Trader Joe's Price Tags Have What No Other Grocery Store Does
Love it or hate it, there aren't many people who would argue with you if you said that Trader Joe's corners the market on unique products with a distinctive business model and a cult following unheard of with any other grocery chain. According to Today, Kourtney Kardashian's personal chef is known to frequent the store, and actress Hilary Duff admits that she's "obsessed" with the grocery chain (per Refinery29). After all, from the bells at Trader Joe's to their low prices, what's not to love?
At a time when it feels like everything is standardized and unoriginal, there's an extraordinary way Trader Joe's stands out from the competition. No, it's not the chocolate lava gnocchi, the birthday cake popcorn, or any of the other strange products you'll find in their aisles. It's a unique business practice that Trader Joe's employs that you may not have even noticed.
An artist's touch
The next time you visit your local Trader Joe's, take a closer look at the price tag on the shelf near the product. If you're an especially observant shopper, you'll probably notice something special about each and every one of these unique labels. These are not your average price tags. In fact, each one is designed by a local artist.
According to the Washington Post, every Trader Joe's store hires in-house artists in each of their locations to hand-draw their price tags and signs. This allows them to be customized for every geographic location. Because the price tags don't come from some faceless corporate headquarters, the artists can add a local flair to the signs giving Trader Joe's their signature small-town grocery feel. For example, one artist made a mural in their store featuring the dogs of the store's neighborhood. Touches like this make shoppers feel like Trader Joe's understands them and their community.
A YouTube video showcasing the variety of signs found in one Trader Joe's will give you a good idea of the creativity, originality, and talent that goes into each hand-drawn piece. You can also check out the art on Instagram.
A great place to work
According to Indeed, Trader Joe's sign artists earn around $20 per hour in some markets, which is 20% above the national average, keeping talented illustrators from becoming the proverbial starving artists. They offer benefits, too, like paid time off, a 20% discount on products, and health insurance. All these perks are rare for most artists, who often have to go without insurance to practice their craft.
Interestingly, Insider interviewed one Trader Joe's employee who was initially hired to bag groceries before she moved to a staff artist position after three months on the job. She says it takes two to three hours to finish a piece, and she's happy that she's given artistic freedom to paint them however she pleases as long as all the product information is included.
The next time you go to Trader Joe's to pick up a bottle of Two-Buck Chuck or a bag of Giant Peruvian Inca Corn, take some time to appreciate the talent and creativity that went into making the price tags. It'll give you one more reason to love Trader Joe's.