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Sounds Like A Cult

The Cult of Trader Joe's

Sounds Like A Cult

Studio71

Comedy, Education, Religion & Spirituality, Society & Culture

43.8K Ratings

🗓️ 1 February 2022

⏱️ 35 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Trader Joe's, the most beloved "neighborhood grocery store" in America, has a super-loyal "cult following"... a sentiment that needs no explanation. The limited-edition niche products (like cookie butter and lemon ricotta), kitschy nautical aesthetic, and ridiculously friendly employees have spawned a generation of obsessed customers, who will wait in the rain, sleet, and snow to shop at TJs and spend hours connecting with other fanatics in TJ lovers Facebook groups. But is there a more sinister side to the "cult" of Trader Joe's? Are their corporate practices shady? Why *are* their employees so nice? With the help of sooo many Reddit forums and even more listener call-ins, Isa and Amanda investigate... 

 

 Follow us on Instagram: @soundslikeacultpod, and hosts @isaamedinaa and @amanda_montell

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

We talk about a lot of really fun subjects on this podcast, but I do think something we always do is kind of slip into a British accent when we feel uncomfortable.

0:07.3

That's so true, babes.

0:09.8

And that's what we're gonna do all week when we're in London town.

0:15.0

Dude, I am so fucking excited. We're doing our first ever London show on Friday, May 26th at 6.30pm, at the Lester Square Theatre in London.

0:26.4

It's going to be fucking lit.

0:28.2

Which by the way, why is Lester Square Theatre spelled like that? That was like like Heistr.

0:32.8

We are so excited for the stamp show.

0:36.3

We're gonna have games. We're gonna have audience participation.

0:39.4

And of course, we're gonna have our juicy analysis while diving into a much requested and never before discussed top secret cult.

0:48.5

You cannot hear this cult subject matter on any episode because it's what we do for our live show, so you really have to be there.

0:55.5

And then meet us after the show by some merch. We're there to chat with you babes.

1:00.5

Tickets are on sale now at SoundsLikeAkult.com and at the link in our IG bio.

1:06.3

Again, that's Friday, May 26th, 2023, aka this year. At 6.30pm, we will see you there at Lester Square Theatre in London.

1:15.2

See you there, babes.

1:16.4

Hey, my name is Taylor. I'm from Los Angeles, California.

1:20.3

I feel like the cultiest thing about Trader Joe's is the obsession with products.

1:27.1

The fact that the products are so niche that you can't get them anywhere else.

1:31.2

I'm Carrie from Florida and the cultiest thing about Trader Joe's is cookie butter.

1:37.2

People are absolutely obsessed with everything involving it.

1:41.2

There's just this universal understanding that you walk in without a grocery store list.

1:46.5

You just feel the vibes and go off of that as if there's some omnipresent being telling you what to get.

1:52.9

And if that's not, we're shipping a central figure without knowing it. I don't know what it is.

...

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