Jodi’s Journal: Let’s talk about Trader Joe’s

Feb. 15, 2026

I promise I didn’t write the headline for the clicks.

I wrote it because hopefully now there will be a piece out there that not only answers the question I most regularly receive from readers but also gives you a little more to consider as you make your grocery shopping decisions.

No national retailer generates as many inquiries from readers as Trader Joe’s.

This story involving a survey from Sioux Falls-based MarketBeat about which national chain people want to see in their state actually became our most-read story of 2025.

Unfortunately, there’s not much I can report on related to Trader Joe’s growth plans.

For years, it has been quite quiet about them. While our local brokers have talked with representatives of Trader Joe’s plenty of times, they’re all appropriately silent about sharing any of that in my reporting. There’s still not a lot of information out there, but in December, Progressive Grocer reported on several new openings as part of what it called a broader expansion trend at Trader Joe’s as it grows its 600-store footprint. Year-over-year visits were up 12 percent for the first half of 2025, according to data from Placer.ai.

I do think you’ll see Trader Joe’s land in Sioux Falls sooner rather than later — as in less than five years. Maybe less than three years. It’s not like we aren’t on the radar. The grocer already is in more than 40 states, and most growing brands seek a nationwide reach. Most national retailers also have requirements for locations that can be hard to meet in our city. They look for a certain size space and a certain amount of daily traffic. That said, for years I’ve contended that Trader Joe’s could open in a field several miles outside of town and be shocked by its sales.

I affirmed that last weekend with a trip to Omaha, where it became clear that our readers vote not only with their words but also with their wallets when it comes to this grocer.

Granted, I was there on a Saturday afternoon, but it was wall-to-wall shoppers and at least a half-dozen checkout lines that stretched back six to eight people each.

When we got to the register, small talk quickly ensued with our cashier, who fittingly was named Joe.

As soon as he heard we were from South Dakota, it became clear this was a common theme.

I asked him if a typical day generally brought at least some of us from north of the Nebraska border.

“More like the population of Vermillion,” he replied.

Well, I told him, eventually one of the stores has to land in our area.

“We’ll miss you if it does,” he said with a laugh.

I’ll bet. The cartloads weren’t small — although I didn’t exactly load up. It might be because I grew up in a house less than 10 minutes from a Trader Joe’s, so there never has been the novelty of not being able to go. I haven’t tried it enough to find a list of go-to items that require stocking up, although I did enjoy the snacks I found. But what I mostly dialed in on was the experience of shopping there.

I can’t tell you to go support a local, organic grocer in town and that you’ll find the same products as Trader Joe’s. That’s part of its competitive advantage. The products are Trader Joe’s own private label. You walk through the store and — much like too many of my trips to Costco — end up leaving with a bunch of items you probably didn’t have on a shopping list.

It’s the process of discovery blended with accessible pricing, I’m guessing, that helps draw so many people.

But that’s an experience you can get in Sioux Falls while shopping locally today.

So come with me for a recap of the trip I took to the new Pomegranate Market store in downtown Sioux Falls.

First, full disclosure, I pulled into the Cherapa Place development and — like most people — started looking for a parking space out in front of one of the buildings. Fortunately for me, they were full, so I pulled into the ramp that is right off Sixth Street and look what I found:

My walk through the grocery store’s front door was closer than it would have been if I had gotten any of those other parking spaces, plus the parking was free for two hours.

I deliberately went in with nothing on a list to buy but with the intention of shopping it like I had shopped Trader Joe’s — walking the aisles and exploring what was there.

Not only was it fun, but I found a bunch of interesting things to try along with some groceries I typically would have bought. There were sale prices on some items that were extremely competitive with any other grocer — cheaper in multiple cases.

It was a really nice shopping experience, from the parking to the selection and definitely the same process of discovery I had enjoyed at Trader Joe’s. Give it a try — you’ll be supporting local owners who took a leap to open this store, and you’ll like what you find there.

You also can have a similar shopping trip at other grocery and retail options in town. And, it’s a good reminder for any business that the experience people have with your brand is what is most likely to make them loyal fans.

In the meantime, if anyone is looking for a small-business venture, figure out a way to take Trader Joe’s orders from here down to Omaha and bring them back. You’ll probably be shocked by the interest and make a decent amount for your time. And when you start it up, tell me about it — I could use another headline to bring the interest that this one likely did.

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