Trader Joe’s is a quirky, personable veil of lies

By Griffin Mancuso

Trader Joe’s appears to encapsulate everything the average Humboldtian wants — a variety of produce, healthy foods and snacks, dozens of vegetarian alternatives, cheap booze, casual conversation with hot cashiers — all at an astonishingly low price. Everything down to the hand-drawn labels makes the store feel like a local farmer’s market, but that is what makes it so dangerous. Trader Joe’s quirky, laid-back aesthetic lulls you into a false sense of security and makes you forget that shopping there is no different than a Safeway or an Albertsons.

Everyone and their grandmother wants a Trader Joe’s in Humboldt. At one point, that hope was so strong that the student body believed a satirical Dumberjack article claiming a Trader Joe’s was opening in the Depot. I once chose to extend a road trip by two hours just to stop in Redding and get food from Trader Joe’s. I love $4 wine as much as the next guy, but having a Trader Joe’s in Humboldt would ultimately leave destruction in its wake.

We all know how large companies monopolize local markets and squeeze local businesses out of the picture. After the pandemic, this problem has only been exacerbated and many local businesses were forced to shut down or lay off workers. Stores in Arcata vanish soon after they arrive due to not being able to keep up with rent costs.

As a result, if Trader Joe’s comes into the picture, local grocery stores like the North Coast Co-op and Eureka Whole Foods will be slowly suffocated. The allure of affordable chicken wraps and multigrain chips will result in the loss of jobs and access to locally-sourced produce. We will lose the places that add character to Humboldt and help connect us with our community. With apathetic billionaires soon to be in charge of our country, I’m not keen on giving large corporations more of my money.

Beyond the oversaturation of grocery store chains, it is impossible to buy cheap food products without corners being cut. One of Trader Joe’s cheapest options for alcohol is their famous Charles Shaw wine, known as the “Two Buck Chuck” — although it is no longer $2. Bronco Wine has been able to keep production costs low with the location of their vineyards, using cheaper bottles and cartons, making a whopping 90 million gallons of wine a year, and fully automating the harvesting process with machines. 

Selling wine at such a low price only reveals more questions and concerns about liveable wages for employees and where other cuts are being made. Large-scale wine production leaves more chance for potential contaminants in the wine, such as animal matter. 

In response to these concerns, former CEO and creator of Two Buck Chuck Fred Franzia told CNBC, “If you worry about things like that, you shouldn’t eat anything, you shouldn’t drink anything. When the wine’s fermenting, they’re going to eliminate anything that’s possibly there.” 

This apathetic and vague response does not reassure me about the possible presence of bird shit in my wine, or the ethics of the company in general. You’ll be getting what you pay for.

This apathy is also present in Trader Joe’s company ethics as a whole. Last year, Trader Joe’s along with several large corporations like Amazon, Starbucks, and SpaceX sought to have the National Labor Relations Board declared unconstitutional. The NLRB is an independent federal agency that seeks to protect workers in the private sector and address unfair labor practices. Is the frozen orange chicken worth supporting union busting?

I am well aware of how expensive shopping at local businesses is. My trips to my local co-op are infrequent and slightly painful for my wallet. It’s not realistic to only shop local, but even an occasional trip can contribute to our local economy. More importantly, your money will be going to people who live here and care about our community enough to deal with the hassle of owning a grocery store.

Any potential benefits of a Trader Joe’s are not guaranteed and risk many people losing their jobs and businesses. The cost of items at local grocery stores reflects the care and effort of everyone involved. The money spent at a Trader Joe’s will just funnel up to Theo Albrecht Jr. and his family, who have a net worth of $14.2 billion. They do not need your money, and we do not need a Trader Joe’s.

There is no ethical consumption under capitalism, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. The 597 Trader Joe’s locations will still be waiting for you when you travel out of town. Our local grocery stores only have one location, maybe a few if they’re lucky, so we should try to appreciate what they have to offer. They have an inherent knowledge of our community and you can take comfort in knowing who your money is going to. You can enjoy browsing through local produce and food products that you won’t find anywhere else. Trader Joe’s can’t replace that. 

If you really want to shop at a grocery store with ethical issues and evil owners, you don’t have to look very far.

Griffin Mancuso is a journalism major and managing editor for The Lumberjack. He has written stories for every category in the paper, but particularly enjoys writing human-centric stories. He has also freelanced for the North Coast Journal and News Decoder.