According to recent reports, the new Trader Joe’s, located at 2305 Medical Center Parkway in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, is set to be open the first part of April. Originally planned for May 2, 2025, according to Murfreesboro.com, construction is running ahead of schedule.
Long awaited by local residents, Trader Joe’s is a national chain of neighborhood grocery stores. Their goal is to provide customers with quality goods at an outstanding value.
“Through our rewarding products and knowledgeable, friendly Crew Members, we have been transforming grocery shopping into a welcoming journey full of discovery and fun since 1967,” says their website.
A long-awaited addition to Murfreesboro’s grocery store options, Trader Joe’s doesn’t carry a lot of national brands, instead they carry their own line of everything from everyday basics to unique and interesting products. They are known for rotating new product in and out of the store to keep customers coming back.
“Our buyers travel the world searching for products we think are exceptional and will find a following among our customers,” explained their website. “To earn a spot on our shelves, each product is submitted to a rigorous tasting panel process, in which every aspect of quality is investigated in context of the price we can offer. If a product is assessed as an outstanding value, it becomes an essential part of the Trader Joe’s shopping adventure.”
Trader Joe’s also donates thousands of pounds of food every year to local community food banks through their Neighborhood Shares program. One hundred percent of the products that they carry “that go unsold but remain fit to be enjoyed” are donated to local non-profit organizations. In 2024, Trader Joe’s 579 stores donated more than 98 million pounds of quality products to more than 2,000 partners nationwide. They are dedicated to alleviating hunger through their food recovery partners in their local communities.
Unlike other grocery stores, Trader Joe’s doesn’t have sales, they don’t offer coupons, and there are no loyalty programs or membership cards to swipe at the register. They want every customer to receive the best value for their dollar every day.
“We buy direct from suppliers whenever possible, we bargain hard to get the best price, and then pass the savings on to you,” adds their website. “We buy in volume and contract early to get the best prices. If an item doesn’t pull its weight in our stores, it goes away, making room for another innovative new product…We keep our costs low because every penny we save is a penny you save.”
The very first “Fearless Flyer,” Trader Joe’s advertising newsletter, came out in 1969, however, it was called the “Insider’s Report” until 1985. While the newsletter was originally written as an educational tool for employees, customers started asking to see it, according to Tasting Table. Known for its “whimsical folksiness,” it is used today to introduce customers to what is being carried in the store, as well as a number of recipes. It can be received by subscription by mail or email upon request.
Founded in 1967 by Joe Coulombe in Pasadena, California, Tasting Table states, “The real Trader Joe was…born in San Diego in 1930. He grew up on a Del Mar avocado farm, spent time in the Air Force, and studied economics and business administration at Stanford University. Coulombe was always a salesman at heart, starting out by walking around Stanford neighborhoods selling Kirby vacuum cleaners door-to-door. After college, he became a researcher for Owl-Rexall drug stores before the company asked him to do a test run of a new convenience store chain. Thus, in his late 20s, he started learning the ins and outs of selling groceries at the convenience store level…Then, a change in circumstances pushed him into creating Trader Joe’s when he was only 37.”
In 1979, Trader Joe’s was bought by the family of Theo Albrecht, one of the founders of the ALDI chain of discount grocery stores. They are not owned by the same company but its, according to Yahoo! Life, “more like [they] have the same grandparents.”
Look for the new Trader Joe’s near the intersection of Medical Center Parkway and Robert Rose Drive.
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