Trader Joe's Secrets & Tips

Is Trader Joe's the most universally beloved grocery store? With friendly employees, low prices, and fun and unique products (looking at you, Everything but the Bagel seasoning), what's not to like? Okay sure, maybe the crowds can be annoying. And sometimes the new snacks are not that great. It'd also be nice if they had a deli counter to cut up big items.

Turns out, there are solutions to all of those grievances. We chatted with a store manager in the Northeast to find out how to make your weekly (okay, daily) Trader Joe's experience faster, more convenient and even better. Here are 16 tips that will change the way you shop.

1. The best days to shop are in the middle of the week. You should avoid weekends at all costs if you'd prefer your shopping experience to be less crowded.

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2. The best time to shop is early morning, right after they open, or late in the day, right before they close. Avoid after work and lunch time. One Domino editor walks into the Upper West Side store 15 minutes before closing; they close the doors while you're shopping, so you know a limited number of people will be there.

3. There is no giant stockroom. What you see is what they have. All Trader Joe's stores get multiple delivery trucks per day, so the stock should be consistent no matter what day you shop. Plus, this means everything is always super fresh—all produce arrives the day before it hits shelves or the day of. "We call it 'truck to shelf,'" says the manager. "You know that bag of spinach hasn't been sitting in a box in the back for five days."

4. You can try basically anything you want. "Short of grilling up a raw steak, we'll let you try anything," says the manager. "We'd rather have you open it in the store than take it home and be disappointed." So if you're deciding between the three-seed sweet potato crackers and the three-seed beet crackers, just ask for a taste test and a crew member will open the packages for you. 

5. You can return anything, too. And you'll get your money back: "We've had customers return a bag of popcorn with one kernel in it, or a bar of chocolate that clearly sat in the sun for six hours." Sure, the manager admits that there is a tiny percentage of customers who might take advantage of this, but most people are simply happy that it's an option.

6. Trader Joe's has super high standards for anything it puts its name on. Anything that has the TJ's private label (close to 85 percent of the store) must be free of high fructose corn syrup, GMO ingredients, hydrogenated oils, MSG and artificial colors, flavors and preservatives.

7. Don't sleep on the prepared frozen foods. According to our source, the macaroni and cheese is far and away the best frozen mac 'n' cheese available, while the mandarin chicken is a national bestseller. While most frozen foods have a long list of hard-to-pronounce ingredients and preservatives, you won't find that at TJ's because of the private label standards.

8. Crew members live for the limited edition items. These are the most coveted of products. Last year, they had a super-limited (one case per store) stock of Geisha coffee that sold out almost instantly, and right now, they have a coconut-soy wax grapefruit candle that you should snatch up ASAP.

9. Employees try literally everything. Crew members want to be able to make recommendations and tell you what something tastes like, so they make a point to taste everything. They also get a confidential bulletin each week from the corporate office that tells them what's coming so they can prep in advance.

10. Dietary restrictions are super easy to accommodate. If you're vegan or gluten-free and unfamiliar with the products, a crew member will walk you around the store and show you every item that you can eat. They also have guides on their website that list every product for those following a vegan, kosher or gluten-free diet.

11. If you don't like something, let them know. Trader Joe's really, really values customer feedback. "We always say customers vote with their dollars," says the manager, but you can also give feedback to any crew member in-store and through the website. If a new product doesn't sell, or an old favorite stops selling, it will be discontinued, so instead of just ditching those cheese puffs because they aren't cheesy enough, tell your local store how your go-to snack could be improved.

Case in point: TJ's received feedback that their dish soap wasn't sudsing up enough, so they reworked the product and just released version 2.0.

12. Crew members really just want to make you happy. Honestly, they'll pretty much do anything for you. TJ's does not have a produce counter, but they will slice up that butternut squash for you nonetheless (the sample station makes a great makeshift chopping place).

13. You can have your groceries carried to your car. "No one takes advantage of this enough!" says the manager.

14. All of the produce bags are compostable. They may look like plastic, but they are actually an eco-friendly alternative.

15. All of the toiletries and beauty products are actually name brands. Trader Joe's orders their products from manufacturers of brands you know and love, but they are notoriously secretive about who the suppliers are (last year, Eater uncovered some of the names behind a handful of snacks).

16. Trader Joe's doesn't advertise. Aside from the daily flyer email, and possibly a couple radio spots, you won't see much marketing for the stores, which lets the company keep prices low.

This article originally appeared on Domino.