6 Etiquette Mistakes You're Making At Trader Joe's

Shopping at Trader Joe's is an experience of its own, one that determines its own set of rules. While some of those are similar to those you'd follow at a more traditional supermarket, the sheer size and popularity of Trader Joe's requires an entirely different set of standards that, arguably, should be held to an even higher level. An entire set of rules could be placed for navigating the chaos that is your local Trader Joe's parking lot alone. But, while some of those have been included here, that's a story for another day. For now, let's focus our attention on the etiquette mistakes you're making inside of Trader Joe's.

From cart collection to cart placement, from how to navigate the frozen food aisle to which fresh bread you should be grabbing, there are some things at Trader Joe's you don't want to be caught doing wrong. Given how friendly the staff is, you're not likely to be reprimanded for any of this — but you do risk being labelled as "that person" who left their cart and blocked everyone from the Mandarin Orange Chicken for five minutes, or who left your cart at the register for the person checking you out to deal with. Not cool. Keep reading to save yourself the embarrassment, and remember that treating the employees with kindness and respect is a given rule no matter where you shop.

This one should be obvious, but, for some reason, it still happens. Trader Joe's stores are smaller than your average grocery store, that much is obvious when you walk inside. But, it makes navigating the store with a grocery cart a bit trickier than it is at other stores — however, even so, you don't want to leave your cart just anywhere. TJ's packs a lot of things into a smaller than average space, and every bit of shelf and fridge real estate is valuable. The last thing you want to do is block anyone from any of it.

In this case, it might be helpful to think of your cart as a car — you want to be careful where you park it so you're not blocking the flow of traffic. Given how small Trader Joe's is, that's not really possible, especially if it's busy. In fact, there really isn't a place to put it without blocking something or being in someone else's way. So, generally, you'll want to keep it on your person at all times because no matter where you park it, it's bound to be in somebody's way. And who are you to get between anyone and their favorite Trader Joe's snacks?

While this one might not be quite as obvious, and there certainly might be people who try to empathize with doing the opposite, Trader Joe's employees appreciate when people select the bread at the front of the shelves. Sorting through all of the fresh bread available is usually done with innocent intentions — everyone wants to get the freshest batch possible — but doing so actually creates a sort of chain reaction. When you bypass the bread at the front of the pack, and instead dig behind them to look for something with a more recent date, you prohibit the possibility of having fresh bread available everyday for everyone else.

If every person just took the bread from the front of the shelf, there'd be mostly fresh bread out every day because those baked the day before wouldn't get bypassed. When they do, they only pile up and go to waste. But, employees also say that pulling out the shelves to check the back of the stock also creates other problems. Aside from potentially creating a mess that a store worker will have to take the time to reorganize, they also say the shelves often get broken this way — which only creates an entirely different issue. 

While you should think twice about buying baked goods from the grocery store, Trader Joe's gets fresh bread from local bakeries everyday. There's really no point in looking for the freshest possible option. 

Everyone knows that the Trader Joe's frozen aisle is the most popular; it is home to some of the most loved TJ's items, after all. In our analogy of driving a car, it'd be like the town of Trader Joe's main street, bustling with all the best cafes and shops. But, while it is organized to optimize your shopping experience, getting through it from one end to the other can be stressful. You have your slow drivers, your stop and standers, and your lane hoggers, but the best way to get through it is to be patient and treat it like a two-lane road.

The frozen aisle at Trader Joe's is lined with open freezers on each side. When you're first approaching, stick to the right hand side and stay there as you walk and browse the options on it. Then, when you get all the way to the end, turn around and do the opposite side the same exact way. You're still going to have to deal with some slow folks and people blocking your way, but all you can do is keep your eyes on the road, and make your pass in a timely manner. 

In life and the TJ's frozen aisle, its best to stay in your lane. You don't want to find yourself facing oncoming traffic against determined frozen kimbap fans, or those looking to get their hands on any other viral item.

The bagging process at Trader Joe's can be slightly awkward, and you might think that the person checking you out is sending you a subliminal message by piling everything up at the end of the counter — but, for the most part, they aren't. Customers aren't expected to bag their own groceries at Trader Joe's, and whether the person checking you out puts them immediately in the bag after scanning them or prefers to organize them on the counter first really comes down to their own personal bagging style. Aside from providing them with your reusable shopping bag (a clever way to save money there) they don't expect you to help. But, there are some situations where it might be appreciated.

While you're never expected to bag your own groceries at Trader Joe's, the only time where an employee might find it helpful is if you're buying a lot of stuff. Even then, you really only need to feel obligated to lend a hand if you're shopping at a particularly busy time of day and there are people lining up behind you waiting. Again, it's not necessarily expected, just appreciated. Otherwise, you're better off letting them do it themselves. Every grocer has a method to the madness, and you doing it yourself could result in some smashed eggs or melted ice cream.

Carts aren't so easy to navigate at Trader Joe's, and the issue doesn't end when you finish checking out — or even once you exit the store. One of the employees' biggest pet peeves is when customers leave their shopping carts at the register because you're essentially leaving them there for them to put away for you. This also goes back to the rule about parking your cart, because it's bound to be in other peoples' way. Knowing that, you'll want to be sure to take your cart with you as you leave. Just be sure to drop it off with the rest of the unused carts before you get into your car.

If leaving your cart at the register is the Trader Joe's employees' biggest pet peeve, leaving it in the parking lot is other customers'. There a reason why TJ's parking lots are tricky, and even without free roaming shopping carts rolling around, it's chaotic enough. Driving off without walking your cart back to its designated place doesn't only pose a risk for cars and other drivers, but also yourself. The parking lots are very heavily trafficked, and there's not always room for you to pop open your trunk and unload your bags without blocking the flow. 

All in all, leaving the cart behind will save you a lot of stress — plus, then you won't forget to do it after. It's not the employees' job to come out and collect them anyways.

Continuing with the drama that is the Trader Joe's parking lots, there's one big etiquette mistake to keep in mind — do not sit and wait for a parking spot to open up. If you see someone walking to their car and unloading their groceries, don't sit and wait for them to leave. You're only going to end up blocking other spots from opening up because you've built up a line of cars behind you. Plus, in the time you spent waiting, you'd eventually find another place to park your car if you just kept driving.

As mentioned before, you could probably write an entire separate set of etiquette mistakes for the Trader Joe's parking lot alone. While blocking through traffic to wait for a spot is at the top of the list, there are others. For example, in the tightly packed lots, it's extra important to pay attention to parking signs. This is especially true in inner-city locations, where you could end up parking your car somewhere that blocks sight of oncoming traffic for people coming and going — or other parking spots, for that matter. 

Trader Joe's is for everybody, and not only should its locations reflect that — but its parking lots too. Be cool and keep things moving so everyone can get their shopping done.