I have a feeling I’m opening myself up to some heavy criticism with this thread as I know TJs has loyal fans, but here goes…
Just tried another Trader Joe’s product that was crappy. Veggie dumplings. And their chocolate chips are bad.
I don’t really get the TJ hype. Sure, there are a few products I like but, IMO, the mediocre to subpar products I’ve tried (they sound good but they disappoint) vastly outnumber the products I’d buy again.
I don’t eat a lot of frozen food. I’m tempted by the sweet stuff which I really don’t need. Their meat and produce items are limited and not that well priced.
I do like the 99 cent greeting cards, some of the flowers/plants, some of the sweet stuff, my husband likes some of the wine but the list is pretty limited. For the most part, I’d rather shop at the regular grocery store or Whole Foods.
Some categories are really good. We eat a lot of nuts, and their prices and selection is unbeatable. In our area, some meat and produce is great - New Zealand lamb, salmon, kale, melons, tomatoes. My son lives on their thai shrimp fried rice. Other prepared foods can be bland and have added sugar, which I avoid.
I don’t get it. Their salsa with the yellow cap is great. I go two or three times a year to stock up then I cruise up and down the aisles. What would I buy?
The dried and freeze dried fruit and nuts really are top quality and I shop there extensively for holiday baking. And the chocolate bars (pound plus) also good for baking. I too am tempted by sweets and snacks. I agree the regular groceries are none too great.and the non dessert frozen foods are meh. I do love the cookies and the high fiber granola bars have more fiber and less sugar than grocery store brands. Selective not everyday shopping. And never when hungry!
You have to shop that place selectively. I usually go for things that are convenient and better priced than elsewhere: Madrigal Swiss cheese (awesome), smoked Gouda, cabbages, carrots, frozen chicken pelmeni, frozen hash browns, decaf green tea, frozen veggie kits, frozen pizza crusts, pizza dough… that kind of stuff. I buy most of our produce and meats from Costco, but TJ is my go to place for single potion cuts.
What I don’t buy: packaged ready to eat salads and meals, yogurt (bad), frozen fish, most unknown to me wine, most apples… definitely not chocolate or baked goods. That stuff only comes from the Euro deli.
Hmmm, I like Trader Joe’s myself. I like their cheese selection and wine. I like their Icelandic yogurt, which I can find sometimes at Aldi’s. They have a hand cream that’s a dupe for l’occitane Shea butter at a fraction of the cost. I like their frozen green beans.
I like Aldi’s also but I buy my meat and produce at our seasonal market.
They’re hit and miss, but what’s invaluable for us there is good cheese at reasonable prices. Meat, too, both raw and deli meats have been good and significantly cheaper than elsewhere. I’ve bought and cooked awesome brisket, and I regularly buy their marinated chicken. Frozen foods not so much but there are some good choices, and their frozen dough is pretty good. Finally, the pelmeni (Russian dumplings) they sell are better than the ones in Russian-American groceries.
^^Our young Russian friends alerted us to those dumplings. We tried and got hooked! A package povides an easy and tasty meal for 2 on a busy night. I brought some leftovers to reheat at work… my coworkers inquired what they were, and now several folks here in the office buy the TJ pelmeni regularly.
If Trader Joes disappeared off the face of the earth tomorrow everyone I know IRL would be in mourning. Everyone.
We don’t buy all of our groceries at TJs but what we buy there we can’t get elsewhere for the same quality and price.
Things I will only buy at TJs:
Dried fruit and nuts.
Persian cucumbers, small tomatoes, basil, cut mango, packaged salads.
Lentil snacks, popcorn, chips
Almond and peanut butter
Frozen brocolli and spinach, frozen indian food,frozen zucchini spirals, frozen mexican food, frozen fish, frozen shrimp, frozen… anything.
Hummus, Bruschetta sauce, Dips, goat cheese, cheddar.
packaged cookies
Laundry Soap, dish soap, hand soap, salt scrub, Jojoba oil,
LUNA bars ($1 each!),
Tom’s of Maine products
There are lots of other products like meat, milk, chicken, cheese and cereals, that I am happy to buy from TJs or other spots. I prefer to go to the Farmer’s Market for produce when possible.
That said, as much as I love TJs I’ve been buying from them for 35 years and over time some things have slipped off the list. I no longer buy bread, wine or beer there, I get better and cheaper at my local chain store.
I was excited when I moved to Southern Cal and was extra excited to learn there was a TJ only about a mile from my house. I’d read about TJ’s online for years. It was okay.
Agree on the nuts, a few frozen things, like the peppermint cookies at Christmas.
In California, the parking lot just wasn’t worth it to me. It was a big shopping center with a Ralph’s (Kroger’s) on one side, a lot of other businesses including a CVS, and then the TJ on the other side sharing that parking area with a few little businesses with high traffic like a hair cut place. It was just a nightmare to park near TJ and easier to just go to Ralph’s or CVS for anything I needed.
There is one near me now but the Sprout’s is closer and it has nuts. And a big parking lot.
Since I live 2 hours away from my nearest TJ’s, I shop only the things that are non-perishable or that will survive the ride home in the cooler. Love the greeting cards, cheeses, nuts, sweets, some meats. Would buy flowers if I were local. I have had a few miss products along the way. I love their podcast and one episode describes how they utilize focus groups to determine what comes and goes. I can’t understand how some products make it past the focus group. I bought some breadsticks seasoned with olive oil this spring and they are really blah. How did anyone think those would be a fan favorite? More hits than misses for me, but I have had a few duds.
I still look forward to retiring to Nashville to be near D, SIL, and the new Tj’s they are opening on their side of town.
Here’s what we get that is outstanding in our opinion
Balsamic Vinegar Glaze and Balsamic Vinegar. Very high quality at very reasonable cost. We use in place of salad dressing often
Cauliflower Gnochi. Very low in calories. Absolutely delicious. . We sautéed with some fresh mushroom. Yum!
wonderful spices. Lemon Pepper. Onion Salt, Everyhing but the Bagel seasoning.
Chocolate Carmel wedges in a tin. 60 calories for 2. One of our favorites
low cost high quality fresh fruit
mini dark chocolate peanut butter cups. We freeze them. Totally sublime
ABC Bars. My daughter with celiac loves these gluten free bars. Often when on a shift in nursing school she didn’t have time to eat. These were a great snack.
I don’t get the hype either. I do find their employees to be nice, but employees at my local Whole Foods are super nice, those at Wegmans, Publix and Costco’s are great too.
For dried fruits and nuts, Whole Foods and Costco’s have better selection (WF) and better price (Costco). For fresh produce and prepared food, TJ fails in comparison with WF and Wegmans.
I definitely can live without it.
I like it now. When all my kids were home, it was Costco. Now it’s TJ. But I have to admit their advertising flyer is always more attractive to me than most of the products.
I’ve found a number of products I like and stuck to them. Prices not bad and my local store had good turnover of produce and other goods so that things are fresher than the chain grocery stores.
It took me awhile to get to know TJ, but it’s a regular venue now. Aldis is cutting into their market, though
I really like Trader Joe’s, but not for my weekly grocery shopping. I love their nuts, and of their cheeses…and I like a number of their cereals. Their sunscreen is the best I’ve ever used. Seasonal produce is good too.
If any store is over hyped and over rated (and over priced) it’s Whole Foods. And their quality has gone noticeably down considering the prices they charge.
But WF is another thread.
Our Trader Joe’s is 45 minutes away so I don’t get there that often. It’s a treat.
