Bet You Didn’t Know These 15 Things About Trader Joe’s
One of the coolest supermarket chains in the U.S., Trader Joe’s has something for everyone. With nearly 420 locations across 38 states, this “neighborhood grocery store” offers us a fantastic array of products you may not see anywhere else.
We thought sharing the top 15 things that you probably didn’t know would be a fun way to introduce a store that for the most part is fairly new to Utah.
1. You can try literally anything in the store – It’s known you can make a meal from samples but did you know you can sample anything in the store? Oh yes you can… just ask a Trader Joe’s employee to help you and they will.
2.It wasn’t always called Trader Joe’s – Trader Joe’s was originally called Pronto Markets but was changed in 1967 by Joe Columbo (the original Trader Joe!).
3. You can return anything at anytime – You can return any purchase whenever you want, no questions asked.
4. No sales, no coupons, no memberships – They pride themselves on having consistently low prices, and they refuse to resort to using gimmicks to make loyal customers.
5. Triple ginger snaps – Bet you thought the Speculoos Cookie Butter, was their most popular product but their triple ginger snaps actually are.
6. A unique bell system for communication – One bell means the store needs to open another register; two bells means a cashier needs help; and three bells means a crisis has occurred and the manager needs to step in.
7. Trader Joe’s has happy employees – Workers at Trader Joe’s can receive $20 an hour with full benefits (even if you’re part time) and their managers make nearly $130K.
8. Employees love Hawaii – All the employees wear Hawaiian shirts because Trader’s Joe views them as traders on the culinary seas, traveling the world far and wide to find the best products for their customers.
9. Stores are run like ships – Employees have creative job titles like “merchants,” “mates,” and “captains,” and they’re referred to as “crew members.”
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10. All about appearance – Each store hires its own in-house artist to create all those amazing chalkboard drawings that are everywhere.
11. Kid-friendly – There are balloons and stickers at the check-out, most food tasting tables have organic juice to try, and many stores have a stuffed animal hidden in the store.
12. Keeping things fresh – To ensure a constantly rotating selection of products, Trader Joe’s introduces 10-15 new items every week – which means 10-15 current items have to go
13. Different from other supermarkets – While a typical grocery store may carry around 50,000 items, Trader Joe’s stocks only about 4,000 items, 80% of which bear one of its own brand names.
14. Valuing charity – Every Trader Joe’s store donates a portion of its products to food banks. In 2013, over $260,000,000 worth of food was given to help fight hunger.
15. Valuing secrecy – Employees can be fired if they speak to a journalist about their job, and Trader Joe’s refuses to name the providers of the 3,000 or so Trader Joe’s-brand items on its shelves.
Well there you have it…. 15 more awesome things about Trader Joe’s. If you want to see for yourself, head on over to one of the two Utah locations 634 E. 400 South, Salt Lake City and 6989 S. 1300 East, Cottonwood Heights.
