OT - Trader Joes

Philicious · August 2012

A Trader Joes opened in my town yesterday. It is a pretty small store that seems to sell a lot of their own branded stuff. I have never been to one and only hear about on this forum. What is it? What is good/bad about it?

Rum_Runner · August 2012

Yuppie, expensive, and Two Buck Chuck is now $2.99.

They do have some good stuff, though. I drive 40 miles, one way, just for their coffee.

BYS1981 · August 2012

Dont expect brisket, or much meat.. yuppie store as mentioned. They have a lot of gluten free or organic foods. Their beer selection is decent too, they carry Chimay, try it.

TarHeelBBQ · August 2012

Try the island soyiaki marinade on pork tenderloins. It's the best one I've found. Their produce is great but their meat not so much.

Thx

TarHeelBBQ

2SCdoodlegg · August 2012

I like their organic beef,and I like their wines.

tactical_66 · August 2012

Over rated and over priced. I have concern of where products come from that they sell.

smokesniffer · August 2012

@ tactical66, care to elaborate?? My daughter likes it, for her kids, what have you heard??

NibbleMeThis · August 2012

yeah, we had one open here in Knoxville this week. "Almost" went there today but it's only a 10,000 sq foot store and figured it is extra crowded. Plus, grocery stores can't sell wine in TN and I hear that's one of TJ's big draws.

the_alchemist83 · August 2012

Overpriced? Really? Where we are Trader Joes is easily one of the more competitively priced options that we have. The one that is closest to us is definitely smaller but a few miles away there is a larger one. Have had good luck with their produce don't do a ton of shopping their though. Here is a long but interesting read on how they operate.

http://money.cnn.com/2010/08/20/news/companies/inside_trader_joes_full_version.fortune/index.htm

Mama Roneck · August 2012

Not sure where the "overpriced," and "yuppie" comes from. We have one nearby and it's our go to store - usually cheaper for staples than the bigger chains and better quality as well. They're not great for produce though. They always have a pretty good selection of interesting foods you can't get elsewhere - cheeses, beer, and frozen foods (try the beef tamales). If that's yuppie, then I guess it is, although I aged out of that demographic a few years ago,

jlsm · August 2012

Their nuts are cheap and good. The salsas are great. Try the pork dumplings as well. They have a good not great cheese selection. And they have Niman Ranch meat. I always spend too much money there.

Ross in Ventura · August 2012

I like to grill there frozen marinaded rack of Lamb
http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/914752/trader-joes-marinaded-rack-of-lamb#latest

Ross

Cymbaline65 · August 2012

I agree with TarHeelBBQ - their Teriyaki marinade is the best. I don't have a TJ near by but when I'm near one, I stock up.

Great cheese selection at very good prices.

Great selection of prepared foods - produce so/so but good if you need something common in a pinch.

Great beer/wine selection and all discounted as compared to standard liquor stores around here.

I don't get the whole "yuppie" thing but they always seem to be in upper income demographic areas so maybe that's the angle.

I wish we had one close by..(oh, BTW, their lump charcoal is so/so.)

SmokeyPitt · August 2012

Like Ross said, the rack of lamb is really good and convenient. I also like their frozen korean style ribs for a quick and easy meal. Pizza sauce and dough balls are also really good.

I got a pre-brined Turkey from there this past thanksgiving and spatchcocked it and it was the best I have ever had by a mile.

The prices are pretty good, but you do pay a little extra for some of the convenience items. For example, you could buy a rack of lamb at costco and marinate/season it yourself, but it is sure nice to be able to just defrost and throw it on the grid.

They also have lots of cool snack food items like chocolate covered peanut butter pretzels. Beer and wine selection is great.

Gunstock · August 2012

I was told the price increase on two buck chuck was a Texas thing. Taxes. Is it 2.99 elsewhere? Either way you look at it, $36.00 for a case of decent wine, who cares! Have I had better, yes much. But not bad for a daily glass. Who cares if you finish the bottle. (Usually not a problem with me.)

Dark chocolate covered caramels are awesome. Cashews are amazingly fresh. Overall all, try it, if you don't like it, don't buy it again.

double · August 2012

$3.99 for a six pack of their beer who can complain. Their premade pizza dough for $1 is very handy. I think they are very fairly priced. They seem to be very mindful of were they source their products and what goes into them.

BuckeyeBob · August 2012

+1 on the pizza dough when I don't have time to make. Their olive oil is very good also. Don't get e "yuppie" thing. Find them to be very reasonably priced for the Chicago area.

mkatzmd · August 2012

Just opening in Houston now. Fantastic for beer and packaged stuff. Not so great for produce and meats. Much cheaper than Central Market or HEB but not really a fair comparison.

Skiddymarker · August 2012

Ahhhh - TJ's whole wheat dipping pretzels.... some great East Shore dipping mustard, a cold Mission Street IPA ($4.99 a six)...... Nirvana...

tactical_66 · August 2012

@smokesniffer I have asked at Trader Joes and spoke to others trying to find where the food comes from. No one can tell me this makes we wonder. Whole Foods for example has "organic" food but when you read the label you see it comes from china. Just my thoughts

berndcrisp · August 2012

TJ's is just another market with many unique items. Price is relative.
I bought two bags of their hardwood charcoal, awful stuff those briquettes,
All ash and poor temp control.

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