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In a dream world, would you have all yourTrader Joe’s favoritesregularly shipped to your door? For better or worse, being able to load up a virtual cart with Mini Almost Everything Bagel Sandwich Crackers and Coffee and Dark Chocolate Joe-Joe’s Cookies when thebest new productscome out is not something that TJ’s plans to embrace anytime soon. Le sigh.
In the latest episode of their in-house podcast, Inside Trader Joe’s, co-hosts Tara Miller and Matt Sloan dig into why TJ’s likes its place in the world as a brick-and-mortar-only establishment. Literal brick-and-mortar stores are a fundamental part of their business model and overall approach to their marketing strategy. They love being a “real” in-person retailer for a number of reasons, but perhaps most importantly as Sloan says, “It’s because we’re good at it, and it’s because we know how to go about it.”
The idea that online shopping caters to one versus many should come as no surprise. But since the rise of Amazon shopping, I’ve always thought of this model as being more cost-efficient for businesses. So it definitely took me aback to have it framed to highlight the idea of catering to one versus many. And it does seem kind of silly to have this level of attention as a consumer. I mean, it’s not like I’m Oprah! As a direct result of the pandemic, so many of us have gotten used to the online shopping experience and the immediate convenience it provides. I’m not even sure if I can go back to my old ways anymore.
Setting themselves apart from other online retailers and competitors who offer online shopping options is important to them. Trader Joe’s is “not a big box.” They value being a small footprint store. “There are always going to be costs associated with running a business,” says Miller. “We prefer that those costs be people; we’re familiar with our products, we’re familiar with our neighborhoods, we’re familiar with our customers.” And that personalized experience is what makes them unique. They’re clearly doing something right to have dedicated fans whovote yearly on their favorite products.
So not only does TJ’s have really good products at a lower cost, they are very good at creating a welcoming, interactive and exciting space that makes customers want to come back, try all the new things and talk about them with their friends. So even if they only ever remain a brick-and-mortar business, we’ll likely never stop shopping there. There are just too many amazing things wecan’t live without.
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