Why You Spend So Much Money At Trader Joe's
2,776,373
Published 2020-03-09
A trip to Trader Joe's is an odyssey, with struggles, discovery and the spoils of victory: Its parking lots are notorious ("If you didn't have a near death experience in a parking lot, did you even go to Trader Joe's?" tweeted a customer), as are the long checkout lines that wind through the store's crowded aisles. And you won't find sales, coupons or loyalty cards. But Trader Joe's shoppers inevitably leave with an exciting new snack addiction and a respectable bottle of wine for under $5.
That odyssey, the emotional journey, is part of what has inspired consumers' obsession with Trader Joe's.
There are unofficial Instagram accounts dedicated to the brand (@traderjoeslist has 1.1 million followers alone). Even celebrities crave Trader Joe's; Hillary Duff, for example, is "obsessed" with the egg-white salad. And when Trader Joe's opened it's store in Germantown outside of Memphis in Tennessee, more than 500 people reportedly waited in line.
Fandom translates to sales. In 2019, Trader Joe's 505 U.S. stores had an estimated $13.7 billion in net sales, according to retail insights company Edge by Ascential. For comparison, Whole Foods had $16.5 billion U.S. net sales in 2019 (in-store sales only, Whole Foods groceries sold on Amazon.com not included), while Costco had $110.5 billion in store-based (Costco.com sales are tracked separately) net sales, according to Edge by Ascential.
Bringing in billions from a cult of customers is no accident. But the brand has carefully pruned its business strategy to inspire evangelism from its customers. Here are some of the ways Trader Joe's gets people hooked.
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Why You Spend So Much Money At Trader Joe's
All Comments (21)
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What’s your favorite Trader Joe’s product? Like the video and let us know in the comments below.
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"Trader Joe's is for overeducated and underpaid people, for all the classical musicians, museum curators, journalists." Talk about defining your target customer.
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Day 10 of Corona Quarantine: Currently watching a Documentary on Trader Joes
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Okay, since it’s not said in the video: Trader Joe’s has amazing selection for people with Celiacs, dairy free, vegan and people with nut allergies. As someone with a nut allergy and Celiacs it’s really hard to find ANY thing remotely edible that is gluten free and nut free. They have simple and nice packaging that’s usually big and easy to read for older people. There is no other chain like Trader Joe’s where you can get the quality for what you’re getting for the price. The organic meat is wayyyy cheaper than on a store. All of their produce is always better quality than the other grocery stores. There products contain simple ingredients. They open early everyday for older and disabled people to shop before everyone else. They pair fair wages. They have the best GF pasta, GF bagels, GF muffins, GF granola. Does anyone trying to save money seriously only shop in one place? There is very few things you need to buy somewhere else and you never have to check what is on sale. The list goes on.
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The first time I went to Trader Joe’s I found baking soda in a CAN! It was $0.99 which is more expensive than the average box of baking soda...BUT it was in a can which, as a baker, made me so incredibly happy and was a solution to an annoying problem I always had thought about with the boxes. I was so excited! 😂🙈
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Why am I watching this video, we don't even have Trader Joe's in my country
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Trader joes makes me feel less stressed when I go shopping. They are simple and direct with their items and ingredients.
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I like to go there for the atmosphere. Most employees also seem genuinely happy, so the employer must be taking care of them. That makes me want to support the brand even more.
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This is low-key trader joe's ad.
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Her husband was very underwhelmed by that lava cake
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I like to shop where the employees are happy and paid decently. Love TJs.
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After spending an insane amount of time cooking and not shopping at TJ's during the pandemic, I can honestly see why it is heaven for most. I miss so many of the pre-made foods, snacks, and frozen food. It is the perfect American grocery store because we are overworked and underpaid.
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Trader Joe’s is more affordable than Whole Food.
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I get like 4 bags of groceries, get home, eat everything in an hour.
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Low tech gets me every time! That's why I love it. Used to live in Germany and would go to Aldi for the same reason. I could get my whole weeks worth of shopping done in 20 minutes or less. They don't move around things in the store either. I can find everything pretty easily.
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Trader Joe’s frozen section is literally what keeps me alive 😭 forever grateful for that
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Trader Joe’s isn’t as expensive as people think it is. Good food for reasonable prices.
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This is the longest Trader Joe’s ad I have ever watched.
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Loooove Trader Joe’s. So worth the price and the “limited” choices makes it easier to get in and get out 👍🏽
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When you invest, you’re buying a day that you don’t have to work.. I pray everyone reading this becomes successful.
