For fans who have long dreamt of a TJ’s within driving distance, the latest update feels like the payoff for years of dedicated wishing.
Trader Joe’s just added a handful of new cities to its “Opening Soon” page, and it looks like eight locations are now confirmed to be opening this year.
While New Orleans, Louisiana, and McKinney, Texas, were already on the expansion schedule since July of last year, six completely new locations showed up on the company website this week. Which means new stores are headed to Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Washington, and a second spot in Louisiana.
If history holds, that means shoppers won’t be waiting for long. A Trader Joe’s spokesperson told news service Nexstar that once a store is added to the website, it “typically” opens within three to six months. The chain also made it clear that this is not the end of the list.
“We are actively looking at hundreds of neighborhoods across the country, as we hope to open more new neighborhood stores each year,” the spokesperson noted.
Anticipation to Reality
Trader Joe’s doesn’t follow the usual expansion playbook. There’s rarely a big, groundbreaking event or months of hype. Instead, stores just start showing up in places where fans have been campaigning for years.
Online, shoppers have long debated where the next one should land. Some compare it favorably to bigger-box competitors, calling it “better quality than Walmart” in Reddit threads that pop up every time a new location is rumored.
Now, a few of those rumors have turned into actual addresses.
For residents in the newly listed cities, the timeline is straightforward. Once a store hits the “Opening Soon” page, construction and hiring usually move fast. Shelves get stocked. The parking lot fills up on day one.
And if past openings are any guide, the line will already be wrapped around the building before the doors unlock.
Sources: Nextstar, Trader Joe’s, USA Today, The Sun