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Post by Zee on Mar 16, 2024 0:25:52 GMT
Their parking lot gives me road rage, but a new (closer) location is opening soon... I might shop there more often when that happens as it will be easier to get there when they open and it's not a zoo. They're almost always located in the tiniest space! Very little parking, very little room in the aisles, always crowded. I do like so many of their things, though. I just have to mentally prepare myself first.
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Post by myshelly on Mar 16, 2024 0:35:35 GMT
I feel like it’s not a whole grocery store - it’s a place you go for fun little snacks after you do your regular shopping somewhere else.
I don’t like browsing grocery stores, I don’t like spending money on food, I don’t like going to more than one store, I don’t like having tons of snacks stuff in the house.
I don’t get the appeal.
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Post by cindyupnorth on Mar 16, 2024 1:01:14 GMT
Love!! And the closest one is 4 hrs away. So when we do go we load up. I don’t get the over priced comments at all!!! It’s very reasonably priced, if not cheaper than some groceries! We love all the fried rices, the soup dumplings, egg rolls, all the cheeses!! Pita crackers I make my lunches with, everything but the bagel salmon, I could go in. Love
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Post by crazy4scraps on Mar 16, 2024 1:02:50 GMT
Their parking lot gives me road rage, but a new (closer) location is opening soon... I might shop there more often when that happens as it will be easier to get there when they open and it's not a zoo. THIS. I think I've been twice since they put one in years ago. It isn't anywhere near me and the parking lot is always packed or hard to get into. It's close to the Costco I avoid and the other side of the road there is a college. And this. I don’t know what it is about Trader Joe’s but they all seem to have the most horrible parking lots. Small, tight spaces with difficult access in and out plus they are ALWAYS crowded. I like some of the unique products I’ve gotten there but quite honestly there’s nothing that makes going there and dealing with their horrible parking situation worth the hassle.
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Post by sunnyd on Mar 16, 2024 1:11:39 GMT
All of the above plus: hash brown patties are just like McDonalds, lemon curd is so good, "homemade" flour tortillas, rice, pasta, organic chicken, so many yummy seasonings. I put 21 salute on everything. OMG, their frozen chocolate croissants. And the cheese section!!
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Post by myshelly on Mar 16, 2024 1:20:48 GMT
Our TJ’s parking lot is also a nightmare death trap.
I have more than once wanted to try something I saw on social media and just given up without going inside due to the parking lot.
I also think it is VERY expensive for what it is.
Everything comes in teeny tiny packages that are the same price as a giant Costco package. It’s a rich people store.
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Post by ntsf on Mar 16, 2024 1:34:25 GMT
I really like trader joes.. it is near by and the parking is fine before noon or late..it is in a mall. I like the frozen sockeye salmon, the hummus, the shredded veggie packages, the nuts.. good prices and good choices.. figs, the mini ice cream cones, dark chocolate peanut butter mini bites, and the frozen veggies..
I don't get everything there, but I have my fav things.
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Post by workingclassdog on Mar 16, 2024 1:36:36 GMT
Love it but I don’t shop regularly as it is pretty far from me… but I’ll go if I’m near it and going straight home if I buy frozen stuff. I usually try to go at least Christmas time as there are quite a few things I love only available during the season.
I do love: Dog treats - inexpensive Face serum - $10 compared to same that is over $20 Andddd I’m drawing a blank lol
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Post by workingclassdog on Mar 16, 2024 1:39:55 GMT
Love!! And the closest one is 4 hrs away. So when we do go we load up. I don’t get the over priced comments at all!!! It’s very reasonably priced, if not cheaper than some groceries! We love all the fried rices, the soup dumplings, egg rolls, all the cheeses!! Pita crackers I make my lunches with, everything but the bagel salmon, I could go in. Love I’m puzzled by the price comments too.. everything I buy is always cheaper than the grocery store.
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Post by lisae on Mar 16, 2024 1:41:22 GMT
Never been to one. The closest I think is over an hour away. A relative was telling me about the stuff she purchased there and it all sounded like convenience food to me.
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carhoch
Pearl Clutcher
Be yourself everybody else is already taken
Posts: 2,991
Location: We’re RV’s so It change all the time .
Jun 28, 2014 21:46:39 GMT
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Post by carhoch on Mar 16, 2024 1:42:20 GMT
I am not a big fan and I don’t really understand the attraction.
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Post by melanell on Mar 16, 2024 1:54:42 GMT
We don't have one around us, but when we travel if we're going to be near one or passing one, we often will stop. So for us, there's that extra layer of appreciation for the store, because it's mentally linked with vacations, long weekends, daytrips, etc. We never get to become sick of it, or equate it with the chore of weekly grocery shopping. It gets to always be the "fun grocery store" instead.
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Post by cindyupnorth on Mar 16, 2024 1:58:48 GMT
Comparing Trader Joe’s to Costco is ridiculous. You go to Costco to buy things in bulk. I hardly ever buy produce , or frozen stuff from Costco. Mainly because we don’t have the room. And it’s just me and my dh. To saying it’s a rich persons store?! 😂😂😂 oh my
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Post by MichyM on Mar 16, 2024 2:19:39 GMT
I don't. I am not into convenience foods and the few I have tried from them were not good at all. Their produce never looks good or goes bad quickly.
And it is small and always so busy and the regulars are snobby and hate that I am in their way while reading ingredient lists or checking dates. Fresh produce is the most important thing for me when grocery shopping. Because of that I very rarely shop at my TJs, which is only a few short blocks away. Their produce looks, tastes, and lasts like seconds. Not a fan. I stop in maybe twice or three times a year.
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Post by Lurkingpea on Mar 16, 2024 3:21:48 GMT
Love!! And the closest one is 4 hrs away. So when we do go we load up. I don’t get the over priced comments at all!!! It’s very reasonably priced, if not cheaper than some groceries! We love all the fried rices, the soup dumplings, egg rolls, all the cheeses!! Pita crackers I make my lunches with, everything but the bagel salmon, I could go in. Love I’m puzzled by the price comments too.. everything I buy is always cheaper than the grocery store. Same. I find their prices very reasonable and I am super frugal with grocery shopping. I don't buy a lot of their prepared food though. And I don't buy produce there either. I will also say our parking lot is super nice and easy to get in and out of, but I know that is not of the norm. It is also right across the street from Kroger so it is very convenient to do a grocery pick up from there and zip across the street (with a light even) and go shopping.
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Post by librarylady on Mar 16, 2024 3:32:16 GMT
Ive only been once and I didnt understand the appeal. There isnt one close enough for me to try again This^^ Everyone was so excited that TJ was opening. I went a few weeks later and wanted to find something to purchase but nothing called to me. I really don't comprehend the allure. --but that's why we have chocolate and vanilla...different tastes for everyone.
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Post by revirdsuba99 on Mar 16, 2024 3:57:55 GMT
Never been. Depending on traffic, too far away. Whole Foods hasn't impressed me ..
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Post by katlady on Mar 16, 2024 4:15:51 GMT
I also think it is VERY expensive for what it is. Everything comes in teeny tiny packages that are the same price as a giant Costco package. It’s a rich people store. Trader Joe's has been found to be less expensive than many grocery store chains, even Walmart. The secret is, everything they sell is their brand, that's how they keep the prices down. www.cnet.com/home/kitchen-and-household/how-much-cheaper-is-trader-joes/Whole Foods hasn't impressed me .. Now, if we want to talk about a rich person's store ...
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Post by Lurkingpea on Mar 16, 2024 4:24:30 GMT
I also think it is VERY expensive for what it is. Everything comes in teeny tiny packages that are the same price as a giant Costco package. It’s a rich people store. Trader Joe's has been found to be less expensive than many grocery store chains, even Walmart. The secret is, everything they sell is their brand, that's how they keep the prices down. www.cnet.com/home/kitchen-and-household/how-much-cheaper-is-trader-joes/Whole Foods hasn't impressed me .. Now, if we want to talk about a rich person's store ... Yes, Whole Foods is crazy expensive. There is a reason people call it Whole Paycheck.
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christinec68
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,129
Location: New York, NY
Jun 26, 2014 18:02:19 GMT
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Post by christinec68 on Mar 16, 2024 5:06:36 GMT
I’ve only been a few times - I bought some good stuff and I thought the prices were reasonable. I’ve been to 3 different locations and they all seem to be crazy madhouse zoos which is not for me.
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Post by hop2 on Mar 16, 2024 13:47:37 GMT
I like Trader Joe’s.
I can’t say love because they get something good & then it disappears forever I dislike that. It’s so aggravating.
I will continue to go to Trader Joe’s because their gluten free English muffins are my favorite bread product
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Post by hop2 on Mar 16, 2024 13:54:52 GMT
Their parking lot gives me road rage, but a new (closer) location is opening soon... I might shop there more often when that happens as it will be easier to get there when they open and it's not a zoo. The one near me has a parking issues & walking into the store issues because it’s in the parking lot of Costco. A significant number of Costco shoppers loose their minds & driving skills when they go to Costco. Kinda nasty about it too. Every Costco I’ve ever been to the parking lot is like that movie where they try to run over people for points. 🙄 it’s actually one of the reasons I won’t join. The worst Trader Joe’s parking lot I’ve ever been to is between Allwood rd & Rt 3in Clifton NJ That parking lot is a zoo
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Post by monklady123 on Mar 16, 2024 14:02:18 GMT
We have one TJ in this area that's in one of those outdoor strip type mall areas, and at one end is a Best Buy. So there is always parking available, and the spaces are not tiny. But, it's not the closest one to my house. The one near me is newer and they put in underground parking. I though oh great! easy parking. um, nope. It is SO tight and crowded down there. I went once and never again. So now I drive halfway and park near a public playground that has 2-hour free parking (the entire neighborhood is zoned because of the nearby Metro station...I live just outside the zoned area so I don't have a windshield parking sticker) -- Then I walk up to TJ's. I could walk the entire way from my house, it's only about 15 minutes. But, I don't want to then walk home lugging whatever I bought. Lugging it just a few blocks to where I parked is better than all the way home. This TJ's is located directly across the street from a metro station, and there are a lot of high rise type apartments in the whole area. So that's the demographic TJ's is appealing to... They get home from work, come up out of the subway, cross to TJ's, then walk home. Perfect for them.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Mar 16, 2024 14:18:21 GMT
Their parking lot gives me road rage, but a new (closer) location is opening soon... I might shop there more often when that happens as it will be easier to get there when they open and it's not a zoo. The one near me has a parking issues & walking into the store issues because it’s in the parking lot of Costco. A significant number of Costco shoppers loose their minds & driving skills when they go to Costco. Kinda nasty about it too. Every Costco I’ve ever been to the parking lot is like that movie where they try to run over people for points. 🙄 it’s actually one of the reasons I won’t join. The worst Trader Joe’s parking lot I’ve ever been to is between Allwood rd & Rt 3in Clifton NJ That parking lot is a zoo I’ll take a Costco parking lot any day of the week over a Trader Joe’s. Here they’re like night and day different. Costco lots are big and have nice HUGE parking spaces where if you’re parked decently in the middle of the space you don’t have as big a risk that someone parked next to you is going to dent your doors with theirs. The one I go to most has added a bunch of stop signs to help the flow of traffic in and out and it has helped. The cart racks are conveniently placed which encourages people to use them. The TJ lots are horrifically small, with teeny tiny parking spaces that make me wish I carried a can opener so I could get in and out of my car once I’ve driven around the lot 18 times and finally wedged it into a spot. Then there’s no outdoor cart rack so in order to be a decent human I have to hoof the damn thing all the way back to the store (which I always do, because I am a decent human). I don’t even drive a very big car so I can’t even imagine how much worse it would be if I drove a mini van or some other bigger vehicle. I can honestly say there have been times when I too have given up trying to even get a spot in a TJ’s lot and just went somewhere else. We have a few TJ stores in my area and every one has a disaster of a parking lot. One store even has a parking ramp which is a special level of hell.
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Post by Flowergirl on Mar 16, 2024 15:02:49 GMT
When Trader Joes wanted to build in our suburb, the town required them to expand the parking before they'd approve. TJs complied so parking is not an issue at ours.
It is in our weekly rotation for groceries. I couldn't find good cottage cheese at any of the groceries stores until I tried theirs. Also like their plain greek yogurt. We have e list of things we get there weekly. DH likes some of the frozen meals for his lunch. The produce at ours is good--I like their arugula and fennel. We like several of their cheeses and seasonal items for entertaining. The kombucha flavor I like I only ever see there.
I don't find the prices any worse than the other places we shop.
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Post by lisacharlotte on Mar 16, 2024 15:26:41 GMT
It's not even on my radar. I don't even remember it exists until someone mentions it or drive by it. ETA: also, I feels like most of their product is prepackaged/prepared foods.
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Post by peano on Mar 16, 2024 17:36:55 GMT
There are a couple of things I like about TJs. Cheap bagged wild rice and their Fire Roasted Salsa. (which they didn’t have the last time I was there, which means it’s probably discontinued, because that’s what happens to everything I like.) Otherwise, it just seems like a lot of processed snack foods, which I don’t usually eat.
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Post by epeanymous on Mar 16, 2024 17:46:11 GMT
Honestly I think it’s great if you are busy and on your own — you can get a lot of half-prepped things you can stick in the oven and snacks that taste better than a lot if what you get at a supermarket. I don’t think it’s great if you are actually trying to cook or if you have a big family—you can’t count on finding what you need for a recipe, and while I think their packaged and frozen food prices are standard, the protein prices are often weirdly high.
There is one a few blocks from the elementary school, and I probably drop in there every few weeks for household favorites like plantain chips, prosciutto pizza, and burrata.
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Post by scraphappy0501 on Mar 16, 2024 18:17:18 GMT
I don't shop at Trader Joes.
I've been to TJ's in the past. Our closest one is an hour away and I've never been to it. I work in the food industry and get emails for every FDA recall (food, drugs and cosmetics). Trader Joe's consistently has the most recalls of any grocery chain. If it's not a TJ-branded product it's a product sold only at TJs. I couldn't tell you why but I suspect it's because they work with smaller food producers who don't have good food safety programs, likely due to lack of resources (money, experience, education, etc.) So it's not worth it to me to buy over-priced products that might have a food safety risk.
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scrappinmama
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,883
Jun 26, 2014 12:54:09 GMT
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Post by scrappinmama on Mar 16, 2024 18:50:07 GMT
I love Trader Joes. I don't really buy a lot of snack foods from there. They have a good apple selection (my son is picky about apples), vegetables are hit and miss. It depends what vegetables you are looking for. The brioche bread is perfect for french toast. Their cheese selection is good. It's a great place to buy olive oil. And flowers are a good deal there. I find their prices to be reasonable.
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