For many consumers, a trip to the grocery store is as monotonous as a routine trip to the bank, dentist, or gas station.
Not the case with Trader Joe's, a privately-held grocery chain that offers deep discounts and a litany of cult-favorite items still gate kept by the millions that pore over its shelves each week.
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The chain, which is owned by Aldi, a grocery chain itself that also offers deep discounts and off-brand favorites, sources its success for two simple but hard-to-replicate reasons. First, Trader Joe's sells hundreds of novel snack, frozen, and multicultural items you'd be hard pressed to find on the shelves of a Kroger (KR) -) or Publix. Spicy Chakri Mix, Cookie Butter Ice Cream, and Everything But The Bagel seasoning are consumer hits.
Second, Trader Joe's sources spillover and overflow from other retail chains, repackages them, and offers them at a deeper discount. You'll be hard pressed to find anything with a recognizable name brand; most of their stuff is simply labeled "Trader Joe's." It sells directly from suppliers and doesn't charge them a thing, meaning cost isn't passed on to the consumer.
"More than 80 percent of the products we sell at Trader Joe's are private-label," Trader Joe's marketing director Tara Miller explained. "Keeping things in our label as opposed to the brand name label or a supplier's label helps us keep our costs low."
Trader Joe's issues an important warning
Trader Joe's is cheap. It's hard to beat $0.19 bananas. But sometimes cheap goods come at a cost. Trader Joe's has had issues in the past with suppliers and recalls; it was recently accused of selling dark chocolate products that contained high levels of heavy metals like lead and cadmium.
The chain recently recalled its Trader Joe's Almond Windmill Cookies and its Joe's Dark Chocolate Chunk and Almond Cookies, warning customers that some of the products with sell-by dates between Oct. 17 and Oct. 21, 2023 may contain rocks or hard fragments.
And now in late August, it is recalling its beloved Trader Joe's Multigrain Crackers with Sunflower and Flax Seeds product as it reportedly contains metals. The crackers are highly popular but "may contain metal."
Batches that may contain the dangerous material have a "Best If Used By" date between March 1, 2024 to March 5, 2024.
"Please do not eat them. We urge you to discard the product or return it to any Trader Joe’s for a full refund," Trader Joe's wrote in a recall.
"These recalls were a result of issues in the manufacturing processes. We pulled the product from our shelves as soon as we were made aware of the issues. Once we understood the issue, we notified our customers," a statement by Trader Joe's reads.
No injuries have been reported and Trader Joe's has removed any potentially tainted products from its shelves. For a refund or assistance, you can contact Trader Joe's here.
