8 Things Trader Joe's Does Better Than Costco

Trader Joe's and Costco are two of the most popular grocery stores around, gaining favor for their variety in products and private labels that offer all kinds of items at affordable prices. Costco is convenient for families looking to buy products in bulk, but Trader Joe's is known for having some unique staples and value items that Costco simply can't compete with. Not to mention, TJ's doesn't require membership to shop.

With a wide variety of artisanal favorites, fresh produce, and authentic ethnic foods combined with a uniquely warm and welcoming shopping atmosphere, it's no wonder that Trader Joe's has a cult following of deeply loyal shoppers. But with such different offerings, it can be difficult to choose the best place to shop. We compared the products, deals, and experience at Costco and Trader Joe's and found eight ways in which Trader Joe's beats Costco every time.

Both Trader Joe's and Costco sell products outside of their grocery store items and one non-grocery item that many shoppers prefer to buy at Trader Joe's is flowers. Both stores sell bouquets ranging from simple roses and sunflowers to colorful floral arrangements. However, Trader Joe's flowers come in smaller bouquets and are much more affordable. For instance, a seasonal bouquet at Trader Joe's costs $7.99 (though prices may vary based on location) while a fall arrangement from Costco will run you $55.99.

Granted, the bouquets are larger and often come with a vase from Costco; however, shoppers seem to appreciate the smaller arrangements and how much more affordable they are. The mini bouquets are sold for only $5 and are particularly popular. Not to mention, customers applaud how fresh the arrangements are: "The flowers at Trader Joe's are always healthy and last a couple of weeks." As an added bonus, Trader Joe's flowers can be mixed and matched to create a customized bouquet.

Trader Joe's is also well known for its selection of frozen meals and snacks that are easy to pop into the oven or microwave and enjoy with little to no preparation. There are several Trader Joe's frozen foods that customers like to stock up on, ranging from hashbrowns and mozzarella sticks to chocolate croissants. TJ's frozen, ready-made meals tend to be healthier than their Costco counterparts and are much better portion sizes for singles and couples. 

Take the frozen lasagna, for instance. Trader Joe's namesake private label lasagna is 320 calories per serving (1 cup), with 14 grams of fat, 26 grams of carbs, and 21 grams of protein. Comparatively, the Kirkland Signature lasagna from Costco is 410 calories for the same size serving, with 22 grams of fat, 30 grams of carbs, and 23 grams of protein. Despite the Costco brand providing larger servings, Trader Joe's edges out the competition for being more nutritious, and according to online customers, for being "absurdly good."

Customers have an overwhelming preference for the Trader Joe's cheese selection over Costco. The smaller grocery store has a much greater selection of cheeses at more reasonable portion sizes and often more affordable prices. A customer on Reddit explained, "I buy cheese at Trader Joe's because their cheese prices are mostly very good and I can't use Costco quantities of things like that".

Some shoppers also find that Costco cheese gets moldy before they are able to use it, while Trader Joe's cheeses appear to be of higher quality. In addition to the affordability and reasonable portion sizes, Trader Joe's offers a much greater selection of artisanal cheese, perfect for crafting a crowd-pleasing charcuterie board. You can find small-batch, unique offerings like Beacon Fell, Fromage Pavé, and Port Salut. Where Costco has Toscano, Trader Joe's has cinnamon Toscano. Where Costco has goat cheese, Trader Joe's has blueberry goat cheese, etc.

No grocery store can compete with the seasonal offerings of Trader Joe's. The store has built a reputation for its seasonal staples that go well beyond classics like pumpkin pie and apple strudel. In fact, there are megathreads online dedicated to Trader Joe's delicious fall foods, where customers share their excitement over their all-time favorites hitting the shelves again and anticipation over the new items they can't wait to try.

The grocery store has a much more robust and unique selection of holiday snacks than Costco, which largely relies on its smaller selection of baked goods. While Costco is known for its enormous pumpkin pie that flies off the shelves at only $5.99 each holiday season, Trader Joe's takes their seasonal spread to the next level. Some unique holiday favorites include maple fudge, apple cinnamon sourdough bread, butternut squash mac and cheese, and the pumpkin spice mini cheesecake. Trader Joe's fall drink selection includes a spiced cider and a pumpkin spice espresso martini as well. 

Trader Joe's provides a diverse selection of fresh produce and a unique collection of specialty produce items that cannot be found at Costco. Additionally, produce is an item that shoppers typically prefer to buy in smaller quantities, as bulk-bought produce often goes bad before use. 

One customer explained why they stopped buying their produce at Costco: "Every time I buy something, from berries to onions/potatoes, they go bad way sooner than I'd expect. Sometimes, I'd get home, empty my onion bag, and discover multiple had mold on them already."

TJ's is applauded for its impressive selection of specialty produce like fennel, delicata squash, gooseberries, and other unique items that cannot be found at many other stores. One customer took to Reddit to say, "There are so many fun products in the produce aisle, like the Holiday Vegetable Hash, the Sweet Potato Ribbons, and the Zucchini Noodles". Not to mention, they gain favor among shoppers for the premixed salad kits that can be thrown together in seconds.

When it comes to dips, spreads, and sauces, people do not mess around and neither does Trader Joe's. The store's selection of dips and spreads is much more eclectic than that of Costco's. Customers acknowledge that Trader Joe's is able to catch onto a trend much faster than Costco, since they buy their items in smaller quantities. For instance, when the iconic Trader Joe's Everything But the Bagel Seasoning became a fan-favorite, the store capitalized by turning it into a yogurt dip. Not to mention its other popular offerings like buffalo chicken dip, tzatziki, garlic spread, and ranch cottage cheese.

In particular, shoppers seem to prefer the Trader Joe's hummus to Costco's private label. Some Redditors much prefer TJ's products, claiming that Costco's Kirkland brand hummus has "too much garlic, not enough tahini, and not enough lemon juice."

Both stores have their own private label, which allows them to mass-produce and sell products at lower price points. While Costco's Kirkland Signature brand certainly has some highly popular products, Trader Joe's namesake private label tends to gain favor for providing higher quality and more affordable products. 

Take pesto, for example. A customer on Reddit explained that they used to keep the Costco pesto on hand but made the switch to the Trader Joe's kale pesto because it is "much healthier and still delicious". Another commenter added, "The Costco pesto is so salty compared to the TJ's kale pesto. Definitely prefer TJ's for that".

Other Trader Joe's private-label snacks like popcorn and almonds seem to be more popular as well for tasting fresher and more balanced. Another snack that customers prefer from the TJ's private label is the peanut butter-filled pretzels, which also come in a popular chocolate-covered version. The Trader Joe's version is also more affordable at $2.69 for 16 ounces.

Trader Joe's is known for having exceptionally helpful and friendly employees. So friendly, in fact, that a rumor started that employees were actually trained to flirt with customers. The rumor got so widespread that CEO Bryan Palbaum addressed it on Episode 65 of the company's podcast. 

Palbaum explained that the company certainly does not train its employees to flirt with customers. Instead, they hire kind people in an effort to create a uniquely warm and friendly environment for shoppers.

An employee on Reddit shared this sentiment, explaining why Trader Joe's employees are usually more helpful and welcoming than other grocery stores: "We're treated better, paid better, and also we're hired specifically FOR our positive attitudes. We buy into the idea that extraordinary customer service makes the world a better place... mostly we really enjoy our jobs and each other". That, in combination with the store's casual, aloha theme, makes shopping an enjoyable experience instead of a chore.