Trader Joes...

[pumpkinfish]

...has finally come to my hometown! I am quite excited since the only one I had heard of before was a store up in NY.
So...fill me in please! What should I expect? Is there a way to get good discounts? I am really excited about this place and want to be able to save money if I decide to shop here. What is so great about Trader Joe's?!

 

[kimisabella]

Trader Joes is not your typical grocery store. They have alot of organic, healthier foods. They also have a lot more upscale foods, ethnic foods, ect.. The produce prices are very high, but there are also alot of foods that are very reasonable, and very good. I guess it depends on what types of food you eat. They do have flyers that explain alot of their foods, so you could check that out. The things I like to buy there are nuts, cheeses, vegetable spreads, cookies and crackers, frozen foods and fish. The thing that is good about it is that it has different foods that you may only be able to find at health food stores, and alot of regular foods, that are very good quality.

 

[shades]

If you followed the Scott Peterson trial at all - Trader Joe's was the last place that Lacie Peterson shopped and her receipt was posted all over the internet. She had purchased some fancy food to prepare Christmas brunch for her family.

 

[DianeV]

My sister claims they have a really good pumpkin cheesecake!

 

[Suz D]

Great prices on Kashi cereal. Lots of whole wheat pasta, cous cous and stuff like that. Great bakery items at reasonable prices. Wonderful frozen foods section. Great healthy cookies and desserts. Good prices on frozen veggies. Delicious knock off "Pirates Booty" called "Unburied Treasure" at a great price. We love Trader Joes and drive over an hour to Indy to shop there every few months. Suz

 

[disneysteve]

I don't shop at TJ for discounts or bargains. I shop there because they sell some really good foods that I can't find anywhere else or because their version is so good. I like their soy nut butter, dried fruit, nuts, frozen pot stickers, sorbets, ravioli and a few other things. Just good quality unique items. Not a place where we do our weekly shopping but definitely a place we visit periodically for specific items.

 

[DisneyDotty]

Trader Joe's is great! Yummy crunchy chocolate chip cookies, great fruit leather, 2 buck chuck...
I believe TJ's is owned by Aldi's. Interesting, huh?

 

[pumpkinfish]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts! I am just excited because a friend of the family gave me a "bunch" of dried lavender and I loved it! I looked on the sticker left on the batch and it was from Trader Joe's. That is really why I am so excited

So do they ever have coupons or a frequent buyer program? Anything that would help me save while shopping there?

 

[LorieR]

Love their frozen vegetables, packaged romaine lettuce, baby carrots, packaged unsalted peanuts, walnuts, fat-free organic french vanilla yogurt, salsa, cookies, candy, dog treats, bread, just to name a few things. I have found their prices to be reasonable to excellent!! My son is a vegan and shops there on a weekly basis. They also have a wide selection of beautiful fresh cut flowers.

Lorie

 

[bicker]

TJs is the ultimate specialty grocery. While there are a lot of healthier foods there, there are also a lot of foods that are anything BUT healthy. And while some of the food is pricey, some of it is priced better than anywhere else, and still other items are simply available no place else. I suppose TJs strategic goal is to defy description, and it succeeds.

 

[magiroux]

I find even their expensive items are much less than can be found anywhere else (if you can even find them anywhere else).

My favorite items: Seasoned Rack of lamb (if you want to impress company, this is the ticket), Tage Greek yogart w/honey, Sweet Potatoe Bisque & I add their pre-packed/fully cooked wild rice - YUM!! Ham & Roasted Onion Flatbread. OK, so I could go on & on. And if your new store sells alcohol, they sell some great ones cheap. One thing I have had issues with is their fresh meats. Got funky tasting and smelling poultry and beef in the past so I stay away from them now.

 

[bicker]

We typically buy their coffee. It's one of the few places we can find Moka Java Decaf. This stuff has real Harrar Moka beans in it; it's not the the faux "Mocha Java" crap you get at most supermarkets.

 

[sacandaga]

Your not going to find additional discounts, coupons, frequent buyer etc. The prices are are already reasonable for most things. previous posts describe it all. I do most of my food shopping there and have bought quite a few Christmas gifts there - boxed candy, cookies - that are unique. Also there TJ's pine cat litter is much cheaper than named brands.

 

[Breakfast@Tiffany's]

I loved reading what everyone likes to buy at TJ's, I always find something different when I shop there, and you all gave me some things to look for. I love the wine section, hummus, frozen food section in general, premade soups in cartons, just to name a few.

 

[DizzKneeLand]

I recently relocated (for a short time) to Northern VA - and Trader Joes and Weggmens are the two grocery stores i will miss.

TJs is a wonderful store. I have bought small cheesecakes for about $4; in the frozer section: French Onion Soup; Pot Stickers; Veggie Lettuce Wrap meat - tastes like PF Changs; Opera Cake (YUMMY); wonderful frozer veggies ...

I really like their bread sticks with poppy seeds and garlic

I find they are cheaper on nuts and dried fruit

And a lot of their personal toiletries are reasonably prices - I got a Burts Bees set for $8 and they have salt / sugar scrubs for $4-6. Nice Christmas gifts.

Enjoy TJs - I dont buy all my groceries there - but it is a reguar stop for me.

DizzKnee

 

[pearlieq]

Trader Joe's doesn't discount or do "sales" but they might accept coupons for a few of the national brand things they carry.

I find most of their prices to be a fabulous deal for the food I'm buying. I can get a pint of grape tomatoes there for $2.29, where they're usually $3.99 at my grocery store. The Envirokids cereal is also $2.29 where it's kept as a "specialty" item at my regular store and is usually almost $4! Their house brand of organic milk is usually cheaper than regular milk, their cheeses are very reasonable, and their frozen foods are great! I'm addicted to their Pad Thai bowls!

What I love about them is that their organic and vegetarian products are so much cheaper there. It's almost prohibitively expensive to try to get them at a regular grocery store, but they cost the same as "regular" groceries at Trader Joe's!

 

[luckey-lasvegas]

Here are the things that I love to buy at Trader Joes. All dairy products ! The milk is growth hormone free and you can buy free range eggs. The butter is wonderful and usally a good value. Pizza dough @ 99 cents is a great kids activity. Penne Rustica pata sauce ! Cinnamon Bread is wonderful for french toast. DD loves the cereal bars. CHOCOLATE,CHOCOLATE,CHOCOLATE it's all good but my favorite are the peanut clusters. Canola spray oil I use for eveything, no silicone in it ! All spices are a great value. And finally their lotion and spa products are really good. Oh I almost forgot, the rawhide dog chews 8 for 1.99 you can't beat that! I try to make it there at least every other week , I wish it was closer to us and I would go more often.
Sorry one more DD also loves the frozen bannanas, they are a great compromise snack !

Happy Eating !

 

[spoon2003]

I love TJ's frozen food section, I always keep some TJ frozen meatballs in the freezer. Their frozen desserts are wonderful, passion fruit cake, Berry mousse cake, cream puffs are all delicious. Frozen french toast is our favorite breakfast item and a good selection of frozen fruits as well.

I find TJ's OJ as good as Tropicana, yogurt price is reasonable as well. I split my grocery shopping between regular mainstream supermarket and TJ.

Sue from Boston

 

[KPmom]

My DD is allergic to milk, so she is on Soy products. I get soy milk there for $5.00 a gallon, at my regular store it is almost $6.00 a gallon for the same brand and it is always fresher at TJ's. When I had my weightloss surgery I lived on the tomato and roasted red pepper soup, it is really yummy. I also get the Dragonfire Gum there for DH, it is way hotter than big red and he just loves it. They always have something to sample made fresh in store everyday. And there are lists that point to sugar free, gluten free and dairy free foods in the store, and the employees know about most products. The best part is if you don't like something they will take it back and give you 100% refund no questions asked. We recently tried soy ice cream and my daughter hated it, they took it back no problem. I also love the 21 seasoning salute, it is sorta like Mrs. Dash but cheaper. We love Trader Joe's. ~Mandy

 

[pumpkinfish]

Wow! Now I am REALLY excited about this place! I plan on heading over (since it is right down the street now ) on Monday afternoon with DH. I plan on picking up a few things for my sis who just recently became a vegan. Thats good to know they don't have any extra sales since it seems like it is resonably priced already. I like trying new things and am very big on italian dishes so will be checking out their pastas and cheese selection.

Thanks again for all your comments It is also good to know they will refund you if you do not like an item! They must have excellant customer service to be able to do that!