This One Insider Trick Could FINALLY Bring Trader Joe's to Your Neighborhood
Trader Joe’s has fueled a loyal cult following online with TJ’s fans sleuthing out the latest restocks, ranking the best products, and of course, campaigning for more stores to open. Unfortunately for people who don’t have a location in their neighborhood or city, you can’t order Trader Joe’s seasonal favorites or dupe beauty products directly from the brand without going to an actual brick-and-mortar store — but there are a few factors that you can use to help you fight to get one.
If you’ve ever wondered how to get Trader Joe’s to open a new location near you, the hosts of Insider Trader Joe’s podcast spilled the tea on a Nov. 4 episode. First reported by People, hosts Tara Miller and Matt Sloan revealed that contrary to popular belief, even the most viral customer-led social media or letter-writing campaigns won’t necessarily tip the decision in your favor.
“While we love the energy and enthusiasm often expressed in any of those various social media campaigns … they really don’t have much, if any, impact on what we end up deciding,” Sloan shared, revealing that the corporation is currently considering over 1,000 potential sites in all of the U.S. states except for Hawaii and Alaska.
Instead, Miller said their “business decision” comes down to some surprising factors. For one, the potential for a parking feature is high on their wish list. “We want to make sure that we’re putting stores in places where it’s relatively easy to get in and out of either a shopping center or just a stand-alone parking lot,” she said. “There will be a lot of traffic coming into that spot.”
Unsurprisingly, an area with a lot of potential shoppers is also preferable. “First and foremost, we’re looking where people are. More typically is better. So, dense population,” Sloan added.
Already have a TJ’s in your area? That doesn’t automatically rule out the opening of another location if certain circumstances come into play, like population density and traffic patterns that make getting from one Trader Joe’s to a close neighborhood “take a really long time.”
Unfortunately, if you live in an area where that’s sparsely populated, you might be out of luck and have to order your favorites from resellers online. But if you feel like you have a good case for why your neighborhood needs a TJ’s location based on these requirements, you can fill out the form on their website and explain in 700 characters or less why your area fits the bill.
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