The Pre-packaged Salad Mixes, The Hawaiian Shirts, The Peppermint Bark!

The Times further investigates this peculiar phenomenon from the wrong side of the Hudson, this “Joe,” this “Trader Joe” person:

The stores are small, the selection is uneven and the corporate culture can be described as dorky. But because its products are often not available anywhere else; because they mysteriously appear, disappear, then reappear on the shelves; or perhaps simply because they often taste very, very good, Trader Joe’s has become tremendously popular among Americans who like to be entertained and educated by what they eat, as well as nourished by it.

. . .

t will soon be clear whether the cult will take hold in New York City, where scores of local retailers specialize in top-quality imported house-brand products (among them Zabar’s, Sahadi’s, or Agata & Valentina).

See also: Trader Joe’s Fan website.