10 Ways Trader Joe's Beats Costco (And It's Not Even Close)

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It's not usually a difficult choice between shopping at Costco and shopping at Trader Joe's. One is a warehouse colossus that shills bulk products by the cartload; the other is a curated grocery store that specializes in its own brands. There may be overlap in the concepts regarding an emphasis on signature labels and unique finds that make every trip exciting, but Trader Joe's is by far the better store.

This is coming from a shopper who's well-versed in both chains. I'm lucky enough to have both within a 2-mile radius of my home, so it's easy for me to shop at Costco and Trader Joe's and compare the experience. To be fair, they are entirely different types of stores that offer two completely unique shopping trips. No one who shops at Trader Joe's expects the same layout or experience at a Costco, and vice versa.

But if the challenge is choosing which store provides a better experience overall, the untold truth of Trader Joe's is that it offers a far superior experience. The reasons for this range from free admission to more sensible quantities available for purchase to a broader range of thoughtful store-label items. If you're on the fence about joining the world of warehouse shopping, don't buy a Costco membership until you read this. You may find TJ's to be the better option.

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Warehouse shopping is all about saving money, but Costco essentially charges an annual admission fee for shoppers to get through the door. You could pay up to $130 per year based on current membership costs. Since Costco does raise its membership prices every so often, you might even pay more. If you only use the card when you throw a party or need a new set of tires, you may find this cost isn't entirely justified.

By contrast, Trader Joe's is open to the public with no golden ticket needed. You just go through the doors, grab a cart, and start gathering everything that looks good and groovy. This sort of service never expires and doesn't require an auto-renewal that might scrape the last cash from your checking account before you remember the payment is due.

One of the sneakier secrets of Costco's membership game is that you can only get two guests and yourself into the store at a given time. Meanwhile, Trader Joe's is perfectly happy to let you bring your whole party in at the same time without having to do a headcount as you enter. Isn't it nice to know you can pick up a pack of Joe-Joe's with your besties in tow and not have to worry about crowd control?

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Sometimes, the tension in Costco is so thick you can cut it with that set of steak knives you didn't know you needed but now have in your cart. Even during its hours of lower activity, there always seems to be an anxious vibe among the shoppers, as if there isn't enough to go around and everyone has to reach the displays as quickly as possible so they don't miss out. It's even worse when you're ready to check out and you find out the lines snake midway through the snack section, blocking everyone else's access to the goods.

Trader Joe's may see swaths of shoppers happily loitering in the aisles, but the beachy island motif and cheerful lighting always make you feel like you're someplace special. I've dropped in during peak hours and seen happy, relaxed faces eagerly checking out the new releases as they cherry-pick their favorite existing items and make recommendations to their fellow shoppers. It's a whole different scene, one that invites return visits rather than making you feel like you should dash in and out as quickly as possible.

The easy-going spirit extends to the staff, who can be seen dressed in tropical print shirts at times. Their relaxed demeanor helps make the time spent at the counter feel like a cozy ending to a joyous shopping spree. That's the kind of service I don't seem to find at Costco.

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Trader Joe's makes it easy to pick up a sensibly sized box of crackers rather than requiring you to buy an oversized multi-pack to feed the large household that you may not actually have. Let's see Costco do something similar. The whole concept of warehouse shopping is to make items more affordable by selling them in large quantities to every individual customer. That's great when you're stocking up on necessities like toilet paper and cleaning supplies, but when you're just doing a snack run, buying 3 pounds of trail mix when 1 pound would do feels like overkill.

Beyond not providing bulk quantities of its items, Trader Joe's sometimes places a limit on how many you can buy of certain items, especially the limited-edition holiday items. With this simple, respectful policy, the chain ensures that resellers and drop shippers won't snatch up all the good stuff before walking customers have a chance to pick up a couple for themselves. On the other hand, Costco items often appear on resale websites for prices that sometimes wallop the original cost.

Yes, this means you'll be making repeat trips to Trader Joe's to pick up whatever you've run out of, likely before you would deplete your Costco stock of a similar item. However, considering how frequently the shelves contain new TJ-branded stuff that requires a test run, it's no great trouble to stop in every few weeks to see what's good.

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If Costco is known for its Kirkland Signature line — which includes various copycats of familiar name-brand items — then Trader Joe's is known for its uncommon and inventive house label items that don't necessarily depend on trends. One of the purest joys of shopping at TJ's is perusing the frozen food section to discover what mouthwatering combinations it has in store. There's no shortage of domestic and international fare to tempt your taste buds in exciting new directions.

Part of the fun of hitting Trader Joe's is finding out what new creations the company has snuck into the existing stock. On any given visit, you may find frozen meals that make Mediterranean dining a microwavable prospect or a new twist on your favorite Italian specialties. Signing up for the store's catalog gives you a heads-up on the best picks for your next visit.

Since Trader Joe's is always enthusiastic about bringing fresh new flavors into its catalog, you'll often see new combinations replacing items that have been in circulation for a while. This can be a bummer if you've grown attached to a particular product and can no longer find it. But it also presents an opportunity for you to step out of your comfort zone every so often and trust that the chain has your best interests at heart.

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One of my favorite aspects of shopping at Trader Joe's is the deluxe quality that most of the products seem to take on. Even the simplest items like chocolate bars and cookies feel more like boutique creations, thanks to whimsical packaging and a lighthearted shelf presentation. You can tell that the people behind these seemingly upscale products enjoy making every item feel like a must-have purchase. It's no wonder that so many Trader Joe's foods become cult favorites with shoppers.

Thanks to the nature of selling things in bulk, it can sometimes feel like the special quality of Costco's top-tier items gives way to a more generic sensibility. Sometimes, products like fancy chocolates or elegant dips feel like they should have a little more magic. Trader Joe's seems to have mastered the mechanics of keeping things special with limited-edition runs that pique the curiosity of its shoppers.

Whether you're buying little treats for yourself or stocking a gift basket for someone you really care about, there's an adventure waiting in the Trader Joe's aisles, one where every discovery is a prime pick sized just perfectly to fit your packaging. Try that with the overly large Costco items and see how far you get.

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Sifting through the wonderful candy aisles at Trader Joe's is a must for anyone with a sweet tooth. The company does a stellar job at putting together familiar flavors and tongue-twisting novelties to create a miniature candy wonderland. Sure, Costco is great for stocking up on bulk standards like Skittles and M&Ms. But it can't beat Trader Joe's stash of specialty sweets that feel more like an international treat shop than just a place where you get your sugar fix.

One of the most notable product lines is the Trader Joe's chocolate collection. The company takes its cues from some of the finest chocolatiers in the world and comes up with a range of flavors and textures you just can't find anywhere else. My favorites happen to be the dark chocolate bars. Trader Joe's mammoth Pound Plus bars provide enough chocolate in either 72% dark or milk varieties to last me a lengthy period of time.

Meanwhile, fans of chewy candy can tuck into fruit chews that emulate Starburst, but without the artificial flavors or colors, as well as soft licorice twists similar to Wiley Wallabys. It's this thoughtful approach that makes Trader Joe's candy section worlds beyond Costco's standard candy collection.

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With the vegan and vegetarian sectors growing every year, it seems almost foolish for companies not to offer an enhanced selection of items for selective eaters. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about Costco. The company seems to depend heavily on meat, poultry, and dairy as core elements of most of its stock.

The appreciation goes beyond the mere fact that Trader Joe's provides plenty of tasty items crafted with a social conscience. It's the notion that a grocery chain is tuned in enough to its clientele to anticipate customer needs that makes shopping here feel beneficial. Imagine if Costco created a dedicated line of Kirkland Signature plant-based items that spanned the entire warehouse, from snacks to frozen foods. Were such a thing to happen, there might be cause for herbivores to re-up their memberships. So far, nothing like this has happened, and there doesn't seem to be a possibility in the near future.

But back at Trader Joe's, you can find oat milk coffee creamer for around $2, sweet treats like Joe-Joe's (the store's equivalent of Oreos — add them to your list of things to buy on your first Trader Joe's visit if you haven't tried them), and seasonal mini marshmallows that work around animal-based elements without sacrificing enjoyment. This is why TJ's gets my vegan shopping dollars more than Costco.

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Try cracking open a multi-pack of canned beverages at Costco so you can just buy one or two and see how the cashier responds. More than likely, they'll give you the stink eye and tell you this is not how business is done at this store. Try the same technique at Trader Joe's, and your drinks will be rung up and popped in your bag without a second glance.

Yes, that's right. For anyone who doesn't know yet, you can cherry-pick canned beverages at TJ's and only buy what you're interested in instead of picking up the whole pack. It's one of the more inviting policies, giving patrons a chance to sample something they may not be sure about to see if it's worth a full purchase. At Costco, you're required to buy the entire package, even if you're not sure that the new twist on White Claw is exactly what you're looking for.

Naturally, this is a genius method for getting customers interested in Trader Joe's branded beverages. If you like what you taste in the first can, you're more likely to return and buy a full six-pack. So the next time you're in your neighborhood locale, keep your eyes peeled for open rings in the beverage aisle, and you'll realize how many shoppers have taken advantage of this quiet invitation.

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When you shop at Costco, there's no option to put your groceries in bags. Instead, your only option is to pack up your purchases in cardboard cartons and flats. Not only does this save on the cost of plastic bags, but it also helps the warehouse get rid of packaging from its stock. But you can only acquire so many of these half boxes before you have no choice but to drop them in the recycling bin.

In stark contrast, if you've ever picked up a super-reinforced Trader Joe's paper grocery bag while shopping, it's highly likely that you still have that bag in your possession. You may even return to TJ's with it in tow so you can back up your new purchases in a sack that is strong enough to take repeated use. They're perfect for carting items around without fear of the handles ripping, and the paper is sturdy stock that lovers of a good bag have difficulty parting with.

The alternative, of course, is bringing your own reusable grocery totes to Trader Joe's instead. The store even sells some stylish versions of its own, which have proven extremely popular with customers. That's one thing you'll never see in Costco, no matter how many times you shop there.

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The first time you shop at Costco and the attendant at the door checks your receipt, you feel a little like they suspect you of shoplifting. What they're doing more often than that is making sure that you've received every purchase you paid for by counting the items in your cart and comparing that to what's on your receipt. Either way, it frequently causes a log jam at the exit, with no fast pass lane for those who only have a few items.

When you're finished shopping at Trader Joe's, however? You just grab your bags and head out the door and get on with your life. Yes, this is how grocery stores work in general, unless you have items that are too large to fit in bags — but try telling Costco that.

This noteworthy distinction between Costco and Trader Joe's makes the trip quicker, more efficient, and less anxious. Anyone who's stood under the steely gaze of a red-vested Costco worker as they wait for the final assessment knows just how nerve-racking it can be. Trader Joe's takes all of that out of the equation and leaves you in a blissful state as you make your way back to your car. It's just another reason to cancel your Costco membership and make more trips to Trader Joe's instead.