Last updated on August 22nd, 2017 at 10:45 am
Trader Joe’s marked its 50th anniversary with in-store customer celebrations on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 19-20.
Festivities included special product tastings and giveaways, and a limited edition 50th anniversary reusable bag was offered to customers for 50 cents. Trader Joe’s introduced its first reusable bag to customers 40 years ago.
The first Trader Joe’s store opened on Aug. 25, 1967, in Pasadena, California, and that store still remains in operation today.
Trader Joe’s since has grown to 467 stores in 41 states and Washington, D.C.
The mission of every Trader Joe’s store is to make grocery shopping an adventure and offer great values, high quality products and outstanding customer service, the company says. In addition, the company’s “Crew Members” are dedicated to making the customer’s experience “rewarding and fun.”
In a letter on its website, the company also thanked its shoppers for their support over five decades:
Dear Customers,
Fifty years? Fifty years! It’s hard to believe Trader Joe’s has been sailing the culinary seas for 50 years, embarking on adventure after adventure in the quest to find top quality food and beverages and offer them at outstanding prices, every day.
When we stop to think about how we’ve made it this far, the first thing that comes to mind is you. Without you, our Customers, we wouldn’t have made it 50 days, never mind 50 years. You’re just the greatest. Can you imagine Customers at any other store taking the time to help a Crew Member move shopping carts through the parking lot? Or spending time in the aisles giving each other advice about which frozen pizza goes best with which salad? These things happen all the time at Trader Joe’s, because we have the best Customers.
And, if you’ll allow us a moment to pat ourselves on the back, we also have the best Crew Members. They stock shelves and ring registers and treat our Customers with friendly respect, every day, in every store across the country. They work hard, and their work – along with our loyal Customers – drives Trader Joe’s into the future.
As we venture forth into our second 50 years, we just wanted to say thanks… Thanks for shopping with us. Thanks for making our stores tick. Thanks for making this national chain of neighborhood grocery stores part of your lives. In every store, every day, we hope every experience you have with Trader Joe’s is the best one you’ve ever had.
Yours in Value,
Trader Joe’s
