Trader Joe's

Author : Abhinav Bountra

When I first came to Boston, Star Market and Stop & Shop were the places from where I used to do my groceries, until one day, one of my American friend introduced me to the name "Trader Joe's".

The first time I went to a Trader Joe's, the very moment I became a fan of the store. For all those who find the term "Trader Joe's" new, I must tell that Trader Joe's is an American chain of grocery store and is based in Monrovia, California. It is owned by a German family. Trader Joe's have around 474 stores in the States. Trader Joe's has been named after its founder Joseph "Joe" Coulombe and from 1979 onward it was owned by German entrepreneur Theo Albrecht until his death in 2010, then the ownership passed to his heirs. When my friend mentioned about Trader Joe's to me, I did not have any idea about it, so I googled a bit about Trader Joe's before going. Actually I still did not know much about it as I thought I did, until I went to one of there stores. After my first visit I was surprised and became of fan of Trader Joe's. There was not one, but many things which I loved about Trader Joe's.

1) The groceries are cheaper than other stores.
I was surprised to see the prices of the products and items at Trader Joe's. I must tell to you all that around 98 percent of their products are private labels. Another reason why the prices are so low in comparison to other famous stores, is their business model which aims at eliminating the middleman concept. I personally believe that the prices of products at Trader Joe's are much less in comparison to other major stores like Star Market, Stop & Shop, Wholefoods etc

2) If you do not like an item/product, you can return it.
One more surprising fact about Trader Joe's. If someone does not like an item/product which he/she purchased from their stores, reason being taste or personal preference related reason, then he/she can return the product at any point of time without any hassles or long formalities.

3) The staff is friendly and pleasant
While you are walking down the any Trader Joe's store, you will see a lot of happy and pleasant faces. The employees and the staff at Trader Joe's is very friendly and helpful. I think that customer convenience is an important factor and value the store believes in and this also gives Trader Joe's a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Try Trader Joe's, I am sure that you will receive a royal welcome every time you go there.

4) The products here are healthy.
In case you are health conscious or are following a healthy diet, then you can shop reluctantly at Trader Joe's. The store provides its customers with a lot of healthy options. The store sets certain standards for the private label products they sell for example no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. The products at there stores contain no genetically modified ingredients or trans fats.

5) The stores are fun to go to & handwritten Signs
One unique thing about Trader Joe's which sets them apart from other traditional stores is the decorative ambiance. There is something about the from the dress of the staff (ie Haiwan Shirts- Multi colored themed dress code- based on my personal experience) to the nice fragrance all over the sections, shopping becomes interesting and fun. In the end I would like to mention that throughout the store all the signs are handwritten given the store a unique style.Even the price boards consists of hand written information along with beautiful designs.