7 Myths About Trader Joe's That No One Should Have Believed

Trader Joe's had its start all the way back in 1967 in Pasadena, California when it was founded by Joe Coulombe, who had a vision of likening food to adventure and exploration. That goal has certainly been achieved, with the store's roots in tiki culture, distinctive Hawaiian shirt uniforms, and unique products inspired by different parts of the world. But with leadership changes and almost 60 years gone past, new defining characteristics and incidents have sprouted up over time to add to the grocer's reputation for better or for worse.

The thing is, though, many of these were born out of rumors and common misconceptions. For one reason or another, customers have come to believe myths about Trader Joe's that simply aren't true. And while it's understandable to see how some of them came about and spread, we're here to set the record straight for everyone who believed or questioned the hearsay.

Aldi and Trader Joe's are two of the hottest grocery stores there are, each with their own cult-like following. But they actually share a lot more in common than just competitive prices and high-quality dupes for branded items. It might shock even die-hard fans to know that their histories are intertwined with one another — though not in the way some people think.

Perhaps you've heard one time or another that Trader Joe's and Aldi are owned and operated by the same people. Or more likely, you've been told the myth that Aldi owns Trader Joe's. That's not quite right, however. Simply put: They're two separate, independently run companies that function as individual brands, but their owners are brothers.

It began with Theo and Karl Albrecht, who once ran Aldi together. After disagreements, they decided to go their separate ways, with Karl spearheading Aldi Süd locations in South Germany and the United States and Theo handling Aldi Nord's Northern Germany locations (and other international branches). Then, in a wholly separate endeavor, Aldi Nord eventually went on to take over Trader Joe's in 1979. And that's where the chains' connection ends.

Trader Joe's is often touted as a health food store. The company has never claimed to be, though. Yes, it's true that Trader Joe's prides itself on using quality ingredients in its products as well as no artificial flavors, preservatives, artificial trans-fats, or MSG. And while the elimination of all these elements is certainly a win, it has misled many customers to think everything the store has to offer is healthy and that you can't go wrong no matter what you pull off the shelf. 

However, even the welcome effort to leave out all those additives doesn't mean you still won't find high-calorie products that are loaded with sugars or sodium. Take the Honey Walnut Shrimp, for example. It's no doubt a yummy, convenient way to enjoy the popular Chinese American dish at home, but it's important to note it does contain 28 grams of fat, 670 milligrams of sodium, and 23 grams of added sugars. These numbers are not to say you can't enjoy this TJ's offering, as it has some awesome perks aside from its delicious flavor, such as its 24 grams of protein — it just goes to show not every item sold by the store is going to be a nutritionist's favorite.

It's a well-known fact that Trader Joe's keeps its prices wonderfully low. The company boasts that it offers the best possible prices it can each and every day already, and as such, you'll be hard pressed to find any coupons, discounts, sales, or loyalty programs that bring those costs down even lower — any real ones, at least.

It's easy to get roped into the many promotions and coupons floating around online that you can supposedly use in the stores, but these are all sadly fake. Trader Joe's has made it loud and clear not to trust these flashy but misleading deals or gift cards, saying it has no association with the organizations offering them despite many of them looking reliable.

The only caveat to this is that the grocer will accept manufacturer coupons for the very occasional non-TJ's branded items you'll find in its stores. So if you were to see items like Puffins Peanut Butter Cereal, GT's Synergy Kombucha, or Chomps Beef Jerky Sticks, all of which have been reported by customers to be sold at Trader Joe's before, you could use discounts issued by the makers of these products.

Trader Joe's customers are no strangers to the disappointment that comes with visiting the grocer and expecting to pick up their favorite product, only to realize it's nowhere to be found. In fact, real fans are probably accustomed to the experience and understand it's a pain that often comes with being a loyal shopper at the store, as TJ's often pulls things from the shelves for an indefinite amount of time (we're looking at you, Belgian Chocolate Pudding).

Don't lose hope, though. Just because one of your go-tos has disappeared from the lineup doesn't mean it'll never make a reappearance. Unbeknownst to many, Trader Joe's has a section on its website designated specifically for people to let the company know what items they want to see make a comeback. It's not guaranteed to be acted upon, but it at least shows the people over at TJ's listen to consumer feedback and take requests into consideration. There's no harm in leaving behind a passionate submission on behalf of the product you're so mourning, anyway. After all, we have seen the return of items like Mini Chicken Tacos before, so who's to say your favorite item might not have the same fate?

From its multitude of chocolate bars to its sea of juices, the name "Trader Joe's" is naturally slapped on a majority of the store's stock. As such, we of course assume that TJ's is the mastermind behind its many unique and innovative goods. That's partially true, but it may surprise you to learn that a lot of these items are actually made in coordination with big-time brands you're likely already familiar with. Or maybe that doesn't shock you at all, considering the products often seem like carbon copies of one another.

Being a private label brand, Trader Joe's doesn't make known who these suppliers are, though a little bit of snooping done by Eater uncovered a bunch of them. How, exactly? By looking into product recalls by major brands that have affected very similar items at Trader Joe's. Eater took a look at different product manufacturers' lists of what stores sold their items, and in doing so, revealed TJ's to have worked with names like Stacy's for pita chips, Naked for smoothies, Tate's Bake Shop for cookies, Wonderful Pistachios for nuts, and the Snack Factory for pretzel crisps. If you've tried any of these items at Trader Joe's before, perhaps you've already caught on to the similarities to the name-brand versions.

Self checkout lanes have found their way into most major grocery stores by now. That's a relief to many customers who seek a quick shopping trip without having to talk to the cashier on a particularly busy day when all they want to do is get out the door. Trader Joe's takes on the opposite mentality, however, choosing to make the experience as personable as possible by keeping its crew members responsible for ringing people up.

So, those rumors floating around that the store would be implementing self checkout stations? It got shut down fast by CEO Bryan Palbaum, who was asked about the hearsay on an episode of the "Inside Trader Joe's" Podcast in August of 2023. He responded, "That's as false as false can be because we believe in people, and we're not trying to get rid of our crew members for efficiency sake..." That may be a bummer to customers who like self service kiosks over the traditional registers, but on the plus side, the store's staff does have a reputation for being friendly (maybe even a little too friendly, but more on that next).

Trader Joe's receives a whole lot of attention on TikTok, whether it's for the viral lobster pasta recipe made using one of its soups or people raving about the mini canvas tote bags. And if you haven't already seen them, there's also a good deal of videos of customers discussing experiences in which they feel Trader Joe's crew members were flirting with them. Or perhaps you've seen one of many posts parodying and poking fun at this common occurrence.

With this seeming to be a widespread phenomenon across Trader Joe's locations, shoppers started to believe the rumor that the crew members are actually trained to flirt with them. CEO Bryan Palbaum again denied this in the previously mentioned episode of the "Inside Trader Joe's" Podcast, saying it's likely just a result of people not being accustomed to the kindness of employees at other stores, leading people to misinterpret the interest that TJ's workers show them.