Inside Trader Joe's

If there's a question we get more than "When are all the holiday products coming back?" it's definitely "What's up with your parking lots?" We get it. They're small. Which kind of makes sense when you think about it. Which we do. A lot. Tune in to the latest in our series of bite-sized episodes, ITJ ICYMI, to find out everything you ever wanted to know (and let's be honest, probably a whole lot more) about Trader Joe's parking lots.

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Aloha shirts as far as the eye can see, new products for everyone to taste, and So. Much. Energy! It's the Trader Joe's Annual Captains' Meeting, and you have a front row seat, so to speak. Have a listen to find out about our plans for the future, the return of Demo (yes!), your store Captain's favorite product, and what the heck is a Golden Potsticker Award!

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Golden Potsticker Award Winners:

Store # Location 8 Fresno, CA 26 Hillcrest, San Diego, CA 46 Orange, CA 59 Santa Barbara, CA 82 Reno, NV 85 Glendale, AZ 100 San Francisco, CA 101 Fairfield, CA 135 Queen Anne Hill, WA 164 Spokane (North), WA 167 Albuquerque, NM 211 Templeton, CA 215 West Los Angeles, CA 249 San Juan Capistrano, CA 250 USC, CA 284 Summerlin (West), NV 404 Fort Worth, TX 460 Tulsa, OK 510 Boston (Back Bay), MA 519 Portland, ME 552 Oceanside, NY 559 Staten Island, NY 571 Bridgemarket, NY 637 Media, PA 654 Centreville, VA 657 Willamsburg, VA 663 Knoxville, TN 678 Ann Arbor, MI 685 La Grange, IL 692 Brentwood, MO 715 Woodbury, MN 735 Buckhead, GA 744 Charlotte (Midtown), NC 781 Coral Gables, FL

Ever walk into your neighborhood TJ's to find your favorite product is no longer on the shelf? It happens to us, too! A big part of shopping at Trader Joe's is finding new things to love, and because our stores are small, making room for those new favorites means some old standbys may have to make way. Tune in to the latest in our series of bite-sized episodes, ITJ ICYMI, to get the scoop.

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Autumn is in the air… and your neighborhood Trader Joe's is filled with the finest that fall has to offer – for a limited time, of course! In the mood for maple? Marvelous. Craving caramel apples and cinnamon rolls? What a coincidence; so are we! Sweet on squash? Super. Pining for pumpkin? Perfect timing! Listen in to the latest episode of Inside Trader Joe's for all this and a gathering of wine, beer, and spirits that will lift the spirit of any gathering.

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What's the difference between a "hack" and a "recipe"? We honestly have no idea, but whether you call them "hacks" or "recipes," we have some more to share. We heard from customers and Crew Members from around the country about fun, easy, delicious ways to enjoy so many Trader Joe's products. A sweet use for pizza dough? Yes! Scallion pancakes as taco shells? Yes, please! A cake made with sparkling fruit juice? Excuse us while we head to the kitchen. We have some hacking to do… #traderjoesproducthacks

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Cinnamon Monkey Bread Pizza Dough Hack

As this is more of a hack than a recipe, think of these as guidelines rather than hard and fast rules. A little more of this, a little less of that… it's gonna be good!

Ingredients:

• 1 ball of fresh pizza dough
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 stick of salted butter, melted
• (Optional but recommended: 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract)

Instructions:

• Remove dough from refrigerator 20-30 minutes before use and place on a lightly floured surface
• Preheat your oven to 350ºF
• Mix the cinnamon and sugar together in one bowl
• Pour the melted stick of butter into a separate bowl, mix in vanilla extract (optional)
• Divide dough into 1-inch round pieces – roll dough balls first in melted butter then in the cinnamon sugar mixture
• Layer coated dough balls in a lightly greased 9x5 loaf pan (can be doubled to fill a larger Bundt pan)
• Bake in the oven at 350ºF for 30-40min or until lightly browned and cooked through
• Let cool at least 15 minutes but best served when still warm
• To serve, flip the loaf pan on top of your serving platter of choice

That empty building from Part One? It's a whole lot less empty now. Crew Members are working hard, designing the look of the store – spoiler alert, it looks like its neighborhood! – from wall murals to shelf signs, stocking shelves with your favorite TJ's products (and some new stuff you haven't seen yet), and establishing relationships with community organizations focused on ending hunger, so when we open, we're ready to be a neighborhood store in every possible way. We have a great Crew, in a fantastic location… so let's open those doors on the Trader Joe's in Parker, Colorado! Whew!

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Fade in on an empty building. Four walls, some windows, not much else. How does that empty space become a bustling neighborhood grocery store? It's a good story, and one that involves a whole bunch of hard-working, super talented people. In Part One, we'll talk to the folks who find the perfect location and the folks who get stuff built. We also get to chat with some Crew Members getting the store ready to welcome their neighbors. It's a lot of work, and these folks are having a great time doing it. Have a listen, and look out for Part Two, coming next week to a podcast app near you.

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Summertime… and the shopping is delicious… It really is. Our shelves are stocked with returning favorites like Jalapeño Limeade and Dill Pickle Mustard, plus exciting new arrivals like Jalapeño Lime Crunch and Seasoning in a (Dill) Pickle (we're sensing a theme here). Discover a new favorite while you're listening? Make haste to your neighborhood Trader Joe's, because like the season itself, many of these summertime products will only be around for a limited time. Check out the whole list:

Brazil Nut Body Scrub

Cashew Butter Cashews

Cherries

Dill Pickle Mustard

Horchata Ice Cream

Jalapeño Lime Crunch

Jalapeño Limeade

Nectarines

Peaches

Pineapple Sparkling Water

Seasoning in a Pickle

Seedless Watermelons

Sparkling Pineapple Juice Beverage

Strawberry Basil Vinaigrette

Ube Ice Cream

Ube Spread

Watermelon & Peach Macarons

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When we set out to produce a podcast, our goal was a five-part series to take listeners Inside Trader Joe's, literally and figuratively. Now here we are, episode 50! In this episode, we take you truly inside, traveling to Trader Joe's stores in Portland, Maine and Portland, Oregon, where we get the inside scoop about what makes Trader Joe's a special place to shop and to work, from the folks who really know all the inside info – our Crew Members!

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We get questions all the time. Questions like, why are your parking lots so… unique? Why did you discontinue my favorite product? What's it like to work at Trader Joe's? We have this tendency to just assume people know this stuff, because we live it, every day. So we're launching a series of mini episodes we're calling ITJ ICYMI: Inside Trader Joe's In Case You Missed It. For the first ICYMI, What's It Like to Work at Trader Joe's?

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