Swap Stores On Purpose: Why It Pays To Visit Different Trader Joe's Locations

There's something comforting about visiting your local Trader Joe's, whether it's a regular weekly errand or more of a seasonal trip. You know where everything is, for one, but you also have the comfort of knowing what items you can expect to find. But what's comforting about visiting your usual Trader Joe's is also exactly what makes visiting a different location so magical. Not only do you have no idea what to expect, you also don't have the slightest clue where certain things will be. While that might sound like some peoples' nightmare, it's actually the perfect recipe for discovering your new favorite Trader Joe's snack. Who knows? Maybe you'll find your new favorite Trader Joe's, period.

Most people who shop at Trader Joe's are well aware that the grocer carries both seasonal and limited time items, and everyone can likely relate to the frustration of realizing that one of those items has been discontinued and may never return. If you visited Trader Joe's in different locations, however, you'd know that Trader Joe's also has what it calls location specific items — AKA products you can only find in specific stores in specific regions. While this is most common in aisles like the fresh baked bread and bakery section of the store, where Trader Joe's is known to source items from local vendors, you can also find location specific items in the alcoholic beverage and wine aisle, the coffee aisle, the pre-made salad and wraps fridge, and more.

If you didn't know, a lot of items found at Trader Joe's vary regionally — with customers gaining and losing some of their favorite go-to's after cross country moves or experiencing FOMO over cookies posted from the west coast while they're shopping somewhere on the east coast. Examples include items like the Pasadena salad, found in Trader Joe's locations in and around Los Angeles and Southern California and made from ingredients sourced locally. Another are the grits sold at the Trader Joe's in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood, which, interestingly, can't be found at other stores in the city, along with the half-wall of bourbon found inside of all the Kentucky stores.

Not all Trader Joe's location-specific items will be new to you. In some cases, you might even find something you thought was discontinued entirely but was actually only made available regionally. One such example is the San Francisco Sourdough, which was rumored to be discontinued. Turns out, the bread's only available at East Coast store locations — which could be enough of an excuse to pop in the next time you're visiting just to stock up on a loaf or two. 

While you were likely already planning to visit Trader Joe's if you're someone who lives in one of the states where it doesn't sell alcohol, let alone one of the states without a Trader Joe's entirely, you'll be surprised how many different things you'll find just by swapping store locations regardless.