Twitter | @khoaphan

Trader Joe's Hides Stuffed Animals In Store Shelves For Children To Find

Updated August 16, 2021

Parents know how difficult it can be to bring their children grocery shopping. Gone are the days of a 15- to 20-minute solo grocery run. Trying to keep a high-energy child occupied while you quickly check off the list is no small feat.

Trader Joe's is helping parents and children have a smooth shopping experience by hiding toys in aisles to make grocery shopping fun for all.

Trader Joe's doesn't advertise it, but people have been finding stuffed animals hanging in the shelves of their store aisles for years.

In a 2015 Reddit thread from the subreddit IAmA, a Trader Joe's manager, or "Mate" as they're called, revealed the little secret.

Someone asked, "I've been told that there's a lobster hidden in the store - looked for it every single time - never found it. Is there a lobster hidden somewhere?"

Twitter | @khoaphan

"Each store has a stuffed animal of some sort hiding somewhere," the manager replied.

"It's really just for kids to run around and find the missing animal, and they get a treat."

"Kids seem to LOVE it and parents go along with it too. So, I'm guessing the store your referring to has a lobster as their animal."

Twitter | @khoaphan

According to The Kitchn, the rumor is true.

“Now, I cannot say that there is one in every single store, but in general, stores typically have one," Kendra Friend-Daniel, a PR director for Trader Joe’s told The Kitchn.