TikToker shares all the psychological 'tricks' Trader Joe's uses to win over customers — here's what to look for
What is it about Trader Joe’s that makes the chain grocery store have such a dedicated fan base?
In a recent video series, Nicole Urban (@urbannic) breaks down the psychology behind the store’s layouts and explains why Trader Joe’s, in particular, is such a hit with shoppers.
“How do you feel when you walk into a grocery store?” Urban asks in the first part of the series. “Overwhelmed, anxious, overstimulated? What if I told you that grocery stores, at least in America, are designed to be that way?”
According to Urban, there’s nothing random about the way grocery stores are laid out or why certain items are placed where they are. Instead, every aisle is the result of extensive research on consumer behavior.
“From the first step through the doors until the moment you check out, you’re being sent on a journey of behavioral cues and sensory experiences with only one goal: to get you to spend more money,” the TikToker explains.
Most supermarkets use the same core tactics, like putting essentials on opposite ends of the store to keep people shopping longer and placing expensive items at eye level, where they’re more likely to be seen. But in the second part of her video series, Urban explains that Trader Joe’s actually goes against the grain by rejecting many of these industry practices. And yet, customers still keep coming back for more.
That’s because the store uses some of its own set of psychological tactics — and clearly, they’re working.
For starters, Trader Joe’s locations are much smaller and carry far fewer products than the average grocery store. (According to Urban, Trader Joe’s sells roughly one-tenth of what competitors do.) But that’s what customers love most about it.
A smaller selection means shoppers become well acquainted with their favorite products and get excited about seasonal items that only come around once a year.
In the end, this can make a typical shopping trip feel like “a treasure hunt,” Urban claims, which adds to the overall experience.
Unlike other stores, Trader Joe’s doesn’t run sales or coupons, nor does it have a customer rewards program. It doesn’t spend money on big-budget ads and other broad marketing plans. But that isn’t a turn-off for its loyal customer base. Instead, the company is known for its fair and reliable pricing and heavily invests in the customer experience, starting with who it hires.
“Trader Joe’s employees are usually very charismatic,” Urban explains. “They like to strike up conversation, and they tend to go more above and beyond compared to cashiers at regular grocery stores.”
If a customer can’t find an item, they won’t have to look far for an employee who can help, and Trader Joe’s actually trains its salespeople to walk a customer to the product they’re looking for instead of just pointing them in the right direction.
Then, there’s the in-store artwork that customers can’t seem to resist. Instead of generic price stickers on every item and mass-produced signage, Trader Joe’s utilizes local artists to make hand-drawn signs and murals around the store.
According to Urban, all of these factors wind up coaxing customers into feeling like they’re at some kind of small-town, local market, and the end result is huge profits.
So do small tweaks to the layout, like Trader Joe’s open-bin style freezers. Unlike traditional grocery stores, which hide frozen foods behind glass doors, open freezers make frozen foods feel more accessible. This way, customers browse for longer and discover new items each time.
At the end of the day, being aware of these tactics is really the first step in curbing your impulse buys and spending more than intended. In traditional grocery stores, psychologists suggest looking higher or lower on shelves to find bargains and going in with a list and a plan. But at a non-traditional store like Trader Joe’s, your best bet is probably just to be aware of what supermarket designer Kevin Kelley calls “the seduction of ease.”
“People should be trying to be more consciously aware of the seduction going on around them,” Kevin Kelley, of the firm Shook Kelley, told Bon Appetit. “It’s easy to fall into the rut of ‘eating out’ at the grocery store — and they’re paying a premium for that.”
That said, judging by the comments on Urban’s post, Trader Joe’s customers don’t actually mind being seduced by the store.
“I tell ppl it’s not an errand, it’s an *experience*,” wrote TikToker @msaleeshamarie.
Others pointed out that the store’s everyday prices are so good they actually save by shopping there.
“Psychology or not, shopping at Trader Joe’s has brought my grocery bills down by $100 a month,” claimed @lydraede21.
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