Few grocery stores have created as much conversation and interest as Trader Joe’s in recent years. The first Trader Joe’s opened in 1967 in California and most of its stores are still located in that state although they have spread out across the country. By 1996, Trader Joe’s had expanded to the East Coast with stores in Northeast. There is now a Trader Joe’s Atlanta GA.
All of the stores are basically the same, offering a variety of groceries, including gourmet selections, varieties of organic and vegetarian specialty items, unusual items often associated with the South Seas, imported foods, a large selection of domestic and imported beer and wine varieties, gourmet cheeses, and typical grocery store items such as staples like bread, cereal, eggs, dairy, coffee, and produce. They also include non-food items usually associated with a typical grocery store, such as pet food, cleaning products and more. Many grocery stores will offer samples of new items to encourage shoppers to try and buy. Trader Joe’s has made sampling an everyday occurrence. Many shoppers take advantage of sampling the more unusual items prior to purchasing. Additionally, Trader Joe’s has a refund policy that allows customers to return items. This policy pleases a lot of shoppers who become loyal customers because they feel that the store is customer oriented.
As with the other stores in the chain, trader joe’s in Atlanta GA does not offer a large selection of similar items. Where a typical grocery store may offer a dozen or more brands of canned vegetables, Trader Joe’s offers just one. Quite often that one brand will be the Trader Joe’s brand. The store boasts that it finds a quality provider to make its brand and offers the limited selection at affordable prices. Because there are not as many similar products to choose from, the stores are typically smaller than most grocery stores. However, they have become very well known for their extensive selection of affordable wines (where allowed by law), wide selection of cheeses and unusual food items.
Many people find that Trader Joe’s offers all the products they need to complete their grocery shopping. Even with the limited selections of products, they say that they are able to find everything on their grocery lists and the prices compete successfully with other grocery stores.
