Live, Laugh, Love Trader Joe’s
Why are people so obsessed with Trader Joe’s?
—By Jessica Norris and Sophia Yzerman
After a morning of online class, I finally head to my kitchen to make lunch. Opening my fridge, I realized I do not have groceries, but luckily I had just enough time to go to my favorite grocery store before my afternoon class. Trader Joe’s is perfect because they have a plethora of yummy, gourmet frozen meals and snacks. When I arrived at the chaotic parking lot, the line outside the door had about two dozen socially distant people dreaming of the same grocery shopping experience as I was. I did not have enough time to wait around. Disappointed, I drove home and proceeded to order groceries from an online service. It was not the same.
From the fresh produce and frozen meals, to the original card selection, natural beauty and hygiene products, beautiful flowers, and even household products, Trader Joe’s is the place to be, especially on the University of Michigan campus. U-M students (and Ann Arbor residents) are infatuated with the grocery store, filling the small parking lot and waiting in the long lines. But what is the big deal with Trader Joe’s? After all, is it not just an ordinary grocery store?
Trader Who?
Trader Joe’s was founded in 1967 in Pasadena, California, by Joe Coloumbe. Coloumbe wanted to create a grocery store that was affordable but extraordinary. His vision: a line of majority prepackaged products in fun flavor combinations that customers could not find anywhere else. Trader Joe’s claims it offers the lowest, everyday prices, and the heavy emphasis on store brands necessitates no “middleman markup.” The grocery store states its store-branded goods are free of artificial flavors, artificial preservatives, synthetic colors, and genetically modified ingredients. In fact, Trader Joe’s even uses beet juice instead of artificial food coloring to create the pink color of the frosting on their cupcakes! Trader Joe’s is not only about the shopping excursion, but an experience around the world, bringing in exotic flavors from distant lands.
The Trader Joe’s mantra is to provide value to its customers as well as a dedication to excellent service through an inviting and caring environment. Trader Joe’s is also known for its quirky, Hawaiian theme. “We wear Hawaiian shirts because we’re traders on the culinary seas, searching the world over for cool items to bring home to our customers,” Trader Joe’s displays on its website. Employee titles are even named after ship terms, like “mates”, and the store manager is the “captain.” Trader Joe’s hires potential workers for their expressed enthusiasm, upbeat attitude, and friendliness, which makes the grocery store aisles even brighter.
A beloved community
How has Trader Joe’s changed with the COVID-19 pandemic? Trader Joe’s has taken numerous measures to protect its employees and consumers against the virus. The chain implemented standard procedures, such as mask guidance, enhanced hygiene routines, social distancing, additional payment for sick time for crew members, plexiglass barriers at the cash register, and crew member wellness checks. Further, all Trader Joe’s locations revised their store hours so senior citizens and other high-risk individuals can have a safe and comfortable shopping experience. Still, Trader Joe’s customers wish for a delivery service, but the franchise has no current intentions to offer their products for delivery or curbside store pickup.
Sydney Kruggel, a U-M freshman who currently works at Trader Joe’s, feels like the grocery store is her second home. Sydney said that crew members care so much for the store and loves that Trader Joe’s is crew-centered over corporation-focused. According to Sydney, what makes Trader Joe’s so popular among college students is their low prices and product sourcing, which is difficult to find at other stores. Interestingly, each crew member is assigned to a specific section of the store, from nuts and dried fruit to salsa to bread, but everyone is still involved throughout. Sydney exclaimed the Trader Joe’s in Ann Arbor continues to follow strict COVID-19 protocols: “Now that nearly everyone understands the rules, it is almost a better experience inside the store than before if that is even possible.” If she were to change anything about Trader Joe’s, Sydney wished for bigger stores, which would help keep around discontinued items for longer!
U-M alum Stephanie Rowat has been a crew member at Trader Joe’s for seven years. Stephanie described Trader Joe’s culture as inclusive, friendly, and informative. It is important to note that Trader Joe’s hires its employees based on personality; prior industry experience or education is not required. The combination of needing a flexible but enjoyable job, interest in nutrition, while being a “foodie” made Trader Joe’s the perfect store for Stephanie to work at.
Stephanie adds many store locations are near college campuses, making it convenient but affordable for students. Stephanie believes another reason for its popularity is that “Younger people are more informed and influenced by the media and television… There was no Food Network when I was growing up and now food is a huge topic of conversation in ways that it was never before. Trader Joe’s was poised to meet that need before it even existed.” Due to the store’s focus of creating a community or a neighborhood environment, Stephanie notes that stores are intentionally smaller than big.
One of the significant challenges that Stephanie and her co-workers face amidst the COVID-19 pandemic is their inability to thoroughly communicate and connect with each other, whether customers or co-workers, owing to plexiglass and masks. Stephanie’s recommendation for a possible store change is to offer online shopping because she is “concerned we will get left behind if we do not move forward.”
“Does anyone know how the Trader Joe’s line is?”
Michigan students no longer text in their group chats for updates on bar lines; they ask the important questions… Does anyone know how long the Trader Joe’s line is? A trip to Trader Joe’s is not as simple as any other grocery store run, it involves planning. Will the line be wrapped around the strip mall? When is Trader Joe’s rush hour again? Will I make it back in time for my class later? The outrageous Trader Joe’s lines are no exaggeration, and this is not just an Ann Arbor problem. There are Twitter accounts dedicated to tracking the lines at Trader Joe’s stores. It is a universal problem!
University of Michigan students are not just football fans…
Looking in Ann Arbor, the line at Trader Joe’s is far worse than any other grocery store. Everyday one can watch the Trader Joe’s line on E. Stadium continuously fill the parking lot and sidewalk. What is behind the Trader Joe’s obsession among U-M campus and Ann Arbor?
The craze can be attributed to their addictive private label groceries and simple meals, however, it again comes down to the affordability and proximity with U-M students. Like many college towns, one can find lots of bars, pizza parlors, late night restaurants, and everything else unhealthy. Ann Arbor is blessed with Pizza House delivery until 4 a.m. and much more, but students have found their balance at Trader Joe’s.
Wandering off the U-M campus, Trader Joe’s is one of the only healthy and affordable grocery stores; their prices are cheaper than Whole Foods and healthier and more convenient than Kroger. There is a good chance that in U-M student’s freezers there are endless Trader Joe’s frozen meals from Chicken Tikka, Cauliflower Gnocchi, Steamed Chicken Soup Dumplings, and dozens more. This selection is gold for college students: healthy, flavorful, no cooking, and no clean up. This grocery store has found a niche with college students through providing deals to help save money, like their six count Trader Joe’s Teeny Tiny Avocados for $2.99. The inexpensive prices on foods and their convenient, endless frozen meal selection drive the endless lines, but make the wait worth it.
No, this is legit.
U-M senior Bizzy James, who is a loyal Trader Joe’s shopper, explains how near and dear the market truly is to Wolverines. Bizzy has been shopping at Trader Joe’s since freshman year, stocking her mini fridge in West Quad, and still, three years later, finds herself living in a house with fifteen friends who are also obsessed. “It really is the best and cheapest grocery store around here and they have the best snacks and their frozen meals save me”, Bizzy said. Bizzy and her roommates stock up on Trader Joe’s frozen meals: “Our kitchen is just so small, it’s always messy.… It’s just easier to make these then cook, and they taste so much better than anything I can make.”
Bizzy announced that their affordable prices drive her loyalty, although she cannot get all of her groceries there. “I like to still go to other stores to get meat, but I get the majority of my other groceries there and save so much money, rather than going to Whole Foods,” and being a college student, everyone knows eating healthy is important, but saving money is more. Between easy meal prep, frozen meals, healthy novel snacks, and good prices the Trader Joe’s obsession on college campuses persists.
The love story between college students and Trader Joe’s is best pronounced in Trader Joe’s: A Case Analysis of Trader Joe’s Competitive Strategy by Adams Holden. Holden wrote that Trader Joe’s has a niche for young and educated people as they “aim to capture the educated population who are health-conscious and willing to try new things.” Through it’s warm, and strangely homely, disposition, and as Holden stated, their drop of 10 to 15 new products weekly, lower-cost private label products, and other strategies help the Trader Joe’s infatuation live on through the hearts of U-M students, and basically everyone else.
Ashley Gearhardt is a clinical psychologist and researcher at U-M; she focuses on evaluating whether ultra processed foods are addictive. Ashley said that she shops at Trader Joe’s just like us, and thinks it is so popular because of the availability of healthy and affordable options. The lack of immediate grocery stores on U of M’s campus can be a huge obstacle for students who are trying to eat more nutritious and nourishing foods, which Ashley exclaimed is so critical to have a fulfilling diet during college because it impacts mood, sleep, and energy levels tremendously. Most importantly, though, Ashley made note not to overlook that the store sells very unique ultra-processed foods, such as Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels or Brownie + Cookie = Brookie, bring about intense hits of sugar, fat, and salt, which can trigger the brain in an addictive way.
“We know that the cues associated with addictive substances begin to become very powerful and trigger strong positive reactions,” stated Ashley, “and Trader Joe’s may be a cue for the addictive foods that they sell.” Ashley believes Trader Joe’s has a “health halo”, meaning that consumers overestimate the healthiness of an item based on a single factor, such as associating the franchise with fruits and vegetables, and this effect reduces guilt about purchasing unhealthy options. Conclusively, Ashley observes that Trader Joe’s possesses a successful strong loyal following, especially on social media, which encourages a great deal of word-of-mouth advertising.
From grocery aisles to Instagram feeds
Trader Joe’s is not just a Wolverine favorite by any means, just look on Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok. Turns out celebrities are not the only ones with fan accounts – hundreds of social media accounts dedicated to Trader Joe’s recipes, best products, new weekly products and the ones leaving, and products that are not worth chasing. On TikTok alone, #TraderJoes has over 793.6 million views and has been tagged on 2.2 million Instagram posts. Trader Joe’s is taking over the social media side of food, but everyone is here for it.
The online Trader Joe’s culture illustrates and fuels the mania. Shannon, the woman behind the Instagram account @TraderJoesObsessed, offers insight into Trader Joe’s digital community. Scrolling through her feed, one will find bottomless quick recipes, recommended alcoholic beverages offered, brunch ideas, approved spa products, and so much to highlight all Trader Joe’s has to offer. Growing up in San Francisco, Shannon has always been an avid customer. Shannon went to the store twice a week with her mother, and has remained loyal for many reasons – the kindness, helpfulness, and passion from the employees, ability to find unique, new products, and the phenomenal groceries to create delicious recipes with.
Shannon began her account on Instagram because she “would recommend products on my personal page, some friends would ask me to make a new one so they wouldn’t have to scroll [my] through family photos.” Now, Shannon has 479,000 followers and counting. She loves making and sharing super easy recipes, interacting and learning from her followers as being a working mom of two girls, she only has about 15 minutes to make dinner, and Trader Joe’s saves her.
And from Shannon, the Trader Joe’s queen herself, the must haves that always make her grocery list: Pancake Bread, Pepperoni Pizza Mac & Cheese Bowl, Chocolate Croissants, Bambino Pizza, Scallion Pancakes, Crisp Pasadena Salad with Chicken, Cold Brew Coffee and Boba Coconut Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert, Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream, and of course, Mini Hold the Cold Ice Cream Cones! The only things Shannon would change would be to open store hours earlier and to open more stores…Ann Arbor please! But really, it would be great if Trader Joe’s opened another store close to the Ann Arbor campus because as Shannon pointed out, “Since their culture is cool and laid back, it draws students especially those with TikTok, Snapchat or Instagram, who can show their friends the latest product at a budget friendly price point.”
Not only have Trader Joe’s recipes and shopping accounts dominated social media, but comedic content has also entered the chat. People turn to Twitter to share their funnier, relatable stories and experiences that make you fall in love with Trader Joe’s even more – read the best ones from this HuffPost article. It is the unaffiliated, social media accounts, similar to @TraderJoesObsessed, that not only continue the obsession but serve as crucial marketing tools for them, so thank you from your followers and Trader Joe’s!
#TraderJoes, #TraderJoesRecipes
Have you ever seen a Trader Joe’s advertisement? Probably not, but that’s on purpose. Trader Joe’s does not have their own marketing team, which is very impressive; they have something even better…hundreds of unaffiliated social media accounts (cough, cough @TraderJoesObsessed), that serve as their free marketing team! Relating back to the aforementioned Trader Joe’s case analysis, performed by Holden Adams, he explained that Trader Joe’s does not offer sales or promotions, therefore, they do not focus on newspaper advertising and, “the only marketing done is through a flyer called the ‘Fearless Flyers or the occasional radio advertisement.”
The Trader Joe’s fan accounts across social media have been gathering recognition for doubling as their marketing team, especially keeping customers up to date on new products and products that are leaving. Andrea Browne Taylor from Kiplinger explained that Trader Joe’s products come and go quickly, as they are constantly (and excitedly) bringing in new items and letting go of some favorites…and it is these very social media accounts that are informing customers of such changes. The fact is, individuals love and support Trader Joe’s so much, they dedicate their free time to running accounts just to update other loyal customers. Can you see the obsession now?
There is some heartache…
Despite all the love for Trader Joe’s, they still have dealt with some controversies. This past summer they were called out for having racist brand names on international products such as, “Trader José,” “Trader Ming’s,” and “San Joe.” Following a petition addressing the store’s racism, Trader Joe’s responded, “We want to be clear: we disagree that any of these labels are racist. We do not make decisions based on petition.” They went on to address their intentions for cultural appreciation, an attempt at inclusiveness, however, did begin to change the names shortly after.
Trader Joe’s denial of racism triggered many of their loyal fans, pushing them away from their beloved grocery store. Courtney Newell, author of FutureProof: The Blueprint for Building a Brand Gen Z and Millenials Love” explains that, when “Shoppers embrace a brand it resonates with them emotionally, then a difference of opinion can feel like betrayal,” and it brought a lot of nation distress. Although Trader Joe’s response is in support of the culturally appropriated brand names, many of their loyal fans still cannot give up on them.
Do not be ashamed of the obsession
How does Trader Joe’s fuel the obsession on the U-M campus and the country without evening having a marketing or social media presence? How has Trader Joe’s created such a widespread culture, that some even call a personality trait? Forbes explains it perfectly: “Customers are willing to brave Trader Joe’s notoriously terrible parking lots, no delivery service, and long check-out lines for their incredible products and long check-out lines for their incredible products and the overall in-store experience, innovative products and unbeatable prices.” The smiles from the employees and customers, affordability, and delicious, unique products sets Trader Joe’s apart from all grocery stores and has found a special place in the hearts of U-M students. Thank you Trader Joe’s for keeping Wolverines satisfied and healthy. Go Blue, Go Trader Joe’s.
Feature photo: Trader Joe’s, 2398 E Stadium Blvd, Ann Arbor, MI 48104 (by Sophia Yzerman)