Trader Joe's facts for kids
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Trader Joe's in Chattanooga, Tennessee
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Trade name
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Trader Joe's |
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| Private | |
| Industry | Retail (grocery) |
| Founded |
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| Founder | Joe Coulombe |
| Headquarters |
Monrovia, California, U.S.
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Number of locations
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569 |
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Area served
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Contiguous United States |
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Key people
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Bryan Palbaum (Chairman & CEO) |
| Products | Private label staple foods, organic foods and specialty products |
| Revenue |  US$16.5 billion (FY 2020) |
| Owner | Family of Theo Albrecht |
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Number of employees
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50,000+ |
| Parent | Aldi Nord |
Trader Joe's is a popular American chain of grocery stores. Its main office is in Monrovia, California. There are 571 Trader Joe's stores all across the United States.
The very first Trader Joe's store opened in 1967. It was started by Joe Coulombe in Pasadena, California. In 1979, the company was sold to Theo Albrecht, who also founded the Aldi stores. After Theo Albrecht passed away in 2010, his family took over ownership. Trader Joe's has offices in Monrovia, California, and Boston, Massachusetts.
In recent years, some workers at Trader Joe's stores have wanted to form unions. A union is a group of workers who join together to improve their pay and working conditions. The first Trader Joe's store to have a union was in 2022.
Contents
The Story of Trader Joe's
Trader Joe's is named after its founder, Joe Coulombe. The company actually started in 1958. Back then, it was a chain of convenience stores called Pronto Market in the Greater Los Angeles area. Joe Coulombe felt these stores were too much like 7-Eleven, which was a very big competitor.
Coulombe got the idea for the "Trader Joe's" theme while on vacation in the Caribbean. He loved the Tiki culture trend that was popular in the 1960s. The name "Trader Joe's" was a fun nod to "Trader Vic's," a famous tiki-themed restaurant. Trader Vic's was expensive, but Trader Joe's offered a fun, less costly way to buy food and drinks.
Coulombe noticed two big trends in the U.S. First, more people were going to college. Second, new jumbo jets were coming out in 1970, making international travel easier. He realized that well-educated and well-traveled people wanted foods they couldn't easily find in regular supermarkets.
The first store named "Trader Joe's" opened in 1967 in Pasadena, California. It's still open today! For many years, some stores even had butchers who sold fresh meat. They also offered sandwiches and freshly cut cheese.
In 1979, Theo Albrecht, who owned Aldi Nord, bought Trader Joe's. Joe Coulombe stepped down as CEO in 1987. John V. Shields took over and helped the company grow. Trader Joe's expanded into Arizona in 1993 and the Pacific Northwest two years later. In 1996, the first stores on the East Coast opened near Boston. In 2001, Dan Bane became the new CEO.
Trader Joe's has continued to grow across the United States. In 2008, BusinessWeek reported that Trader Joe's had the highest sales per square foot of any grocery store in the U.S. This means they sold more products in a smaller space than other stores.
Joe Coulombe, the person the brand is named after, passed away in 2020. His book, Becoming Trader Joe, was published in 2021. Dan Bane retired as CEO in July 2023. Bryan Palbaum, who was the company's COO and president, took over as CEO. Jon Basalone became the vice-CEO and president.
Store Locations
As of October 2023, Trader Joe's had 564 stores in 42 states. New stores are added regularly. Most locations are about 10,000 to 15,000 square feet (929 to 1,394 square meters). California has the most stores, with 193 locations.
The busiest Trader Joe's store is in Manhattan, New York City. The smallest store is in the Back Bay area of Boston, Massachusetts.
Each Trader Joe's store is designed to feel like its local area. Staff members create murals on the walls that show things from the neighborhood. Some stores even have a "find the mascot" game for kids. Children can get a special prize if they find the hidden mascot. Then, they get to choose a new hiding spot for it!
Products You Can Buy
Trader Joe's Brands
Trader Joe's sells many items under its own private labels. These are often much cheaper than similar products from well-known brands. Trader Joe's buys directly from local and international suppliers. This helps them keep prices lower because they "skip the middle man."
A typical grocery store might have 50,000 different items. But Trader Joe's only stocks about 4,000 items. About 80% of these items are sold under Trader Joe's own brand names. You can find gourmet foods, organic foods, vegan and vegetarian foods, frozen foods, and imported foods. They also sell domestic and imported wine and beer where allowed by law.
In 1977, the company started using fun, international-sounding names for some of its products. For example, "Trader José" for Mexican foods, "Trader Joe San" for Japanese foods, and "Trader Giotto" for Italian products. Other names included "Trader Ming's" for Chinese food and "Pilgrim Joe" for Thanksgiving-themed items.
In 2020, some people asked the company to change these names. They felt the names promoted harmful stereotypes. Trader Joe's said they were already planning to change some of these names back to "Trader Joe's" branding. However, they also said that some of the names would stay. They stated, "We disagree that any of these labels are racist."
What's New and What's Gone
Trader Joe's often changes its product selection. They discontinue items more often than bigger grocery chains. A product might be removed if it's seasonal, if its cost goes up, or if it's not selling well. New items are introduced every week. This means older items might leave the shelves to make room.
Product choices and prices can also be different from state to state. For fresh items like deli, bakery, and dairy products, Trader Joe's tries to get them from nearby suppliers. This can lead to small differences in recipes and prices. State laws and taxes can also affect prices.
In 2008, Trader Joe's announced they would stop selling single-ingredient products from China. This was due to customer concerns.
Being Sustainable
Trader Joe's says that a big part of their efforts is to keep products good and prevent food waste.
The company has been criticized for not always being clear about where its products come from. For example, they don't share much about the source of their organic milk. Trader Joe's also scores low on a chocolate scorecard. This is because they share little about preventing child labor or deforestation from the chocolate they sell.
In 2016, Trader Joe's settled with the Environmental Protection Agency. They were accused of releasing harmful gases from their refrigeration systems. The company agreed to reduce these emissions and track repairs. They also had to use more eco-friendly refrigerants in some stores.
Better Packaging
Trader Joe's is working to make its product packaging more environmentally friendly. In 2019, a group called Greenpeace collected 100,000 signatures. They asked Trader Joe's to stop using single-use plastics.
In response, Trader Joe's promised to stop offering single-use plastic bags. They also plan to replace produce bags with options that can break down naturally. They are replacing styrofoam trays and selling more fruits and vegetables without extra wrapping.
In 2021, Trader Joe's said they had improved over 200 products. They removed extra parts from packaging and used more recycled materials. They also removed over 4 million pounds of plastic packaging from their products in 2021. For example, they stopped using plastic mesh on some produce. They also changed plastic containers for produce to fiber trays.
Sustainable Foods
Between 2012 and 2013, Trader Joe's made big improvements in selling sustainable seafood. They removed six types of fish that were not sustainable from their shelves. They also got involved in protecting areas like the Bering Sea Canyons.
Reducing Food Waste
Trader Joe's stated that in 2021, almost all of their products (99.5%) were sold, donated, or composted. Through their "Neighborhood Shares Program," Trader Joe's donates all unsold products to local organizations that help feed people. In 2021, this amounted to over $349 million worth of products. This provided nearly 63 million meals to communities.
What People Think
In May 2009, Consumer Reports magazine ranked Trader Joe's as the second-best supermarket chain in the United States. Only Wegmans was ranked higher. In June 2009, MSN Money found that Trader Joe's was second in customer service.
From 2008 to 2010, Ethisphere magazine listed Trader Joe's among the most ethical companies in the U.S. In 2014, Consumer Reports again gave Trader Joe's a top score. The company was also ranked highly on Glassdoor's list of best places to work in the U.S.
Working at Trader Joe's
In 2013, Trader Joe's changed its health insurance policy for part-time employees. They needed to work an average of 30 hours per week to get medical insurance. However, all employees who worked 15 hours or more per week still received free basic dental and vision care.
Some workers have expressed concerns about their pay and benefits. Maeg Yosef, a union organizer, said that the company cut contributions to employee retirement plans. These contributions used to be equal to 15% of an employee's yearly pay.
In May 2022, workers at the Trader Joe's store in Hadley, Massachusetts, announced they wanted to form a union. They wanted better pay, benefits, and working conditions. This store became the first unionized Trader Joe's store in 2022.
On April 20, 2023, employees at the Trader Joe's store in Rockridge, Oakland, California, also voted to form a union.
See Also
- Pirate Joe's
