With 571 stores in the United States, Trader Joe’s has made a mark on all grocery stores with their strong flavors and tasty snacks. From their Chili and Lime Flavored Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips to their skincare section, they have it all covered.
Trader Joe’s has always held a special place in my heart because of the excitement associated with the store. Trader Joe’s has always been considered as a gift in my house: a place where no snack is too big. As a little kid, I would carefully look through each aisle to see if there was anything else I could put in the cart and would fight with my sister over what type of dried mango we should get.
Trader Joe’s is owned by Theo Albrecht and his family, who happens to be the founder of the Aldi grocery store chain. Its first location was in Pasadena, Calif., which is the state with the most Trader Joe’s stores in it at 196 stores which is around 34 percent of the US total locations.
The second you walk into the store, you are greeted by aisles of snacks with hand-drawn illustrations and brightly colored lettering on the labels and advertising boards for each product. The overall look of the store usually includes lower ceilings with pale yellows, woody browns, light and dark blues, and of course, the iconic red hibiscus logo.
Their top-selling product is their Chili and Lime Flavored Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips, an improved and gourmet version of Takis. The Trader Joe’s version of Takis has lower amounts of saturated fats, sugars and sodium, which makes it the healthier chip. I like these chips much better than Takis because of the immense difference in flavor and texture. A regular Taki chip looks like a half-hearted thick roll with a sickly red color covered with a slap of chemical chili powder. However, with the Trader Joes’ version, they have a tight and small roll with a more vibrant red that brings flavors of warm spice and small spikes of citrusy flavor from the lime. I think their best selling product is a perfect representation of how Trader Joe’s takes your basic Fred Meyer snack and turns it into a gourmet bite of delicate perfection.
Whenever I’m about to enter a grocery store, I have a general idea of where I need to go. Once I walk into my local Fred Meyer, I walk over to wherever the list says I need to go. But when it’s a Sunday night, and a hungry and tasteful person walks into their local Trader Joe’s that they have been a customer at for 10 or more years, they have a direct route laid out for them. The second I lay foot into the Trader Joe’s on Halsey Street, I walk straight to the dried fruit, cut to smoothie section, spend time searching through the aisle with sour gummies and frozen delights, then finish off in the skincare aisle. Once I’m finished with my route, I consult with my sister, then inspect the drink selection. When a hungry girl is in a Trader Joe’s, she doesn’t play.
Another part of Trader Joe’s that I love is the community built around it. They have a whole wall displaying their different tote bags and shirts, and all of the employees have matching navy shirts with the name and logo on it. Everyone has their favorite snacks, and it’s like showing off a prize when you have food from Trader Joe’s. My friend’s family even has a drawer dedicated to all of their favorite Trader Joe’s snacks, which is restocked every time they go. Every time it reminds me of how Trader Joe’s has been treated in my family–how we’ll even save up an envelope of special Trader Joe’s money to go shopping on a Sunday night. It shows that all families take their Trader Joe’s time seriously.
Whether Trader Joe’s is the main grocery store you shop at or you’ve never heard of it before, take this as a sign to stop by. The experience of being in their store and tasting their snacks causes a kind of happiness that is hard to explain, and the flavors they include are so unique to their store. The second you step in and lay your eyes on all of the different kinds of snacks, you too will believe that Trader Joe’s is your home away from home.
