Trader Joes?

[Irulan]

So they finally opened one here, really close to my house actually. People are going nuts! It is an absolute zoo down there. People have been asking for one for over 10 years. I went in and grabbed a few things but it was so packed I didn't spend much time there
So, TJ lovers.... what do you like to get there, or why do you shop there?

[Veronica]

I shop once a week at TJs: milk, Fage yogurt, organic OJ, eggs, cinnamon almonds, pre cooked chicken breast, organic frozen veggie mix, protein powder.

Veronica

[Catrin]

Trader Joe's is the first place I shop at - then I go elsewhere for what I can't get there. They have good prices for organic veggies, and some of their prices on other things are quite competitive and good quality. I get my skim milk, no-fat cottage cheese, yogurt, fruit, cereal, turkey bacon, sprouted bread, olive oil (price on this rocks), some of my beer and other things.

[tangentgirl]

Dark chocolate covered caramels. The best.

[Tokie]

Soy milk,cow milk, yogurt, bread, cheese, nuts, trail mix(to put in my yogurt),organic bell peppers, organic apples, grapefruit, persimmons, low sodium turkey lunch meat, tofutti cuties (although I think they no longer have these), frozen wild blueberries, Ak-Mak crackers, frozen veggie bacon, fresh turkey breast with dressing, organic zucchinni,white balsamic vinegar, Spicy Smokey Peach Salsa, Jalapeno Hot Sauce, the fresh whole wheat pizza dough,wild arugula. And always a little snack food sample!

[indysteel]

The ones in Indy aren't very close to my house, so I tend to get non perishables there when I am otherwise in the area. Nuts, oats, trail mixes, veggie and chicken broths, bread, beer, dried fruit. They have a lot of packaged and premade food that I have never really tried. I don't buy a lot of that in general. I do like their hummus though.

[ACG]

Here in Pasadena, they are everywhere. I think they were born out here.

I go to TJ's first. Then hit other stores later. Pricing is very good. For example. Loaf of bread at TJ's is 3.49 at large chain market 4.49. Same brand.

Lots of tasty healthy alternatives too.

[Owlie]

Treats, mostly: those sugar-cinnamon almonds that will probably break your teeth but are totally worth it, toffee, chocolate-covered espresso beans, other stuff like that. They used to have really good naan and samosas, but I don't know that they still make them.

[Tokie]

a few I forgot - hummus, reduced sugar organic preserves,mustards, mayo, soy dogs, hot dog buns, "Joe's Os" (like cheerios),Whole wheat Pita Bread - regular or mini size, whole wheat flatbread, kleenex, tea tree oil, Charlie Bear dog treats, sparkling water, herbal teas,Reuced Guilt woven Wheat Wafers", choclate dipped almond biscotti. Their belgian chocolates and truffles are great Christmas treats. We buy very little at the grocery store - it's TJ's and the farmers market for almost everything. (Coach's Oats and Walnuts at Costco) tokie
'

[Veronica]

Personally, I don't think their fresh fruit and veggies are as high quality as my local grocery store so I almost never get fresh produce at TJs. We've had issues with finding "things" in some of their house brands - bits of plastic in a granola bar. And I think their cereal tastes like cardboard. :cool: We have also noticed that frozen items take longer to cook than the packaging says.

That could vary from region to region though.

I prefer to shop there first thing in the morning - much less crowded.

Veronica

[salsabike]

I love the TJ's enchilada sauce.

[malkin]

We'll never have Trader's in UT because of the stupid liquor laws.

I miss the cookies most.

[Pax]

I drive four hours round trip to either Indy or Chicago to go to TJ's. Love their frozen pizzas, cookies, pesto, Thai peanut sauce, and canned organic beans.

[trista]

Personally, I don't think their fresh fruit and veggies are as high quality as my local grocery store so I almost never get fresh produce at TJs.

+1 to that. I like Whole Foods and Kroger for produce.

TJ's for me is: WINE! We also like their frozen brown rice - cooks up quick in the microwave. I get the TJ-brand frozen pizzas for the kids.

[7rider]

We'll never have Trader's in UT because of the stupid liquor laws.


Why? The County controls our liquor sales here (Montgomery Co, MD) and no grocery stores within the county sell liquor/beer/wine. That includes Trader Joes (of which we have a few). They are just "dry" TJ's. I'm actually surprised to hear/read they sell liquor.

I tried their Thai Lime Chili cashews once. They were awful. I rinsed them off and threw them out for the squirrels, but I don't think even they would eat them. Otherwise, I like to go there every once in a while. I like their boxed Pad Thai for a desperation lunch at the office. I find they are good for "fun" things - entertaining supplies and special treats. Only in the past few years have I found that their fresh fruits and veges have gotten better. But that might be a local thing depending on the store.

[azfiddle]

We always get oatmeal there, the quick cooking steel cut oats. I like some of their trail mixes, the fruit and cereal bars, frozen fruit like mangoes and mixed berries for smoothies. My DH likes the inexpensive med and dark Joe coffee. The cats cookies are a staple and other treats like the light kettle corn,'dark caramels and chocolate covered mints.

[Jolt]

Just to add to what people have already mentioned: their "Ruby Red Chai"--chai spiced rooibos tea--is excellent! They also have beef jerky that is nitrite free. The selection of nuts and dried fruits is great too, and the prices are generally reasonable. I don't get to TJs as often as I used to, because now my closest one is 40 minutes away in Portland (and the parking STINKS), but when I do there are some things I make sure to stock up on.

[snapdragen]

I'll second the frozen brown rice, there is also a rice medley that's really good. Super convenient when I don't have time to make rice. Mom loves the Cranberry Walnut salad dressing. Greek yogurt, wine, blueberry muesli, roasted baby beets, raw almonds, mini Brie, vegetable broth.....

I used to get hummus there too, but I've since discovered Tribe brand, I like it better.

[VeganBikeChick]

I love TJ's!! One just opened near my mom and she can't understand the hoopla.

I get:

Cheaper than regular grocery store fresh fruits and vegs
Tofu and Tempeh
Candy Cane Jo-Jo's (peppermint Oreos - super YUM!)
Their all-in-one facial cleanser - new and fabulous for cleaning skin and removing makeup (a steal at $5.99!)
Wine and Beer :D
Prechopped frozen garlic (awesome for cooking - no more peeling cloves!)
Premade pizza doughs
nuts/trail mixes
Clif Bars
Frozen dinners for a quick meal when I don't feel like cooking (pad thai, asian stir fry, etc)

TJ's is the best!! :)

[pll]

You have to watch this unofficial "commercial" for Trader Joe's:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdB7GDZY3Pk

They have some good deals and a quirky selection. It is fun to go there... the closest one to me takes 15-20 min driving.

ETA: gotta love that girl dancing towards the end.

[jobob]

Personally, I don't think their fresh fruit and veggies are as high quality as my local grocery store so I almost never get fresh produce at TJs.
....
That could vary from region to region though.


I agree! Maybe it's a Bay Area issue, but I've generally been underwhelmed with the produce at TJs.

It was our most reliable source for goat's milk when we were making chevre (which we haven't done sine the Austerity Plan kicked in, but we'll resume soon).

McCann's Steel Cut Oatmeal is significantly less pricey there than in our local supermarkets. And we do like the variety and quality of their frozen fish.

[nscrbug]

My TJ's favorites are - unsalted creamy almond butter, Bob's Red Mill ground flax (it's cheap there), Fage 0% yogurt (again...cheaper than most places around here), dried cranberries, walnuts and other nuts, almond meal, whole wheat pizza dough, frozen pizzas, frozen wild boreal blueberries, frozen banana slices dipped in dark chocolate (YUM!), frozen polenta and spinach combo, lite Havarti cheese slices, ground cinnamon and other assorted spices, oyster/soup crackers, pulled BBQ chicken breast (great for a quick and easy meal), Candy Cane peppermint tea bags (seasonal), Clif/Luna bars, and my DH loves one of their nut mixes (the cashew, almond, and chocolate chunk). I'm probably missing a few items, but those are the ones off the top of my head.

[Crankin]

No, it's not just in CA, the produce at the TJs 3.5 miles from my house, in Acton, is horrible. With a plethora of family farms, bakeries, and 2 outstanding gourmet farm markets that sell everything imaginable within 10 miles, I only go there for a few products I can't find elsewhere and a few occasional impulse buys/convenience foods.

Large dark chocolate bars that you can break into squares. We buy 5 at a time and eat 1-2 almost every night for dessert.
Machengo and Iberico cheese; it's the cheapest of any of the other local stores
Low fat provolone slices
lox
boxed soups: they have more flavors in low sodium than my local grocery store

Grocery stores in MA generally are not allowed to sell booze, although a few are grandfathered in to do so. The one I shop at is about a mile down the road from TJs and they sell beer and wine, although I buy my wine at a liquor store about half a mile from TJs.
The prices at TJs are definitely cheaper than other places; my son and his wife buy a lot of their food there.

[gnat23]

NUTS. Cheapest I've seen anywhere.

Clif/Luna bars. Sausages. Frozen fishies. And HEY it's almost Peppermint Green Tea and Salted Caramel season...!

-- gnat! (Just don't get hooked on any one food or they'll take it away from you)

[Sylvia]

Soy milk, yogurt, cheese, organic corn flakes, organic tortilla chips, pizza, chocolate, chilli, dog treats (made in the USA not China), fruits, nuts, hummus...

Truth is I do most of my grocery shopping there. Their prices are very good and they carry a lot of organic stuff.

[ny biker]

I don't go there too often. I used to buy big bags of unsalted cashews until I developed an allergy. I like some of the prepared foods in the refrigerator case, like soups and a spinach mushroom tortellini dinner.

I loved the pizza bagels they used to sell, though they tended to get moldy pretty fast so you had to eat them right away.

I also like their english muffins. They have some good cakes and pies, too. And some things are not always easy to find in other stores, like dried blueberries.

[winddance]

Dark chocolate covered caramels. The best.

These are ridiculously good!

I like this butter product they have, Balade, that's half the fat and made with sea salt. So tasty and not full of things I can't pronounce!

[GLC1968]

I've been continuously underwhelmed with TJ's. It's a sin to say so, though...so I usually keep my mouth shut. ;)

It's not very convenient for us, so we only shop there on occasion. The only thing we buy there regularly is nuts because ours carries a lot of dry roasted varieties and we don't eat nuts roasted in oils. We've also often found fun cheeses there.

And yes, the produce is really lame.

Though, I will say that I did run into a TJ's in downtown Chicago (across from our hotel last summer) and their produce was MUCH more impressive. I do think it must vary by region or perhaps by season?

[Brandi]

Olive oil is a great price. olives, canned tomatoes, pasta, all kinds of rice, frozen garlic. sweet potatoe fries. CHEESE, spicy hummus, good bacon, free ranch chicken,coconut water, cream, organic milk, holiday goodies of all kinds, yogurt, frozen fruit, frozen Naan bread, frozen pie crust, butter, crumpets, italian soda, roasted almonds, walnuts and so on. All cheaper then the market. even the veggie section is awesome though I prefer farmer's market. Oh good pizza dough and roasted red pepper soup tomato, almond butter and good peanut butter also lot's of cracker's and cookies of all sorts! I used to work for them can you tell. It was one of my first jobs in high school. I worked in the very first one. Wrapped cheese back when they used to do that in the store.

[ultraviolet]

There's a TJ's about 8 block from my house, so I pop in for a few "staples" every couple of weeks because it's on my way home from work.

My list of regulars are:
- TJ's brand Greek style yogurt (full fat)
- Walnuts
- Unsalted almond butter
- Freeze-dried unsweetened blueberries (this and the walnuts go in the yogurt)
- Goat's milk
- Hummus
- Chocolate hemp protein powder
- Frozen fish and scallops (for when I don't have time to get to the fish market)
- Gluten-free ginger snaps or chocolate as an occasional treat

[spokewench]

I don't live close to TJS but always stop there when I am in tucson visiting my parents and sister. First part, is they have great "cheap" wine. Their prices are great so I stock my wine cellar every time I go.

Since I don't live close, I don't get fresh produce, but do buy cherry jam, Italian style grapefruit soda (with sugar), nuts, dried cherries.

[Jolt]

(Just don't get hooked on any one food or they'll take it away from you)

That is my peeve with TJ's. Just when you find something really good, they stop making it!

[Dannielle]

STAPLES-
hormone-free dairy products
organic eggs
nuts/seeds
lunch meat
unsweetened almond milk
pesticide-free frozen/chopped spinach
organic frozen berries
gluten-free rolled oats
raw almond butter
organic canned fire roasted tomatoes

I try to stick with organic for produce on the "dirty dozen" list and usually buy that stuff at TJs. I shop Aldi for most of my produce these days and buy direct from a local farm during the growing season.

[carlotta]

I use TJ's to supplement things I can't get at our co-op (or that are outrageously expensive at the co-op). I'll occasionally buy some veg there, but it's definitely not up to par with the farmer's market/co-op. Usually mushrooms/onions/pepper/etc for breakfast if I'm shopping on Friday night. I do like their fresh figs when they have them....cheaper than elsewhere and I love figs.

I also REALLY miss their wine.....apparently one in New Jersey has wine and I've been tempted to make a run up there at some point...stupid blue laws.

On the regular list:
-greek yogurt (maybe 1x/month, it makes a great starter for my own yogurt the rest of the month....)
-bacon. I like the applewood smoked bacon ends (cheaper, and we usually chop it up to put in eggs anyway)
-almond/flax butter. sometimes I'll switch it up and get peanut, but I really like the almond/flax
-nuts/trail mix to keep in my desk
-dark chocolate (also for my desk...)
-olive oil. The Spanish stuff is GOOD and cheap.
-real maple syrup, fairly cheap and darn good in my oatmeal
-frozen fruit
-chicken chili, not the best food ever, but good to keep in the cupboard for emergency dinner
-thai tuna curry (red/green). This is one of those appears/dissappears items. White box with pink or green label, chunks of tuna in fairly spicy/decent curry sauce. Falls into the emergency dinner category...

I'll occasionally buy some kind of treat also.... favorites so far: chocolate mochi, some kind of chocolate/peanut butter/wafer things (mmm!), peanut butter filled chocolate pretzles, salted carmel chocolate bars (these are new, and they tend to be messy, but worth it)

[Norse]

When DP and I left southern CA to move back to MN there were only a few things we missed: first and foremost, our friends, then the ocean, cheap produce available year-round and ... Trader Joe's. We whooped it up when they finally opened one in a nearby burb and whooped even more when they opened one mere blocks from our house.

About the only items we generally do not buy there are meat products (buy from local farmers), although we do love the burgandy/pepper marinated lamb roast. We stop at least a couple times/week as they have good stuff and are cheaper than regular grocery stores. Some of our favorites or stock purchases:
Greek yogurt
Tuscan bread
Garlic roasted hummus
oriental crackers
multi-grain crackers
salsa
bags of spinach and arugula for us
frozen spinach for making our dog's food
baby carrots that our dog eats for treats
dried chicken breasts, again for the dog
McCann's steel cut oatmeal
various frozen lunch items (love the new 4-cheese pasta)
chicken stock
roasted red pepper/tomato soup
pasta
olive oil (for all-purpose use; I buyer a nicer one from a local grocer for use where the oil is the star)
ham & gruyere tart (pizza-like item that I swoon over)
soy ice cream
biscotti
lava cakes (soooooo good!)
apple blossoms
shampoo
soap
face lotion and hand lotion
fresh-cut flowers
wine and beer
charcoal

I just stopped last night and picked up some bell peppers for use w/dinner this week, more carrots for the dog, tuscan bread, and some items for upcoming holiday baking including organic canned pumpkin and a 5 lb. bag of russet potatoes for lefse. We love TJs.

[channlluv]

There's not much I can add to the growing shopping list here, except to say that I like their produce. I buy their romaine lettuce and Brussels sprouts and they have a cut veggie bowl for $2.29 that makes salad prep a breeze and lasts three or four meals.

I also like some of their prepared foods -- they have these little seafood cup things that are delicious and not nearly as fattening as you'd think.

What I like about shopping there is that I've never seen an ingredient list with hydrolyzed oils. I feel pretty confident shopping there that it's more "real" food than I'd find in the local Safeway/Vons.

I love their Vanilla 0% Greek yogurt, which I top off with their pomegranate seeds and raw almonds.

Good, good stuff. I also like the quality of their meats -- their steaks are more tender and their chicken, too. I also buy the nitrate/nitrite-free turkey bacon there and it actually tastes good, unlike the Jennie-O stuff I used to get at Vons.

And TJ's is also the only place I've found sprouted grain loaves of bread, and they're only $2.39. And I haven't had any in a long time (pre-SouthBeach), but their sprouted grain bagels are super.

Roxy

[PamNY]

I love Trader Joe's. There's one located near a big farmer's market, and there's one located near the hawk nest I watch. Can't beat that for combining trips.

I love their peanut and almond butters, Greek yogurt, and hummus. I also like their tea selection. Irish Breakfast packs a nice morning punch.

Overall, TJ's quality is good. Just experiment to find out what you do and don't like. Prices are excellent so you can't really go wrong.

Our TJ's run out of things fairly often, especially if you shop at night. I've learned to accept that as part of the overall TJ's experience.