As one of America’s favorite grocery stores, Trader Joe’s is a top choice for all kinds of weird and wonderful finds. The company offers everything from sweet potato habanero hot sauce to everything bagel-flavored cheese, but you’ll be hard pressed to find common staples like aluminum foil, trash bags, resealable plastic bags, or baking sheets. While it does make for a lengthier shopping trip, the lack of everyday items is all part of Trader Joe’s business model.
The grocery chain prides itself on being a business with a one-of-a-kind selection. Many of its products aren’t things you can find elsewhere, and the exclusivity has given the store a fiercely loyal fan base — just look at the craze that occurs every time some Trader Joe’s limited edition mini tote bags are released. The company likes to pour its focus into selling unique items, and it prioritizes these selling points when managing shelf space. Its storefronts are relatively smaller than those of other chains, which is why Trader Joe’s offers fewer items than most grocery stores.
The most popular items are given precedence, so if a kitchen essential isn’t flying off the shelves, Trader Joe’s simply won’t stock it again. Although you won’t find a can opener to get into canned Grecian style eggplants with tomatoes and onions, or some plastic wrap to store your brown sugar boba mochi in, each visit to Trader Joe’s is filled with unexpected finds.
Trader Joe’s does sell some common cleaning items
While the store doesn’t carry many items for food storage or preparation, there are several kitchen cleaning essentials you can buy at Trader Joe’s. Like many of its edible products, the brand’s selling point for its cleaning items is how they’re different from what is common in other stores. Its All Purpose Disinfectant Cleaner, for example, is free of chlorine bleach and phosphates, which makes it less of a lung irritant.
Clean, non-irritating ingredients are a theme with Trader Joe’s other household staples, as well. The company’s Lavender Tea Tree and Citrus Dish Soaps are biodegradable and made with renewable biological sources. The soap is formulated without artificial colors and synthetic fragrances, traits that Trader Joe’s Liquid Laundry Detergents also share.
Being environmentally friendly extends to Trader Joe’s other household products, particularly ones meant for food. Instead of carrying single-use plastic bags, it sells reusable silicone food storage bags of different sizes. The food-grade silicone bags are microwave, freezer-safe, and dishwasher-safe, so they can be used for everything from marinating meat to storing food in the freezer, all without needing to be tossed.
