Unlike typical grocery stores, which may carry 50,000 items (or SKUs), Trader Joe’s stocks about 4,000 items, 80% of which bear one of its own brand names.
Trader Joe’s describes itself as “your neighborhood grocery store” or “your unique grocery store”. Products sold include gourmet foods, organic foods, vegetarian food, unusual frozen foods, imported foods, domestic and imported wine and beer (where local law permits), “alternative” food items, and staples like bread, cereal, eggs, dairy, coffee and produce. Non-food items include personal hygiene products, household cleaners, vitamins, pet food, plants, and flowers.
Trader Joe’s maintains low prices by having smaller and plainer stores and carrying a smaller variety of products and getting more turnaround on products they do carry, which enables the purchase of larger quantities of perishable items closer to the expiration date at better prices, knowing that they can be sold within shelf-life limits. Individual products are also discontinued more often than at larger grocery chains, due to increased costs, poor sales, or to free up space for new items.
Many of the company’s products are environmentally friendly, as Trader Joe’s began phasing out foods imported from China amid concerns that standards on “organic” products from the country are not as stringent as they should be.
Trader Joe’s sells many items under its own private labels, requiring their sometimes brand-name suppliers not to publicize this business relationship, and offers these products at a significant discount to brand-name equivalents
This was only $2 and some change… 
