Why You'll Never Find Sales Or Coupons At Trader Joe's

Trader Joe's is known for many things — from the yearly Trader Joe's Customer Choice Awards to its very underwhelming jarred kimchi — but one thing it's not known to do is offer coupons or special deals to its shoppers. This is because the chain already sells its items at very low prices, rendering coupons and discounts obsolete.

Unlike other chains, Trader Joe's takes pride in not offering coupons or discounts, as it sees the policy as a massive part of the chain's charm. TJ's website addresses its lack of sales or deals, claiming that the store's items are sold at the lowest price feasible for the company. "'Sale' is a four-letter word to us," the site reads, "NO coupons. NO membership cards. NO discounts [...] We offer the best everyday values, every day." To accomplish this, Trader Joe's buys products in bulk directly from suppliers and doesn't charge suppliers fees, resulting in lower prices for both the store and its customers.

Trader Joe's methods differ greatly from most other grocery chains, but they make sense when analyzing how coupons and discounts typically function. In the case of coupons, product manufacturers typically reimburse the grocery store for the discounted sales. Alternatively, in-store discounts are often done for a meticulous reason, such as low sales on a product or high inventory. So, instead of taking all these variables into account when setting its prices, Trader Joe's sells its items at as low a price as they can by default to effectively compete with other stores' regular and discounted prices.

Trader Joe's dedication to providing low prices can also be seen in other aspects of the store's business model; Trader Joe's famously does not have a loyalty program or mobile app, nor does it appear on third-party delivery apps of any kind. As far as the latter policy goes, Trader Joe's website once again gives us some insight. "We don't work with third-party delivery services like Instacart or Dumpling because they can't match our outstanding in-store value and shopping experience," it says.