Trader Joe’s of Lafayette, located at 1710 Camellia Blvd & Bluebird Drive, officially opens tomorrow, Thursday, September 17th, at 8 a.m!
Today, we got an inside tour of the new 16,000-square-foot store with Store Captain Johnny Veillon. So, now we can finally see what all the fuss is about!
Trader Joe’s is definitely one of the most anticipated openings we have seen in recent years, following other developments like Costco, The Chimes, Whole Foods, Topgolf, and, if you can believe it, even Dairy Queen. True story… DQ had police traffic control for about 3-4 weeks!
The amount of hype surrounding Trader Joe’s of Lafayette is kind of wild considering that, at its core, it is a grocery store. But the engagement numbers surrounding this location have been huge and rival the hype we are seeing around Buc-ee’s of Lafayette. Which, by the way, is still coming!
Inside, the store is relatively compact but filled with fresh produce, lots of meats, some nice cheeses, frozen foods, tons of snacks, bread, wine, beer, liquor, health and beauty products, and plenty of Trader Joe’s customer favorites.
Captain Johnny told us that more than 90% of the products in the store are Trader Joe’s branded. And because the stores are smaller than a standard grocery store, Trader Joe’s is selective about what makes it onto the shelves. They focus on quality-to-price ratio and products customers actually want.
There are also a few non-Trader Joe’s products, like local items, including Louisiana beers such as Abita and Parish Brewing.
Throughout the store, there are also several Acadiana & Louisiana touches, including Acadiana flags, alligators, Lafayette references, and other locally inspired art.
During our semi-exclusive visit, we asked Captain Johnny what someone visiting Trader Joe’s for the first time should try.
His recommendations included the Mandarin Orange Chicken, Chili & Lime Flavored Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips, a selection of olive oils, a crunchy chili oil, and one of his personal favorites, the Chocolate Coconut Almonds. I actually had a chance to try the almonds, and y’all! They are like little almond joys! That is definitely something I’ll be grabbing tomorrow during the store opening!
We also spotted the popular Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups along with several seasonal and limited-release items. There is a fall snack mix currently on the shelves, and we are told that once Lafayette sells through its supply, that could be all they have for the season.
I also spotted the famous Charles Shaw wine, better known as “Two Buck Chuck.” Except now it’s Four Buck Chuck, priced at $3.99.
During our conversation with Captain Johnny, he mentioned how much flexibility each Trader Joe’s store has when responding to their customers.
“Our customers are gonna tell us what they want,” Captain Johnny said when discussing what products to carry in-store.
That quote’s sentiment also carries through to their decisions when choosing a new location. Over the past decade, we have shared Trader Joe’s official store request form with our following and plenty of you filled it out. Trader Joe’s fans throughout Lafayette have also shared that same form repeatedly on their own social media pages. We see it all!
Obviously, those forms are only one part of choosing a location. Things like population, demographics, traffic, access, parking, and overall market demand all play a big part in the process.
But after years of asking *begging*, Trader Joe’s is finally here.
Captain Johnny has helped open other Trader Joe’s locations across the country and told us that he has not seen many openings with the level of buzz surrounding Lafayette, Louisiana’s opening.
And knowing how Lafayette rolls, tomorrow morning should be wild!
Trader Joe’s of Lafayette officially opens Thursday, September 17th, at 8 a.m.
For more about Trader Joe’s, visit https://www.traderjoes.com/home.
