The Real Reason Shopping At Trader Joe's Is So Relaxing

When it comes to grocery stores, Trader Joe's offers up great selections on items like fresh produce, delicious snacks, and plenty of vegetarian and organic products at a cheaper price than other big chains like Whole Foods. That's not the only reason some shoppers choose to shop at Trader Joe's over other grocery stores — shopping can be a stressful and time-consuming chore that many people dread. From navigating the crowded aisles to scanning each shelf to find the items you want at the best price to waiting in long check-out lines, the process can be an exhausting and sometimes unpleasant experience. 

For many customers, however, shopping at Trader Joe's just doesn't have that dreaded ugh factor associated with it. Instead, some shoppers find perusing the aisles at this iconic grocery chain to be a pleasant and even relaxing experience. As it turns out, Trader Joe's isn't as stressful as many other stores because it delivers a much simpler shopping experience.

According to Taste of Home, one of the main reasons shopping for groceries can be stressful stems from the fact that the chore involves making a lot of choices. Many grocery stores carry multiple brands and varieties of each product, so shoppers face a series of decisions each time they put something in their cart. Having too many options can actually take a mental toll on people. Shoppers in this position have to spend more time analyzing which choice to make, are more likely to worry about if they made a bad choice, and potentially regret the choices they did make, as Business Insider explains. 

All this means that people have to expend more mental and psychological energy each time they make a selection, which leads to decision fatigue. When this type of exhaustion hits, shoppers feel burnt out due to the number of choices they have been forced to make throughout their day. Since grocery shopping comes with so many decisions, many patrons have greater opportunities to feel both mentally and physically worn out when their shopping trip finally comes to an end.

Trader Joe's, on the other hand, only carries their own brand of products. This lack of selection reduces the number of decisions people have to make when they shop. Rather than having to spend time and energy sifting through multiple different brands to find the one that provides the best quality for the price, shoppers can simply place their favorite Trader Joe's product in the cart and move on (via Taste of Home).

The store also prides itself on having pleasant, helpful staff, so seeing the friendly employees decked out in their cheerful Hawaiian shirts may also help alleviate some of the stress associated with shopping. If you are actually in a better mood when you finish your weekly shopping at Trader Joe's, now you know why. The store features a design that helps reduce the stress of grocery shopping, but their low prices probably don't hurt either.