I shop at Trader Joe's because there is one very near my house, and the produce is much, much better than anything you'd get at Safeway, Target, Wal*Mart, Giant Eagle, etc. Cutting open a bell pepper to find mold inside is not an experience I want to have again. Nor is buying bagged spinach and realizing that it's already turning brown and soggy.

Let's not over-idealize the situation. Trader Joe's does advertise (they keep sending me paper mail) and they do put things on sale from time to time. Thankfully, they don't have any loyalty card bullshit-- that kind of thing is always a big pain. TJ's also carries a fairly limited selection of items compared to most stores. But it turns out that having a limited selection of items that are not shit is preferable to being a giant warehouse of questionable items.