<p>I guess I never have trouble with their produce, but I’m in California. I know my D in NYC says that a lot of times produce at TJ’s is not good. She does not shop at the TJ’s wine store in Union Square as Whole Foods wine store on the UWS is closer for her.</p>
<p>I don’t care for a lot of the frozen food. I do happen to like the frozen cheese pizzas. Hate the orange chicken. Nor do I like the prepared food items. I also don’t buy meat there. They have the best selection and prices on frozen fruit for smoothies.
I don’t have a problem with their produce. Like anywhere I check out what I am buying before I buy it. I love the Persian cucumbers. They are the best looking and cheapest place to buy them in my area. I also buy all my onions there.
In my area they have by far the best prices on eggs, milk and nuts, coconut oil and olive oil and kalamata olives. I also buy cheese there. It beats Von’s by far on selection. It beats Whole foods and Gelsons on price.
I also happen to like their tortilla chips. I love the black bean-flax seed chip.
I haven’t had a problem with their fresh cut flowers. They don’t always have what I am looking for but the selection and prices are good. By far the best price and selection of orchids.
Like show mom I am in Ca and maybe the fruits and vegetables and flowers don’t have to travel as far.
I find that no one grocery store has everything to suit my wants. I shop at different places for different things. </p>
<p>
No way I’d fight the parking lot at TJ’s for a handful of items. Except for buying seafood at a fish store and an occasional cut of meat at a little specialty grocery store, I want to be able to get all my food shopping done in one place. Going to multiple stores just to get food in the house would make me crazy, and while I’m probably not getting every single item at the absolute lowest price, or of the ultimate quality, I prize convenience in this case–we all have our indulgences, I guess. (I also keep the thermostat at 68 in the winter, so I guess that’s two indulgences.) The TJ’s that opened in my town replaced a bookstore. Definitely a step down for me.</p>
<p>Hmmm, I’d be freezing with my thermostat @ 68. I keep mine at 75!</p>
<p>OK people who don’t like TJ at all can stop weighing in now, it is tiresome to sift through. This thread is obviously meant to be useful to TJ shoppers. I’m a regular.</p>
<p>I can’t always remember what I just think is meh, and don’t buy again. But I tried the frozen grilled eggplant and zucchini and it was horrible, slimy and bitter. </p>
<p>The canned (Tuscan?) Marinara sauce was bland to me. But the price is so cheap I wonder if it is worth doctoring. Meanwhile I bought a couple other of the jarred sauces–the are so many varieties I’m going to test to find a good one because the prices are so good. I got Arribiata because I heard it was good, and the Organic Tomato Basil Marinara.</p>
<p>The regular peanut butter tastes fine but is thin textured so my roommate says it squishes out of the bread. This doesn’t bother me because I only put PB open faced on toast. But the thin texture is perfect for the Chocolate PB Mug Cake I’m currently addicted to because it mixes in so easily. I’m going to try the organic PB next.</p>
<p>I won’t go into what I do like because it’s not for this thread, but just to defend the Cracked Wheat Sourdough It is good and is much better price to a similar product in the supermarkets. Like all bread, if we aren’t going through it quickly I put it in the freezer and take it out by the slice.</p>
I just tried the Greek yogurt chocolate mousse flavor and it is horrible, like sour chocolate, I’m shocked because yesterday I had the maple brown sugar one and it rocked.
Also my TJ has a huge parking lot. Very convenient.
Satay Sauce. Blech. Vinegary. Absolutely no idea what they were comparing it to.
I don’t like their pump bottle of Moisturizing Cream Extra Dry Formula, unscented herbal blend with aloe. It isn’t nearly moisturizing enough for either my hands or body.
(On the other hand, I very much like their Enrich Moisturizing Face Lotion broad spectrum SPF 15 fragrance free-- for the same reason that I don’t like the other lotion-- it is not rich, hence doesn’t make my face greasy during the warmer months. I’m still using it and have not yet decided if it’s moisturizing enough for a New England winter.)
I don’t like the salsa options
I like the flax seed chips but the regular chips and a bit thick and too salty (I guess it’s all or nothing on the salt)
I don’t like the bread or bagels. We DO like the garlic flatbreads but did around for one that gives us longer on the sell-by date to avoid spoilage.
Oh dear. I’ve been looking forward to trying the Satay Sauce that’s sitting in my pantry. Glad I’m forewarned. Maybe I can doctor it up with TJ’s peanut butter? I’ve not found the “fresh” baguettes, artisan bread creations, etc. as fresh as that in my regular supermarket. Similarly with the baked goods.
The salsas are terrible. Chips are fairly bad IMO.
Sambal Matal, an Indonesian “salsa” is good.
I like the pineapple salsa!
Another fan of the pineapple salsa and that chunky mild salsa in the somewhat squat jar. And the chips. But I didn’t like that Sambal Matal. I sense a trend. 
Now addicted to the Spindrift Seltzers, both the grapefruit and raspberry/lime flavors. Cannot buy the Kettle corn on a regular basis, because it is just too addicting.
Like the breads except for the bagels, which are of the pale imitation variety and not chewy and dense enough at all.
I know this is a don’t like thread but we are addicted to the par-baked bread.
I agree with comments about meat/fish (I would never buy them there), prepared food (bad ingredients), and the oversupply of candy and sweets. But there are things that are excellent there and priced well - boxed tomato/red pepper soup, milk, cheese, nuts, dried fruit, frozen fruit, beer, frozen vegetables. Some fresh produce items are good (bagged tricolor organic peppers, onions, cucumbers, organic romaine lettuce, organic bagged greens - “power of the greens” is great - pineapples, kiwi). My favorite product, though, is the brown rice pasta - spaghetti, penne. It is gluten-free and it tastes as good as regular white pasta.
Recent disappointment is the frozen “Steak and Ale Pie”…
I was completely underwhelmed by TJ’s. I just don’t get it after two visits.
I love their frozen brussels sprouts. I roast them just like fresh ones. No cleaning, just dump them out of the bag to the foil-lined cookie sheet, take 10 min longer than fresh. I pour a little oil in the bag before dumping out, sprinkle with balsamic vinegar for the last 15 minutes of roasting.
99 cents for a pound bag. Bargain!
@VaBluebird It is sort of an acquired taste.
It has definitely gone downhill since Aldi’s acquired it; much different than the Trader Joe’s in So Cal in the 70’s.
Still, their good stuff is amazingly good. The curry simmer sauce is way better than any I’ve ever made from scratch, and their nuts and dried fruits are usually of very good quality and at a nice price, especially when I don’t want a Costco-size bag. The orange-blossom hand soap is a real pleasure. Even my husband likes it.