The scene Friday morning at the new Trader Joe’s in the Thruway Shopping Center in Winston-Salem was similar to Black Friday. As early as 7:45 a.m. nearly 200 people were waiting in line to enter the grocery store. Employees handed out leis to customers, as Calypso music played in the background.
The Winston-Salem store has a Triad theme. The bright yellow walls are backdrops for murals depicting historic landmarks including Old Salem, Reynolda House and Pilot Mountain. Frank Kirkland, the store manager says customers get to experience what he calls “adventure shopping” during their visit.
“It’s adventure shopping because we have buyers at Trader Joe’s that travel all over the world to bring really unique items to the landscape that we don’t have anywhere else. We have cookie butter that has a peanut butter consistency but tastes like cookies. We also have Kale chips which are made from Kale leaves,” says Kirkland.
Julie Walker of Winston-Salem was looking over the selections in the wine aisle. She says she loves the company’s customer service.
“The Two Buck Chuck that’s really a Three Buck Chuck that’s what I like. I like the wine and you have a person that walks around with a stick and a question mark over their head so you know who to ask for help,” says Walker
The store also provides cooking demonstrations and sampling. Sheri Bridges, Marketing Professor at Wake Forest University says the company has a loyal fan base.
“A cult brand is one that forges an emotional connection with the consumer because everyone who is in there is excited to be there and that creates a completely different retail atmospheric. The atmospherics of a retail environment have to do with the lighting, the smells and all of that stuff, but for Trader Joe’s part of the atmospheric is the emotion that the shopper’s feel,” says Bridges.
Bridges believes Trader Joes will have a positive impact on the local economy and create healthy competition among other grocery stores.
Jim Truett, manager at Dewey’s Bakery in the Thruway Shopping Center, agrees with Bridges. He says the store is a great addition to the city.
“We have been here since 1954. We are an original tenant and we have seen the center go through a couple of rough spots when Fresh Market left, Bed Bath & Beyond left and also when Borders left, so we are very excited to see the center reinvigorated and people coming back to the center,” says Truett.
The 13,000-square-foot store in Winston-Salem is the seventh Trader Joe’s location in North Carolina and the first in the Triad. Other stores are located in Cary, Chapel Hill, Charlotte and Raleigh.
