Trader Joe's

[wincrasher]

Our town just got a Trader Joe's. Of course everyone has gone nuts and the place is pretty packed.

After the hysteria dies down, I was wanting to go check it out.

Is it worth it? Anything particular to go and get?

My usual grocery places are the Costco and the local Ingles store. Sometimes a trip to Bloom or Publix if something is on sale. Hardly ever to to Walmart Supercenter because of the crowds and the fact that they are evil f*cks.

Even though the government classifies me as rich, I never go to Whole Foods.

[JoshuaHeckathorn]

My wife and I both love Trader Joe's. They carry very unique things, most of which are REALLY good.

Try the dark chocolate covered edamame...you won't regret it. Well, maybe you will when you can't put the box down.

[disneysteve]

If you are looking for bargains, Trader Joe's isn't your place. They do sell good quality and unique items that you can't easily find in the typical neighborhood market. We hardly ever go to the one near us because it is not conveniently located and their parking lot is a pain to get in and out of.

[Hector]

My wife and I love TJ. Fruits are cheaper compare to Lucky and Safeway.

[doxie]

If you are looking for bargains, Trader Joe's isn't your place.

I don't know if I would agree with that Steve. Maybe not for your entire grocery list, but there are many items that you'll find a whole lot cheaper than in the supermarket. For example cheeses (like bleu cheese, whole parmesean), spices, prepared hummous, bagged lettuce, crackers. All of these things are at least a couple bucks cheaper than they are at regular supermarkets, at least in my area. Plus they have the added bonus of having harder to find things like frozen Indian entrees, chutney, curry simmer sauces, bagged arugula, all at pretty reasonable prices.

[wincrasher]

I do love me some hummous, but hate paying $6 for a tub of it at Costco.

I also end up throwing away alot of shredded cheese. Seems to go bad before you can use up that big bag.

[cicy33]

I do love me some hummous, but hate paying $6 for a tub of it at Costco.

I also end up throwing away alot of shredded cheese. Seems to go bad before you can use up that big bag.

you can freeze cheese. It thaws just fine. I do it all the time when there is a great sale and I have good coupons. you can freeze milk too.

[My English Castle]

Some of their stuff is fabulous, and I think the fresh stuff varies in quality from store to store. Ours has lousy produce, but I've been to others with fabulous fruits. Try the three layer hummus with cilantro--yum!. Their dry tortellini is cheaper by far than our local grocer's selection, but it is temptation central. Be strong!

[creditcardfree]

OP: We got a Trader's Joes today too, but based on your list of other grocery stores, I know you are not in my city. I'm also looking forward to checking it out after the weekend hype dies down.

Hummus with cilantro...yum!!

[disneysteve]

I don't know if I would agree with that Steve. Maybe not for your entire grocery list, but there are many items that you'll find a whole lot cheaper than in the supermarket.

I could have sworn I responded to this earlier. Anyway, I'd agree with doxie. As with most things, certain items may be cheaper so it just depends if the place is convenient enough to stop there for the cheaper items and the special stuff you can only get there. Personally, our Trader Joe's store is not conveniently located so we hardly ever go. If it were somewhere along our usual travel routes, we'd probably go more often.

[scfr]

I have visited Trader Joe's a couple times but was not been impressed with either the price or the quality. It has been several years tho.

[cjscully]

The thing about Trader Joe's is that they sell niche products from generally small suppliers. If you want to big national brands, it's definitely not your place. If you have a restricted diet due to food allergies or you refuse to eat processed foods. Trader Joe's is a great place. My wife needs a gluten free and dairy free diet. Mainstream supermarkets don't carry a lot of the specialty foods that make this kind of diet bearable. Trader Joe's carries a pretty good selection of them at good prices (good for those types of items). It's cheaper than Whole Foods on similar products, but also doesn't have as large an inventory or selection as Whole Foods does.

One other reason to shop at TJ's - "Two buck Chuck". Charles Shaw wines sell in my local TJ's for $1.99 for a 750ml bottle. I stay away from the Cab, but the Shiraz and Chardonnay are pretty good.

[wincrasher]

I went into Trader Joe's this weekend. My impression - meh.

It was crowded (as expected). I thought the store was small. The hummous was alot more expensive than Costco. The 2 buck chuck was $3.

I bought a couple things to try out - the Shiraz was OK, not great. I bought some tortellinis cause I just don't see them in the grocery. I got some balsamic vinegar cause it was on sale and I am out. They did have a good price on fresh basil.

Nothing else really stood out to me as either a good deal or something I wanted to try.
So maybe I go over there a few times a year. That's about it.

[bjl584]

I never heard of it. Where do you live at Wincrasher?

[disneysteve]

I'm in southern NJ and we have one nearby. I was in CT and MA this weekend and Trader Joe's was all over the place. I must have seen 5 or 6 of them in 3 days.