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

[SEA333]

To be honest, we have one in our little "downtown" area of our village (about 5 min away), and I think even that is kind of a hassle. So, I'm pretty sure that I would never step foot into one if I had to go farther....

 

[aprilchem]

We used to routinely drive 2+ hours to DC to go to a TJ's when we didn't have one in Va. I can't stand Whole Foods and only go in there if there's something I can't get anywhere else (which rarely happens, now that I can get so many natural/organic items cheaper on Amazon). Back then we'd bring 2 coolers and buy $600+ of groceries. We'd combine the trip with trips to other places we didn't have close by, like ikea.

Now that we have one 20 min away we don't go much, but only because our eating habits have changed. I cook from scratch so I only buy the basics (baking supplies, dried beans, whole grains, wheat berries, veggies) and it doesn't make sense to get those from TJ's. I buy in bulk from farms, the farmer's market, or Amazon.

 

[blondietink]

No, not worth the drive if you are just going to go to Trader Joe's.

 

[hsmamato2]

NO it is nice.... but nothing earthshaking. Not everything is organic,but they have god prices on many items.(not their produce, it is awfully priced) if you drive 2 hours I'd recommend buying in bulk like a warehouse order i.e. buy enough to last for 6 months to make it worthwhile. You're likely better off watching local store flyers for sales on similar healthy items. Personally I find Aldi stocks a lot of the exact same stuff. why? b/c it's the same company,and while it's always had some items the same, now Aldi is stepping up their natural foods game.....(example the tiny string beans, frozen in the bag- delicious, and cheap at both Aldi and TJ's.....) I would never drive 2 hours for it tho

 

[aliceindisneyland]

I do love TJs bacon. The whole nitrate free thing is a bit of a lie but it does taste super good. It's pretty much the only bacon I can eat by the handful lol!

Is it a lie because they still use natural nitrates like celery juice or a lie that TJs brand doesn't add chemical nitrates?

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

Is it a lie because they still use natural nitrates like celery juice or a lie that TJs brand doesn't add chemical nitrates?

They use "natural" nitrates in celery, but those react with the meat and body into sodium nitrites like the added ones, so IMHO there's no difference and it's a food marketing ploy capitalizing on the demonization of "nitrates"

Cyanide isn't any more healthy if it's completely derived from apple seeds instead of the synthetic compound

 

[HM]

I met a lady in the aisle one day that travels there two times a month from an hour and a half away. She says it's worth it. I live five minutes away and visit sporadically.

 

[timmac]

They use "natural" nitrates in celery, but those react with the meat and body into sodium nitrites like the added ones, so IMHO there's no difference and it's a food marketing ploy capitalizing on the demonization of "nitrates"

Cyanide isn't any more healthy if it's completely derived from apple seeds instead of the synthetic compound

Partly a marketing ploy, but in part it's also taking advantage of FDA requirements. A product can only be labelled as "cured" when it uses the added chemical nitrates.

I 100% agree though, in terms of health, no difference.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I have one 30 minutes from me and I won't even make that drive.' Yes they have some tasty stuff. But not worth a commute.

I do visit them for their gingerbread house kit every year since the candies don't use artificial dye.

 

[DopeyDame]

Oh my goodness no. I live about 10 minutes from one and probably only go there 2 or 3 times a year. They do sell seaweed, which my kids love, and their wild caught salmon is a lot cheaper than most other palces, so those are pretty much the only things I buy. I can find far better produce and more organic options at my local safeway.

 

[MinnieForMe]

Absolutely not! It's so small, I wouldn't consider going out of my way to shop there and it's only 30 minutes away. Some of their prices are cheaper because the size is smaller than at my local grocery store.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

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

You can buy the original (better) Biscoff butter at your local grocery store or Costco.

 

[My2CrazyGirls]

NO it is nice.... but nothing earthshaking. Not everything is organic,but they have god prices on many items.(not their produce, it is awfully priced) if you drive 2 hours I'd recommend buying in bulk like a warehouse order i.e. buy enough to last for 6 months to make it worthwhile. You're likely better off watching local store flyers for sales on similar healthy items. Personally I find Aldi stocks a lot of the exact same stuff. why? b/c it's the same company,and while it's always had some items the same, now Aldi is stepping up their natural foods game.....(example the tiny string beans, frozen in the bag- delicious, and cheap at both Aldi and TJ's.....) I would never drive 2 hours for it tho

Aldi is NOTHING like Trader Joe's! Aldi is full of artificial stuff and the store itself just grosses me out. There is no comparision at all.

People keep saying how small TJ is. Ours is a pretty good size.

 

[ReneeQ]

THANK YOU AGAIN for all the input! I won't make the drive, but thanks for the info there is one near Orlando. When we go to Disney in January I might stop there on the way home, just to check it out.

 

[North of Mouse]

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, it is definitely not worth a 2 hr. journey to me. I have shopped there a few times, but have yet to see what all the hype and lower prices are. Seldom go there and it's close by.

We also have Fresh Market and Whole Foods - all three are relatively close by, but I don't see that much difference in any of them.

We are fortunate to have several grocers near, but the best one of all is Harris Teeter, and it beats the socks off Trader Joes.

Also, we have Aldi (which owns TJ) and they have great produce at 'very' cheap prices and it is always fresh at the one I shop at. That's all I buy there, but worth stopping in for me.

 

[havaneselover]

I love the things I get from TJ (frozen turkey burgers, conditioner, tortilla chips, etc.) but I think my limit would be 15-20 minutes. Within 10 minutes I have TJ, Giant, Target, Walmart Super Center, Kroger, Food Lion, and Whole Foods and a Fresh Market less than 15 minutes from me so I get to TJ once every 2-3 weeks to stock up. I'd be very sad if my TJ wasn't there, but no way would I drive 2 hours.

 

[barkley]

we used to live 30 minutes away from one and I regularly shopped there, then we moved and had none within a many hour drive so we would have to wait until our visits 'back home' to stock up on the items we liked which we would take to a ups hub to mail back to our house.

we FINALY had one put about 30 minutes away from us about 2 years ago-and I'm so glad! it's not the place I do my regular shopping, but they carry some fresh items I can't find elsewhere-smaller sized artichokes in particular, some non perishables that we really enjoy-the indian simmer sauces, their greek style feta salad dressing, and their corn chili tomato-less salsa (awesome to stir part of a jar into a pot of black bean soup). I also really like their canned black bean soup, and my kids love their lentil soup (dd used to take a thermos of it to school daily). their frozen goods I like b/c I can get items that are hard to come by fresh (or I like to have frozen on hand)-we love their fire roasted veggies in balsamic butter, their grilled eggplant, and the bags of pearl onions and kale (great for making soups and stews). I also like their selection of single fish entrees-I grab some of these to keep in the freezer b/c I'm the only one in our home that really enjoys fish so they keep me satisfied.

we go maybe every 2 months and stock up on food as well as the infamous 2 buck chuck (not so much to drink but it works well as a cooking wine). one thing that's saved me some frustration recently has been learning that if they are out of an item or have less than you want-the customer service desk can do a special request order. if it's something they will be getting in they can set aside your specified number desired and give you a call when it arrives (I did a dozen cans of dolmas recently).


2 hours one way and 2 hours back? I might try going there to see if I liked it, and if so stocking up and just doing the trip on a quarterly basis.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

No. Trader Joes's is just an upscale Aldi. In fact some of the stuff is exactly the same except for the packaging.

 

[My2CrazyGirls]

No. Trader Joes's is just an upscale Aldi. In fact some of the stuff is exactly the same except for the packaging.

How can you say that when the Aldi stuff has all artificial ingredients and preservatives and Trader Joe's does not.

 

[North of Mouse]

Aldi is NOTHING like Trader Joe's! Aldi is full of artificial stuff and the store itself just grosses me out. There is no comparision at all.

People keep saying how small TJ is. Ours is a pretty good size.

How can you say that when the Aldi stuff has all artificial ingredients and preservatives and Trader Joe's does not.

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'!!