Best Grocery Store: Trader Joe’s
UC Davis students recall their best experiences with Trader Joe’s
By SABRINA FIGUEROA — opinion@theaggie.org
Tucked inside of The Davis Collection, Trader Joe’s is one of the many grocery stores in town that students love. Since opening in 2010, it has offered students an array of items from organic produce to quick bites to delicious sweet treats.
“I’m always so surprised by all the little things you can buy there. I always buy their salads or the chicken caesar wraps for lunch; they save a lot of time,” Jenna Martinez, a fourth-year managerial economics major, said.
On top of the food, Trader Joe’s is where quality meets friendly — to some maybe even a little too friendly — customer service. Many shoppers have even speculated over the past that the store trains its employees to flirt with customers to increase sales. While we’ve all been there asking ourselves if the cute Trader Joe’s employee is into us, they are not trained to be flirty.
“[That rumor] is not true,” Lauryn Maciel, a third-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior major and employee at Davis’ Trader Joe’s, said. “We really are just that friendly and one of our company goals is to focus on providing the best customer experience possible.”
It seems that the welcoming environment of Trader Joe’s is just another reason why Davis students gravitate towards this store over any other in town.
“There was one time where I bought a bag of broccoli, and when I went to open it at home, I saw that the bag was a little defective,” Martinez said. “So, I went back to the store and told an employee about it, and with no questions asked, they just let me go get a new bag.”
This isn’t a random or unique thing to Davis — this “no questions asked” policy is engrained into the store's philosophy. Trader Joe’s allows returns or exchanges if the food you buy has a defect in it, or even if it’s something that you simply didn’t like, according to an article by Food & Wine.
“I think we have a very generous return policy. Basically, anything can be returned,” Maciel said. “If you bought too much of an item and realized you didn’t want the extra [or] even if you didn’t like the way it tasted, it can be returned with no receipt required.”
With Trader Joe’s having multiple recalls of their products over the years, this policy, along with immediate communication through news and social media, demonstrates their commitment to the safety and satisfaction of their customers.
“I honestly think the policy and their communications are really good for students who are still getting the hang of living by themselves and buying groceries for themselves too,” Martinez said. “That’s how you know [Trader Joe’s] cares about their customers’ wellbeing.”
Beyond good service and their wide selection of food items, Trader Joe’s serves the student community by giving them work opportunities close to the UC Davis campus. Not only do they offer competitive wages, but they also are understanding and supportive about busy schedules.
“I started working at Trader Joe’s when I was in high school and they have always been super flexible with student schedules,” Maciel said. “In college, Trader Joe’s has let me take time off to prioritize studying and to attend events like Picnic Day or Lawntopia. Managers always make sure to check in with students to see how they are handling the balance between being a college student and working.”
Ultimately, the value that Trader Joe’s continuously brings to the Davis community helped contribute to its “Best Grocery Store” title in this year’s “Best of Davis.” With their welcoming approach to customer service, understanding return policies and diverse food selection, Trader Joe’s is set apart from its competitors.
Written by: Sabrina Figueroa — opinion@theaggie.org