Everybody seems to love Trader Joe’s. Its cozy Hawaiiwan-themed stores and friendly staff make us feel like we’re entering a lovable small business that offers locally-sourced food products. Unlike big grocery warehouses such as Walmart or Costco, Trader Joe’s appeal is linked to the personalized experience it provides its customers. The chain brings exotic, specialty foods to the masses. Best of all, it has very competitive prices.
But when we look beyond that strategically nurtured image sold by the company, lots of unsettling facts rise to the surface, and we must pay attention to them. Behind the light and bright facade, there are some dark secrets the company doesn’t want you to know.
Created in the 1960s, after the founder (and original Trader Joe) Joe Coulombe saw the opportunity to create an empire in the grocery industry, the chain became incredibly popular and expanded its brick-and-mortar footprint to over 500 locations across the U.S. With his Stanford Business degree, Coulombe rewrote the recipe for running a successful business, which included innovating products, store-style, and attention to detail.
For instance, every price tag you see at Trader Joe’s stores is unique and hand-drawn by their artists. In each one of them, you will find the name of the item and the price in big bubbly letters, and also get advice on how to consume it and prepare it. Typically, the packagings display words such as “organic,” “green” and “fresh,” making consumers believe they are getting quality products. But is that really true?
The company is very secretive about who their suppliers are, and it isn’t transparent about customer and company policies the public should know. But after some difficult digging, reporters found some of the answers they’ve been looking for, and we think their findings are going to shock lots of folks out there. Today, we compiled some of the most chilling facts that reveal how things are really like at Trader Joe’s behind closed doors.