A letter I sent to Trader Joes...
To Whomever is reading this,
I've been a shopper at Trader Joes for about 3 years now, and I've always loved the fact that the quality of a product was not compromised for the price. After all, if I wanted a more corporate feel, and higher prices, I would head right down my street to Whole Foods and probably get a better selection.
Now let me say this upfront, the words "Deionized" and "Distilled" do not mean the same thing. Distilling water is more expensive, but leads to the purest form of water. Whole foods tried this little gimmick with their 365˚ water in an attempt to beat out SmartWater. This is a blatant insult to intelligent people who purchase SmartWater for it's lack of anything (such as fluoride, chlorine, and traces of pharmaceutical drugs) only containing the purest water, and a few essential trace minerals. If you walk into a whole foods you have to walk into the isles to find SmartWater but their 365˚ brand is prominent in the drink cooler. It's frankly patronizing and that's why I do not buy my water there. Now I would expect such things from Whole Foods.
When I was told that Trader Joes would no longer carry SmartWater & would be carrying their own brand, I thought "Great it will be exactly the same as SmartWater, but with a different label." To see that Trader Joes has followed suit, and thinks that no one will know the difference, is a huge let down! I suppose it's just another sign of the times that a company would do something that increases profit but sacrifices quality, but when it's Trader Joes, well then maybe no "company" is immune.
I would to spend $80 to $100 a week on food and water from your stores. When trader Joes starts carrying either SmartWater or their own brand distilled I will bring my business back, until then I'd gladly pay $120 for my groceries and SmartWater at Whole Foods, where at least they don't pretend to be "your neighborhood grocery store"
Sincerely,
Your Demographic
