Trader Joe’s breaks regional record in Peachtree City’s first week

Trader Joe’s Peachtree City opened with “good chaos,” according to Store Manager Reggie Jones, who said the store broke a three-state regional record with nearly $1 million in sales and close to 20,000 customers in its first week.

Record-setting debut

The Peachtree City store topped all Trader Joe’s locations in Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee for opening-week sales. “We set records for Trader Joe’s and the region,” Jones said. “We pretty much finished a little under a million. It was a great turnout — very busy, very fun.”

Keeping shelves full

The first few days tested the team’s endurance. “We would put up two things on the shelf, and the customers would take down four or five,” Jones said. “But that’s a good thing.” By the second week, he said, “the shelves are pretty much restocked,” encouraging customers who missed favorites early on to return.

Human touch in ordering

Jones explained that Trader Joe’s stores manage their own inventory manually. “We don’t have any direction of it in the store. We do all the ordering ourselves,” he said. “It’s not computerized. We just look at the demand and kind of go off what we did for that one week.” Frozen foods, especially Mandarin Orange Chicken, topped the list of most-requested items.

Holiday treats and contests

The store is now featuring its regional “demo contest” product — the almond Kringle. “Come out and buy that almond Kringle, help us win the contest,” Jones said. “It’s delicious.” He added that holiday candies are arriving this week, displayed near the entrance.

Community support from near and far

Shoppers have come from across South Metro Atlanta and beyond. “We’re pulling from about 10 cities,” Jones said. “They saw us working so hard last week and were saying, ‘Hang in there, you guys got this.’ Those kind words meant a lot.”

Looking ahead

After an intense launch, Jones said the team is “able to maintain a little better with the back room and all of the product.” He laughed that even the store manager was on the floor restocking boxes. “At the end of that week, my back was hurting so much — in a good way,” he said. “It’s been cool.”