Stephen Dubner

A 2024 analysis found that Trader Joe's sells around $1,750 of groceries per square foot. Kroger, $800. Walmart, $600. How is this happening? We should probably start with the products that Trader Joe's sells. Here, let me read some of what they say are their most popular items.

Mandarin orange chicken, mushroom and black truffle flatbread, butter chicken and basmati rice, Italian truffle cheese, dark chocolate peanut butter cups, spicy tempura seaweed snacks.

Mandarin orange chicken, mushroom and black truffle flatbread, butter chicken and basmati rice, Italian truffle cheese, dark chocolate peanut butter cups, spicy tempura seaweed snacks.

Mandarin orange chicken, mushroom and black truffle flatbread, butter chicken and basmati rice, Italian truffle cheese, dark chocolate peanut butter cups, spicy tempura seaweed snacks.

These are the sort of foods that light up Instagram accounts and Facebook pages, that inspire fanatical devotion even among people who don't have a Trader Joe's within 2,300 miles, like Kirk DeSermia, who works as a facilities manager for the National Park Service in Alaska.

These are the sort of foods that light up Instagram accounts and Facebook pages, that inspire fanatical devotion even among people who don't have a Trader Joe's within 2,300 miles, like Kirk DeSermia, who works as a facilities manager for the National Park Service in Alaska.

These are the sort of foods that light up Instagram accounts and Facebook pages, that inspire fanatical devotion even among people who don't have a Trader Joe's within 2,300 miles, like Kirk DeSermia, who works as a facilities manager for the National Park Service in Alaska.

What is it about Trader Joe's foods that creates such a lust? Let's put aside for a moment the question of how good their food is, especially since taste is subjective, at least to some degree. But there are a few things to say about how Trader Joe's is at least different from a typical grocery store. First, there is a sense of globetrotting adventure.

What is it about Trader Joe's foods that creates such a lust? Let's put aside for a moment the question of how good their food is, especially since taste is subjective, at least to some degree. But there are a few things to say about how Trader Joe's is at least different from a typical grocery store. First, there is a sense of globetrotting adventure.

What is it about Trader Joe's foods that creates such a lust? Let's put aside for a moment the question of how good their food is, especially since taste is subjective, at least to some degree. But there are a few things to say about how Trader Joe's is at least different from a typical grocery store. First, there is a sense of globetrotting adventure.

The tikka masala, the carne asada, the gochujang almonds. That's why Sheena Iyengar thinks of shopping there as... A variety-seeking exercise.

The tikka masala, the carne asada, the gochujang almonds. That's why Sheena Iyengar thinks of shopping there as... A variety-seeking exercise.

The tikka masala, the carne asada, the gochujang almonds. That's why Sheena Iyengar thinks of shopping there as... A variety-seeking exercise.

They also offer a rather unsubtle blend of healthy, or at least healthy-seeming, and hedonistic. Yes, you can buy kohlrabi salad and cauliflower crust pizza, but you've also got your peanut butter-filled pretzels and sea salt and turbinado sugar chocolate almonds. Speaking of which, turbinado sugar, also known as natural brown sugar, but still sugar, why add the turbinado? I have a few guesses.

They also offer a rather unsubtle blend of healthy, or at least healthy-seeming, and hedonistic. Yes, you can buy kohlrabi salad and cauliflower crust pizza, but you've also got your peanut butter-filled pretzels and sea salt and turbinado sugar chocolate almonds. Speaking of which, turbinado sugar, also known as natural brown sugar, but still sugar, why add the turbinado? I have a few guesses.

They also offer a rather unsubtle blend of healthy, or at least healthy-seeming, and hedonistic. Yes, you can buy kohlrabi salad and cauliflower crust pizza, but you've also got your peanut butter-filled pretzels and sea salt and turbinado sugar chocolate almonds. Speaking of which, turbinado sugar, also known as natural brown sugar, but still sugar, why add the turbinado? I have a few guesses.

One, to say you're just adding sugar to your already chocolate-covered almonds doesn't sound very healthy, but turbinado sugar, hmm, intriguing, possibly even sophisticated. Additionally, Trader Joe's seems to understand what everyone in sales understands, especially real estate agents. Adjectives are inexpensive and often useful, especially when the actual virtues are limited.

One, to say you're just adding sugar to your already chocolate-covered almonds doesn't sound very healthy, but turbinado sugar, hmm, intriguing, possibly even sophisticated. Additionally, Trader Joe's seems to understand what everyone in sales understands, especially real estate agents. Adjectives are inexpensive and often useful, especially when the actual virtues are limited.

One, to say you're just adding sugar to your already chocolate-covered almonds doesn't sound very healthy, but turbinado sugar, hmm, intriguing, possibly even sophisticated. Additionally, Trader Joe's seems to understand what everyone in sales understands, especially real estate agents. Adjectives are inexpensive and often useful, especially when the actual virtues are limited.

A charming house is often, in fact, a small house. Trader Joe's reportedly puts a great deal of effort into scouting, sourcing, and producing food that their customers truly love, but they also pay a lot of attention to package design and descriptive salesmanship. They publish an old-fashioned newsprint bulletin, the Fearless Flyer, with in-depth descriptions of new products.