Fun grocery shopping? Only at Trader Joes

Grocery shopping. Ugh. That necessary task that can suck the joy out of my day.

Unless I'm headed to Trader Joes and then the smiles return and happiness prevails.

There are 18 Trader Joes in the State of Washington and we are lucky to have two in Snohomish County. One in Lynnwood and one in Everett. Hooray!

Like many, I'm a huge fan of TJs as it is fondly known by its many devotees. The place just gets me. You too? If you feel the same, I totally get it. It has the perfect balance of not taking itself too seriously and, at the same time, being very serious and very good at consistently bringing their best self over and over. They have clever and creative copy writers for their deceptively casual, yet thorough, news/marketing flyer. (The publication states: “Fearless Flyer - As always, free, and worth every penny. “ How can you not love that sort of tongue-in-cheek fun?)

Their signage is whimsical; displays are inventive. And don't even get me started on how great the music playlist is in each store. I'll just apologize right now if you've been shopping when I've been there and I burst into singing along. They play all my favorite upbeat songs and I swear I know all the words.

Right now, though, Traders is even better than usual because it's pumpkin season and they go all in. If you love fall at any level even close to how much I love fall, (or as the Fearless Flyer describes it: Fall-la-la-la-la ) then it is time to get yourself over to our Everett TJs.

On the outside of the store you're greeted with huge boxes of traditional pumpkins and some of the most colorful, textured pumpkins I've ever seen. Decorator pumpkins for sure! They're going to look great on my back deck.

Stepping inside is where fall flavors go out of control. There are pumpkin items in every aisle. Of course, you'll find expected items like pumpkin muffins and cake mixes. But also unexpected items like pumpkin ravioli, pumpkin spice pretzels and pumpkin wine (not sure about trying that last one.) But fall is about a lot more than pumpkins and TJs knows it. They have apple cider donuts that buyers rave about; maple spiced mixed nuts and a really fun new bag of fall leaves shaped tortilla chips. And not every autumn special is about food. They have pumpkin-scented hand soap and spicy orange-scented candles and room spray. There are just so many choices!

My favorite item this time of year at TJs, however, isn't one of the pumpkin items. It's their spiced cider - so yummy and versatile. You can drink it cold, but I recommend having it warmed up in a mug while bundled up in a flannel shirt around a nice outdoor fire with friends. It's the ultimate fall beverage. And for my grown-up friends, adding a nice dollup of a cinnamon whiskey transforms it into a nice little warmer I call a Bonfire. Oh yeah. Gets you nice and warm inside and out.

It might just be my imagination, but I feel like even the customers are different at Traders. There's a slower pace and more smiles. And the checkout team members at every store are stellar.

But never mind what I think - go see for yourself. Make your grocery shopping a whole bunch of fun this month. Head for Trader Joes and stock up on all your fall favorites before they go away again. Hey, and got any tips on things to try? I love love love to find a new product to obsess over.

We live lucky my friends! - Jingle

Trader Joe’s Everett
1302 SE Everett Mall Way
Everett, WA 98208

Jingle Jackson grew up in Everett, attended WSU (go Cougs!) and worked a great career at Snohomish PUD. Now, she is working on the pursuit of new adventures and fun wherever she can find it.