There Actually Is A Way To Get Trader Joe's Groceries Delivered

Shopping at Trader Joe's has its perks, from the massive cost savings to the unique foods on its shelves. Since most of its products are private label, you may not find them anywhere else. The downside is that you must go to a physical store to buy what you need — Trader Joe's is one of the few grocery store chains that doesn't offer delivery services or curbside pickup. Its website allows customers to browse the products and add them to their shopping lists, but they cannot order online. Your only option is to print the shopping list, and then visit a nearby Trader Joe's. Alternatively, you could use a third-party service like TaskRabbit and let someone else do the shopping for you.

TaskRabbit is an online platform that connects consumers with local service providers, or "Taskers." The latter include pet sitters, electricians, personal assistants, handymen, and everything in between. So, if you're short on time, you can hire a Tasker to buy what you need from Trader Joe's and deliver it to your doorstep. 

Launched in 2008, TaskRabbit is the brainchild of Leah Busque, a former engineer. One day, she realized that it would be great to have someone run errands for her family, but this kind of service didn't exist at the time. Busque registered the domain name RunMyErrand, which later became TaskRabbit. Her business grew over the years and was acquired by IKEA in 2017.

Today, all you have to do is sign up for a free account, describe what you need, and connect with a Tasker in your area. If, say, you want to get Trader Joe's groceries delivered, you'll hire a personal assistant. Most Taskers who provide this service will charge around $20 per hour, depending on your location and requirements. Apart from that, you'll have to pay a service fee that goes to TaskRabbit.

The best part is that you can browse Taskers by availability (including same-day service), rates, reputation, and number of completed tasks. The platform will display any profiles that meet your criteria, along with customer reviews. Book a Tasker, and then hand them your grocery list or tell them what you need from Trader Joe's. There's also the option to hire Elite Taskers who have a positive rating of 98% or higher.

Trader Joe's has 564 stores in 417 cities across the U.S., but going grocery shopping isn't always an option. Perhaps you're feeling sick or need to complete a project over the next few hours. Or, maybe you have an endless to-do list. In such cases, TaskRabbit can be a lifesaver, as Trader Joe's unfortunately doesn't plan to offer delivery services anytime soon. The store provided this service in New York City a few years ago but decided to cancel it in March 2019. "Instead of passing along unsustainable cost increases to our customers, removing delivery will allow us to continue offering outstanding values and to make better use of valuable space in our stores," Trader Joe's said in an email statement (via Supermarket News).

Matt Sloan, the company's Vice President of Marketing, explained on the 24th episode of "Inside Trader Joe's" podcast that implementing an online delivery system is just too complicated. "It's something that takes months or years to plan, build, and implement, and it requires tremendous resources." Luckily, online platforms like TaskRabbit can streamline grocery shopping, eliminating the hassle of waiting in line when you're on a tight schedule.