Business
10 Sneaky Ways Trader Joe’s Gets You To Spend Money
Trader Joes has been in business since 1958 and it has been taking money off the people ever since! This is not necessarily a negative thing. Trader Joe’s just knows what they are doing and how to earn their keep! Now, let’s take a look at 10 Sneaky Ways Trader Joe’s Gets You To Spend Money!
10. The Freezing Cold Made You Do It
Trader Joe’s, like most – if not all – grocery stores has a frozen food section. This section is usually a bit colder than the rest of the grocery store and is often one of the last aisle you go down. When you are choosing to take the trip down the frozen food aisle you usually know what you are looking for. No? Maybe you wanted a few frozen pizzas to have in the fridge for late night munchies? Maybe you needed a pint of ice cream to go with the holiday pies you are making? Or maybe you are really craving popsicles? Who knows! The reason you find yourself in the frozen food aisle is really personal and up to you on the day you are shopping. The thing is… the frozen food aisle is also like a trap. Bet you didn’t know that! It is true though! The frozen food aisle has been known to be one of the aisles people go through the quickest. Being chilled is not on everyone’s to do list – even if getting popsicles is. So the way that Trader Joe’s is making money off of you on the food aisle is by tricking you when you are unaware. You are focused on getting what you need. You are cold. You want to go pay so you can get home and watch the latest Netflix release or start dinner before your loved ones get home. You have things on your mind. You have things to do. Places to be. And. You. Are. Colder. Being colder than before plays a big role in this scam. Since you are colder you are more rushed. Since you are more rushed you are less likely to take your time looking at all the products. You want to act fast. In doing so you make rash decisions. For example, in the case in which you are getting popsicles you find yourself in the frozen food aisle. You go to the Popsicle section. You see there are a few options. You are not sure which one to get. You just want to get out of there so you grab two boxes. Bam! You were tricked into buying more. You are now on your way out of the aisle because you got what you came for and it is chilly but as you are briskly walking away you also see in the big open freezers in the center of the aisle that frozen blueberries are on sale. Why not get that too!? Bam! You were tricked again! The frozen food aisle is a place in which you are vulnerable! Be aware! They can get you on impulse buys if you are not careful!
9. Open Freezers of Temptation
Impulse buys are a real thing. When you are walking down the cold freezer aisle impulse buys are even more of a thing then they already are. Trader Joe’s knows this and has made the decision to no longer sell frozen berries the closed freezers that line the frozen aisle. Instead, they sell the frozen berries in big open bins or freezer buckets. This is a way to allow the customer to see the product. It is unobstructed, so it is easier to read what the product is and to see the price. This way of displaying the food also brings the customer closer to the product. All they have to do is lean over to see it more closely. Since the item is cold and the customer is likely also cold due to being in the freezer aisle Trader Joe’s has taken away the need to open a door and let even more cold air out. So, in a way you would rather buy the frozen berries right in front of you that you just have to grab rather than open a door to get the ones stocked in a stranding freezer. Oh Trader Joe’s… You are sneaky.
8. Less Is More
Sometimes having fewer choices actually helps people make decisions. Contrarily, too many choices can make choosing something more difficult. The phycology behind this seems pretty straight forward, no? If you have too many options then you are worried about making the wrong choice. You may want two or three of the given choices but are afraid to pick wrong. You consider getting all three but that is literary triple the price. You go through all of this until you either be annoyed and leave, realize groceries should not be causing this much anxiety and leave, or simple get distracted and leave. If you have way too many options then decisions take longer and are normally less productive. Too many options can also mess up a repeat purchase. Why is that? Well, a costumer may like a product – come back for is again but then realize there are so many choices and try something else. Then, if they do not like that second product they may never buy again. So having the choices took away from the one good option that had the costumer happy in the first place. This is called “the paradox of choice.” Whereas if a customer is given two or three options then if they like it they are more likely to buy the exact same product which pleased them in the first place! Trader Joe’s is aware of this physiological truth and pack their shelves accordingly. Trader Joe’s would rather have you buy something than be overwhelmed and leave empty handed.
7. Low Prices
Obviously no one wants to pay out the rear end for things that should not cost that much. Purchasing a cookie butter should not put you out so much that you won’t go to the cinema later or won’t splurge on the hardcover version of the book you wanted and instead wait for the soft cover to come out (or even hunt for it in a used book store). You know? Basically, food items should not restrict you from living the life you want. You should not be counting your spending money based on what is left from the obscene amount you spend on groceries. Makes sense right? Well, that is not always so clear for the big grocery stores that want to make a profit. It is also no clear in this age of the organic, specialty, or homemade products. Bigger chain stores offer these items at a premium! Trader Joe’s really does their best not to! They want to keep it affordable. Hey have tricks to save money – like using energy efficient lighting – for example. Trader Joe’s thinks about the customer! That being said, you need to consider that since things at Trader Joe’s seem to run cheaper than other places that you also limit the amount of things you buy. Just because things are cheap does not mean they do not add up. So if you went to a ritzy overpriced store and only bought four things and you then went to Trader Joe’s and bought ten things for the same price you are still getting ten things. You may even go over that and get twelve things or fifteen things and spend a bit more. You think it is okay because of all that you are saving… when in reality you are still spending more. Yes. Saving are kind of being had. That is only if you usually buy at the stores that always over charge. Otherwise, you are just spending more money. Right? The lesson here is to be aware that Trader Joe’s is cheaper and while that is in your interest it is also a bit of a trick to get you to spend, spend, spend!
6. Happy Employees
Believe it or not having happy employees around when you are shopping can make or break some purchases. If you are looking for something and ask a member of the staff and they bring you over to the item in question while smiling and being kind then hey, you will likely buy that item. If the employee is in a horrible mood, has trouble finding your item, and if rude to you directly then you may be less interested in buying that item that you were looking for and other items because you won’t want to be in the store anymore because of the bad service and even worse vibe. The vibe is so important when shopping. People want to feel welcomed and comfortable. Trader Joe’s works hard to keep their employees happy which in turn keeps their customers happy! What a good system!
5. Samples
Oh! Samples. Samples make people buy because… well… because if they are yummy then why would you not want to buy them? What if they are also on sale? Wouldn’t you want them then? Also, you already tried it. You know you love it. Why not just get it? It is just a simple slip it into your cart action and you have the item! How easy! The store makes your shopping experience super-duper easy! Samples are always a sneaky way to get people to spend money. Think about it, the company is giving away something for free! This builds trust! You think – “Hey! This company is so great! They are giving stuff out for free and losing money!” Well, in fact you would be wrong to think this because what they spend in giving away samples they get back in sales tenfold! Brilliant for them and horrible for you! You gain calories when shopping and spend more money! Rats! They tricked you again!
4. Creativity
Trader Joe’s sells products that are unique. End of story. This is a way to capture your attention! You want to try something you have never tried before! You love their ability to mix two things you love or to totally surprise you with something out of the box! Trader Joe’s will get you and your money by being so darn creative! Well done! Standing ovation for their ingenuity! What are some examples? Oh! There are so many! How about this… Trader Joe’s Ube Purple Yam Flavored Ice Cream? Or…Trader Joe’s Cold Brew Coconut Latte in a can. You want to try them because you have never ever seen these things before!
3. Word of Mouth
Hey, guess what? The Turmeric Ginger Coconut Beverage from trader Joe’s is so good! It’s the box with the sun on it. Have you seen it before? Well, it is really really tasty. You can add it to smoothies or even use it to make a latte. Turmeric is also just so darn good for you! What a good drink! To top it all off it is affordable! This is a highly recommended item. Truly! Highly recommended! Did that get you? Does that make you want to purchase the Trader Joe’s Turmeric Ginger Coconut Beverage? If it doesn’t maybe it would if it was your mom who said it to you? Or your best friend? Or the girl or boy you have been wanting to date for ever but right now are just friends but you are trying to work up the courage to ask? If they said all of this about the item from Trader Joe’s would you listen? Well, you may. You probably already have taken advice about a certain Trader Joe’s product and never even really noticed it before. Or, maybe it was you who recommended something to a friend, collogue, parent, sibling, or brief tinder date who you hope to never see again and almost wish you didn’t tell them about your favorite Trader Joe’s item, but you did and it is too late now. Word of mouth is a very large portion of the company’s advertising techniques. How is this advertising if the company is not really doing it, but their customers are? Well – Trader Joe’s is not really spending on advertising. They rely on their customers. They are more focused on delivering quality service and product to you. Then, they will let you do the rest! So Trader Joe’s is literally making money off of you and your advertising for them! Ha! They are sneaky, aren’t they!?
2. Boxes Rather Than Shelves
Trader Joe’s will often present items to customers directly out of the box. Why is this making them money? Well, there are a few reasons. The first is that by using boxes they are not having their employees’ waste time and money stocking shelves. Hmmm… How interesting. Grocery store employees waste a lot of valuable time stocking. If that task is diminished then the employees can do other things and save the company money. The other reason using boxes is great for Trader Joe’s is that it is offering up items to you, the customer, in a very easy way. By offering you an item in a box rather than on a shelf Trader Joes is helping you make a choice. On a shelf there are so many things to look at. So many distractions. In a box you have many items, but they are almost always all the same thing. Your only choice is which one of this particular item do you want? Maybe you choose the box that doesn’t have a squished corner. Or the one that is just a few boxes underneath because you do not want the one numerous people have touched as they browsed? Either way you do not have many many options. Just one. Many items but just of just one option. Get it? See how smart trader Joe’s is? See how they are getting you to spend your hard earned cash at their store instead of others? See!?
1. In House Items for The Win!
Did you know that most of the items Trader Joe’s is selling to you are in-house products? Yes! Apparently, about eighty percent of the products up for sale at Trader Joe’s are in-house items. This means that Trader Joe’s is cutting out the middleman! They buy what they need to make the product, selling it, and making their profit without having to then pay back the company giving them the product because they are the company producing the product! How perfect for them! By doing in house products they also remove the possibility that you can find the same product elsewhere. You simply can’t. A Trader Joe’s product is a Trader Joe’s product. It is as simple as that. You cannot price match with other places. You cannot find it at a local market or stand. You have to buy that product at Trader Joe’s if that is the product you want. The in-house items are a real winner for Trader Joe’s! What is really impressive is that Trader Joe’s does not have one or two lines of products that they offer. They offer so so so many things that are packaged in-house! Here is a little list of some of the very best in-house items you can buy at Trader Joe’s: Trader Joe’s Chocolate Lava Gnocchi, Trader Joe’s Turkey and Stuffing Kale Chips, Trader Joe’s Everything but the Bagel Dip, Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Butter, and Trader Joe’s Mac and Cheese Bites. There are so many unique and yummy products that only Trader Joe’s offers. These are also called private-label products. That is how they get you! How clever of them! They are taking you away from the well-known brands and making you’re a private-label/in-house consumer!