Joe's
food. Taking several trips across the border to Trader Joe's, the Canadian bought food
in bulk and then took it back to his store and sold it at quite a markup. As soon as
Trader Joe's heard about this they banned the guy from their stores instantly. However,
not beaten yet, he decided to 'hire' other people to cross the border and buy Trader
Joe's products for him. Trader Joe's sued him, and while the man tried to fight, he
had spent all his money in court and had no choice but to close down his store.
Popular Items at Trader Joe's
While Trader Joe's is proud to sell big named brands such as PepsiCo, Danone, and Naked
Juice, most of its products are under its own brand. The Trader Joe's product line not
only covers a multitude of foods but it also promises us that its foods don't contain any
of the bad stuff that other brands do. Artificial flavorings and colors, preservatives, trans-fats,
and genetically modified ingredients are all absent from the ingredients list for these
products. The most popular food items that Trader Joe's sells is Mandarin Orange Chicken,
this delicious dish has been their top performer for the last few years. Other notable tasty
treats include; Triple Ginger Snaps, Mac and Cheese, Cookie Butter, and their dark chocolate
bars. Each new food has to go through a vigorous taste testing before it's released onto the
public. So when we see that food on the self, we know it's going to be good. As well as
food, Trader Joe's has its own alcohol range as well. They have been brewing their own
beer for many years with their Vintage ale. There is also a great wine range, which has
quickly become the champion for great tasting affordable wine. Not many grocery stores with
their own brands do alcohol as well. So it's great to see Trader Joe's doing what they
do best with food, to alcohol. Great tasting, affordable products that are full of fresh
and great ingredients. Trader Joe's brand has come a long way since it introduced its
first product decades ago. The humble granola cereal was the first item to be produced and
sold under this brand. There is also another upside to the Trader Joe's brand and that
is you can taste anything before you buy it. If you ask a member of the staff, they will
be happy to help you out. And, yes, this includes tasting the alcohol as well.
Bigger Than Whole Foods
On our list of untold truths of Trader Joe's, we have mentioned many great things that make
this grocery store such a hit. However, while Trader Joe's is becoming more and more popular,
it is still very secretive about certain things and is often criticized for that fact, especially
in regards to its sustainable food and sourcing. While this issue may well hold back some companies,
Trader Joe's has gone from strength to strength. Recently it was reported that Trader Joe's
is bigger than its competitor Whole Foods. While Whole Foods is a lot more well known,
Trader Joe's has more locations across the country than its rivals and that looks set
to increase. With its free samples, more than generous return policy, in which you can return
anything even if you don't have the receipt, and it's low prices and great customer care,
Trader Joe's looks set to become even bigger in the future.
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