Demographic Profile
AMM 120 Nov. 26, 2014
Tara Kitada
AMM 120
Kitada
Introduction
Trader Joes is a not a typical grocery store, it stock consists of almost 80% private label
products. The company tries to be a local market that caters to the community much like a mom
and pop store. Each store has customized visuals to the city of the grocer. For example, the Brea
franchise has historical Brea street signs painted on the back wall to promote the old town feel.
The staff wears Hawaiian shirts to reinforce the vacation/ jetsetter atmosphere. The products are
for the health conscience consumer since many of the products offered are vegetarian, vegan,
gluten free, and non-GMO. The packaging also reflects the culture of the cuisine inside. For
example, the orange chicken is labeled as “Trader Mings” instead of “Trader Joes.” I chose this
business because it is one of my favorite stores to buy my groceries from. I also think the
diversity in the store is interesting to observe. I’ve seen elderly people shopping next to
Millennials and both reach for the same product. Not many companies can cater to the
dissonance in multiple generations.
Demographics (Sieting, 2012)

Age: 20 -60 yrs. old

Female

$50,000 - $70,000

Race was not specified

Single

Employed

Bachelor’s degree or higher

While I could not find a specific source showing the family structure, the packaging and
grouping products in fours makes one assume that there are targeting approximately four
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people per household.
Psychographics
The target consumer for a Trader Joes has a sense of adventure. “Joe identified the well
educated, adventurous middle class as his target market” (Coriolis, 2006). But as an educated
and adventurous person, the target customer is also immensely busy. The consumer is focused on
eating healthy and maintaining a balanced diet. Lifestyle is important to the consumer. For
example, many of the consumers are vegetarian or vegan so they tend to cook at home more than
eating out due to the limited options. The original Joe, founder Joe Coulombe, said he targeted
the out of work professor because the education is there, but also the need for a good deal.
There is also a target for the college students or recently graduated students who are
becoming educated, lacking funds, and needing healthier options. This section of the market is
focus on where the products are sourced from and whether or not they were made ethically.
Trader Joe’s has catered to this crowd by purchasing Fair Trade coffee beans and chocolate.
Many of the frozen meals offered by Trader Joe’s are targeted at this group as well as the
working mother since they are the healthier option to fast food or other name brand products in
regular grocers.
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Analysis
Brea
Orange
County
California
Population, 2013 estimate
40,963
Female persons, percent, 2010
51.2%
50.5%
50.3%
White alone, percent, 2010
67.1%
74.1%
57.6%
Black or African American alone, percent, 2010
1.4%
2.1%
6.2%
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, percent, 2010
0.5%
1.1%
1.0%
18.2%
19.2%
13.0%
0.2%
0.4%
0.4%
4.4%
3.2%
4.9%
Hispanic or Latino, percent, 2010 (b)
25.0%
34.2%
37.6%
White alone, not Hispanic or Latino, percent, 2010
52.7%
42.6%
40.1%
High school graduate or higher 2008-2012
91.1%
83.6%
81.0%
Bachelor's degree or higher2008-2012
41.0%
36.6%
30.5%
2.81
3.01
2.93
$82,055
$75,566
$61,400
Asian alone, percent, 2010
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone,
percent, 2010
Two or More Races, percent, 2010
Persons per household
Median household income, 2008-2012

3,114,363 38,332,521
(Census, 2014)
The major employer Jones Lang La Salle Real Estate Management employs
roughly 1,000-4,999 employees.
The Brea location of Trader Joe’s has a clientele whose income is much higher than the
typical target customer. Based on the community’s education statistics, Brea’s population fits in
well with the educated segment of the Trader Joe’s target consumer’s demographics. In regards
to the actual products that Trader Joes offers to the Brea location, I feel the store is blossoming.
The packaging reflects the target consumer’s household size with many products containing 4
servings. The food stocked in the stores is supposed to emulate the delicacies that a jetsetter
would consume during a vacation and the Brea income allows for vacations. On my visit to the
store on Friday, Nov. 22, 2014 at 3:15pm, I noticed many of the typical demographics that
Trader Joe’s targets. Many of the customers were female ages 20 to 30, but many had their
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boyfriends/husbands with them. I could not tell their education or income levels based on my
observation.
The location of this Trader Joe’s is prime due to its proximity to several universities,
colleges, and suburbs. Cal State Fullerton and Fullerton College are with in twenty minute drive.
This particular section of Brea is known as tri-city because three city’s boarders touch. Trader
Joe’s is able to target Brea, Placentia, and Fullerton residents in this strategic location. It is also
very close to the 57 Freeway allowing easy access for the community. I believe this location is
catering well to its clientele who are slightly different than their designated target market.
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Works Cited
Coriolis Reseach. 2006. Understanding Trader Joes. Retrieved from:
http://www.coriolisresearch.com/pdfs/coriolis_understanding_trader_joes_final.pd
f
Sieting, Terry. 2012. Trader Joe’s Marketing Plan. Retrieved from:
http://www.slideshare.net/sietingt/trader-joes-digital-marketing-plan
U.S. Census Bureau: State and County QuickFacts. Data derived from Population Estimates,
American Community Survey, Census of Population and Housing, County Business
Patterns, Economic Census, Survey of Business Owners, Building Permits, Census of
Governments. (2014). Retrieved:
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06/0608100.html
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