Trader Joe's - The Supermarket for People Who Don't Cook

The Trader Joe's near me in Manhattan is a crowded nightmare, with queues frequently stretching to the back of the store. I can't even go in it. So I'm kind of late in coming to the party, as far as the Trader Joe's love fest is concerned. I've been in friends' apartments and seen quality products they've purchased for cheap at TJ's. I understand how their Aldi-like business model allows this to happen. Skip the middle man, brand it yourself and pass the savings on to the customer. Makes sense. But I never got to wrap my head around the phenomenon that is Trader Joe's... Until now, having just returned from a lovely, spacious, rock and roll themed location on Sunset in West Hollywood.

I get it. It's as clear as day, now. I know why so many rhapsodize about this place. I understand.

You know how the Food Network on TV started out doing cooking shows, then realized that home cooks were a pretty small audience to target? What did they do? They took a cue from popular Japanese television shows, and started airing programs about food geared toward people who didn't actually cook. And what happened? They got huge. My father, who has probably cooked no more than ten meals in his life (other than grilling, of course) watches the Food Network all the time. He loves it. He loves food.

What does this have to do with Trader Joe's? They've pulled off a similarly brilliant move: They've positioned themselves as the supermarket for people who love food, but don't really cook. Most of what they carry could be described as "ready to eat" or "heat and eat" foods - it's a sea of "value added" products. They offer a wide variety, the quality is pretty high and the prices vary from fair to downright cheap! Need your hand held in the kitchen? How about vacuum sealed bags of cooked rice? How about several varieties, variously seasoned and ready for the microwave? That'd go great with that vegetarian Indian entree in aisle four, wouldn't it? (The place is pretty vegetarian friendly - they know their demographic. Like in Whole Foods, young women are disproportionately represented among the shoppers). Looking for the upscale, world-beat, modern versions of the TV dinner, canned soup, snack foods, frozen entrees, dump and stir, heat and eat? Look no further! What about those who might scoff at such processed foods? Lure them in with organic processed foods! Let's see them scoff now! And for the cherry on top of the sundae: unbelievably cheap wine. No wonder the place is a goldmine.

I'll admit I admire it. I wish I'd thought of it. Hell, I wish there had been one near me when I was in college. Then again, I might never have learned to cook if a Trader Joe's had been part of my young life. It might never have occurred to me that a little bit of effort in the kitchen would allow me to do so much better. What motivation would I have had? Some of the stuff they sell is really good, as far as convenience food goes. Yeah, a love of food is part of what got me into cooking, but being a starving musician who wanted to eat a greater variety of foods than I could afford to go out for was an equally big motivating factor. There's so much inexpensive variety at Trader Joe's it's almost scary.

So what's there for me? Not much. I like cheap olive oil, basmati rice, pine nuts, etc, but I can find those things elsewhere. And elsewhere I don't have to wade through mountains of unnecessary packaging, all emblazoned with the Trader Joe's brand name. I'm not going to be tempted by the chicken chipotle wrap sitting next to the plastic container of seven layer dip. Sorry. I'm looking for ingredients from which I'll make my own meals, thank you very much. You can't even buy a bunch of parsley there! What they sell is a few sprigs in a rigid plastic box for the greater part of two dollars. The lion's share of what I bought today was a loaf of bread, some smoked fish, some sliced ham, salad makings and a bag of pasta. Like I said, it's a supermarket for people who don't really cook.