Trader Joe’s caravan treks from Myrtle Beach to NC just to grocery shop
Myrtle Beach might seem to have it all: Amusement parks, beaches, more restaurants per capita than Paris and so much more shopping than a region of 490,000 people would normally be afforded.
You know what Myrtle Beach doesn’t have?
Trader Joe’s. And yeah, a lot of people are bitter about that.
The nearest locations are in Mount Pleasant, outside of Charleston, and Wilmington, N.C. Either one is 70-plus miles away from Myrtle Beach proper. On a good day, it’s about an hour and a half drive each way.
One group, however, isn’t perturbed by the distance. Every few weeks, in fact, it takes a dozen people on trips to the Wilmington area for a day of learning, eating and, seriously, a trip to Trader Joe’s.
The group? Senior Adventures in Learning and Travel, also known as SALT.
SALT was set up during the pandemic by Kelli Barker and Carole Osborne, who realized that many retirees had been suddenly left alone without much connection to the outside world.
“It’s a lot of isolation for older students,” Carole said, referring to the “students” in the SALT program.
SALT offers classes on cooking, art, history and more, excursions to restaurants and, yes, they go to Trader Joe’s pretty regularly. Though, Kelli and Carole are quick to point out that “going to TJ’s” is just one of the many things SALT does.
“We’ve been privy to the wonderful, wonderful, encouraging words they’ve given us that without SALT during the pandemic, they’re not sure what they would have done,” Kelli said. “We were the link for the longest time of just (any) type of communication.”
SALT’s most recent trip to Trader Joe’s (and more) was last Thursday. Eleven people — nine students, Kelli and Carole — piled into a passenger van headed north. The day was packed: The group started out by visiting a Buddhist monastery in Bolivia, N.C., before heading to the Pilot House restaurant in Wilmington for lunch and finally stopping at Trader Joe’s.
In the van, the group discussed keeping busy in retirement. Some of them talked about starting new businesses after leaving their traditional jobs, and they talked about how much they enjoyed SALT.
“When you retire, you have to have a purpose that you can work toward,” said Sheila Rudesill. “It’s a very important thing — try lots of different things, and what you have to do is find the things that make you happy, that make you feel good.”
A love for Trader Joe’s
The group was full of grocery store aficionados. On the drive, they discussed what they liked about Wegmans, a chain whose closest location is in North Carolina, and Stew Leonard’s, which is exclusively in the northeast.
Despite Trader Joe’s fame for selling “Two-Buck Chuck” wine (which is now, erm, 3.50- to 4-buck chuck, due to inflation), few people who go on SALT trips actually buy any alcohol.
“It’s the food that they’re after,” Kelli said. “It’s their specialties, something that they can’t get anywhere else.”
Sheila is the biggest fan of Trader Joe’s in the group. One person in the van suggested that Sheila should teach a SALT class called “Sheila and the things she likes at Trader Joe’s,” while another said she would be following Sheila around the store to make sure to get the best haul.
These trips, in many ways, are about more than just learning and getting to visit Trader Joe’s. For some people, SALT is a major part of their social life. And many of them live alone, having lost their spouses and partners as they got older. Those on Thursday’s trip ranged in age from their 50s up to their 80s.
Having stuffed themselves full at the Pilot House restaurant in Wilmington at lunchtime, the group piled back in the van, nicknamed “SALTY,” to head to Trader Joe’s. The jokes started flying.
“Alright Carole, you gotta give them a time limit,” Kelli said, noting Sheila was with them, who is liable to spend two-plus hours in the store.
Sheila protested, “I’m good. I know exactly what I want. I will be very good.”
Rina Klein, from the back, then called out the top 10 most popular products at Trader Joe’s from an article she found online. The list included cookie butter (“That is wonderful on apples,” Sheila noted), Bloody Mary salsa, cauliflower gnocchi, “Everything but the Bagel” seasoning and mandarin orange chicken.
“Glad we are eating before TJ’s, because I’d wanna buy everything,” Rina said.
“You’re never supposed to go shopping hungry,” Susan Weisenburger said.
Easy to make, affordable food
The obsession with Trader Joe’s comes in part because of the quality of the food. However, it’s also a matter of food accessibility and affordability.
Sheila said she enjoys cooking and has even taken culinary classes at Horry-Georgetown Technical College, but Trader Joe’s offers numerous high-quality, healthy, frozen meals that are easy for her to prepare. And the prices are often much lower than similar offerings at other grocery stores.
“I like a meal, but I like it to be easy,” Sheila said. Two of her favorites are the mandarin orange chicken and the veggie fried rice. Despite both options being something that can be prepared in the microwave, which isn’t usually a sign of quality, she said, “The food is good, and it’s not gigantic quantities.”
When the group arrived at the grocery store, Kelli looked at Sheila and said, “Go ahead, Sheila, get an early start.”
The group zoomed into the store, grabbing baskets and filling them with frozen foods, plants, cheese and so much more.
Susan bought a begonia with red flowers, among other items.
“I never see these, but this is the second time at Trader Joe’s!” she said.
Walking back to the van holding a bag crammed with goods, Linda Dolittle said, “I was only going to get one thing. It’s all Sheila’s fault.” Her embarrassment over her haul couldn’t be judged by anyone else there. She had just one bag, and it was by far the smallest of anyone’s.
Sheila, miraculously, wasn’t the last person back to the van. Though, she did have three bags overflowing with food.
The final straggler was Rina.
“I’m sorry y’all for making you wait. I didn’t realize I wasn’t the last one,” Rina called from across the parking lot as she speedwalked to the van.
“I’m just glad I wasn’t the last one,” Sheila said.
As Kelli watched the passengers cram their goods into the van, she called it a “Trader Joe’s party.”
“It’s a packing party,” Ellen Jampole said.
On the way back, the group discussed how they still wish Myrtle Beach had its own Trader Joe’s, even if their trips to Wilmington are a lot of fun.
There was mention of starting a petition to get the company to bring one to the Grand Strand. Rina said she asked her cashier what he knew about plans to bring one to Myrtle Beach. While he couldn’t give her a definitive answer, he did tell her that the store gets quite a few visitors from Myrtle Beach and Jacksonville, N.C., who come to Wilmington exclusively to shop at Trader Joe’s. And it’s not like Myrtle Beach isn’t getting new grocery stores. New Publix and Food Lion stores are coming to the region all the time.
“I’m excited though!” Rina said of the possibility that Myrtle Beach could get its own TJ’s someday.
In the meantime, the 70 miles of highway between them and Trader Joe’s is just a small barrier.
