Will Trader Joe's Hold Popular Items For You?

There's always something trending at Trader Joe's. Similarly, there's always that one product there you just can't get your hands on. Whether it was the frozen kimbap in 2023 or the viral mini tote bags in 2025, nothing induces FOMO like missing out on these popular items. I would know, seeing as I've spent a significant amount of time living in a town where the closest Trader Joe's location was hours away. This, of course, only added to my frustration when I left without the things I was looking forward to the most. In time, however, I found a way.

There are many famous quotes about the importance of asking for what you want, but I didn't learn the true meaning of them until I'd reached my limit of Trader Joe's FOMO. Finally, I started calling stores directly to see if they had what I wanted. To my surprise, an employee at the Lincoln Park location in Chicago offered to set something aside for me when I did. The same thing happened when, while visiting San Diego, I couldn't get my hands on a package of frozen kimbap. The funniest part is, that time, I didn't even have to ask.

Trader Joe's doesn't actually have any official policy on this, which means the employees I encountered held my items out of sheer kindness. So, if you find yourself struggling to get your hands on something, it's always worth speaking to an employee. Even if they don't offer to put a product aside for you, they can help in other ways.

If you find yourself leaving Trader Joes without the items you went there for in the first place, you might need to change your shopping approach. Other than calling a store ahead of time or talking to someone at the customer service counter to see if they can hold something for you, a Trader Joe's employee can offer you helpful information — which is why it's always important to be friendly and follow Trader Joe's rules of shopping etiquette to remain on their good side. Trader Joe's employees have access to much of the intel on delivery schedules on specific products, and they can even offer you insight on what days and times they expect certain items to arrive at the store. 

In my shopping experience, you'll want to flag down an employee holding a tablet. Although any employee is usually happy to help you, the people holding the tablet are the ones holding all of the information you need. With this device, they can look up stock information and even track down exactly where a certain item you want will be when it does eventually get delivered. Sometimes, you might get lucky, and they'll show you right to the one place in the store you didn't look — and the item you want is right there, waiting for you. At least, that's what happened to me with the kimbap packages after someone had sneakily hidden them underneath bags of the frozen mandarin orange chicken.