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ATLANTA — Throughout the terminal at Seoul's Incheon Airport, large signs in Korean and English warn about a product whose presence in your luggage can result in police action: Trader Joe's Everything But the Bagel seasoning.
The seasoning blend which includes poppyseeds — banned in South Korea for fear they will show up as positives on a drug test — is only sold in the United States. But these products are so popular that even a major airport is getting involved.
Welcome to the cult of Trader Joe's. Although it began in California as a health-food store, the brand has expanded across the U.S. and now has travelers from around the world clamoring to visit one of its outlets.
You can go there to buy a head of lettuce or a gallon of milk. But it's equally likely a shopper heads to Trader Joe's to try things like pickle-flavored popcorn, pumpkin spice protein bars, speculoos cookie butter, or cheeseburger burritos.
So how did Trader Joe's manage to become a global sensation?
"It's like the Disneyland of grocery stores," Julie Averbach, author of The Art of Trader Joe's, said. "They're appealing to customers' different senses."
Bite-size bytes
The first Trader Joe's opened in Pasadena, California, in 1967. Yes, there really is a Joe — that would be Joe Coulombe, who wanted to make then-difficult-to-find ingredients he found in his global travels more available in the U.S.
Today, there are more than 500 stores across the continental United States, which includes five locations in Utah.
And why wouldn't they?
According to a 2024 study by Morning Consult, 25% of frequent shoppers belong to a household that makes over $100,000 annually. The research firm also describes them as "prolific social media users."
That fandom has become its own industry, with TikTokers and YouTubers developing followings for regularly rating and reviewing new products or visiting different locations to see how they compare.
While some chain stores rely on sameness to satisfy customers, Trader Joe's has leaned in the other direction. Shops are encouraged to incorporate local iconography into their design, and it's not only Trader Joe's that has turned grocery shopping into a travel activity.
Travel booking website Expedia says that 39% of travelers usually visit a grocery store during their trips, and 44% make an effort to buy local goods they can't get where they live.
More than a store
For Peruvian Maria Silva, who spent her college years in North Carolina and New York, Trader Joe's became a crucial part of her American experience.
At first, she says, the store was a convenient place to get affordable staples like yogurt and fresh fruit. But she quickly started trying some of the more offbeat items, even bringing them home as family gifts at the holidays, getting her relatives hooked as well. She counts the Panettone, vegetable samosas and chocolate-covered pretzels among her favorite items.
"I felt in terms of quality and price and the overall shopping experience it was my favorite (grocery store)," Silva says. "I like the packaging a lot, and also how the products are advertised in the store."
Averbach said all of this is intentional. The colorful, creative packaging — which is custom-made by on-staff graphic designers — makes many of their products "giftable."
In addition to snack foods, the brand's tote bags have become a phenomenon too. Different regions sell state- or city-themed totes, and a mini version of the bags went viral earlier this year, with resellers hawking them for as much as $500 on eBay, which is crucial to Trader Joe's' brand.
While they're staying mum on whether they'll ever open locations outside of the U.S., as social media shows, they may not need to.
After all, scarcity can also lead to hyper-obsessed fandoms.
