An Ode to Trader Joe’s
When I see hipsters packing the Whole Foods parking lot, I just want to mock them. Because down the street is the natural, gourmet grocery where the cool kids have been going for a long time — and spending a fraction of what Whole Foods takes out of your pocket for organic or preservative-free noshables.
I’ve been eating Trader Joe’s food since at least high school, and the California staple has also become a necessity here on the East Coast. Alas, at my midway stop between L.A. and D.C. — Denver, for a stint at the Rocky Mountain News — there were no Trader Joe’s stores. My, how I missed ‘em. Since its opening in Pasadena, 1958, the California-based chain has expanded to 30 states and D.C.
There are so many things to love about Trader Joe’s besides the food, which is reason enough. Even the flavored seltzer water to which I’m addicted tastes fruitier, crisper and more natural for 79 cents a liter. They don’t have sales or coupons, or store cards that track your purchases, because they don’t need them: their light sour cream, the best hands-down, is $1.79 per pint. Not to say inflation doesn’t happen — the two-buck-chuck Charles Shaw wine is three-and-a-quarter-buck chuck out here on the East Coast (not like many are complaining — I also know I can always go here for more wines from my home state, as well).
In short, they’ve built the all-American business model. Offer products that people love at good prices, friendly staff instead of grumps, clean and bright stores, and you create an extremely loyal following. As TJ’s puts it, each of its products must “stand on its own” to stay on the shelves, and develop demand. You can also count on the staff to have tasted all of the new products and give advice, if not a free sample at a store cooking station. Per square foot, these stores generate more than twice the sales as Whole Foods. Depending on the store and when you go, they can get pretty crowded, but you can’t blame a business for being popular.
Trader Joe’s products don’t have artificial colors or flavors, preservatives, trans-fats or MSG, and are quite frankly the most delicious grocery items out there.
Some favorites:
- The Pizza 4 Formaggi – with edam, asiago, pecorino, and grana cheeses: $3.99.
- The Reduced Guilt Kettle Cooked Potato Chips, which make Baked Lays hang their little cardboard-tasting heads in shame: $1.99. Decadence = these with TJ’s blue cheese roasted pecan dip.
- The 3-cheese shredded blend of cheddar, mozzarella and jack: Here, bags of shredded cheese are like you just took a block of queso to the cheese grater yourself — never dry and crumbly. $3.99
- The creative bagged salad blends at around two bucks a pop, and the organic baby carrots that are thicker than the grocery store’s for less.
- Around St. Paddy’s Day, they have real Irish bangers.
- The creative and yummy selection of ready-to-eat refrigerated lunch and dinner items. Back in Cali this selection was more extensive, like gyro sandwiches, but I currently have in my fridge the Cubano Seasoned Wrap with roasted pork, ham, swiss, dill pickles and mustard dressing.
- Try one of the 96 percent lean burgers on the Knotted Challah Rolls with havarti (cheese prices are a fraction of grocery stores). Just sayin’.
- The popcorn! Bagged varieties include movie theater with butter and salt, olive oil and salt, white cheddar and the new (out here, at least) herbs and spices.
- Here I can get a bag of either red or green apple slices without the single-serving kiddie packing that drives up prices in the grocery stores, and they last quite a while.
And I can’t say I have much of a sweet tooth — Trader Joe’s has the best junk food around, so I think I’m already doing OK there — but TJ’s has chocolate-covered everything. They also have an impressive frozen dessert section, including the mini ice cream cones and the TJ’s version of Otter Pops (read: real fruit instead of day-glo artificial everything). Their versions of other infamous junk foods are also pretty awesome, such as the TJ’s versions of Funyuns and Ritz Bits.
Oh, I’d hate to see a world without Trader Joe’s.
TJ’s rulz.
In short, they’ve built the all-American business model.
But that is not the case, there are a fair number of obscure German, Turkish, and other imported items because of their German ownership.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trader_Joe's
“has been owned, since 1979, by a family trust set up by the late German businessman Theo Albrecht, one of the two brothers behind the German discount supermarket chain Aldi.”
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Some of my favorites include the crumbled feta cheese – by far a better cheese and by far a better price, than anywhere else in town! The regular potato chips now with sea salt, or the taco chips. Frozen shrimp gyoza. Canned pink salmon. They share dairy provider with Whole Foods house brands. The cheapest gouda cheese, the red wax – OMG this stuff is good. The jelly beans at the checkout counter! In the past I bought mass quantities of the frozen seafood, esp the wild salmon, and the ahi, also frozen chicken breasts. Not to much recently. Jo-Jo’s sandwich cookies. Kosher dill pickles. Peeled fresh garlic. Miniature (fresh) heirloom tomatoes. Fresh celery and bok choy. Bottled salad dressings.
I had an outstanding two-buck chuck (still two bucks on the west coast!) chardonnay last year, but the two-buck cabernet – wasn’t worth the price.
Amazing business model.
First things first:
@Bridget Johnson: Thank you for this TJ report!
@Josh: You are correct, TJ is also the still best business model in Germany; Aldi in Germany has been around forever, always the cheapest prices and, still going strong.
I have met the brothers; while they are the most humble business CEO’s you’ll ever meet; they are very seclusive, almost never appearing in public,only if necessary and, even then only low key.
My son is working for TJ’s now for 11 yrs, as a merchant and, although employees do work very hard physically, no slacking tolerated, the pay and benefits offered by TJ is not met by any other company and, goes beyond almost dreams.
TJ offeres health benefits, life- and disability insurance, paid leave or sick leave (accrued monthly by total hrs worked),hrly wages matching over $20 phrs and up, bi-yearly pay raises upon review; and yearly bonus.
Every employee has the opportunity to advance upon the desire. TJ has resisted the Unions (which they repeatedly attempted to force by contacting employees).
If my comment sounds like an advertisement, it is not – I simply wanted to add to this post that not only does TJ’s offers great and honest products, but also treats their employees as individuals and, rewards hard work, respecting their employees.
It is a great business model, and also a great employer!
I live in west Los Angeles, have watched TJs grow over the years, and about ten (?) years ago they opened about the fourth TJs in a five-mile radius (on Pico in Santa Monica), and I heard that one of the owners had visited, seen the long lines, and it brought a tear to his eye. Mine too, though for the opposite reasons! Fortunately since then they opened yet another and about two miles closer to me (on Olympic), with more checkouts and much shorter lines.
Do they have TJ’s *in* Germany?
Been living here in Germany for 8+ years and haven’t (unfortunately) seen one yet.
Immigrant companies don’t count as American?
I’m a fan of their Indian TV dinners, which I take to work to have Vinadloo during lunch
Love the store. Nearest one is in Ann Arbor, a 45 minute drive one way.
Where in Ann Arbor is this place? I may have to investigate it.
It is at the Washtenaw exit off of Us 23 and go towards the University of MI. Bear left at Stadium and it is on the left. Great store and very helpful to those
of us with multiple food allergies.
Ironically, the TJ’s in Ann Arbor is in what was once a Whole Foods! They got bigger digs…but I still love TJ’s for several things!
Yeah, Trader Joe’s is one of the few things I missed when I left California. I was very pleased when they opened up here in Maryland. We zapped a bag of TJ’s Chicken Fried Rice for supper, and I’m having a Black Licorice Scotty Dog for desert.
Just one of those Scotties? That’s self-control!
Neither store is much good, once you get away from the cheese and produce.
THe bake mixses at Traders…YUCK. Just awful. Pancake mix is as bad as anywhere else.
The tea selection is dreadful. Whole Foods is MUCH better for that.
They used to have a fair apple pie, but no more.
Both stores have good produce and meats. Whole Foods has a MUCH better vitamin section…really, worlds better. I find I hit Whole Foods about once a month for tea…Trader Joes, hardly ever.
Ack! Cheese, produce, meats, all good–what more do you want?
If you’re buying baked goods in a box mix, you’re doing it wrong. The very busy Pennsylvania Dutch farmers invented all that stuff, without cardboard boxes, and it takes what–maybe 10 minutes to mix it up? Anything that says “just add egg and milk”, get a Betty Crocker cookbook from the 1960′s and do it yourself. You’re not saving any time with the box mix. I don’t want to assume anything, but if you don’t have an American farm background, you might want to take the time to learn about this stuff. Breakfast and desserts are probably our greatest contributions to world cuisine, other than pizza and hamburgers, and most of the really good stuff came from the Pennsylvania Dutch.
As for tea, perhaps its a matter of taste. Joe’s is great for black teas. Not so much for green. Some of the coffee is good but pricey. Depends on what you’re buying.
If you’re buying tea at a grocery store, you’re doing it wrong. Go to Upton Tea’s website.
TJ’s is about one thing for me: iced tea. It’s almost the only grocery store I’ve seen that stocks unadulterated iced tea — go to Safeway and you can pick from three different kinds of sweetner, much like the Python Spam sketch. Not quite as good as the Japanese imports, but a third of the price.
I agree with all of this.
I’m glad they FINALLY made it to the Gulf coast of Florida, but dammit, TJ’s……we need you on the Atlantic side! We have an Aldi’s on the Space Coast, but it doesn’t compare.
I’ve been having TJ withdrawal ever since I left Phoenix.
Tell me about it. I moved from Tucson, AZ to Gainesville FL about two years ago, and I’m still mourning the loss of Trader Joes! Where on the gulf are they. I drive down to Clearwater to go to the beach fairly frequently. Next time I’ll stop in at TJs.
When I moved from California to Washington state, my friends, all great TJ affectionados (affectionatos?), said: “But, what will you do without Trader Joes?” I wasn’t even that big on TJs at the time. A couple of weeks into the move, homesick as all getout, I spied a Trader Joes and immediately went in – a sense of homecoming, of comfort, of fantastic items. Today there are several videos, this one in particular captures TJ: http://laist.com/2009/09/10/the_cutest_trader_joes_music_video.php – in the years since, I’ve fallen head over heeels for TJ, not the least because their policy is, “We tried it, we liked it. If you’ve tried it and didn’t, bring it back, we’ll refund your money.” and they mean it!
My favorite store in the entire universe!
Live in Florida now and no TJ’s in sight. How I miss the TJ’s in Old Town Alexandria, VA! It was my party caterer of choice and then from a social point of view it was like going to the high school cafeteria. That is the first place I visit when I’m back in Old Town. Here is a fun game I used to play when I lived down the street from TJ’s… I would force myself to buy at least one item I had never bought before. It kept me from always buying my favorite items over and over again. TJ fans try this!
Myra,
There is only one store in Florida. It’s in Naples. If you live in the Miami/Lauderdale area it’s only a 2 and a half hour drive (less if you keep up with the 85 mph traffic on Alligator Alley). I live a bit closer on Sanibel, only an hour away. Seems one of the Directors of Trader Joe’s has a winter home in Naples and raised a stink there wasn’t one there. Opened in February and was an instant success. They ran out of Cabernet 3 Buck Chuck Easter week.
There’s a Whole Foods not 25 minutes walk from me, but I haven’t shopped there in years. But the Trader Joes in Bethesda is a weekly stop for me. I especially like some of the frozen veggie dishes – the Mildly Spiced Vegetarian Burritos, the Spinach Pizza, the Paneer Tikka Masala, and a few others – and it’s the only place I’ve found Persian Cukes. And if you try something new and you’re dissatisfied, they’ll refund the cost. Sadly, every so often one of your favorites simply disappears, never to be seen again.
TJs is just basic.
EXACTLY!
It’s a destination for 1st-2nd year college students and those who can’t cook.
Yes, but where will I get my feeling of incredible moral superiority that I people get @ Whole Foods?
11. Skeptic: LOL, we had the same exact thought. I have not visited the TJ store but I have been in the Whole Foods store, I know exactly what you’re talking about.
Ive been to Whole Foods once, and was incredibly underwhelmed. Havent been back since.
You forgot the coffee – better tasting at a lower cost. Typical of any store, they have the great items and those to avoid – either priced high or not very tasty. The best feature is different brands or sources compared to the regular store.
However, I was quite thrilled that one opened up 10 minutes away last year.
Trendy, but frugal, emphasis on healthy but not snobby.
Come on, John. Good coffee? Seriously?
TJ’s coffee is gritty.
I’m a coffe snob and had tried ALL TJ’s dark stuff. Horrible.
And their supposed, ‘Kona’ flavor – it’s an insult to REAL, as expected expensive Kona coffee.
I completely agree on the coffee at TJ’s. I like a dark French Roast with good body. I tried everything at TJ’s that might be good. But, I found nothing that’s satisfactory.
There is some coffee elsewhere that’s at least ok while the one I prefer, called San Francisco Bay French Roast Coffee, which is superb, is only available online or in a few supermarkets.
TJ’s basic “two buck chuck” wine is awful. My wife doesn’t like it even for cooking. TJ’s does carry the Bordeaux wine I like, but it’s more expensive than another store that’s not far away.
Still, there are some things which are good and justify visits to TJ’s every couple of weeks or so. You have to accept that people have different tastes and just get the things you like.
P.S. TJ’s occasionally raises prices, and it’s slow checkouts can be a nuisance. They won’t respond to any written or e-mailed complaints.
My favorite Whole Foods anecdote: Sandra Tsing Lo once called them “Whole Paycheck Foods” which I thought priceless…
TJ’s does rock. I love that the store manager is called the “Captain” and the assistant manager is the “First Mate”, and so forth. When they’re going to open in a new neighborhood or state, they ask people to move to the new store with them, even if it’s out of state, so that they have experienced people to open the new facility. They’re called “pioneers” I think…
Haven’t lived near a Trader Joe’s in forever, but man do I miss that place. I would strangle an adorable fluffy kitten with my bare hands if it meant I could get a box of their mini chocolate chip cookies.
Dude. Just call them and have them ship you some. Put the kittens down.
We loved Trader Joes, from quite early on, when they had an outlet in Beverley Hills/North Hollywood that was on our way home from church. Mom used to stop there to shop their loss-leaders.
Alas, now I am in flyover country, in San Antonio, Texas – devoid of TJs … there is a Whole Foods (which is as every bit as expensive as legend suggests) and a local organic food chain called Sun Harvest Farms, which now is called Sprouts. It has the same kind of groceries as Whole Foods, but at better prices – and their meat counter is also very good, too.
But we still miss TJ’s…
TJ’s is coming to San Antonio, I can’t find out exactly when, but it is opening sometime this year. All I can find is the address where it will be located; 350 East Basse Road, right near the Quarry Market.
We’re about to get our first TJ’s in the Capital District of New York … can’t wait!
I’m glad something American is doing well. They are doing well because of their marketing techniques which is aimed at the upper middle class American who don’t have a clue about food & pricing. I’ve been to Trader Joe’s once or twice & I can generally say (there are a few exceptions.)their “healthy” pseudo-ethnic packaged foods are overpriced along with their fresh items.
Yeah, those of us in Berkeley are such rich food rubes, that’s why one can’t find a parking place at TJ’s on Saturday..it’s full of Beemers and Mercs. Not.
Generalize much?
We recently changed our diet to vegan for health reasons and I was in dispair after learning to cook for the past 50 years. But TJ’s saved the day with tasty alternatives and base products while i figured it out.
TJ’s vegan products are _much cheaper_ and fresher than Whole Foods. Take the white bean hummus for example, it’s as good as my homemade version and cheaper than making it from stratch. TJ’s soy coffee creamer is rich and creamy and cheaper than any other I’ve found in my area, which has a plethora of healthy food resources. Fresh seasonal items are 20% less than the grocery store or the local farmer’s market(now there’s a real scam).
Oh and try TJ’s coconut milk ice cream, the chocolate is rich and the strawberry is like silk…or their soy take on Cherry Garcia (at half the price. Also not to be missed are TJ’s mango-chili Ice Floes(frozen fruit bars).
You changed your diet to vegan for health reasons? You mean, you want to be less healthy? Odd choice.
No one has mentioned the orange chicken??? I drive half an hour to TJ just for the orange chicken.
Glad to know they treat their employees well!
I used to make the trek out to Pasadena, CA once a month in the 80′s just to shop at TJ’s. The happiest day of my grocery shopping life came when they opened a Trader Joes close to my house. My favorite items are too long to list. The combination of great food and good prices makes it unbeatable in my book. And the friendly neighborhood store feel, and the product sampling stand make it the “Cheers”(where everybody knows your name) of grocery stores.
We now have a TJs in Lincoln, NE. I love going there, even though it is a bit out of my way. A Whole Foods is coming, it’s going on the same lot where the Public Schools NEW Admin. building is being built. Maybe that’s because in Lincoln, Public School Teachers/Administrators are some of the highest paid citizens. Most of them are Demonrats too, which is a pity, because before the LPS became such a demonrat haven, it used to be a good school district. NOT ANYMORE. I may go to Whole Foods once just to get a reality check. Also trade at a local Store called Russ’s. It is a family run business and has been here for a long time. Also trade at Leon’s (family run) and Ideal (family run). Hy-Vee (employee – owned) can be quite a bit more expensive. And with me soon retiring, have to shop where I can afford to.
I had a great experience at Trader Joe’s earlier this spring while shopping with my daughter.
The cashier asks how old my daughter Caroline is. I say she’ll be two on Sunday. While I’m paying with my card, the cashier disappears. She then returns with a bunch of tulips and gives them free to Caroline, saying “a girl should never go without flowers on her birthday.”
Service like THAT really made me want to give Trader Joe’s more of my business.
TJ’s went somewhat corporate after the Aldi takeover and developed a kind of grinding teutonic cookie-cutter sameness. Long gone is the chaotic spontaneity of earlier times — when you really did have to shop with the latest Fearless Flyer in hand to find out what the hell it was you’d just tripped over in the magnificently over-stocked aisles, and there was an even chance that the Cap’t and First Mate didn’t know either. If you ever saw the original stores in South Pasadena and Eagle Rock, and can mentally compare them with, say, the early German models in Glendale or Studio City, and then compare those again with a typical expansionist store in, say, Palm Springs or beyond — well, you will understand.
TJ’s is still a fine place to shop but many will miss the early feel of an int’l bazaar. The poseurs who ramble snootily about Whole Foods would benefit from a close encounter with a truly upscale-but-friendly chain of primo quality, priced accordingly, like Bristol Farms — another W. coast chain. The usual joke is if you have to ask where the nearest one is, you can’t afford to go there. But they are good.
For some reason I always associated Bristol Farms with Cheese Logs.
With all the Tommy Bahama shirts in Trader Joes I always feel like I am at a Rick Warren Megachurch down in OC.
Come on down to Highland Park or Montelbello and try Superior Market if you feel like slumming.
Nah, they’re both middle class — Highland Park especially is now a haven for ‘bold’ LA Times employees. For true edge, try any of the, er, busier border supermarkets in Deming NM. Lots of hard-to-find items there, many illegal, but if you want to see a display of more than two dozen brands of chipotle chile and get a tattoo at the same time, hey…
Re cheese logs, do believe you’re mixing up Bristol Farms with Pepperidge Farm. Oh golly.
Superior has good prices on produce. They will take you home in their bus with a $35 purchase.
Your Deming, NM story makes me want to start cooking.
TJ’s is still a fine place to shop but many will miss the early feel of an int’l bazaar.
Emotionally, maybe, but in olden days some of that bargain mystery food would turn out not to be so fresh. Since it went Aldi the quality jumped to virtually 100% perfect, at least as good as any supermarket.
I hope you are sharing some of the goodies with your rat.
He loves the challah, most def
But one thing is for sure: Whole Foods has happy cows who go joyfully and stress free to the slaughter so that we can have ‘Happy Meat’ at premium plus prices. A Happy Cow makes a Happy Meal.
During our 6-month kitchen remodel last year, we had a pseudo-kitchen set up in our garage, and TJ’s frozen foods kept us fed the entire time since it was impossible to make anything from scratch.
they’re at adjacent malls, but TJ’s always my first stop, because I can afford it.
Don’t forget that the nuts selection is always less expensive, try getting macadamia nuts cheaper anywhere and wide variety of salsas that are fun just to try. This story hit home for me as my cooking skills are poor but I am always able to improvise with something different from TJs and some quality meats or seafood from Costco and viola my guests think I am a chef!
West Coast Florida folks, a TJ’s is opening in Sarasota in July.
I load up at TJ’s in Atlanta and Alburquerque when visiting the grandkids. For a family of two semi-retired folks now, who are done with big family meals from scratch, TJ’s is fabulous.
Aldi’s aside from cheap fresh pineapple and European candy here in Florida isn’t that great.
Underwhelmed by TJ and WF. Prefer a classic supermarket.
Haven’t been to either.
The larger Wegman’s have the best fruit and vegetable slection of any store I’ve ever been to. The smaller ones have a good selection.
A variety of exotic melons year round. Star fruit, which I first had on Guam fresh from the tree. Papaya, mango,coconut, etc. Certified organic stuff if you really want to pay a higher price for vegetables.
But I never buy apples there, or at any supermarket. There are too many apple orchards with stores in central NY to waste money on supermarket apples. Didn’t really know how good apples could be until I moved here. Nor did I have any idea just how many apple varieties there were. Red Jacket Orchards in Geneva if you’re in the area- the best apples around. And decent cider and fruit juices.
I was there this afternoon at 2:30. The place was packed! We gave up traditional grocery stores during the last union strike. The store workers (Albertson’s) heckled us as we went in to buy our groceries – I said I would never go back and I haven’t. It was during the strike I first started shopping at TJ’s, they are almost 14 miles away, and I’ve never looked back. Costco and Fresh & Easy get the rest of our grocery business.
Dittos. Trader Joe beats Whole Foods
Surprise! Trader Joe is a German company.
Woe is me. Pobre de mi. I’m stuck for a while in my hometowm in OK. Nowhere beats Vancouver for good eats, but when I lived in Reno I had a good Mexican grocery, a Chinese store with Nori seaweed, a Wild Oats for bulk stuff, and best of all, a TJ for goodies. Woe is me.
For years I kept asking when they’d open in New York City. Managers I talked to would tell me that their business model depended on low rents, so NYC was a tough case. Finally, a few years ago NYU lured them into the base of a dorm building off Union Square, probably at a low rent in order to get them as a tenant. Immediately, they began to do a land office business pretty much constantly. Stock comes in the back and goes right out the front. There is almost always a double line around the entire store. They’ve had to put in about 30 registers. Now, we have at least another 4 or 5 branches around the city. Their business model has been revised.
And as long as I’m at it, let me put in votes for their Triple Ginger cookies and the salted chocolate covered almonds.
If they could just keep them in stock. Lately, they keep running out of the Chocolate Almonds with Sea Salt.
Two words….
Trail Mix.
there is a store opening where the late, and very much lamented, Borders used to be located for many years. the buzz is that the new store is either a trader joe’s or whole foods.
i pray to g-d (i always defend you!) that it’s a trader joe’s, since i cannot afford whole foods.
we shall see.
meanwhile, as this is taking shape the other supermarkets are having great sales on nice steaks and fresh salmon (from the united states), about half price. competition does work sometimes. the prices had been going up every week. you could hear screams of shock throughout the establishment.
oh. and they’re also giving those digital coupons that go on your store card. yay!
the best bulk honey and whole bean coffee at great prices. i really hope obama and his food cronies stay away from them.
TJ’s is alright. It’s food for single people and/or those who are recipe-by-number’s types. A 1/3 of their store is frozen food!
TJ’s snacks, wine/ beer and dairy section for baking/ ice cream making etc., are reasonably priced but that’s it for me.
TJ’s requires more label reading as well for preservative, food coloring possibilities.
TJ’s meat’s, cheeses leave a lot to be desired for.
WF’s has butcher’s, a fresh seafood department and more better quality cheeses, baking chocolate, products to buy in bulk etc.,
WF’s has actual groceries and far more diverse items, ingredients.
WF’s coffee actually has GOOD coffee unlike TJ’s so-called java.
As for the price comparisons, again WF’s has better quality and far fresher items.
I like TJ’s business model but lacks in too many serious cooking needs.
TJ’s requires more label reading as well for preservative, food coloring possibilities.
TJ’s meat’s, cheeses leave a lot to be desired for.
WF’s has butcher’s, a fresh seafood department and more better quality cheeses, baking chocolate, products to buy in bulk etc.,
WF’s has actual groceries and far more diverse items, ingredients.
WF’s coffee actually has GOOD coffee unlike TJ’s so-called java.
As for the price comparisons, again WF’s has better quality and far fresher items.
Yes, WF tries to be a full-service market, and TJ’s does not. TJ’s only carries the top 20% of items in produce and meat, and not even 10% in scratch cooking supplies. But you don’t really need to read the labels at TJ’s, they are amazing at finding foods without “ingredients”, as my folks used to say. I will take TJ’s over WF when it comes to canned or prepared – the “natural” brands WF carries, I find horrible at any price, and some of those prices are very high. Again, TJ and WF share suppliers on various house brands.
And yes WF has a larger and more exotic cheese section, but the prices are 2x or 3x TJ’s for similar items, and the TJ’s cheese section is already 2x or 3x larger than the chain supermarkets, and some of the TJ’s cheese quality is outstanding, this being a relatively new (2-3 years) change to TJ’s.
And I never did find a TJ’s coffee I liked, but I do like many of their teas.
Oh, and vitamins – what TJ’s carries is excellent quality at excellent prices, and when they don’t have something, my next stop is WF.
Hi Josh.
The only vitamin my wife and I get for essential body’s needs if we can’t find them via food, teas is Zinc lozenges. The Zinc swallow tablets are always too strong for me.
Though TJ’s doesn’t carry said lozenges whereas WF’s does.
As for spices, herbs, whole leaf teas as well as ingredients for essential oils, lotions etc., we go to http://www.mountainroseherbs.com – it beats the pants off quality and price-wise of ANY grocery store.
While I agree WF’s can be expensive, they do have far more items on sale week-to-week than TJ’s.
I’ve found sirloin and tenderloin for $5-$6 per lb. on sale at WF’s! The butcher’s will cut and/or grind my steaks to mince meat as well.
Though WF’s seafood department can be expensive, the portion size and non-frozen component is more alluring than TJ’s for us.
I cook A LOT of Asian-themed dishes and TJ’s Asian section is MIA. Heck TJ’s, ‘Coconut Milk’ is far too watery. Though WF’s Asian section is sparse and only a tad better than TJ’s it does boast of 2 brands of reasonably priced, ‘Coconut CREAM’.
I do wish both grocery stores would carry fresh, whole lemongrass, though.
As per cheeses, I do like TJ’s Extra Sharp hard Cheddars. Specifically their Irish brand. Though considering the rarer, more fatty/ rich cheeses are more a treat and eaten less often in our household, I’ll gladly pay more for the ‘exotic’ WF’s fromage.
TJ’s doesn’t compare to Whole Foods in terms of having food that I like, but TJ’s is a more pleasant shopping experience and I do appreciate the low prices. The secret to making shopping pleasurable: a great staff, made possible by TJ’s policy of paying the median wage in the area (which is about double the typical grocery store wage). When you pay a lot for employees, you can choose the very best, and they do.
Up here in the barely-charted wilderness of northern Michigan, we have neither Whole Foods n or Trader Joe’s stores. Those who want to spend their money on overpriced “organic” foods have to go to independent hippie stores.
Personally, I prefer Save-A-Lot.
Very good, Bridget; and spot on. But you’ve failed to note that the appearance of Trader Joe’s across the country has been a more tangible market driver that has forced many mainstream grocers to put whole food products on their shelves as a counterpoise to the heavily processed (and nutritive-questionable) foods they’ve carried for years. Anticipated customer demand and “growing trends” can be ignored, unless those trends are realized as hard cash sales at a competitor. Trader Joe’s provides that competition in a key growth area.
“two buck chuck” plus all the other good stuff…
Am a bit surprised by the enthusiastic response here. After all, Trader’s Joe is a very liberal store. Now that is okay if you go strictly by quality and value but really, that is not so easy to determine. Most it seems go by the past reasoning’s instead of trying it themselves (it does have limited locations). Seems to be a question of do you believe in the environment or not (with these people)!
They do have good products (at their price), and if they wish to promote them as such, I have no problem.
I’ve tried some of their offerings and found them good, but no better than the average or better brands (not cheaper). I really think that too many people tend to promote them due to their supposedly green economy (Mercy, can’t take their capitalism into consideration).
Anyway, am open to much criticism here since I’ve put them down a bit…heh.
The one near me is so small,you couldn’t possibly fill your regular grocery needs going there. OTOH if you are high and need a lot of munchies……………Seems to me it’s a niche market for younger people, not a good family grocery store.
Bingo, Clarice. My perception exactly….you must know how to cook.
Don’t completely snub your nose at Whole Foods. They have provided quite a bit of gluten-free, xxxxxx-free (especially nitrite free) products long before Trader Joes did. That TJs is picking up that trend and running with it is to their credit (and yeah, we’ll pick those products up there because it’s cheaper), but when having to buy for kids with food sensitivities you remember who the pioneers were…the only places you could buy things that could satisfy the kids while staying on or near their special diets. You have to wonder if Whole Foods doesn’t sacrifice some of their sales because some of their products target a narrower market.
TJs is great but why so sour on WFs? WFs is more “American” than the German owned TJs. Besides John Mackey, co-founder and former CEO, has done the yeoman’s work for free minds and free markets.
Memphis has a Trader Tredarius’.
Denver is supposed to get a Trader Joe’s in the next year.
TJ’s has a number of really good rice mixes and oddball grain / rice mixes. Our local one also always has frozen tuna steaks @ $5/pound (amazing marinated and grilled), good nut selection, great cheeses & appetizers, and very nice olive oils. We do most of our shopping at local groceries and a Wegmans, but a number of our staples and more than a few treats come from TJ’s. They put a lot of really tasty foods within reach of an ordinary middle class food budget.
This hiker loves being able to buy Clif Bars at TJs for just a buck.
Dark chocolate covered Peppermint Jo-Jo’s. Worth a 160 mile round trip drive.
When I moved from CA to DC for college, the thing I missed most was TJs. I was so excited when they opened a location in VA. When I moved to CT, I picked the city (Darien) based on the fact that it had a TJs. Now we’re back in CA and it’s about a mile away. Life is good.
Absolutely right about the Cubano wrap sandwich which makes for great travel and airline food, as well as the sparkling water and — drumroll — the dark chocolate at the checkout stands. I think they’ve got a great cheese section, too, and their artisan breads are just fine.
What I’m notso hotso about is all the plastic around all the vegetables. Too much stuff to throw away.
And, they’re just about to open a store in Fort Worth, on Hulen, I believe!
I don’t shop there for everything, but for some things it’s the best.
Don’t go to the Trader Joe’s in Lake Oswego, OR. You will be greatly disappointed; their prices are as high as Whole Paycheck’s.
Paul
TJ’s has very tasty processed food, but seriously, that’s it. Super H Mart (korean grocery) has the best and cheapest produce hands down. And fish. And Publix has fresher beef and chicken, less processed/salted/flavored than TJ’s. But whole foods has much better quality of raw unadulterated food than most all, but you do pay. I think of Trader Joes as uncooked restaurant food. No prep required.
TJ’s crunchy almond butter with roasted flax seeds! 2T with a cut-up apple…the healthiest, yummiest, most perfect afternoon snack EVER!
The big issue with TJ’s is the relative inconstancy of their stock, due to their buying model. Here in Vegas, the TJ’s I visit has a too-small produce section, and not quite all the dairy options I need. Whole Foods is the backup plan to fill those holes.
As another Vegas person, I have to agree. Then again I find that it’s silly to shop ANY grocery store with any loyalty.
Trader Joe has some types of convenience foods that their price is excellent. But the local ethnic grocery stores, such as Cardenas Mexican Market and a couple of asian markets on Spring Mountain have better produce, if you know how to shop for peak flavor. Food for Less, Sam’s, and, (gasp!) Walmart for certain staples.
Still, no scientific study has found that organic food is superior to regular. However, from what I know about the behavior of produce, more heirloom cultivars, with seeds and scars and quick shelf-life, is what you get at ethnic markets. The food spoils MUCH faster and ain’t pretty like TJ or WF but, if you shop in seasons, the TASTE is superior. And different fruit too!
I only check Whole Foods for types of foods/spice that I can’t find anywhere else. And most of the time, they don’t have it either. Because they suck. Different names but crap supply if you been at some co-ops. I only go there for fancy cheeses because, I was raised to be a foodie.
Sunflower Market has better teas, if you don’t mix your own. A decent chile roast in Sept, too.
Three words: Chile. Spiced. Mangoes. If you don’t understand the brilliance of the Trader Joe’s chile spiced mango, well, then, you might as well be a Hugo Chavez supporter.
I have two TJs near me. Only thing I don’t like is that you never know when a product will be discontinued. They used to carry the world’s best cinnamon tea but it just disappeared one day and never returned. It can be “hit or miss” because they sell what they can get at a good price. If you fall in love with one of their products, you might find yourself jilted without even so much as a goodbye note next week, month, or year.
They are planning to open a store in Salt Lake City, Utah this year, but it won’t have the two-buck-chuck Charles Shaw wine.
‘two-buck chuck’ can’t be beat. that said, the food items are all geared to the single person who can’t cook and, if you care about such things, check the ‘fresh-prepared’ and frozen foods for their salt content…you’d be better off sprinkling some curry on a salt lick. you might find some odd little imported treat that you’ll get hooked on but then you will stumble in for your fix one day and find that your treat is no longer on the shelf and never will be again. it used to be one could walk out the door with an entire paper shopping bag full of quirky, salty oddities for 20 bucks…these days, they’ll want to know if you really ‘need’ a bag and then they’ll hit you up for 50 bucks. is it worth the extra trip after the supermarket? only if you need some good, cheap wine or want to delude yourself into believing that picking up a few goofy food items will transform you from a lonely loser into some sort of a hipster.
You don’t go to TJs to do all your shopping. You go for whatever it is you buy every time you go there. The prices are great so it’s cheap to try something new and weird. They just started carrying Plain Greek Frozen Yogurt. Not vanilla – plain. Sadly they don’t carry unsalted blister peanuts any more. It’s true the smart folk buy what they love like it’s the old Soviet Union. Stock up in case it disappears without warning!
Waiting for a Traders Joe to open in Prince Georges County, Maryland. Sigh . . . I have to drive a llllllll the way out to Annapolis. One of my best friend buys her food from Trader Joe’s and I always enjoy what she has to serve when we’re at her home.
Fortunately, we’ve got Wegman’s now. And of course, there’s a Wegman’s that will be opening in October, which is closer to my home.
“Trader Joe’s products don’t have artificial colors or flavors, preservatives, trans-fats or MSG…”
You say that as if it were a good thing.
On price, maybe I’ll take another look, but last time I checked the prices at Trader Joe’s for many items were higher than those at the standard non-specialty supermarket.
Really? Trader Joe’s? I guess it’s ok if you like premade things, but I’ve been a few times and always been underwhelmed. Maybe it’s one of those weird California things. (Like preferring In-n-out over Five Guys, or driving your state into bankruptcy.)
WF isn’t bad for some things, but it’s mostly unnecessary once you have a Wegman’s. Wegman’s is really the only grocery store I need anymore.
TJ’s iw the grocery equivalent of “South of the Border”.
If you’ve never been to SOTB, or driven by SOTB…well….never mind.
Love TJ’s.
Trader Joe’s has taken a page from the folks who bring us Cherry Chocolate Swirl and Vanilla Toffy coffees. The food is awful, but it’s gussied up. If coffee is good, Vanilla Toffee Cherry Swirl coffee is better, right? Even the packaging is meant to distract. I occasionally shopped Trader Joe’s when I lived in Philly. I came away with a deep respect for an honest cup of joe.
This is a parody site right? TJ’s has been going downhill for the last 15 years. Cool maybe last century.
Trader Joes works because there is a large chain grocery store around the corner where you can buy kitty litter, paper towels and other bulky low-margin items. They are skimming off the high-margin cream, and leaving the rest of the shopping to Safeway.
Pretty smart.
Haiku Guy: Silly rabbit, you don’t go to TJs for paper towels, they don’t have the space for that, and they are specialty retailers, what special thing are they going to do with paper products. You get those ordinary bulk items at Costco, of course. TJs for the gourmet items, Costco for the bulk items, and once a month to Safeway for whatever TJ doesn’t carry, and you are set.
BTW, one of the best things at TJs are the fresh seasonal meats. TJs has Thanksgiving turkeys that are brined immediately after harvesting, and they are so tender and moist. We used to special order turkeys from name brand ranches at 4 times the TJ price, then found out the TJ ones were better. Same thing with St Pattys corned beef. We buy 4 turkeys, and 4 corned beef, cook one fresh, and freeze the other three, since we can’t get the same quality anywhere else at any price.
Baking mixes? Meh, and so too the pies and cakes. But the artisan breads rival what I used to get from the speciality bakers in the SF East Bay ie wonderful. One time special orders on wine can be an incredible deal if they bought out the last of something for half the usual wholesale. Otherwise, what else can I say, Costco….
TJS 4 times a week for cheese, dairy, bread, fresh produce, speciality items like roasted red peppers and kalamata olives. Costco twice a month for bulk items, especially paper products, filet mignon at $11 a pound, boneless chicken breasts individually shrink wrapped for freezing, wine, and bottled water. A major grocery store every six weeks for the few items the other two don’t have, or to take advantage of a loss-leader below wholesale price sale.
If I was considering moving, the first thing I would look up would be how far to TJs and Costco. More than an hours drive away would rule out any location, no matter how attractive otherwise. Luckily, more and more places have them both. I recently visited San Francisco, which used to have a single major grocery store for the entire city, forcing most residents to shop at mom amd pop stores with out of date items at absurd prices. Now SF has both a TJ and a Costco right downtown, just a block apart. May they both multiply like Starbucks !
Beer. TJs has good beer cheap. The closest store is 35 miles away, and I make the trip weekly.
Yea Trader Joe’s is kinda cool, but do they ever sell 2000 watt generators for $150.00 like I just bought at ALDI?
The all-American business model? Sure – start a company, build it up and then sell it to a foreign conglomerate. The all-American business model?
Love their vegetable egg rolls, price is great and they are Weight Watcher friendly! One is opening near me soon and I can’t wait.
TJ’s is pretty great for basics…and the occasional surprise Satan Snack, like their frozen chocolate croissants. Let those rascals rise overnight, pop them in the oven for 25 minutes, and suddenly, it’s like being in France again, minus the native French people who can’t be bothered to talk to Americans.
I love TJ’s! Another great thing about them: they do not boycott Israel, although they’ve been targeted by protests. They have great Israeli cous-cous (very herby, goes well with salmon) and fantastic Garden of Eden feta.
Don’t forget TJ’s No-Guilt Macaroni and Cheese. Yum!
A bachelor’s best friend, I always say! 60 years old and been a loyal customer for more years than I care to remember…
Love Trader Joe’s! There’s one under twenty minutes from where I live in Washington state. Our favorites are the whole grain breads, the frozen food choices (love the mushroom puffs–they’re a favorite at parties), the chip and pretzel selections, the low sugar spaghetti sauces and the dazzling array of juice varieties. The only thing I have a complaint with TJ is their lack of low sugar/sugar free snacks. Hubbie is borderline diabetic and loves their cookies, but he can no longer eat them. Wish they had more low sugar/sugar free cookies and candies.
Dude, Ralph’s is like way better, dude. And you can get real half and half.
You folks have all missed the Wine selection! I work with an engineer whose sister is a wine buyer for Trader Joe. They specialize in buying up tail end lots of good wines,which they then sell below the price that you would pay at the wineries. This way, the winery does not “cheapen the brand” by putting these wines in competition with their other premium offerings, they cut their losses on the annual inventory tax (which is why no California winery ages their wines very long), Trader Joe’s makes money and the Joe’s customers get a bargain.
Not true of all their wines, but if you know what you are looking for, there are some great deals.
And, now they have gone into their own line of “Trader Joe’s Reserve and Petite Reserve labels, which are the unbottled left-overs from premium wineries, often in unusual varietals. (Not all exotic varietals are well-received, but try Refosco, Grenacha, and some of the other Italian grape varietals from the Central Coast. Then try to guess which premium label they would have been if Trader Joe’s didn’t buy them.)
Oh, yeah: I understand they sell food too.