I travel across the US border to shop at Trader Joe’s

If you can’t be bothered with your weekly Trader Joe’s run then imagine having to travel across the US border to stock up on your favorite items.

TikTok user Tara Michelle does just that – traveling from Ontario, Canada, to her nearest Trader Joe’s outlet – which is a four-hour drive away.

‘My mom and I usually do this quarterly, but we haven’t been in six months, and my stock up at home had run out,’ Tara Michelle said in a recent video.

Once they had crossed the border, Tara and her mom headed into the store to begin their shopping.

‘They were already running low on the chicken soup dumplings, and I did make the move where I took all of them,’ she admitted, showing herself sweeping all the boxes into her shopping cart.

‘I felt kind of bad about it, honestly, but at the same time, you know, like, we drove a distance,’ she quipped.

She then stocked up on boxes of her favorite crackers, which included the Fig and Olive Crisps and the Everything but the Bagel seasoned crackers, before moving on to the dips.

Tara also grabbed her favorite ravioli – sweetcorn, burrata and basil, shredded cheddar cheese, chili crunch, lemon pesto sauce and some seasonal popcorn.

‘I can’t even tell you how excited I am to have all my things,’ she said enthusiastically.

‘This was a good haul,’ she continued. ‘Like, I got everything I wanted and more.’

Tara said she always travels with coolers to store the frozen and cold items on the journey back.

After leaving Trader Joes, Tara went into Target to have a browse.

‘I did get some candles because I burn a candle every single day – and you can never have too many candles,’ she shared.

After picking up some B**tching Sauce – which Tara noted they don’t sell in Canada – and flavored coffee creamer, because they are ‘just way better in the US,’ Tara and her parents went to Crumbl Cookies for a sweet treat on the way home. 

The family even stopped by a winery near Niagara Falls for her dad to pick up some bottles.

‘This is always the best day, I am very happy,’ she gushed. ‘And I can’t wait to do it all again in a couple of months.’ 

Commenters loved Tara’s commitment to Trader Joes – although had some suggestions for next time.

‘Taking all the soup dumplings is CRIMINAL,’ one user wrote indignantly. ‘But I would’ve done the same lowkey.’ 

‘I found some truffle aioli and you haaaave to take it with you next time, it’s so good,’ another Trader Joe’s enthusiast wrote.

‘Not sure if you have Costco near you but their soup dumplings are similar if not the same as the Trader Joe’s dumplings,’ suggested another.

Tara isn’t the only one without a Trader Joe’s nearby that gets excited to visit the grocery chain.

In May, seniors from Northeast High School’s graduating class in Pasadena, Maryland, got the hopes of its 24,000 residents up with a fake banner announcing that a Trader Joe’s location would be up and running by spring of 2025.

While Trader Joe’s does have 10 out of its nearly 600 locations in the Old Line state, sadly, none are in the town of Pasadena – though the closest location in, Annapolis, is just under a 25-minute drive away.