Why Trader Joe's won't be offering an online store (2020)

Why Trader Joe's won't be offering an online store (2020)(today.com)

3 points by amir-h 4 years ago | 2 comments

amir-h 4 years ago |

"Well, at Trader Joe's, the reality is that over the last couple of decades we've invested those resources in our people rather than build an infrastructure that eliminates the need for people,"

greenyoda 4 years ago | |

> build an infrastructure that eliminates the need for people

I don't understand that reasoning. I ordered groceries online today, and the groceries were packed by a person and delivered by a person (who wouldn't have his job if there were no truck to drive to my house). The IT system that supports all that is built and maintained by people. The truck fleet is maintained by people. This certainly required more person-hours of work than a cashier would have done if I had gone to the store myself. (The delivery service is operated by the same company that owns the supermarket chain, and uses trucks with the company's name on them, so I'm assuming that all these people are real employees, not gig workers.)

Also, the closest Trader Joe's store to me is a half hour drive in dense suburban traffic, and is crowded with people. I'd love to try their amazing stuff, but it's not worth the time and effort to me.