Will Trader Joe's Ever Offer Grocery Delivery?

Trader Joe's is a beloved grocery store, but if you want to take advantage of all the retailer has to offer, you are going to have to leave your house and actually travel to a store in order to do that.

In today's day and age, when everyone is so used to ordering from the internet and having things shipped to our doors, having to go out into the world and schlep groceries home may not be anyone's idea of a good time (or at least it's not my idea of a good time).

For those, like me, who are not really fans of visiting brick-and-mortar stores (to put it mildly), it's natural to wonder if Trader Joe's will ever join most of its competitors in offering grocery delivery. If you're wondering about this all-important question, here are some answers.

Grocery delivery most likely isn't going to be on offer

The bad news for those hoping to get their TJ's fix from the comfort of their couch, is that Trader Joe's is most likely never going to offer grocery delivery service. That's because doing so would violate some of the key brand principles that set the retailer apart.

The issue was addressed in an episode of the Trader Joe's (Inside) podcast recently, with the show's co-hosts discussing some of the reasons why grocery delivery was not something likely to happen. Basically, the absence of the home-delivery option boils down to two big things.

First, it's expensive to invest in an infrastructure that provides shipping services. Since Trader Joe's is really well-known for its affordable food (in contrast to similar stores that have a reputation for taking your whole paycheck), the retailer is not likely to start making big investments in setting up a new shipping service that would necessitate raising prices and impacting consumers' personal finances.

At a time when many Americans are stressed about food costs coming out of their checking account due to rising inflation, it would be a big blunder for Trader Joe's to start a project that would raise the costs of groceries even further.

The other big problem with offering grocery delivery is that Trader Joe's prides itself on the customer experience it provides in store. Grocery delivery takes that "experience" factor out of the equation, which means consumers would lose the chance to talk with crew members, try out samples, and discover new products if their groceries simply arrived at their house.

For those two big reasons, Trader Joe's is simply not going to start delivering groceries to your door (or, sadly, to mine, despite my eagerness).

It may be for the best that you have to visit your local Trader Joe's

While it may seem like a bummer that grocery delivery from Trader Joe's will remain a fantasy, the actual reality is that maybe it is for the best.

Unfortunately, having groceries delivered is almost always considerably more expensive. In fact, research has shown using a delivery service could add $40 or more to an order even before accounting for a tip. And that can make sense. After all, how is it possible that you could get an entire person to shop for you and drive groceries to your house without paying a lot for the privilege?

Grocery delivery can also cost you in other ways. The quality of your products will be heavily influenced by your shopper. And while you probably take the time to buy products with longer expiration dates, check your blueberries for mold, and pick the biggest item when things are sold at a flat rate price, your shopper probably won't.

So, rather than lamenting the fact that Trader Joe's isn't going to deliver to you, it may actually be worth re-evaluating whether you should let other companies bring your groceries home for you. You can do a test run by trying grocery delivery for a month and shopping in store the next and keeping track of your credit cards bills to see just how big the price premium is for getting things delivered.

Of course, you can't do that if you're shopping at Trader Joe's -- you'll just have to visit to get your delicious treats.