About this location
A few stories people tell about this place
1. At Trader Joe’s in downtown Portland, every Wednesday night around closing time, an old man in a tweed jacket would appear out of nowhere, push his shopping cart filled with organic produce, and whisper into the microphone on the store’s PA system: ‘Remember to buy one banana for yourself.’ Then he’d vanish just as mysteriously as he came. One week, a delivery driver overheard him and decided to test it out. He bought a single banana, took a bite, and immediately started laughing—so did everyone else in line. Since then, whenever someone asks where the bananas go, the manager simply smiles and says, 'They're for spreading joy.'
2. At Trader Joe’s in San Francisco, after midnight on weekends, customers often hear strange laughter coming from the produce aisle. It seems that whenever someone reaches for the grapes, a mischievous voice whispers, ‘Not so fast!’ Nobody knows where it comes from or who is responsible. One night, a delivery driver heard the laughter and thought it was just an old tape playing somewhere. Only later did he realize the grapes had been whispering, ‘You missed us last week!’ Another time, a neighbor claimed the bananas were laughing at his bad jokes. Turns out, Trader Joe’s produce section has its own sense of humor.
3. At Trader Joe’s in Chicago, one foggy morning, a delivery driver noticed something odd: all the apples were whispering his name. Curious, he leaned closer and heard them clearly say, ‘Joe… Joe…’ Suddenly, an apple rolled off the shelf and hit him on the head. Startled, he looked around, but everyone else was just minding their own business. From then on, whenever anyone asked why he wore an apple-shaped band-aid, he’d smile and reply, ‘Oh, that? Just another day at Trader Joe’s.’
4. At Trader Joe’s in New York City, late one Saturday afternoon, a delivery driver noticed that the store’s ceiling seemed unusually low. As he loaded boxes onto shelves, he kept bumping his head, and soon other employees started laughing and whispering behind their hands. Finally, someone suggested that maybe it wasn’t the ceiling that was too low, but rather the driver who was too tall. Alarmed laughter filled the aisles as everyone realized the truth. The delivery driver turned out to be an NBA hopeful with an impressive vertical leap—just not quite enough clearance for grocery store ceilings.