I stumbled across this book while looking at books to review, and I'm so glad I did! I absolutely love Trader Joes, and as someone who works in supply chain management, I think the concept of in-house supply and production is so interesting. I really loved reading about a business that I love!

I was hoping for more of the story of Trader Joe's and not so much the business aspect of it. It was hard to finish and it didn't feel like a passionate story of a great brand.

I'm a huge Trader Joe fan, so this autobiography by the chain's founder was right up my alley.

Written in short, clear chapters, the book explains a lot of the particular quirks of the store and how they came about. It's also a useful business text for how to start a business, overcome obstacles, and thrive.

If you like TJ's food I think you'll be fascinated by the book.

This is good for potential entrepreneurs and marketing students. For trader joe food fans, may not be what they were expecting to read.

Funny story -- I picked this up earlier this year because I love Trader Joe's and who wouldn't want to know how it started? But I was hoping more of a casual behind the scenes look at how it came to be. And while yes you do get a bit of that, you get more of the "business" part of it as well.

So I put it down.

A month and a half ago, I launched my own online business and ironically picked up this book again just so I could post a review for it. The business parts that did not hold my interest months ago do now.

It's a great read if you're into an inside look of the business aspect of things!

As someone who lives in Canada and doesn't have access to a Trader Joe's, I'm not sure why I picked this book up. I bet it would be interesting for others, but it was not for me.

2.5 stars! The grocery store is my obsession but this book was not. Unfortunately, it wasn't what I expected and was way too technical. If you're looking to open up a grocery store and want lots of specific information pertaining to the ins and outs of that, this book would be worth a read. Thanks to NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for my honest review!

This book tells how Trader Joe's came to be. I've never been in a Trader Joe's store, but I feel like the book gives me a good window into it. The book reads like an older guy telling the reader how & why he did things, made the decisions he did to grow the company to a success. There's a lot of business management, supply & demand, logistics, bank numbers, tax issues & accounting jargon....so it reads kind of 'dry.' I found the 1st half of the book the most interesting, because it seemed to be more about Trader Joe's & toward the end I felt it was more about corporate office/bank juggling/what Joe C. has been doing since he left TJ's. The book is arranged/put together in such a way as to make a rather dry subject interesting!
I received this e-book from HarperCollins via NetGalley, in return for reading it & offering my own fair/honest review.

The e-book formatting was completely off, which made reading the book very difficult. I found the initial content interesting, but could not get far due to formatting.

Full disclosure: I LOVE Trader Joe's. It is my happy place and I find myself constantly craving specific items and make it a mission to shop here. Due to my love for the store, I was beyond excited to read this book and learn more about how the store came to be and this book delivered. It tells the story of Joe Coulombe, educates the reader on the nuts and bolts of running a grocery store, and just makes you appreciate Trader Joe's so much more. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in running a business or managing a grocery store as the material does get very technical in nature at some points. This is definitely a story geared towards those with entrepreneurial interests!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Leadership for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book.

I enjoyed reading about this major player in the grocery business as it exists today. Joe Coulombe was a visionary who did things his way and the success that paid off. There are many books out there on the same subject but this is a definite read for anyone interested in the retail sector.

As a long-time fan of the Trader Joes brand, I was eager to pick up a copy of this book that was co-authored by Joe Coulombe who founded the company.

It is all about the insider info of how Trader Joes came to fruition. How they made their name known. How they co-branded and how they made and lost money. There's a lot of insights about trading and the retail industry that I wasn't aware of.

If you're in business or are an entrepreneur, I think this book will interest you.

But if you just like to cook with ingredients from TJ's, then you maybe want to skip it.

Reading this book was like sitting down for a drink (or a series of drinks) with a grizzled mentor who wants you to succeed.

Even more interesting, as I read Joe Coulumbe's treatise on his unorthodox business methods ("how we built a successful business on high wages"), the business world in 2021 is in an uproar due to the post-pandemic loss of workers. Economists are speculating that wages will have to go up before the workforce will show up again.

Listen to Trader Joe, folks. He'll tell you how to attract and keep top-quality employees: Pay them a living wage! Yes, he rambles a bit in the book (the "grizzled mentor"), but there are so many gems:
"productivity in part is the product of tenure. That's why I believe that turnover is the most expensive form of labor expense."

I read this because Trader Joe's restored my faith that honorable businesses can succeed wildly even when they ignore the worst of capitalist tenets (I'm a fan). I will recommend it to every entrepreneur I know.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins Leadership for an advance readers copy.

Joe Coulombe and Patty Civalleri's “Becoming Trader Joe’s” is the grocery store equivalent of Phil Knight’s “Shoe Dog”. The conversational-style writing makes it an easy read and like he is there telling you the story himself.

This is not like the typical business books out there that regurgitate the same information over and over for 300 pages. The tidbits of knowledge throughout come across as lessons from someone who’s lived it and is telling the stories to back it up. Even when he’s talking about mundane stuff like the number of dollars a square foot of space in a grocery store should generate to be successful, I was still hooked. The lessons were succinct and bulleted at the beginning of a chapter, and referenced back to regularly throughout the chapter.

By far the number one book I have read this year and will be recommending to friends and family!

Full disclosure... Trader Joe's is my happy place! I'm currently heading up a project to try to get one in our town so, when I saw this book you know I just had to read it! This book gives the reader, presumably Trader Joe's fans, a behind the scenes look to how the stores came to be and a bit of a timeline for Joe Coulombe, AKA... Trader Joe. I found this book to be a fascinating behind the scenes peak at into how grocery stores are run but not only that, a peek at how Joe was truly a visionary! Ahead of his time in so many ways, ahead of the trends. The first store to introduce almond butter, the way they purchased and sold wines, milk, cheeses and so many more products! Their policies regarding employees, pay and benefits... Always ahead of their competitors, and still are to this day! I have personally talked to many Trader Joe's employees... They love their job, love the company they work for, and love the pay and benefits! This book can get a bit technical at times and read a little bit more like a "how to do business book". Part business book, part memoir...If it gets a bit technical for you, I suggest speed reading through those parts to the next interesting chapter for you. Trust me, there's something in this book for everyone and I personally found it so very interesting! Now, I need to plan my next trip to Trader Joe's... Do you shop with a list or let the spirit of Joe guide you? I usually do a bit of both but, I think I'll let Joe guide me on my next trip 😁

Interesting for anyone curious about Trader Joes and how it became such a cult phenomenon. Not sure I would be running around recommending this as it is quite niche.

I enjoy an underdog story and I love the fact that after I read this business memoir I can still say I am a Trader Joe's customer.
I hope you enjoy this witty memoir about finding your place in today's crazy business world, let alone a world that is moving to everything being online only where one can NOT stop and smell the roses as they enter the marketplace.

This book is in the model of Made in American(Walmart) and Grinding it Out (McDonald’s) and others like it. It is useful to have a book by a CEO or founder, especially one who has created such an iconic brand. I shop at Trader Joe’s, and it’s a very different experience and product than other grocery stores. Because of this difference, I wanted to know more about the brand’s origin.

This book has many useful tips and facts, providing expert advice for future business entrepreneurs. I enjoyed this book and Joe was honest and forthright, but sometimes at the expense of organizing his thoughts. Joe goes back to the earliest days under Rexall, but since he retired in the 80s or early 90s, Trader Joe’s has 30 more years of information and growth that is not covered by this book.

I enjoyed this book and I encourage others to read it. I think there’s a lot here to utilize and expert advice, that is tried and true, is a fantastic resource. But it’s also, unfortunately, 30 years past its sell-by date.

Thank you for the e-arc NetGalley. Who doesn’t love a Trader Joe’s shopping trip?! This takes you behind the scenes of how Trader Joe’s came to be from the man himself, Joe Coulombe. There are some great management takeaways from this book however not being a high level manager in retail some of this went way over my head. This was an interesting book overall.

This book is written by founding father of successful retail chain, Trader Joe.
Book is his business biography; in which he explains how he conquered all the difficulties that came his way. Alongside he shares his philosophy and thinking process behind his successful ideas.
Book is written in warm and entertaining style.
A really good read for entrepreneurs insearch for real advice. Not some fake theories.
A wonderful read.