{"id":381,"date":"2008-12-09T18:29:45","date_gmt":"2008-12-09T22:29:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/joyfullyjobless.com\/blog\/?p=381"},"modified":"2008-12-09T18:29:45","modified_gmt":"2008-12-09T22:29:45","slug":"my-love-affair-with-trader-joes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joyfullyjobless.com\/blog\/2008\/12\/my-love-affair-with-trader-joes\/","title":{"rendered":"My Love Affair With Trader Joe’s"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since my daughter Jennie moved to Austin, TX she\u2019s loved everything about her new hometown except<\/em> that there\u2019s no Trader Joe\u2019s<\/a>. When I go to visit, I tuck several of her favorites in my suitcase, but they\u2019re a poor substitute for having our favorite grocer available on a regular basis. For years, TJ\u2019s (as its known to its loyal customers) was something I only experienced when I visited my family in California. I never could adequately explain what made this place so special since calling it a grocery store never seemed quite right.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When I was moving to Las Vegas, proximity to TJ’s was a big priority. Now\u00a0a visit to TJ\u2019s is a regular experience for me several mornings a week and I\u2019ve been thinking about all the things that set them apart from other grocery sellers. Some things are obvious. Their product line, for instance, is just theirs. You won\u2019t find brand names mixed in with their offerings. You will, however, find things you never knew you wanted to try. How does that happen?<\/p>\n

Besides having all sorts of things you many never have seen before, they also have daily samplings. Never had panettone? Try it and see what you think. Not sure\u00a0you\u2019d like gingerbread coffee? Have a cup and you might discover a new pleasure.<\/p>\n

The product line\u2019s not the only thing that\u2019s different there: the shopping experience itself is unique. If I go to a normal supermarket, I usually zoom through picking up items that I need. TJ\u2019s demands a more leisurely pace since you never know what new treasures might have landed on their shelves overnight. They also move entire sections around in the store from time to time so you really have to pay attention.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The supermarket I shop at less frequently, has done a fine job of training their employees to recite the same questions to each and every shopper. Not so at TJ\u2019s. It\u2019s actually possible to have a personal interaction with the folks who are working there. After I\u2019d won the weekly store drawing (for which anyone who brings their own bag is eligible), I was paying for my purchases with the gift card they\u2019d given me. I mentioned that I\u2019d won and the checker exclaimed, \u201cYOU\u2019RE Barbara W?\u201d It\u2019s not unusual for a store to post a winner\u2019s name, but it\u2019s pleasantly surprising to know the employees actually noticed.<\/p>\n

One hot morning last summer, I walked out of TJ\u2019s, jumped in my car and it refused to start. I went back inside the store and up to the customer service counter to ask if I could use their phone book. One of the fellows working there said, \u201cLet me try starting it. I\u2019ve got jumper cables in my truck.\u201d I breathed a sigh of relief and thought I\u2019d be on my way in a few minutes. It turned out to be more complicated than that, but throughout the ordeal, several employees got involved and offered suggestions until the tow truck arrived. As if I didn\u2019t already love them enough, they won my heart forever that day.<\/p>\n

Then there are the shoppers. I can\u2019t recall ever interacting with people in other grocery stores the way I do at TJ\u2019s. It\u2019s not unusual for strangers to query one another about items. \u201cHave you ever tried this?\u201d a stranger might ask. One day, I was about to grind coffee and noticed a woman quietly watching me. I flashed a smile and she shyly admitted she didn\u2019t know how the coffee grinder worked. I invited her to come closer and walked her through the entire process. \u201cOh,\u201d she said, obviously relieved to see how easy it was,\u201dI\u2019ve been wanting to try their coffee, but didn\u2019t know how to grind it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

I still smile when I recall standing in front of a jar of something I’d never seen before and saying out loud (I’m not sure why), “Do I like pumpkin butter?” A passing customer nodded and said, “I believe you do.” Turns out she was right.<\/p>\n

The way Trader Joe\u2019s communicates with their customers is also different\u00a0 from the mega-markets. You won\u2019t find a TJ ad in your Sunday paper, but you might find their quarterly Fearless Flyer<\/em> in your mailbox or at the store. This little advertising piece–a masterful example of storytelling–is such fun to read that regulars eagerly look forward to its arrival knowing some new taste treat will be brought to their attention.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a Trader Joe\u2019s fan already, the next time you visit, notice what you enjoy most about the experience. And if you aren\u2019t fortunate enough to live near this creative enterprise, plan your next vacation to include a pilgrimage and see for yourself how imagination can turn mundane grocery shopping into a mini-adventure in pleasure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Since my daughter Jennie moved to Austin, TX she\u2019s loved everything about her new hometown except that there\u2019s no Trader Joe\u2019s. When I go to visit, I tuck several of her favorites in my suitcase, but they\u2019re a poor substitute for having our favorite grocer available on a regular basis. For years, TJ\u2019s (as its…<\/p>\n

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