Trader Joe vs Costco

[Anonymous]

Trader Joes is amazing for people who don't like to cook. 80 percent of it is basically tv dinners in a variety of packaging. They do have some plain protein and produce, but the quality of those items isn't great. It is a lifesaver for bad cooks though!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think they’re totally different and aren’t comparable. I’ve never understood the love for Trader Joe’s though. It carries fewer items, is smaller than the other grocery stores and more crowded. I can’t get our week’s worth of groceries there and always end up at Whole Foods or Wegmans anyway.

Trader Joe's is where I go when I want unhealthy snacks and frozen foods. It really delivers in that area. The regular groceries are also pretty cheap, but you won't be able to clear your list there.

What produce can you not find at Trader Joe's? I cook healthy meals at least five days a week and find almost everything I need there. I rarely buy their processed foods except for some chips and the garlic spread.

Good produce? The old town trader joes produce makes food lion look like whole foods

[Anonymous]

I do the bulk of my weekly grocery shop at Costco, because I can go during the week when it's not crowded. Fairly certain my savings on gas and milk alone cover the membership fee.

Trader Joe's is the place I hit once every six weeks or so to stock up on a handful of favorites. I love having their precooked French lentils on hand for quick meals, and their yogurt tubes have far less sugar than Go-Gurts for kid lunches. And of course some of the frozen treats are good. But other than the lemon arugula salad, which I love, I haven't had a great experience with TJ's produce, especially fruit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Costco per unit is probably cheaper, since their emphasis is on bulk and price, but we joined Costco and quit quickly in time to get our membership fee refunded. The store nearest to us was a stress inducing zoo with checkout lines that took 25 minutes, their online delivery was crap, and we didn't like having enormous quantities of everything--we don't have enough storage for a 4 pack of massive ketchup bottles. Trader Joe's doesn't really have everything we need, but they're great for frozen food, processed food items that are surprisingly tasty, and their fresh fruit isn't bad. So we'll save that membership fee and go to stores that are more convenient or get stuff from Wegman's or Giant where we aren't required to buy a ton.

Costco gas is $0.30 cheaper per gallon. That's enough for me to break even on the membership fee.

As for checkout, don't go to Costco on the weekends.

If you work full time and have young kids that can’t be left alone weekends are the only option because the one near me at least closes at 8 pm every day. Agreed that weekdays, especially in the AM would be much less miserable

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Trader Joes is amazing for people who don't like to cook. 80 percent of it is basically tv dinners in a variety of packaging. They do have some plain protein and produce, but the quality of those items isn't great. It is a lifesaver for bad cooks though!

Interesting. Not my experience at all. Our closest TJ (Centreville) has good protein and produce. Haven’t bought a single tv dinner. We do most grocery shopping there and then go to Walmart for items TJ doesn’t carry.

We used to shop at Wegmans but their iffy produce quality and stupidly high prices made us go elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Costco via instacart.

[Anonymous]

I love Trader Joe's packaged and frozen stuff, but I rarely buy produce there because it goes bad so quickly. Which makes me a bit hesitant to buy their meat as well.

[Anonymous]

I have 2 teen boys so Costco is where I do the majority of my shopping. I use TJ to get things in between Costco runs, and also whole yogurt. For some reason the Costco near me doesn't stock that.

[Anonymous]

apples to oranges

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think Costco per unit is probably cheaper, since their emphasis is on bulk and price, but we joined Costco and quit quickly in time to get our membership fee refunded. The store nearest to us was a stress inducing zoo with checkout lines that took 25 minutes, their online delivery was crap, and we didn't like having enormous quantities of everything--we don't have enough storage for a 4 pack of massive ketchup bottles. Trader Joe's doesn't really have everything we need, but they're great for frozen food, processed food items that are surprisingly tasty, and their fresh fruit isn't bad. So we'll save that membership fee and go to stores that are more convenient or get stuff from Wegman's or Giant where we aren't required to buy a ton.

Costco gas is $0.30 cheaper per gallon. That's enough for me to break even on the membership fee.

As for checkout, don't go to Costco on the weekends.

If you work full time and have young kids that can’t be left alone weekends are the only option because the one near me at least closes at 8 pm every day. Agreed that weekdays, especially in the AM would be much less miserable

Plenty of people take their kids in the evening to Costco. And yes, I like Costco's hours. There's no reason for a 24-hour supermarket.

[Anonymous]

I don’t shop the prepared goods at tj and am happy with their produce, dairy, meat and pasta/rice/beans.

Whenever I put Costco gas in my car, the emissions light goes on - my mechanic says that have adulterated gas

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I get staples at costco. Trader Joes is mostly processed crap with really good marketing

Yes, TJs has a lot of gimmicky crap, but just like any store, it's about what you choose. Here's my usual list:

- cruciferous crunch greens
- butter lettuce
- bell peppers
- carrots
- crunchy peanut butter that's just peanuts and salt
- dried apricots
- salted sunflower seeds
- canned salmon
- some berries
- frozen potatoes peppers and onions mix
- apple cider donuts, because they're back
- and then I like a number of their toiletries (conditioner, shaving cream, etc)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Whenever I put Costco gas in my car, the emissions light goes on - my mechanic says that have adulterated gas

Is it because of your gas cap not being tight enough?

Costco having bad gas used to be the case many years ago. Since then they have changed to a "top tier" gas station. Its the same gas you get at other "top tier" stations like: Exxon, Mobil, Shell, Sunoco and Texaco.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I get staples at costco. Trader Joes is mostly processed crap with really good marketing

Yeah, but some of the processed crap is soo yummy!

TJs is easy intstant meals and snacks for young/single people, Costco is for families that mostly cook from scratch.

Disagree. Costco is for gluttons who want a giant pre-made pot pie, pallet of disgusting croissants, or a gallon of mayo

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think they’re totally different and aren’t comparable. I’ve never understood the love for Trader Joe’s though. It carries fewer items, is smaller than the other grocery stores and more crowded. I can’t get our week’s worth of groceries there and always end up at Whole Foods or Wegmans anyway.

Trader Joe's is where I go when I want unhealthy snacks and frozen foods. It really delivers in that area. The regular groceries are also pretty cheap, but you won't be able to clear your list there.

What produce can you not find at Trader Joe's? I cook healthy meals at least five days a week and find almost everything I need there. I rarely buy their processed foods except for some chips and the garlic spread.

Good produce? The old town trader joes produce makes food lion look like whole foods

Agreed. I like TJ fur some variety occasionally but produce, milk and baked goods are below grocery store standard... esp produce. Good prices in some basics like beans but I am not making a special trip for that