Trader Joe's Friends w/ Amanda Montell

Summary

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The Nightly – "Trader Joe's Friends" w/ Amanda Montell

Date: July 14, 2026
Host: Amanda Montell (guest host for the week)
Guest: Listener Katie (from Atlanta)
Theme: Grocery store interactions, Trader Joe’s culture, nostalgia, and finding everyday connection

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Episode Overview

This cozy, late-night episode of The Nightly is guest hosted by author and podcaster Amanda Montell. The main theme is the magic and meaning in casual human connections at the grocery store, with a special focus on the beloved culture at Trader Joe’s. Amanda chats with listener Katie about the joys (and challenges) of chatting with checkout clerks, dips into Trader Joe’s company lore, and shares nostalgic memories from their mutual hometown of Baltimore. The tone is warm, conversational, and peppered with witty banter, making for a comforting bedtime listen.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Nightly Routines and Odd Late-Night Interests

• Amanda’s Viewing Habits (00:01–02:26)
  • Amanda introduces herself and the episode.
  • She shares an unusual choice for bedtime viewing: a documentary about a perfectly-preserved Inca mummy on a Peruvian mountain, which leads her to reflect on human history and meaning-making.
  • Notable Quote:

    “Maybe not the healthiest thing in the world, but hey, the curiosity, it gets me every time.” — Amanda (02:27)

2. The Joy of Grocery Store Chats

• Katie’s Call-In: Embracing Small Interactions (02:58–03:44)
  • Katie, calling from Atlanta, describes how she formerly avoided checkout line chit-chat, preferring solitude, but now treasures those human interactions—especially at Trader Joe’s.
  • She asks Amanda’s perspective on small talk with store staff.
• Amanda’s Response: Trader Joe's as a “Cult Brand” (03:45–05:01)
  • Amanda, whose work often covers “cultish” cultural phenomena, discusses her fascination with Trader Joe’s community-driven ethos.
  • She notes the corporate encouragement of cashier friendliness, fostering what she calls a “weird celebrity crush-type relationship.”
  • Notable Quote:

    “The higher ups do encourage Trader Joe’s cashiers to… be super friendly, strike up a relationship with their clientele.” — Amanda (04:05)

3. Memorable Interactions & Trader Joe’s Kindness

• Personal Stories and Acts of Kindness (05:02–07:55)
  • Katie shares that cashiers’ smiles and youthful energy make her feel welcome, often adding music and movie recommendations to her world.
  • Amanda recounts a listener’s story where a Trader Joe’s cashier bought a customer flowers after a breakup, revealing cashiers have a budget for small acts of kindness.
  • Notable Quote:

    “That small random act of kindness from an effective stranger… put such a smile on her face.” — Amanda (06:00)

  • Katie shares her own experience shopping with her active toddler and always feeling welcomed, never rushed or judged.

4. Comparing Grocery Store Cultures

• Whole Foods, Publix, and “Kiss, Marry, Kill” (07:55–10:53)
  • Katie mentions that Whole Foods pushes self-checkout but she still seeks human interaction.
  • Amanda relates her husband’s experiences working as a bagger in his youth, highlighting the value of friendly customers.
  • Katie praises Publix’s southern hospitality, especially staff who help bring groceries to the car.
  • Amanda proposes a lighthearted “Kiss, Marry, Kill” game:
    • Katie’s response:
      • Marry Trader Joe’s (“queens of it all”)
      • Kiss Publix (“love a gentleman who will help with my bags”)
      • Kill Whole Foods (“I don’t appreciate a self checkout. Like, no, thank you”)
  • Memorable Banter:

    “When I imagine the Publix kiss, I imagine just like a southern gentleman kissing you gently on the hand as they load your milk cartons into your trunk for you.” — Amanda (10:53) “Exactly. Calling me ma’am, madam, you know, doing all those things.” — Katie (11:09)

5. Nostalgic Baltimore Connections

• Small World Moments and Maryland Foods (11:18–15:22)
  • Amanda and Katie discover they both grew up in Baltimore, reminisce about local grocery stores (Growls), shared haunts, and iconic foods.
  • They bond over UTZ crab chips, with Amanda describing family shipments after moving to California and Katie sharing the same tradition in Atlanta.
  • Amanda describes visiting the UTZ Factory in Pennsylvania—a tip for fellow snack superfans.
  • Notable Quotes:

    “The grocery store is such a nostalgic place. I’m loving that we have this hometown connection.” — Amanda (13:07)
    “UTZ’s crab chips, for those who may not be familiar, are just these, like, really thin, delicious, perfect potato chips covered in, essentially, Old Bay seasoning.” — Amanda (14:26)

6. The Power of Everyday Connection

• Reflections and Farewell (15:22–16:13)
  • The conversation closes with mutual appreciation for their Baltimore roots and the simple joys of connecting with strangers—be it at Trader Joe’s or through a nostalgic chip delivery.
  • Amanda encourages more listeners to write or call in with their own late-night thoughts.

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Memorable Quotes & Moments (by Timestamp)

• 02:27 — Amanda: “Maybe not the healthiest thing in the world, but hey, the curiosity, it gets me every time.”
• 04:05 — Amanda: “The higher ups do encourage Trader Joe’s cashiers to… be super friendly, strike up a relationship with their clientele.”
• 06:00 — Amanda: “That small random act of kindness from an effective stranger… put such a smile on her face.”
• 10:53 — Amanda: “When I imagine the Publix kiss, I imagine just like a southern gentleman kissing you gently on the hand as they load your milk cartons into your trunk for you.”
• 13:07 — Amanda: “The grocery store is such a nostalgic place. I’m loving that we have this hometown connection.”
• 14:26 — Amanda: “UTZ’s crab chips, for those who may not be familiar, are just these, like, really thin, delicious, perfect potato chips covered in, essentially, Old Bay seasoning.”

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Notable Segments by Timestamp

• 00:01–02:27 – Amanda’s intro and her fascination with macabre bedtime YouTube
• 02:58–05:36 – Katie’s thoughts on grocery store chit-chat & Amanda’s take on “cult” brands
• 05:36–07:55 – Stories about Trader Joe’s cashiers and policies
• 08:11–10:53 – Whole Foods vs. Publix; the art of small talk; Kiss/Marry/Kill game
• 11:18–15:22 – Baltimore reminiscing; local grocery stores and iconic regional snacks
• 15:22–16:13 – Closing reflections, listener invitation

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Episode Takeaways

• Trader Joe’s invests in genuinely friendly customer interactions, and these small moments can become anchors of joy in people’s routines.
• Nostalgia and hometown foods are powerful connectors—often transcending distance and time.
• Everyday places like grocery stores are rich with potential for meaningful, if fleeting, human connection.
• Warmth, openness, and kindness in mundane spaces ripple outward (as with Trader Joe’s small acts for customers, or a simple song rec in the checkout line).

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For more comfort, laughter, and late-night ramblings, follow The Nightly or write in with your own stories for future cozy conversations.

Transcript

[A]

Audio for sleep by hatch. Hi, I'm Amanda. Welcome to the Nightly from Hatch, where your late night thoughts go to rest. Hi there, I'm Amanda Montel, author of books including Cultish and hosts of podcasts including Sounds Like a Cult, taking over the Nightly for the week. If you want to come on the show to talk about anything that's on your mind, email us or send us a voice memo to thenightlyach co. But first I wanted to talk a little bit about something that's been on my mind lately. I'm a big YouTube watcher. YouTube Premium Girly. I love watching videos about science, space, anthropology. I watch cooking videos and stuff like that too. But recently my algorithm served me this video that is living rent free in my head. It's about this mummy that was found at the top of an extremely high peak in Peru. The mummy belonged to a 14 year old girl who passed away at the top of this mountain like five or six hundred years ago. And her body remained perfectly preserved. And this documentary was all about investigating how she got up there, how she died, what her life was like and I guess like spoiler alert. But she was like a very special sun goddess child of the Inca empire who went up there to become a human sacrifice to the sun gods. And I was just like really spinning out about her story and just the history of human beings beliefs and how we make meaning and how much has changed since then all over the world.

[B]

So.

[A]

So yeah, that's just a little bit about the type of thing I like to watch before bed. Maybe not the healthiest thing in the world, but hey, the curiosity, it gets me every time. But I want to transition into chatting with the listener who called in today. Katie, welcome. Where are you from and what's on your mind tonight? Mummies.

[B]

Hi, I'm so happy to be here. I am calling from Atlanta and I have on my mind. I've been thinking about the grocery store a lot and my experience there. And I used to be the kind of person who dreaded the checkout line. I just wanted to get my groceries and put in my headphones and get out of there. But lately I've really come to enjoy the random chit chat with the cashiers, particularly at Trader Joe's. They're always sweet and conversational. It's kind of like this brief jolt of human interaction that I've really come to enjoy. So I'm wondering, where do you stand on that? Do you appreciate those little moments of chatter? Or when you get in the checkout line, do you Just want to get out of there and protect your piece.

[A]

Okay. I am definitely erring on the side of chatting up the checkout person especially, especially at Trader Joe's because I weirdly know a lot the history of Trader Joe's and how they run their business because it is a cult followed brand and cult followed brands are like kind of my beat. But I think it's so funny how some people have like not a parasocial because you do know them in real life but have this kind of like a weird celebrity crush type relationship with their Trader Joe's checkout person. And the higher ups do encourage Trader Joe's checkout folks cashiers to you know, like be super friendly, strike up a relationship with their clientele. Like the, you know, tagline is your neighborhood grocery store even though it's like a massive chain. So I totally get why Trader Joe's cashiers would, would bring out your inner extrovert. Have you had any significant interactions with your Trader Joe's checkers? Check out people who have made you like a convert to being like a chattier gal at the grocery stor store?

[B]

I find that the smile goes a long way and that is automatically makes me want to chat with them which I always appreciate. And also they tend to be at least at my location closest to me on the younger side. So I'm always getting fun wrecks of like what are they doing on the weekends? What music are they listening to? Movie recommendations. You know, I appreciate just a different flavor of conversation and recommendations that aren't in my everyday. Especially the music recommendations. Those are so fun.

[A]

That reflects so well on you that you're like so open to the youth's recommendations as opposed to feeling like curmudgeonly and closed off about it. That is such a good quality. I try to be that way too when I can. Like whenever, you know, my. My husband has a 20 year old sister and you know, I. Yeah, it's good, it's good, it's good to stay young by like actually listening carefully to what the youth have to say. And you bringing this up reminds me of a story that I heard while while researching Trader Joe's for a project a few years ago. This woman told a story about how she, you know, was frequenting her regular Trader Joe's and this one particular day she had just gone through a breakup and one of her favorite Trader Joe's cashiers bought her a bouquet of flowers from Trader Joe's and gave it to her to make her feel better. This is like a smile on steroids. And it really did. It was like that small random act of kindness from an effective stranger that, well, definitely made her more loyal to Trader Joe's. That's a cynical way of thinking about it. But it also just like put such a smile on her face. And she learned later that Trader Joe's cashiers actually have like a budget or a quota. They're like allowed to buy little gifts for guests sometimes if they seem like they really need it. Which I think is like a very sweet policy that Trader Joe's has.

[B]

That is so sweet and so wholesome and truly just made me even more of a Trader Joe's Stan. Knowing that story also knowing that or a story that kind of goes along with that is sometimes I'll be in there with my three year old daughter who's, you know, a menace and they don't blink an eye. Like they are so sweet about the chaos and giving her stickers and interacting with her and really going on the journey of having a toddler in that store with me. I never feel judged or that I need to hurry or anything like that. They very much include her. So yeah, honestly I didn't mean to make this like an ad for Trader Joe's, but truly like kindness is contagious and they are riding that wave and I'm here for it. I love it.

[A]

Me too. Honestly. Okay, so maybe then let's, let's do some comparing and contrasting. Are there other grocery stores whose names were we're willing to invoke, whose cashiers you've also struck up conversations with?

[B]

You know, I will say Whole Foods, they push the self checkout a lot and which like when you're on a pinch, great. But I really do prefer the, the human to human. So I'll go to, if I have more than just a handful of items, I'll go to the, the cashier and they're generally pretty kind to. I wouldn't say as chatty as Trader Joe's, but definitely still chatty. Especially if you start the conversation. If you open it up, you. As in if I do, the shopper usually get a pretty good response.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. It does feel like the ball is in your court as the shopper to, you know, strike up a conversation, break the ice. And I'm sure they really appreciate it. I mean I've never worked in a grocery store. In high school and college I always worked in restaurants. But when my husband was in high school, he was a grocery store like bag boy. I don't know if that's the Politically correct term for the bagger. Bagger. Bagger, yeah. Bagger. Sorry. I don't want to be. I want to be respectful of those who put the items in the bags. But, yeah, it was like, it was a really grueling job for him. And, you know, he was, like, always on his feet. And a lot of customers are just, like, pretty dismissive. And so I'm sure as a teenager, he would have really appreciated someone like you asking him for his music recommendations. Never mind that they would have been My Chemical Romance and Panic at the Disco, and you would have been like, oh, thanks, kid. But, you know, I think you probably would have made his day.

[B]

I would have totally. I would have respected those wrecks 100%. Also, I live in the south now, in Atlanta, as I mentioned. And Publix is a. Is a big chain here. And I gotta say, that squad, also super kind, The Baggers, as you mentioned, they will bring your groceries to your car. They will unload your cart for you, bring your cart back for you. Like southern hospitality. Publix, it's really also going a long way for me.

[A]

Okay, Katie, so here's a game for you. Kiss, marry, kill, Publix, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's. Just the whole general grocery store experience.

[B]

Okay. I think I would have to go Trader Joe's, Mary, because we love them. They're just the queens of it all. Kiss. I think I'd probably go Publix, because I love a gentleman who will take. Help me with my cart to. With my bags to my car. Yeah. And then kill. I'm gonna have to say Whole Food. Sorry, I don't appreciate a self checkout. Like, no, thank you.

[A]

I'm with ya. I'm absolutely with ya. Yeah. When I imagine the public's kiss, I imagine just like a southern gentleman kissing you gently on the hand as they load your milk cartons into your trunk for you.

[B]

Exactly. Calling me ma', am, you know, doing all those things, or madam Calling me ma'. Am. Madam? Yes.

[A]

Can you imagine?

[B]

Madam?

[A]

Yeah. Growing up our neighborhood grocery store. I grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, and our neighborhood grocery store.

[B]

So did I.

[A]

Wait, you did. Katie, where did you go to high school?

[B]

Yeah, I went to Garrison Forest.

[A]

You did not. Well, I didn't go there, but I knew a lot of people who did go there. And my youth orchestra rehearsed there every Saturday.

[B]

Oh, my God. Okay, maybe we were breathing the same air and knew each other.

[A]

Definitely. When did you graduate high school?

[B]

I graduated in 2005.

[A]

Oh, okay. So you're a little Older than me. I graduated in 2010. Is that right? But, yeah, I know Garrison Forest very well.

[B]

I'm a senior citizen.

[A]

Yes. Yes. No, you're a proper millennial. We now. I mean, five years back then would have felt like a lot, but now we're the same age somehow. That's how math work. Yeah, but okay, so then, you know my. My local grocery store when I grew up, which was Growls. Did you ever go to Growls?

[B]

Oh, yes.

[A]

I love grouse.

[B]

Their chicken salad is legendary. Yeah.

[A]

Wait, I'm crying. I cannot believe you grew up in Baltimore. That's so crazy. I went to. I went to Carver center for arts and Technology for high school.

[B]

Awesome. Amazing. Yeah, I grew up in Hunt Valley, kind of near St. Paul's and, yeah, I was in Owings Mills all the time. Was at Growls. A lot. A lot, a lot.

[A]

I love growls. Growls for the listener was, like, a quainter more, I would say, like, premium grocery store. It felt fancy, did it not? It was, like, very small and had, like, good cheese. At least that's my memory of it.

[B]

Really good samples.

[A]

Yeah. Yeah.

[B]

Really good crab salad. Yummy, yummy sides.

[A]

The grocery store is such a nostalgic place. I'm loving that we have this hometown connection. Hometown hero. You know, not to get, like, too Maryland about all this, but do you. Do you ever. I don't know if you're on the east coast still, but I'm on the west coast, and they don't have UTS potato chips here. And so my husband, who's also from Baltimore, his mom ships us crab chips so that I can enjoy them even in California.

[B]

Okay. Literally, I can't relate to this hard enough. I used to live in L. A. We would also ship them. And just the plane and the crab. I prefer the plane. My husband's Chilean. Was like, what the hell is this? And I was like, this is going to change your mind. Since then, we still ship them to our house in Atlanta.

[A]

Oh, my God.

[B]

I think they're available, actually, easily online. But, yes, I relate to that. And UTS is, like, the best. We served tall boy natty Bo at my wedding. We. We love Baltimore goods. Wait.

[A]

That warms my heart so much. Also. Duh. You said you were from Atlanta when we first got on, but I was way too distracted by this Maryland connection to remember. That's incredible. Yeah. Ut's crab chips, for those who may not be familiar, are just these, like, really thin, delicious, perfect potato chips covered in, essentially, old bay seasoning. I am such an utt. Super fan. I have visited the UTZ Factory, the hq. I don't know if you've ever been there.

[B]

What? Yeah.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Say more.

[A]

Oh, well, you can just walk through and observe the factory goings on and, you know, watch how magic is made. And then they have like a really good gift shop where you can get all the. The UTs paraphernalia your heart could ever desire. I highly recommend it. It's in, I think it's technically in Southern Pennsylvania, the UTS Factory. But if anyone's drive, if everyone's going on a road trip and you want like a fun side roadside attraction, hit up the UTS Factory. It's a delight.

[B]

Okay. Putting that on my list of to do when I'm back up in Baltimore. That's amazing.

[A]

Oh, I love that. Well, Katie, I could not have enjoyed this conversation more. We are clearly like practically family because we grew up so close to each other.

[B]

Yeah, you're not my sister.

[A]

No, we're related. I am so charmed by this. Charmed for Charm City. Hello. And so I want to thank you so much for coming and sharing your. Your grocery store tidbit. This is, this is really bringing out even more of an inner extrovert in me. And to the listeners, if you want to come on the show in the future to talk about anything that's on your mind and even meet a future sister, if you get lucky, email us or send a voice memo to the nightlyatch co. Katie, have a lovely night.

[B]

So great to meet you. Amanda. Have a good.

[A]

To learn more about our phone free light and audio experience, head to Hatch co. You can also follow us at HatchPodcasts.