New Stores – and Viral Totes – in the Bag for Trader Joe’s
A pair of new stores and a pair of new totes are making news at Trader Joe’s. As the company continues to widen its footprint, customers are also making a beeline to stores to pick up the latest version of its bags that often go viral in attention.
The newest Trader Joe’s welcomed shoppers on Dec. 6 at 1861 University Drive in Vista, Calif., near San Diego. That site once housed a Chuck E. Cheese’s entertainment center. A few days before, shoppers in Milwaukie, Ore., got to check out their new TJ’s outpost, located at 15574 SE McLoughlin Boulevard.
Meanwhile, shoppers around the country are looking for the grocer’s newest reusable totes that are the making the rounds on social media. On the heels of this year’s mini and canvas bags that sold out quickly, these bags are in demand for holiday grocery shopping jaunts and as gifts. The stand-up collapsible totes feature both top and side handles for easy transport and are available in two colorful designs for $3.99 each.
The latest episode of the "Inside Trader Joe's" podcast also spotlighted 12 hot holiday buys at the retailer, such as Blue Cheese Stuffed Chalkidiki Olives, a 20-oz. bag of Chaos Gummies and German Iced Gingerbread Soft Spiced Cookies, to name a few.
“These holiday products, we start working on them so long ago, and then when they finally make it into the stores, it's so exciting to see the results of all of that time and effort that's gone into making them appear,” declared co-host Tara Miller, VP of marketing at Trader Joe’s.
With more than 500 stores in 40-plus states, Trader Joe’s is No. 33 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2024 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. PG also named the company one of its Retailers of the Century.
