My family has shopped at Trader Joes for as long as I can remember. More than not do they have the food we need, as they provide it in perfect quantity, and more importantly, quality. Furthermore, they also offer creative Trader Joe specific products that we will occasionally buy because they look interesting. We have never left a Trader Joe’s store disappointed: their staff never falters in their ability to serve customers and their products always cover a wide array of choices. With hundreds of stores nationwide, this private chain serves people of all ethnicities and cultures with their seemingly endless line of products.
Dating way back to 1958, Pronto Markets – which was the name that the small store chain went by before it was changed to Trader Joe’s – came into existence. Only nine years later in 1967 did the one and only founder of Trader Joe’s rename the store’s name to just that. With the name change came many other kinds of changes in how they would run their stores. All these changes lie in their concept of “value”. The formula is simple: “great food + great prices = Value.” The way in which Trader Joe’s obtain their great food and great prices is in the way they bargain with their suppliers (they do not even charge them fees!) for the best possible prices. Furthermore, making their own special products and branding them under their own name helps save even more money, for both the store and the buyer. With these strategies, this small business became one of the best-known grocery stores in the nation.
Without a doubt, one of the reasons for Trader Joe’s vast popularity is its transnational appeal. In addition to being on the list of top three grocers nationwide as a result of their “cashier courtesy, store cleanliness, item availability, checkout speed and specialty department service,” they attract many different kinds of customers from varying ethnicities. One reason for this, of course, is the unbelievable prices within each store. No matter what your heritage, religion, or race is, low prices for excellent products are a great thing universally. However, the more important reason for their transnational appeal is that they recognize and acknowledge the significance of certain foods within a particular culture or group of people. Of their seemingly infinite selection of foods, they have specific sections that are each solely devoted to specific kinds of food. For example, they have an Italian section that attracts Italians (or people who just like Italian food) and serves products typical of the Italian culture such as ravioli, lasagna, and fettuccini. Another example is their Middle Eastern section, which serves a middle east feast (and is of particular interest to me) which contains typical Middle Eastern foods such as hummus and falafel. They also offer Asian, Indian, Mexican, and many other types of foods.
Trader Joe’s makes it rather easy for anyone to find what they need. However, in addition to their culturally specific areas within their stores, there is another aspect of this widely successfully food chain that has transnational appeal: their own, creative and branded products (which are particularly intriguing over the holidays). These are not likely to be found anywhere else, as Julie R. Thomson, senior editor at Huffpost remarks, “Trader Joe’s specialty holiday item game is strong, and trust us, you want to play – and quickly, because these items won’t be on the shelves forever.” Not only do these products save both them and us money, but they attract countless people, regardless of their ethical standing. There’s no real cultural label to these products, and allows them to allure people of all backgrounds. This, in essence, transcends any national boundary on food as it throws cultural, ethnical, and religious factors out the window, causing them to become practically irrelevant. Trader Joe’s own branded products act as a common place in the world of food because it is not exclusive to anyone or anything except Trader Joe’s. Some examples of these (limited, creative, and delicious) products are:
Camembert Cheese and Cranberry Sauce Fillo Bites:
Winter Wassail:
Alsatian Style Onion Tart:
Candy Cane Joe-Joe’s
(“Candy Cane Joe-Joe’s > all other Joe Joe’s” ~ Julie R. Thomson)
Trader Joe’s has gained a concrete status, and subsequently, a concrete role in the larger City since they renamed their – now famous – food chain to Trader Joe’s. The key reason for this is in how different they have made themselves from all the other grocers out there, especially in the City. It has a casual and homey atmosphere, as Noam Scheiber, a writer for the New York Times, tells us that they ‘promote an open and honest environment that encourages questions, suggestions or concerns to be raised.’ Furthermore, he continues as he mentions that employees “remain upbeat and create a ‘Wow customer experience,’ which is defined in the company handbook as ‘the feelings a customer gets about our delight that they are shopping with us.’” Thus, from this, Trader Joe’s has developed a reputation of friendliness in the degree of care they have for their customers. Their desire to meet everyone’s needs and (arguably) more importantly, their amazing prices has rightfully earned them the coveted spot of number one grocer in America for the past four years, and a seemingly permanent spot in the top three grocers nationwide.
All in all, although Trader Joe’s has had some bumps in the road, (as everyone has, both individually and communally) they never faltered in providing their customers with support and excellent prices all around. Catering and appealing to specific cultures they organized specific areas within their stores that are solely devoted to one culture. Reaching even farther, they established their own brand to further spread their name and (perhaps unintentionally) create a transnational feel to their business as a result of their brand being their own and not belonging to any culture. All of their efforts over the years combined gave them a reputation, a name, and a (rather large) following, allowing them to take their place in the city, and across America.
Bibliography
• Noam Scheiber, “At Trader Joes, Good Cheer May Hide Complaints.” Nytimes.com, May 14th, 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/04/business/at-trader-joes-good-cheer-may-hide-complaints.html?_r=0
• Sarah Whitten, “Trader Joe’s Dethroned as America’s Favorite Grocery Store.” Cnbc.com, May 14th, 2017. http://www.cnbc.com/2016/04/13/trader-joes-dethroned-as-americas-favorite-grocery-store.html
• Julie R. Thomson, “The 15 Best Trader Joe’s Holiday Foods to Hoard Before They Disappear.” Huffingtonpost.com, May 14th, 2017. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trader-joes-holiday-items_us_58529d31e4b02edd4115eaaf
• “Our Story.” Traderjoes.com, May 14th, 2017. http://www.traderjoes.com/our-story
• “Trader Joe’s Ethnic Foods.” Vegtj.com, May 14th, 2017. http://www.vegtj.com/ethnic-foods/
