25 Facts About Trader Joe's You Should Know As A Super Fan

Trader Joe's offers a truly unique shopping experience. Walking through its doors transports you into the vibe of a friendly seaside marketplace with super helpful merchants. It perfectly combines the small-town feel of a mom-and-pop store with the product selection of a major chain; penny pinchers and diet splurgers alike can shop proudly there. Where else can you find hidden stuffed animals for curious kids to discover? Or even better, overindulge on delicious seasonal products? Trader Joe's is a world within itself.

When you're there, leave your expectations behind and enjoy the cozy, nautical vibes. From its focus on sustainability and customer service to its affordable pricing and liberal position on refunds, Trader Joe's is one of the most popular grocery store chains in the United States for a reason. Despite being a hugely popular brand, it's somehow managed to retain the neighborhood essence that made it a household name. If you already love it, you'll become a super fan after you learn these interesting facts about Trader Joe's.

Trader Joe's wasn't always a one-stop destination for international palates. The original 1967 brick-and-mortar location was a convenience store called "Pronto Markets" first. Joe Coulombe purchased it from Rexall, a pharmacy company that had previously operated several throughout the area. As business declined, Rexall decided to shutter the stores, giving Coulombe the opportunity to purchase the location he was managing. Rather than an eclectic selection of foods, the original Trader Joe's continued to be a convenience store for some time before rebranding into the special grocery store we've all come to love.

With Pasadena giving birth to Trader Joe's, it's only right that California is home to the highest number of locations. There are a staggering 193 TJ's spread throughout the Golden State, which according to data aggregator Scrape Hero, amounts to one store for every 204,725 California residents. Even more impressive, it makes up around 34% of the company's entire store count. New York is the runner-up but only hosts 6%; a paltry 33 locations. It wasn't until 1993 that TJ's opened its first brick-and-mortar outside of California, in Arizona. Today, there are stores in 44 U.S. states.

Trader Joe's has a reputation for offering employees a wide range of benefits. Beyond competitive hourly pay, crew members can receive two raises each year. A performance review determines the amount of the pay increase. The store chain offers paid time off, too, which increases as crew members accrue tenure. Even for new hires, Trader Joe's kickbacks 3.6% of your hourly pay into a paid time-off account. It can increase to a 7.5% kickback depending on how long you remain employed. In addition to those impressive perks, employees also receive a 401(k) retirement option, a 20% discount on all store products, health coverage, and opportunities for promotion. 

While perusing Trader Joe's selection of international goods, you may wonder what the ringing bells actually mean. The rings are how employees communicate with each other. Unlike white noise-filled intercoms found at most grocers announcing "cleanup on aisle three" or asking for help at the registers, the bells are a far less interruptive way to deliver a message and also add to TJ's maritime theme. Called "Trader Joe's Morse Code," the number of times a bell rings determines the message sent: One bell directs crew members to open an inactive register, two bells are for customers with questions, and three bells call in managers.

Another way that Trader Joe's stands out from other grocers is its perpetually affordable pricing. The company's F.A.Q. says that it does not offer any discounts, coupons, gift card offers, or special promotions — and that applies to in-store and online sales. The goal is to offer appealing prices to customers every day. As a result, outside organizations have gained a reputation for using Trader Joe's name without permission to promote special discount offerings. According to an announcement on its website, TJ's actively works to disassociate itself from misleading promotions. The way they keep prices so low is by cutting out the middleman and buying products directly from their suppliers. In 2018, 80% of its products were made for Trader Joe's private label.

Trader Joe's shelves are stocked with a diverse selection, which allows the store to cater to a wide audience. Despite that variety, Trader Joe's locations, on average, stock far fewer products than their larger supermarket counterparts. To compensate for stocking fewer products, TJ's frequently discontinues items and often introduces new ones. That's why we had to say goodbye to discontinued Trader Joe's items like their pulled chicken, Island Salsa, and gluten-free cornbread. Seasonal availability also impacts what the store carries. What produce you find in a Trader Joe's, for example, is usually determined by what's in season. And the boxed goods on shelves change seasonally, too, as anything that's not a staple product is in danger of being dropped from shelves at the end of a season. Furthermore, a tasting panel works diligently behind the scenes to ensure only the best items hit the shelves.

Trader Joe's lets you return pretty much anything. You don't have to worry about forgetting to bring your receipt after driving across town to return that artichoke dip. Even without one, almost any item is eligible for a refund — the rule applies to open, partially eaten, and non-food products. Although a receipt is a no-hassle way to receive a refund, you only have to mention that you didn't enjoy your peanut butter brookie. Even more curious, rumor has it that you don't even need to bring the item you're returning in with you, but definitely call ahead and check first.

Although you won't find mainstream brands at Trader Joe's, it carries many products that customers swear by. Classics like Everything but the Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend and Mediterranean Style Hummus remain on the radar of shoppers. As a result, they can sometimes run out of stock before you can get your hands on them. Thankfully, Trader Joe's employees are willing to set an item to the side if you ask politely. Although there is no ideal time to shop at Trader Joe's, as with many supermarkets, the best time of day would be to call in the morning to reserve an item when the store receives shipments.

The immersive shopping experience offered at Trader Joe's goes beyond its maritime aesthetic. To create even more dynamic immersion and have a little fun, the company decided to invent a game for parents with accompanying children. If you can remember, apart from riding on the back of shopping carts, trudging along with your parents while they shop isn't the most exciting thing to do. Crew members inject fun into the Trader Joe's experience for kids by hiding a stuffed animal somewhere in the store. Any young treasure hunter who can find it receives a prize. Not every store participates in the game, and the prizes can vary.

Perhaps the most iconic low-cost wine around, Charles Shaw is a ubiquitous part of the Trader Joe's lore. It represents everything the brand stands for: quality products for an affordable price. Nicknamed "Two Buck Chuck" (or "Three Buck Chuck" adjusted for inflation), it's the store's premiere in-house wine offering. We'd be remiss to not clarify that it's nowhere near top-shelf quality wine, but for a few bucks, it'll certainly get the job done. The best part is that, with seven wine varieties to choose from, none of your future get-togethers will ever bore.

One of the hallmarks of Trader Joe's is the variety of international foods the grocery store stocks. The brand employs specialty buyers to search for these foods far and wide. Once the buyers find new and interesting products, they are subjected to a rigorous taste test to secure a coveted spot on the shelves. The final determination depends on the price at which Trader Joe's can sell a product. If it passes with flying colors, it's likely to end up in The Fearless Flyer, TJ's monthly newsletter. 

With over 500 stores throughout the nation, Trader Joe's caters to a massively loyal following. The company's fewer locations have fueled a demand for new stores, but that doesn't necessarily qualify any neighborhood to have one. According to an analysis by Aggdata, Trader Joe's tends to open stores in neighborhoods where the household median income is around $10,000 above the average, per the "Freakonomics" podcast. (As of 2022, Nerdwallet reports that the national median household income is $74,580.) Business interests aside, TJ's generally chooses locations in the cheapest part of those areas.