There are a few things that make shopping at Trader Joe's different from shopping at your typical grocery store.
For one thing, you'll mostly find private-label products on Trader Joe's shelves. And you also won't find nearly the same selection of products as you would at a traditional supermarket.
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In fact, a lot of people can only do some of their food shopping at Trader Joe's, and require a larger supermarket to truly stock their kitchens with everything they need. That’s a definite drawback.
But the fact that Trader Joe's doesn't have such a wide range of inventory is something that makes it special.
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You may not find every single type of yogurt or cereal on the shelves. But what you will find is a selection of fun, unique products at what are usually affordable prices.
Plus, there's something to be said for Trader Joe's outstanding customer service. From the friendly employees to the fact that you can return any item you're not happy with for a hassle-free refund, it's nice to shop at a store that appreciates you.
Trader Joe's seasonal inventory is a huge draw
Another reason people tend to love Trader Joe's is its seasonal products.
In August, you'll typically start to see apple-related items hit the shelves. But those don't get to hog the spotlight for too long.
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By early to mid-September, pumpkin tends to take over. And those products tend to stick around well into October.
Once pumpkin season is over, it's all things winter and holidays. If you're someone who loves peppermint-flavored goodies, you're in luck, because Trader Joe's tends to stock a wide range of holiday items starting in late November.
And during the spring, you’ll find a host of Easter-themed sweets.
Trader Joe's brings back pumpkin way too early
The trend in retail these days seems to be to bring back seasonal items far in advance.
It's not unusual, for example, to find Halloween costumes at Costco in August, or to find Christmas items at Target in October.
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For this reason, Trader Joe's customers may not be totally surprised to see that pumpkin products are starting to hit the shelves as early as late July.
So far, the store's famous Pumpkin Pancake and Waffle Mix has been spotted in multiple locations. Typically, it doesn't show up until September. And chances are, if you head to Trader Joe's in August, you'll see a bunch of additional pumpkin products show up.
Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is up to you.
On the one hand, Trader Joe's is famous for its selection of pumpkin-flavored goods, from snacks to entrees to dog treats. So if you're someone who loves pumpkin, you may be stoked to see those products hit the shelves early.
On the other hand, a lot of us associate pumpkin flavors with fall weather and don’t want to dive into pumpkin until it’s cold enough to at least warrant a jacket. It's hard to get excited about pumpkin spice cookies when it's 97 degrees outside and you're still walking around in your flip flops.
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But either way, the return of Trader Joe's Pumpkin Pancake and Waffle Mix in July likely means that the pumpkin explosion will happen even earlier this year than in years past.
You may want to start stocking up before some of your favorite items sell out sooner than expected.
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