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Becoming Trader Joe
Becoming Trader Joe: How I Did Business My Way and Still Beat the Big Guys | Joe Coulombe
4 posts | 3 read | 2 to read
Build an iconic shopping experience that your customers loveand a work environment that your employees love being a part ofusing this blueprint from Trader Joes visionary founder, Joe Coulombe. Infuse your organization with a distinct personality and culture that draws customers in a way that simply competing on price cannot. Joe Coulombe founded what would become Trader Joes in the late 1960s and helped shape it into the beloved, quirky food chain it is today. Realizing early on that he could not compete and win by playing the same game his bigger competitors were playing, he decided to build a store for educated people of somewhat modest means. He brought in unusual products from around the world and promoted them in the Fearless Flyer, providing customers with background on how they were sourced and their nutritional value. He also gave the stores a tiki theme to reinforce the exotic trader ship concept with employees wearing Hawaiian shirts. In this way, Joe laid down a blueprint for other business owners to follow to build their own unique shopping experience that customers love, and a work environment that employees love being a part of. In Becoming Trader Joe, Joe shares the lessons he learned by challenging the status quo and rethinking the way a business operates. He shows readers of all types: How moving from a pure analytical approach to a more creative, problem-solving approach can drive innovation. How finding an affluent niche of passionate customers can be a better strategy than competing on price and volume. How questioning all aspects of the way you do business leads to powerful results. How to build a business around your values and identity.
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fredthemoose
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Mehso-so

⭐️⭐️💫 Meh. I love Trader Joe‘s, but didn‘t love this book. It‘s a history as told by the founder, who sold the company and left in the 80s, close to 2 decades before I ever went in one, so a lot of the descriptions feel very dated. The focus is mostly on the business considerations, but I‘m not sure who the target audience is. It feels too businessy to be of general interest, but not businessy enough to be a business book. 🤷‍♀️

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Leftcoastzen
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@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks You might try this one . It has cinnamon & vanilla along with the mint . It gives it a subtle sweetness.

Nutmegnc Looks yummy! 2y
37 likes1 comment
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BekaReid
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Starting this with zero expectations and really not sure about this one, but here goes!

11 likes1 stack add
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TheHeartlandBookFairy
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Pickpick

Full disclosure... Trader Joe's is my happy place! I'm currently heading up a project to try to get one in our town so, when I saw this book you know I just had to read it! This book gives the reader, presumably Trader Joe's fans, a behind the scenes look to how the stores came to be and a bit of a timeline for Joe Coulombe, AKA... Trader Joe. I found this book to be a fascinating behind the scenes peak at into how grocery (continued in comments)

TheHeartlandBookFairy stores are run but not only that, a peek at how Joe was truly a visionary! Ahead of his time in so many ways, ahead of the trends. The first store to introduce almond butter, the way they purchased and sold wines, milk, cheeses and so many more products! Their policies regarding employees, pay and benefits... Always ahead of their competitors, and still are to this day! I have personally talked to many Trader Joe's employees... They (cont) 3y
TheHeartlandBookFairy employees... They love their job, love the company they work for, and love the pay and benefits! This book can get a bit technical at times and read a little bit more like a "how to do business book". Part business book, part memoir...If it gets a bit technical for you, I suggest speed reading through those parts to the next interesting chapter for you. Trust me, there's something in this book for everyone and I personally found it so very (cont) 3y
TheHeartlandBookFairy interesting! Now, I need to plan my next trip to Trader Joe's... Do you shop with a list or let the spirit of Joe guide you? I usually do a bit of both but, I think I'll let Joe guide me on my next trip 😁 3y
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Ruthiella I don‘t go too often but I do like the experience of shopping at Trader Joe‘s. 😀 Unfortunately the one near me closed a few years ago due to a rent issue. 3y
marleed There‘s a Trader Joe‘s near me. I didn‘t even attempt to go in during the pandemic because the outside line to get in was always so long. In Kansas City, I‘ll stand outside in line for the experience of taking company to the original Joe‘s BBQ but I just couldn‘t do it for a lockdown excursion in Trader Joe‘s - but then I didn‘t have company either :) 3y
TheHeartlandBookFairy @marleed We had to wait in line but, I don't think I ever waited more than about 8 or 10 minutes and even in the winter it wasn't that bad thankfully! Also, the staff was always really good about making sure they had bottles of water when it was hot or umbrellas if it was raining or hot etc. They really do have the best staff! 3y
marleed @TheHeartlandBookFairy That‘s cool. It‘s a testament to the store that customers are willing to wait in line outside in heat and cold to support them! 3y
26 likes9 comments