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Do you experience sensory overload when you step into a Trader Joe\u2019s? I do. No matter how often I\u2019ve been, between the new products, free samples, and enticing evergreen options, I never know where to turn.\n<\/p>\n
That’s what makes Trader Joe’s so popular and fun, says Natasha Fischer, the brains and talent behind Trader Joe’s List. “It forces you outside your comfort zone a little bit… not in an uncomfortable way, but in an exciting way. TJ’s curates such a good selection of products. It’s not a stale grocery store.”\n<\/p>\n
Fischer’s journey started in 2009, when bloggers began to influence niche communities with specific interests that spoke to them. \u201cI am the OG Trader Joe’s feed page,\u201d she says. She is a Trader Joe\u2019s-focused influencer with over two million followers across various social media handles, including a blog and Instagram. She visits the store at least three times a week, and she has come to my rescue often, offering advice and reviews on nearly all TJ’s products.\n<\/p>\n
I recently got to speak with Fischer to learn about her journey creating Trader Joe’s List and to get the scoop on her favorite TJ\u2019s finds to reach for on my next grocery run\u2014especially for getting dinner on the table.<\/p>\n
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.<\/em>\n<\/p>\n When did you fall in love with Trader Joe’s?<\/strong> How did Trader Joe’s List come to be? <\/strong> Then, the housing crisis happened, and I was laid off. I didn’t touch the blog for six weeks while working on securing another job. One day, I logged onto Twitter, and my account had grown to 25,000 followers even though I hadn\u2019t posted new content.\n<\/p>\n At the time, Trader Joe’s had no social media, so people used my social handles for guidance. I thought, \u2018Well, gosh, now that there are a lot of people following me, I should start posting more.’ So,\u00a0I started posting on Twitter and Facebook.\n<\/p>\n When I had 70,000 Twitter followers, I tweeted that I joined Instagram, and overnight, I got 25,000 followers there. This was in 2012. The first photo I posted was of condensed milk, which Trader Joe’s no longer sells. I\u2019ve been working on Trader Joe\u2019s List full-time since 2020. [Trader Joe’s List now has over 1.9 million Instagram followers.] It’s been wild.\n<\/p>\n How many times a week do you go? Do employees recognize you? <\/strong> What is your #1 shopping tip for anyone who has never shopped at Trader Joe’s or feels intimidated by it?<\/strong> Do you approach shopping at TJ’s with a specific lens?<\/strong> What would you never recommend buying at Trader Joe\u2019s?<\/strong> There aren’t any items I would veer from. If an item is not selling, that SKU (product) will get bumped off the shelf. So you rarely ever see something terrible stay on the shelf.\n<\/p>\n Name two forever favorites you\u2019d be sad if Trader Joe\u2019s discontinued.<\/strong> Simply Recipes readers are busy home cooks who look for weeknight dinner solutions. What are your top four ideas for families that need quick and easy dinners?<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n
I went to Trader Joe’s with my mom while growing up in Bakersfield, California, but it didn’t resonate with me until I went with a college friend. We went out for fro-yo, and my friend suggested we walk around Trader Joe’s. The store was so cool because I didn’t feel like I was in a grocery chain; it felt like an indoor farmers market with a warm feeling. You won’t find 95 types of cereals and endless aisles of things you can’t see over. It just felt very comfortable and easy. I was hooked.\n<\/p>\n
My roommates and I were fresh out of college working at an accounting firm. I was broke! I started a blog that lists the items to buy from Trader Joe’s every week for my roommates who expressed that they didn’t know what to buy.\n<\/p>\n
Yes, the employees do recognize me. I go to the Trader Joe’s in Marina Del Rey, California once or twice a week. I do a big haul on Tuesdays, as that is my content filming day.<\/p>\n
You can sample anything in the store. So, if you’re nervous or don’t know if you want to buy something, grab a crew member (what TJ’s calls employees), and they’ll let you sample the product. Also, go in with an open mind and walk around to see what jumps out at you. Maybe go a little hungry\u2014but not too hungry\u2014and see what speaks to you.\n<\/p>\n
I have a million food allergies. I can’t buy items with gluten or peanuts. My content veers towards items that I’m not allergic to. Sometimes, I may take digestive enzymes to sample a minute piece of something that does contain an allergen as long as it is gluten and peanut-free. Or I\u2019ll invite a friend to try and review the items I can’t have, which is fun.\n<\/p>\n
I don’t like bananas. They’re rude because they make everything in your house smell like bananas. So obviously, I won’t recommend bananas or any TJ’s banana products, like the banana pudding ice cream that makes me want to gag. I still review it every year, hoping the recipe changed and it\u2019s not as bad. Of course, my taste buds are not representative of everyone.\n<\/p>\n
The Milk Chocolate Covered Honeycomb Candy is really, really good. Also, the Carolina Gold Style BBQ Ridge Cut Potato Chips, which are seasonal.\n<\/p>\n\n
\nTrader Joe’s List Favorites<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n