Trader Joe’s Beallera

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Trader Joe's is a specialty market chain now owned by the German company Aldi. For some reason the Wikipedia page goes to some length to obscure this fact. They have stores in many US states. They sell a lot of organic produce, and their own label food items. They have very inexpensive but good-quality wines and beers, as well as very inexpensive but awful-quality wines and beers.

A bright spot is very high-quality Belgian chocolate of several different styles, in 500 gram bars.

They were one of the first mass marketers in the US to sell orchids in spike or flower at a very low price. They sell mericlones, mostly without name tags. Phalaenopsis and Oncidium predominate, with seasonal Cymbidium and occasional Cattleya and Zygopetalum. The plants are usually potted in sphagnum moss.

Prices vary a little around the US. They typically sell small pots - mini Phals, small Oncidiums with one spike, Paphs with one flower - for around $9 here. Larger pots - Phals and Oncidiums with two spikes, or larger-flowered plants, sell for around $16. Double-plant containers, usually two contrasting Phals, are around $25. Large Cymbidiums in spike are more expensive, but still relatively cheap.

I don't know whether the company buys from just one, or many suppliers. Phals in sphagnum moss have been imported to the US from Asia by the container for years, but approval for importing Oncidiums in sphagnum was just granted.

I did see one message here on Orchid Board from a member who virus tested several Oncidium mericlones from TJ soon after buying them. All were positive for virus. I have not tested any of the plants I bought there.

[ArronOB]

Thanks for the detailed reply. I was just curious how much orchids cost in the US, with most things being much cheaper then here in Australia.

Our supermarkets, hardware stores etc are also flooded with flowering phals, though we would pay about $22 here for a large flowered single. Occasionally there are flowering oncids as well, usually vintage types like gilded tower or Howard’s dream.

I often read the labels but it’s very hard to work out where they come from. The impression given is that they are raised locally but the price indicates they are more likely from the same import stream as the US ones, with just enough growing-on locally to get the flowers to the perfect stage.

The Phals have a very poor reputation for survival post-flowering - even in the unlikely event the buyer knows enough to remove them from the tight-packed sphagnum. The oncidium hybrids seem to do just fine.

Cheers
Arron