Is it worth a 2 hour drive to shop at Trader Joe's?

[Colleen27]

TJ's was great years ago, before more mainstream supermarket chains carried a lot of organic items (and what they did carry was uber expensive). At least in my area though, organics are now a lot easier to find, and cheaper than they used to be. I still go to TJ's (20 minute drive) about once a month for a few things I really like and/or can't find elsewhere and/or are cheaper at TJ's. I got to WF, TJ's and Costco once a month or so, go to Meijer weekly and order our meats from a local farm in bulk 2x a year.

That's how I feel too. The closest TJ's to me is about an hour away, but it is only about 10min from my mother's house so I used to go to stock up on processed foods that I couldn't get at Meijer or our local small town grocery... But now Meijer carries most of those things, often from local producers rather than the national lines TJs carries, and our grocery in town even has a few. They were great back when it was hard to find a decent bottled curry sauce or a brand of ketchup without HFCS or fruit snacks without red dye but now they have so much more competition in the naturals/organics market that they aren't worth a special trip.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

I don't care for Aldi's or Trader Joes. As far as Aldi's goes ( we have a new store in my community) their selection is very limited and I just don't care to browse inventory out of boxes. Why not put it out on the shelf? The whole quarter thing for a cart is just plane stupid. And they don't take credit cards! I'm not seeing the savings for all this inconvenience.

 

[blondietink]

Yea, that quarter thing at Aldi's is stupid. This is small town USA and nobody steals shopping carts here.

 

[ellone]

Yea, that quarter thing at Aldi's is stupid. This is small town USA and nobody steals shopping carts here.

It's not the stealing. With the quarter thing people bring their carts back so they don't need an employee to collect them from the parking lot. So they don't have to pay an employee to do that.

 

[tvguy]

It's not the stealing. With the quarter thing people bring their carts back so they don't need an employee to collect them from the parking lot. So they don't have to pay an employee to do that.

Ah, so you're taking someone's job away.

 

[grammaHBSR4]

OK, we get that you really have a thing against Aldi!! That's alright, as it's not for everyone, but there is nothing about my closest Aldi that would gross anyone out! Very clean, neat, and the CS is excellent. I don't do the bulk of my shopping there as I get better prices elsewhere with sales and coupons on brand name items, but I do get lots of my veggies/fruits there that are as fresh looking/tasting as you will find anywhere. They are 'very' inexpensive with their weekly sales in our competitive area. TJ's doesn't do a thing for me - just goes to show that 'no one size fits all'!!

The Aldi I go to is great! Always immaculate. Some people see it as an inferior store as you pay for cart and stocking done differently. They have the fastest cashiers I've ever seen and they are always pleasant. They continue to expand their organics and 'natural' items. Trader Joe's has plenty of items also with artificial ingredients just gotta read your ingredients anywhere.

 

[North of Mouse]

I don't care for Aldi's or Trader Joes. As far as Aldi's goes ( we have a new store in my community) their selection is very limited and I just don't care to browse inventory out of boxes. Why not put it out on the shelf? The whole quarter thing for a cart is just plane stupid. And they don't take credit cards! I'm not seeing the savings for all this inconvenience.

What's wrong with making selections out of open boxes -doesn't offend me at all - is a real cost saver. Do you shop warehouse stores like Sams/Costco? Again, Aldi is not for everyone, but I get lots of fresh produce there. They do take debit cards and cash - works for me and many others.

Yea, that quarter thing at Aldi's is stupid. This is small town USA and nobody steals shopping carts here.

Why stupid? I wish more stores would catch on and do the right thing. I get very tired of my car getting scratched because people are too lazy to take their carts to the 'corral'.

It's not the stealing. With the quarter thing people bring their carts back so they don't need an employee to collect them from the parking lot. So they don't have to pay an employee to do that.

Correct, as far as it goes, but what I love about it is keeping the lots free of carts and all tidied up in one place and 'clean'.

 

[blondietink]

It's not the stealing. With the quarter thing people bring their carts back so they don't need an employee to collect them from the parking lot. So they don't have to pay an employee to do that.

Well again here from small town USA .... people don't steal the carts and they don't put them back either. Parking lot is littered up with carts because there is no cart corral at Aldi's and people are basically "paying it forward" by not putting the cart back so the next person won't have to pay the stupid 25 cents.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

The Aldi I go to is great! Always immaculate. Some people see it as an inferior store as you pay for cart and stocking done differently. They have the fastest cashiers I've ever seen and they are always pleasant. They continue to expand their organics and 'natural' items. Trader Joe's has plenty of items also with artificial ingredients just gotta read your ingredients anywhere.

The only reason they are fast cashiers is they give you no time to bag your groceries. Aldis has this huge bagging area with a shelf just for people to bag their groceries. It's all about saving money not providing convenience. I'll gladly pay a few cents more. ( yes that really is what the savings amounts to) and be able to use a cart for free, use a credit card, be able to view the groceries on a shelf, and have my groceries bagged for me.

 

[Colleen27]

Well again here from small town USA .... people don't steal the carts and they don't put them back either. Parking lot is littered up with carts because there is no cart corral at Aldi's and people are basically "paying it forward" by not putting the cart back so the next person won't have to pay the stupid 25 cents.

The quarter thing might not have been a bad idea back when just about everyone carried cash as a matter of routine, but in a plastic-heavy society it isn't all it is cracked up to be. I quit going there because the savings isn't worth having to make sure I have a quarter (I never carry change!), stopping at the ATM to have cash because I can't use a credit card, and having to haul my load over to the bagging shelf rather than having them bagged for me at the register. I've never found the savings significant enough to balance out the inconveniences.

 

[North of Mouse]

Well again here from small town USA .... people don't steal the carts and they don't put them back either. Parking lot is littered up with carts because there is no cart corral at Aldi's and people are basically "paying it forward" by not putting the cart back so the next person won't have to pay the stupid 25 cents.

Well, maybe people are too lazy there to return the carts and get their quarters back - here, there are always kids who will gather any stray cart they see and get a quarter free .

Have any of you ever had your car scratched by inconsiderate people leaving their carts anywhere because they are too lazy to return them?? I have, and I really was upset because I always keep my vehicles looking nice (yes, my 10 yr. old SUV looks brand new).

As for pp's, the carts are 'free' to use, the quarter is for insuring that 'most' people (all, at our Aldi) will not mind returning them and getting their quarter back.
Also, what's so hard about keeping a quarter in the tray in your car? I don't usually pay with cash either, but find it no inconvenience or hardship to leave a quarter sitting in a car tray for this purpose only.

Well, excuses are free, and warehouse stores and places like Aldi are not for everyone, but there are lots of people that don't mind a little inconvenience to save, and that's the ones that will shop there. Our stores are 'always' busy and the produce fresh (which is almost all I buy).

By the way, you can use debit cards which I do.

 

[blondietink]

The fresh produce at my Aldi's is usually bordering on over ripe/moldy. So, not a fan of the fresh produce at all. The only thing I really like at Aldi's is some of their frozen things and their bread. But, since I live in a place with farmer's markets/roadside stands everywhere, I think they are up against it and will never win. Trader Joe's has better fresh produce, but it is too expensive.