Trader Joe’s Brings Back Sampling as Competition from eGrocery Grows

While the vast majority of businesses’ pre-pandemic offerings returned a while back, there have been certain holdouts that continued to seem too risky even with most legislative restrictions peeled back. Grocery chain Trader Joe’s, for instance, which has 530 locations across the United States, held off for a long time on bringing back its popular samples of food and coffee.

Now, even the samples are back. The grocer has revived the offering at a number of locations after more than two years, several outlets reported this week, though sampling has not returned chainwide.

“Demo is back in our stores. We are bringing it back with a new approach,” the brand’s Public Relations Manager Nakia Rohde said in an emailed statement. “We want to focus a little more on new products. Things not necessarily on your shopping list but things we’re excited to share.”

These samples, a favorite for many Trader Joe’s customers, can be a powerful way to build loyalty, differentiating the brand in the face of much competition.

Not all brands have been as conservative when it comes to sampling as Trader Joe’s. Major membership-only warehouse retailers Costco and Sam’s Club, for instance, both announced back in mid-2021 that they were bringing food samples back.

See also: Sampling Returns As Food Prices Hit Decade-Long High

DoorDash Boosts Grocery Presence with Loblaws

While Trader Joe’s looks to improve the in-store experience for shoppers with the return of sampling, grocers of the kind, so focused on brick-and-mortar shopping, are facing increasing competition from the digital sphere. Food delivery aggregator DoorDash, for one, has been quickly growing its grocery offerings, presenting consumers with more options for on-demand delivery.

Related news: DoorDash Builds out Food Empire With New Grocery Delivery Partners

After adding multiple grocery partners last month, the aggregator shared Thursday (Oct. 6) that its partnership with Loblaw Cos., Canada’s largest retailer, has now kicked off. Now on DoorDash’s marketplace are 1,100 stores under multiple banners, including Loblaws, Shoppers Drug Mart and Real Canadian Superstore, among others.

Read more: DoorDash Inks Deal With Grocery Chain to Boost Delivery

“At DoorDash, our goal is to be the go-to partner for grocers, connecting them with consumers  for the best online grocery experience,” the aggregator’s CEO and Co-founder Tony Xu said in a statement. “Our collaboration with Loblaw brings 14 different banner stores on to the DoorDash Marketplace app for on-demand delivery to nearly three-quarters of consumers across Canada and reinforces our commitment to that goal.”

Ultrafast Grocer Buyk Stripped for Parts

While on-demand grocery may be continuing to grow, the trend of faster and faster delivery, which really gained steam throughout 2021, has not fared as well as the macroeconomic environment has taken a turn this year. One player in the space, Buyk, which closed in March, is selling off its assets to those who may still have designs on the space.

You may also like: Instant Grocery Delivery Service Buyk Closes, Files Bankruptcy Over Russian Sanctions

Included in the sale are physical assets such as food storage fixtures and picking-and-packing equipment, as well as software and intellectual property related to inventory management, in-fulfillment-center operations, marketing and more.

Other players in the space remain active, such as Getir and Go Grocer, as well as ultrafast grocers that do not (or no longer) have a presence in the United States such as Jokr or Flink. Perhaps with these assets, these grocers can be better set up for success, especially on the other end of today’s macroeconomic headwinds.