We don't have Trader Joes so I'm not familiar with the "concept" but we do have a Whole Foods in our region.

For fresh local food, choose a farmer's market!! Whole Foods stuff is labeled as to where it came from, but most of it ain't local. I can buy eggs organically grown in my hometown from free range chickens for $1.50 a dozen. Better taste, healthier, greener and more humane. Not to mention inexpensive.

Whole Foods is slickly packaged and marketed. It's, dare I say, trendy. I liked our local organic grocery/vitamin/cafe but, yeah, Whole Foods put them out of business.

I go there for a treat to graze off the food bars and buy a few select items.

Their wine selection is great and WOW, very, very inexpensive for many wines.