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

[ReneeQ]

We are trying to eat more whole foods and organic when possible, cutting out processed foods. I keep hearing about how great and reasonably priced Trader Joe's is. We have a Fresh Market and a Whole Foods. Neither are very reasonably priced. The closest TJ's to me is about 2 hours away, in a town I would never go to normally. I have read about people driving 2 hours to TJs and buying 2 months worth of groceries, then buying produce and dairy locally the weeks in between. Would any of you do this? Is TJ's worth the trip?
Thanks!

 

[LilyWDW]

I wouldn't... and I LOVE Trader Joes. You would lose most of the savings in the amount of gas and time it would take you. I mean, they are great. Love the place... but not enough to drive 2 hours.

 

[usnuzuloose]

I guess it would all depend on how much you are willing to spend for stocking up on. I might do it if it were about 3 months worth or a little more.

 

[EMode]

I can't imagine that driving a total of 4 hours would be worth the savings you would get from shopping TJs. I don't even go to the one 30 minutes from here.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

Not worth it at all. Very unique shopping. Prices are not all cheap. Very small store with small aisles. I really don't get all the hype about it. Do they sell 2 Buck Chuck in there?

 

[ellone]

We are trying to eat more whole foods and organic when possible, cutting out processed foods. I keep hearing about how great and reasonably priced Trader Joe's is. We have a Fresh Market and a Whole Foods. Neither are very reasonably priced. The closest TJ's to me is about 2 hours away, in a town I would never go to normally. I have read about people driving 2 hours to TJs and buying 2 months worth of groceries, then buying produce and dairy locally the weeks in between. Would any of you do this? Is TJ's worth the trip?
Thanks!

No, and if you are looking for less processed foods, TJ's not the place to go. Most of their food is processed food. I eat very little processed and most of my shopping is done at Whole Foods (TJs has nothing on the nice meat you can buy at Whole Foods). Best way to save at Whole Foods is to watch the sales and supplement with a Farm Stand if you have one nearby (my local farm stand actually sells some of its produce to my local Whole Foods).

 

[MomToOne]

I think you would be underwhelmed by Trader Joes if you drove 2 hours one way for it. The stores by me, while nice, are small compared to regular grocery stores or Whole Foods. And a lot of what they have that people like is actually processed - a better quality processed, but still processed. Lots of frozen meals, cookies/crackers, etc.

I only live a few miles away from one and I only go rarely because parking is a pain at the one by me

 

[sheetz]

Yeah, it's only worth it if you are going to buy a lot of stuff or happen to be in the neighborhood. I could see going there for special occasions, like if you were throwing a dinner party or shopping for holiday gifts.

 

[tvguy]

Not worth it at all. Very unique shopping. Prices are not all cheap. Very small store with small aisles. I really don't get all the hype about it. Do they sell 2 Buck Chuck in there?

Yup, they sell 2 buck chuck, but I agree, some neat unique stuff, but prices are not low. Not worth my time, and I'm only 4 miles away. I usually go there once a year, usually just before Christmas for little goodies to put in DW's stocking.

 

[n2dzny]

I wouldn't drive two hrs, nor would I drive ANY out of the way. I went to one this summer, after much anticipation (it was on the way to where I was going) and within five min of walking in, I was ready to leave. It does have unique things but not the type of things I would eat. We did buy organic strawberries but only cuz we wanted a snack. Not cheap & WAY over rated.

Not everyone shares my opinion & I get that but I would rather go to Fresh Market. Just know that if you want to eat organic or not processed, it is going to cost more, sometimes shockingly more.

 

[JediBonas]

I wouldn't. I think TJ is kinda overrated, I much prefer Whole Foods over TJ.

 

[MouseClubMama]

I have to agree with a PP who mentioned Whole Foods. Not sure if WF is in your neck if the woods, but if you are serious about organics this is the place to shop. Unfortunately they are very pricey, so much so that it is referred to as Whole Paycheck. Both TJ & WF are only a few miles from my house, and I shop at TJ more frequently because of unique items that they carry, as well as the prices . I do have to say that the family does not like TJ meat so I never buy it there. If my budget allowed, I would buy all of my meats, poultry, fish, and produce at WF, but that is not happening anytime soon. Don't think I would ever do a day trip to TJ, just not worth the hassle, and expense.

 

[ilovemk76]

No

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Absolutely not. They don't even have that great a selection.

 

[wendow]

I can't imagine that driving a total of 4 hours would be worth the savings you would get from shopping TJs. I don't even go to the one 30 minutes from here.

This!! We have one 30 mins and I've never been there. And we are a family who eats a lot of organic foods.

 

[lucyem]

I used to drive an hour with a friend and we made an event of it. And actually now that I think about it, previous to that I did drive almost two hours but only if I had other things to do in the area. I would bring the cooler and really stock up. But we lived in a rural area where food shopping and even restaurants were limited. Trader Joes was our "take out" in the freezer. We really like TJ's and IME the prices were very good compared to our area. Plus they had things we could not buy otherwise.

Oh and I wanted to add it helps if you do some research first. If you have particular items you want to check out, it is easier for a first timer. My friends who like TJ's and I would go together and compare food items and take turns trying new things. I had another friend who said she hated TJ's after one confusing trip on her own. We took her and she was a convert

 

[happily single]

Try the cookie butter THEN tell me if its worth the drive. YUM

 

[Pigeon]

I think you would be underwhelmed by Trader Joes if you drove 2 hours one way for it. The stores by me, while nice, are small compared to regular grocery stores or Whole Foods. And a lot of what they have that people like is actually processed - a better quality processed, but still processed. Lots of frozen meals, cookies/crackers, etc.

I only live a few miles away from one and I only go rarely because parking is a pain at the one by me

This. They have great snacks and frozen stuff but we are trying to cut out snacks. They do have some basics at a better price than Whole Foods, but WF is a complete rip off.

And ours also has horrible parking.

 

[mistysue]

Our closest is an hour away and we found the only time it made sense to shop there was when we found out they sold coconut yogurt before anybody else around us did. For most of a year they were our nearest source or either yogurt or ice cream that was both dairy and soy free. Other than that we could get everything they sold closer to home. The amount you will spend on gas, or if you are trying to be ecologically conscious the carbon price of shopping there is not worth that far of a drive.

 

[ReneeQ]

THANK YOU everyone for the reviews! We do have an amazing Farmer's Market every Saturday that I go to most weeks. I can get meat, milk, eggs and cheese there also. All the meat is frozen, though. I will check Whole Foods and Fresh Market for meat.

Good point about wasting gas and time, never even thought of that! That would totally eat up any savings.
Thanks!