What can you tell me about Trader Joe's?

[onescgirl]

Where do you live? They just opened one in Greenville last week.

This is the only location in S.C.


I'm naming one thing -

'Sweet Potato' Potato chips!!!!!

I can eat the whole bag in one sitting.

 

[dumbocutie]

I know it's owned by a german company who also owns Aldi. That is why at Aldi you often find chocolates from Germany.

 

[PatriciaH]

The white bean hummus is great. The frozen eggplant cutlets are good. Pasta sauce. Dark chocolate covered caramels. Cheeses. Chocolate Moshi ice cream.

 

[magiroux]

WINE!!!!! They have a great selection of cheap, quality wines. I find that the pricier wines are pretty much the same price as any liquor store, in my state anyway. Keep an eye for any wines marked "Trader Joe's Specialty Reserve" . These are high quality wines that are bought in bulk by TJ's and re-labeled and sold at a huge discount. The crew usually has the inside scoop on these so you will find they don't last long on the shelves.

Their frozen veggies are the best and much cheaper than our local supermarket, even when on sale. I get frozen corn, spinach, artichoke & mashed potatoes.

Tuna, canned/boxed soups & broths, nuts, dried fruits, high quality coffee beans, shrimp and kid's snack cookies & chips (huge variety) are other items that come to mind as high quality & great prices.

Someone mentioned chocolate croissants - they are the best!. Better than anything I have tasted at fresh bakery.

 

[kimblebee]

Here is a recall that just came out yesterday. Better take a look in your cupboards.


http://edition.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/06/food.recall/

 

[Ciao Mickey]

Our TJ stores are so packed with people that it's hard to get through the aisles and it's equally hard finding all of the things people here recommend buying.

I always buy

frozen organic brown rice
orange chicken
manderin chicken
jo jo (both fillings - I have yet to get my hands on a box of the holiday mint ones)
granola cereals
organic yogert
milk
no salt peanut butter stuffed pretzels nuggets
pasta
soups
chocolate
ice cream (coffee and chocolate)
sorbets (love the lemon and mango)
jams
cinnamon roll bread
fruits and veggies

I bought their yellow cake mix and chocolate frosting to try but haven't made it yet.

Wines - love Charles Shaw wines

 

[limace]

For budget ideas, they always have very good prices on nuts, dried fruit, cheese, and Kashi cereals. Organic milk. Their Greek yogurt is great and the cheapest I've found. Whole bean coffee-we like the Bay Blend. Olive oil is v good and inexpensive.

 

[jandmmom]

We absolutely LOVE Trader Joes! I wish we had one closer, but we drive the 30 minutes about every 1.5-2 weeks to do most of our shopping. It's worth it to us, even though we have about a million other stores within a mile of here

There are things that we get at TJs that are just not found (or not as good or cheap) anywhere else:

Chocolate covered powerberries (my kids eat these every day!)
Veggie Sticks (bagged in the snack aisle)
Wasabi peas
High-fiber bread
Organic frozen pizza
Wild Alaskan salmon
Goddess dressing
Whole wheat pizza dough (I think it's 99 cents & makes 2 pizzas for us!)
Organic pasta sauce
Indian meals
Basmati rice
Organic coffee
Raw cashews & walnuts
Tempting trail mix
ANY chocolate products
French vanilla hand soap
Whole wheat bagels & english muffins
Guacamole
Hummus
Woven wheat crackers

Basically...everything! LOL! We don't use a microwave anymore, so we don't really buy the micro meals. We also can't buy wine in my state (PA) except at a state store I have been to TJs in several other states & that is a great benefit

Enjoy!

 

[vanyel]

Love Trader Joe's. We travel about 45 mins. every month or so to pick up what we consider staples. Check out the TJ's website as it lists the new products or at least some of their specials. There prices are very good! we also try to find a new product to try ever time we go. We often try a new wine too - but avoid the expensive ones. There are usually lots of things to sample and frequently we buy whatever we sampled. They're smart about that!

We buy:
Frozen foods:
orange chicken
teriyaki beef
potstickers
chocolate croissants
Sweet potato fries

other:
Pasta sauce/marinara (roasted garlic)
olive oil
pasta
hummus
salsa
fresh bread - yummy
Caramel popcorn - not to be missed!
almonds

 

[pezaddict231]

I love Trader Joe's. I find the prices to be very reasonable, but the produce and meat tend to be a little more expensive, although I think the quality is better. They do have great prices on dairy, nuts and chocolate, much cheaper than a regular supermarket. I couldn't do all of my grocery shopping there, but here are some of my favorite items:

-whole wheat pasta
-gnocchi
-polenta (comes in a log)
-lean ground sirloin (96/4), the leanest I've found in most supermarkets by me is 90/10
-nuts
-spices
-frozen rice, jasmine or brown
-organic pasta sauce
-low sodium chicken / beef broth
-organic string cheese
-sweet potato fries (in the fresh produce aisle)
-pancetta cubes

 

[wlake]

We don't have one near us, but my MIL does, and we make a point of stocking up when we visit her -- and we're going on Thursday for the day! As many people have mentioned, anything chocolate covered is great except for getting up in the middle of the night to finish the bag (as someone else mentioned!)

OP, my children are younger than yours, but the cereal bars are must haves in this house. They're called "A Strawberry/Blueberry/Apple Walked into a Bar...," which amuses me. Their TJ brand multigrain crackers are good (white box, green accents). The spiced apples (applesauce with large apple chunks in it) are also on my shopping list. I tried their apple bread mix recently but it was just ok. Mainly we just wander the aisles and throw anything that looks good into our cart! Since we're only there 3 or 4 times a year, I don't worry too much about the cost. I call it a splurge (or a treat for doing the right thing and visiting my MIL, but I don't say that part out loud!).

 

[niklynn1]

Wow,you guys are full of great suggestions. Maybe posting this question was the REAL budget buster because now I have a nice long list of things to look for when I go back!

 

[lucky1]

Wow,you guys are full of great suggestions. Maybe posting this question was the REAL budget buster because now I have a nice long list of things to look for when I go back!

Hi Nikki - (cruisemate here ) Wanted to say we do the majority of our shopping at Trader Joes... Why? Because they don't sell products that use Trans fats or High Fructose corn Syrup (HFCS). Most of their named projects are close to some of the national brands.

What we generally don't buy is produce at Tj's, because we get that through a coop instead... Bountiful baskets.

We do purchase our yogurt and milk at TJ's. and we noticed that it doesn't go bad as quickly as when we purchase it from a grocery store or costco.

 

[cinnamon-sugah]

This is the only location in S.C.


I'm naming one thing -

'Sweet Potato' Potato chips!!!!!

I can eat the whole bag in one sitting.

Did you know that there is a Trader Joes in Pineville, NC? It's just across the border. Depending on where you are in SC, might be closer.

 

[niklynn1]

Hi Nikki - (cruisemate here ) Wanted to say we do the majority of our shopping at Trader Joes... Why? Because they don't sell products that use Trans fats or High Fructose corn Syrup (HFCS). Most of their named projects are close to some of the national brands.

What we generally don't buy is produce at Tj's, because we get that through a coop instead... Bountiful baskets.

We do purchase our yogurt and milk at TJ's. and we noticed that it doesn't go bad as quickly as when we purchase it from a grocery store or costco.

Hi there! It's nice to "bump into you" someplace other than our cruise meet!
I'm anxious to get back to TJ's when some of the chaos surrounding it settles down. I know several people who ATTEMPTED to stop in this weekend and were no more successful than me! One even said the shelves were practically empty when he got there!

We eat a lot of yogurt around here, so I'll definitely give that a try, plus I'm anxious to check out some of the other things people have mentioned.

This weekend I just didn't have it in me to fight the crowd. My daughter brought home the "fake baby" from her child development class and it has definitely been an exhausting experience for all of us! She does not cope well with being sleep-deprived! So, I'm DEAD TIRED too, and now I have a 13 hour day tomorrow with parent-teacher conferences, and she starts basketball practice for the high school girls' season tomorrow. The "baby" doesn't shut off until 11 pm tonight.

So, TJ's may have to wait for a week or two, but I'll for sure have a good, long list of things to look for when I do make it there!

 

[Plumeria9]

I would kill for a TJ's to open here in San Antonio, TX!!!!!! I don't get why they open stores almost everywhere else but in Texas. The closest TJ's to me is in New Mexico. So annoying! I'm from So. Cal. where TJ's rules. I used to live about 5 mins. from one, I am just kicking myself for moving here w/o a TJ's. Every time we go home for a visit we stock up. Chocolate (awesome chocolate and deals!) snack foods, lotions, the list is endless. I can't bring home the normal stuff like refrigerated goods, wine, cheese, etc. My kids love the mini ravioli (dry package) and they have awesome dried fruit and nuts! Enjoy it. I'm still hoping for one here, TJ's if you're reading! I email TJ's all the time to ask them to please come here. Tons of people would rejoice if we had TJ's.

 

[cocodog]

Where do you live? They just opened one in Greenville last week.

Yep, I'm in Greenwood The one in Pineville is further away. I am tickled that there is now one "so closeby".

 

[holden]

I only skimmed this thread so forgive me if this is a double post...but TJ's frozed Mac N Cheese is the BEST! It is so cheesy and decadent...

 

[lucky1]

Hi there! It's nice to "bump into you" someplace other than our cruise meet!
I'm anxious to get back to TJ's when some of the chaos surrounding it settles down. I know several people who ATTEMPTED to stop in this weekend and were no more successful than me! One even said the shelves were practically empty when he got there!

We eat a lot of yogurt around here, so I'll definitely give that a try, plus I'm anxious to check out some of the other things people have mentioned.

This weekend I just didn't have it in me to fight the crowd. My daughter brought home the "fake baby" from her child development class and it has definitely been an exhausting experience for all of us! She does not cope well with being sleep-deprived! So, I'm DEAD TIRED too, and now I have a 13 hour day tomorrow with parent-teacher conferences, and she starts basketball practice for the high school girls' season tomorrow. The "baby" doesn't shut off until 11 pm tonight.

So, TJ's may have to wait for a week or two, but I'll for sure have a good, long list of things to look for when I do make it there!

TJ is not worth it if it is crowded. We are lucky to live about 3 miles from one and about 5 miles from another. We do avoid right before thanksgiving and Christmas

Things to try ( Splurges )...

Peanut butter pretzels
Frozen Snickerdoodles (You can bake 1 in a toaster oven or all 16 and they are yummy)
Dried Mango
Hummus
TJ's Greek Style Yogurt
JoJo Cookies
Chocolate Cat Cookies
Small oatmeal & chocolate chip cookies (we find these over the frozen food section)
Flax Seed Chips
Charles Shah wine (aka 2 buck Chuck, which is really higher than $2)

Here is a cute Video...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdB7GDZY3Pk