The Trader Joe's Policy You're Not Taking Advantage Of But Should

There's a reason Trader Joe's has a cult-like following. Sure, the parking lots always seem to be too small, but walk inside the store, and you'll quickly learn a number of Trader Joe's policies create very happy customers. But many shoppers are not even taking advantage of every, well, advantage of shopping there (via Insider).

One of the best policies at Trader Joe's that is often not used by customers is that you can try almost any edible product before you buy it. That does not mean that customers can go around the store opening anything they think they might like, but it does mean an employee can. Things like prepared foods, produce, and snacks can all be sampled prior to checkout with the help and supervision of staff (via PopSugar).

Among the few items that are not available for pre-sale sampling are frozen items and baking mixes. Generally, anything that needs to be cooked or prepared at home cannot be opened and tried at the store.

If you want to try a bite of cheese, a new kind of snack, or an unusual prepared food item, those all get the green light for in-store sampling. However, if you are unsure of a product and cannot sample it in the store, that's when Trader Joe's second generous policy comes into play: return any item you aren't loving (via Delish).

Trader Joe's allows customers to bring back almost any item with, or without a receipt. Even food items that have been opened and consumed can be returned, within reason. Basically, anything that is sold and does not meet the customer's satisfaction can be returned or exchanged. That is a policy that goes way above that of many other grocery stores.

So, the next time you visit Trader Joe's, try something new! If you can't find an available store employee to help you out (which is unlikely!), you can always bring it back to the store.