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Greenville welcomes Trader Joe's
THURS.| 12-17-24 | ENTERTAINMENT
On Nov. 14, the much anticipated Greenville Trader Joe's opened with high expectations. Is the store really worth the hype though?
Trader Joe’s is a retail grocery market that has taken the country by storm with its unique food products and organic materials. These food choices have caused Trader Joe's to have an almost cult following behind it, with people willing to wait in 30-minute lines just to buy some food. These fans perplexed me and I decided to try the franchise out for myself.
When I first walked into the store, I noticed the very scenic entrance decorated with flowers and signs. This entrance set the precedent for the store's vibe and was very pleasing to the eye. Upon entering, I was met by a worker who greeted me with a smile and then gave me a canvas bag to put my groceries in. This bag was very sturdy and much more convenient than dragging around a bulky cart with me.
Photo by Will Malpass
When first looking into the establishment I was taken aback by how shallow and small the store was. Trader Joe's is not even a third of the size of a neighborhood Walmart, yet it had nearly 300 people crammed into it. The store was pleasantly decorated with wood paneling and accents and gave off a “Fresh Market” type of feel to it. This created a very cozy atmosphere within the establishment that made me feel at ease.
When looking at the products, nearly all of them are Trader Joe's branded items. These items consist of Trader Joe's peanut butter all the way to Trader Joe's sushi. I enjoyed having these different items more than the traditional name-brand as they provide a new taste and look on an already-established product.
While shopping the customer service was phenomenal, multiple times I had people stop me and ask if I was good or looking for something. In addition, they had multiple carts with people offering different samples of items such as cider and turkey. This customer service provided a very pleasant shopping experience and kept me at ease within the packed store.
While shopping I decided to buy a big bag of their Takis remake, some salsa and some cookie butter. With all of these items, I expected to be paying upwards of 15 dollars but the total came out to only 7 dollars. The cost of Trader Joe's turned out to be my favorite thing about the franchise. Due to the fact that most of their food is in-house and not created by outside corporations, they can keep the prices of their foods low. This enabled me to buy organic food for a very low cost.
The food was definitely up to par with the store's appearance. When first trying the takis it immediately hits you that they are not as crunchy and less spicy than the name-brand takis. This enhances the flavor and makes it easier to eat than normal takis. The cookie butter was amazing and tasted exactly like a chocolate chip cookie with the texture of peanut butter. This went great on a slice of bread as it tasted very good. Overall I would recommend this franchise and rate it a 9/10.
