Trader Joe's: that big of a deal?

[Ns1]

Ok if I'm going for snack-ish food, other than trail mix anything else I should look out for?

blueberry almond dunkers. white chocolate covered = best


usually found in the cold section where all the cookies and shit are

they also have some pistachio shortbread cookies, which are equally epic

 

[Paladin3]

Not sure about Texas, but the TJs in Virginia sell low price wine including the infamous Charles Shaw, aka 2-buck chuck. For about 3 - 6 dollars you can get a decent wine from napa valley, italy, chile or argentina.

Speaking of ultra cheap but drinkable wines...Walmart, of all places, has rolled out their own Oak Leaf Vineyards brand of wines. They sell for $2.75 in my local wally and are far better than Chuck, IMHO.

And the best part is the Walmart label isn't on the bottle, so nobody needs to know where you bought it.

 

[KeithTalent]

I like it there; it has good stuff and it's cheap, cmpared to equivalent grocery stores here anyway. Got some sweet-ass microbrew there for dirt cheap last time I was in Seattle!

I love grocery stores, so I actually enjoy going to different ones when I am in a foreign city.

KT

 

[kY]

Don't they supply the Kirkland brand stuff for Costco?

Doubt it

 

[zinfamous]

at the very least, you owe it to yourself to drop by and pick up one of these:

pinot grigio salami; 2.99 per salami = awesome and tasty, and freaking cheap.

they have a cab salami, but I've yet to try it. I'm newly addicted to these things...I almost started a thread here to worship the pinot grigio salami.

Also, if you like shitty cheap beer, then pick up some Simpler Times Lager. $2.99/6-pack. at 6.2%, it's way tastier than Budweiser, and will get you loaded much faster for half the cost!

Mission Street Brown is quite good, as well, for a $1.99 32 oz.

They have different beer selections depending on the market. They are the cheapest distributer for Mendocino Ales around here, which is an excellent thing. I could pick up Old Rasputin in the midwest for somewhat cheaper than elsewhere, but they don't carry it in CA, according to the supply dude at the TJ's down the street.

Trader Joe's specializes in decent to quality food for quite cheap. Most of the food is of the frozen-prepared variety though, but it is generally quite good.

 

[zinfamous]

Ok if I'm going for snack-ish food, other than trail mix anything else I should look out for?

depending on the market, they have various selections of dried fruit. In Chicago I used to get dried black currants. yum.

not so out in CA.

 

[lurk3r]

The food is good to excellent the prices are reasonable. They generally have some great beers for reasonable prices, their own brew for the winter ale (just before christmas) is spectacular.

 

[Gothgar]

It's pretty much a grocery store

 

[theeedude]

Get some Mintz's Blintz from the frozen section.

 

[blinblue]

Inexpensive and good pasta, bread, flours, crackers, some frozen foods, and (some) cheeses. Also a good place to get things like bacon and deli meats without nitrates.
Also, everyone TJ I've been to has had very nice helpful employees that actually look like they want to be there. Makes grocery shopping a little more pleasant.
But if you are just visiting, unless you want to pick up some beer/wine, not much reason to stop by a grocery store.

 

[PricklyPete]

If you think it is a big deal...then you will be dissapointed. I love the place though. It is a great place to get reasonably priced, relatively high quality food. My wife and I shop there at least once a week. Between this and our local farmer's market I'd say we get 60% of our food.

 

[vshah]

~100 at TJ's is easily $175 at whole foods in NYC

 

[BurnItDwn]

I hear they are famous for their wine.

 

[SP33Demon]

Their vacuum sealed alaskan salmon owns. Their salsa owns for the price. I also really dig their pot roast. The wines are pretty good for teh price as well.

So yeah, not a huge deal but for the $ you are getting some pretty high quality groceries with a more eclectic variety than a supermarket in most areas.

 

[Craig234]

I hear they are famous for their wine.

They're the #1 seller of California wine.

It's a great store - some unusual items, good prices.

 

[Lamont Burns]

can get some charles shaw wine for 2.99 if you like.. otherwise meh

 

[Gibson486]

I hear they are famous for their wine.

yes, they sell cheap, but good wine.

 

[foghorn67]

Good place for snack food

This. It's a big deal if you have one in town or if you're in town anyway. But going out of your way for one isn't worth it.

The snack food is awesomely cheap and quite good.

 

[BurnItDwn]

They're the #1 seller of California wine.

It's a great store - some unusual items, good prices.

I've never stopped there, but I drive by a couple of them semi-frequently. That said, I probably buy about 2 bottles of wine per year, and for that I go to a liquor store named Binnys (chicago area chain with like 20 stores or so.) Sometimes I am a bit of a beer snob, and they have an awesome beer selection there, and their staff knows their beer, the old man that stocks the humidor always makes good cigar suggestions, so I trust the suggestions that their staff give for wine. I dunno enough about wine to really buy it on my own, but I suppose for $2 or $3 a bottle, the risks are quite low....

 

[Gibson486]

I've never stopped there, but I drive by a couple of them semi-frequently. That said, I probably buy about 2 bottles of wine per year, and for that I go to a liquor store named Binnys (chicago area chain with like 20 stores or so.) Sometimes I am a bit of a beer snob, and they have an awesome beer selection there, and their staff knows their beer, the old man that stocks the humidor always makes good cigar suggestions, so I trust the suggestions that their staff give for wine. I dunno enough about wine to really buy it on my own, but I suppose for $2 or $3 a bottle, the risks are quite low....

Beer and Trader Joes.....it's nothing like Wine and Trader Joes.

 

[zoiks]

We have a Sprouts that opened here in Sunnyvale recently. Like a TJ but a bit bigger with some really great deals.

 

[Liet]

Absolutely try to pick up their Jalapeno chicken sausages. They're insanely good when cooked over a campfire.

 

[nerp]

It's great. I live very close to one. I live near a lot of grocery stores so I swing through it along with the others.

 

[RedCOMET]

just went shopping at my local TJs.

 

[Wag]

If you need to go shopping and there's one nearby, go for it. I go a few times a week.