Trader Joe's is a grocery store, which specializes in local, organic foods. It's basically a cooler, chiller, cheaper Whole Foods aka one of my favorite places ever. I'd always wanted to check it out and one finally opened in Tulsa a few weeks ago. From the very first trip, I was hooked. I'm now a diehard Trader Joe's fan and here's 11 reasons you should be too!
11.) Fearless Flyer
Every month they send out a little flyer that outlines some of their best deals. It even comes with a little shopping list you can take to the store and check off. The flyer is also posted online incase you didn't get it in the mail.
10.) Fewer Distractions
Trader Joe's doesn't sell clothes, shoes, and DVDs like Target does. This means there is zero chance of you spending money on those things when you just ran to the store for a few apples. I make no promises about spending money on food items that definitely were not on your shopping list, though!
9.) Juices/Smoothies
Trader Joe's carries amazing juices/smoothies that you can't find many other places. At least, not in the midwest. (I'm assuming there's a juice stand on every corner in California.) I recommend the Strawberry Chia Juice Smoothie!
8.) Organic/Local
Trader Joe's prides itself in offering many organic and locally-sourced foods, which is great because you can eat healthy while supporting your local growers. Definitely a win-win!
7.) Friendly People
The workers at Trader Joe's are always incredibly friendly. And I don't mean that faux friendly where you ask how someone is but don't really care. Every time I've been into the store, the employees actually seem like they like their job and they definitely have the nicest cashiers of any grocery store I've been to.
6.) Low Cost
When you think of organic food, you probably think that it's expensive (like Whole Foods), but Trader Joe's is changing the game. It's actually very affordable, even for broke college kids, and their fruit is actually typically cheaper than Target's. Trader Joe's makes it possible to eat organic on a budget.
5.) Cookie Butter
If you've been living under a rock, then you probably don't know what Cookie Butter is. Well let me enlighten you, it's basically a smooth blend of ground-up cookies. If you're thinking to yourself, "that sounds amazing," then you are right! I prefer the cookies and cream version myself.
4.) Sample Stations
Trader Joe's have sample stations available every day (not just on the weekends like Sam's Club) that feature the items from their Fearless Flyer. It's a great way to test a product out before you actually buy a whole portion of it. Like trying a dress on before you buy it!
3.) Makes You Feel Healthy
Everything in Trader Joe's makes you feel healthy, even if it's a candy bar. You could be eating a chocolate bar and you feel kind of guilty, but then you look at the wrapper and it says "made with organic cocoa, organic cane sugar, and organic this and that." Suddenly, you don't feel bad about that candy anymore.
2.) Soyaki Sauce
So I used this sauce in a chicken stir-fry dish and it was so good! Definitely wouldn't have picked this up if I hadn't seen it in the flyer and gotten hungry for some stir-fry. And bonus: it even has sesame seeds already in it!
1.) Great Atmosphere
There's just no place like Trader Joe's. It's really an experience and I hope you are all lucky enough to have one near you some day. If you ever get the chance, check it out. I'm sure you'll love it as much as I do!
