The Selection At Trader Joe's Can Be Annoying, But Here's How To Make It Worth Your While

In a lot of ways, doing your weekly shopping at Trader Joe's is a lot of fun. The atmosphere is lighter than most grocery stores, the smaller selection on the shelves reduces your decision fatigue, and there are always exciting new products to check out. But, for these exact same reasons, shopping at Trader Joe's can also be pretty annoying. The constant cycling of items means that your favorite Trader Joe's products can be discontinued without warning, but, more than that, the limited selection on the shelves can mean that when you reach the register there are still whole columns on your shopping list that you weren't able to find. Fortunately, we've got some tips for how to fix this issue, making sure you can keep visiting your favorite grocery store each week.

The first Trader Joe's fix that we'll offer might not be the most exciting, but it is the most practical: Plan on visiting two grocery stores. Yes, no one wants to add an extra stop to their grocery shopping routine, but it is almost a necessity for Trader Joe's shoppers — or at least those who like to arrive with a list. Trader Joe's stocks fewer items than most grocery stores, and that means that sometimes they simply won't have what you need. But, if you go to TJ's first, and get as much as you can, all you have to do is stop by a different store afterward to fill in the gaps. Sure, it's two stops, but it's the only way you can be guaranteed to both find everything you need and stock up on all the hot new seasonal and limited-time Trader Joe's items.

The way Trader Joe's stocks its shelves influences you to buy more than what's on your shopping list –  so you might as well lean into it. If you go in without a plan, you can fully embrace the experience — building a meal based on whatever looks good. Maybe you spot an interesting new Trader Joe's marinated meat and pick up a starch and vegetable to pair with it, or a unique Trader Joe's pasta sauce variety that catches your eye, those are simple enough meals to toss together.

Alternatively, if you don't like the free-wheeling, no-list style, but you also really don't want to make a second stop, you can try shopping for meals specifically built around the Trader Joe's inventory. Whether it's a three-ingredient chicken artichoke bake or a simple four-ingredient chicken tikka masala, basing your shopping on specific Trader Joe's offerings is an easy fix to the biggest annoyances that come with shopping at the chain.

At the end of the day, Trader Joe's will never be an ideal one-stop shop for your groceries. The brand's style just doesn't allow for it. But while it may not be the easiest grocery store to find everything that's on your list, it's tough to pass up swinging through for all of the fun offerings that you had no idea you needed when you got in the car. That's what Trader Joe's is all about, after all — you might just want to budget time for another quick stop after.