{"id":20802,"date":"2010-09-24T06:02:05","date_gmt":"2010-09-24T13:02:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mehallo.com\/blog\/?p=20802"},"modified":"2010-09-20T03:23:52","modified_gmt":"2010-09-20T10:23:52","slug":"inside-trader-joes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/mehallo.com\/blog\/archives\/20802","title":{"rendered":"Inside Trader Joe’s"},"content":{"rendered":"

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‘Even in the early days, Trader Joe’s<\/a> appeal was its narrow but zany selection and loyal customers’<\/em><\/p>\n

Fortune takes a look at the Secret World of Trader Joe’s.<\/a> How it works and how they’re trying to stay small.<\/p>\n

The formula doesn’t always work. Back in the 1990s, TJ founder Joe Coulombe purchased one of my favorite food places: the Bay Area Petrini’s grocery chain,<\/a> only to make changes that confused customers.<\/a> Since the store was a full size supermarket, the odd ‘less is more,’ Trader Joe’s approach – which resulted in less merchandise and a drastic change in shopping experience – alienated regulars. Petrini’s changed hands one more time and was gone by 1999.<\/p>\n

Photo of a reusable TJ shopping tote by mehallo<\/em><\/p>\n\r\n\t

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