Please explain Trader Joe's

[Anonymous]

I didn't get TJs either when I had time to cook every meal from scratch. I love WF and still do for anything fresh. Now that I am more time limited I do hit TJs for easy dinner ingredients - frozen stuff and sauces. Everything else I still go to WFs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've gone a couple times to the one in Bethesda and went to one in San Francisco before. Maybe I'm spoiled by the four Whole Foods within a mile of my house, but I can't seem to see why Trader Joe's is so popular. Their produce is always wilted and I don't think I would ever buy meat there.

Yes, yes, you are if you can afford to do all your shopping at Whole Foods are are puzzled why some people go to a discount grocery store. I'm about to shock you: Some of us actually venture to several grocery stores looking for a bargain. Sorry to have to do that, but luckily you can go to Whole Foods and console yourself with a $50 pack of blueberries.

Not OP. I also 'bargain shop' grocery stores near my house and (I'm about to shock you), for in season produce, WF usually meets or beats the other stores on price and always beats them on quality.

OP here...I spend about $150/week on groceries at WF...sometimes 200 if I buy a lot of meat, which I usually don't. Looking at the other thread where people are spending $1400/month on groceries, I don't think its that bad. I guess part of the reason I don't get Trader Joe's is because I try to avoid the processed foods.

[Anonymous]

I like Trader Joe's. I go to the one in the in Fairfax on 236, which some people would say is the hinterlands, but each to his own. I like their bagged salads, much cheaper than Giant or Safeway. Cheese prices are excellent. I've actually had very good luck with their milk in recent months and it's cheaper. I really like their Marnia sauce, Soyaki Marinade, Basmati rice mix, and Mild salsa. I also like several snacks, cat cookies in chocolate, dark chocolate covered pretzels, pretzel slims and some of the chips. I really miss their discontinued beer bread mix.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've gone a couple times to the one in Bethesda and went to one in San Francisco before. Maybe I'm spoiled by the four Whole Foods within a mile of my house, but I can't seem to see why Trader Joe's is so popular. Their produce is always wilted and I don't think I would ever buy meat there.

Yes, yes, you are if you can afford to do all your shopping at Whole Foods are are puzzled why some people go to a discount grocery store. I'm about to shock you: Some of us actually venture to several grocery stores looking for a bargain. Sorry to have to do that, but luckily you can go to Whole Foods and console yourself with a $50 pack of blueberries.

Not OP. I also 'bargain shop' grocery stores near my house and (I'm about to shock you), for in season produce, WF usually meets or beats the other stores on price and always beats them on quality.

OP here...I spend about $150/week on groceries at WF...sometimes 200 if I buy a lot of meat, which I usually don't. Looking at the other thread where people are spending $1400/month on groceries, I don't think its that bad. I guess part of the reason I don't get Trader Joe's is because I try to avoid the processed foods.

I think you are very confused about what TJs has to offer. TJs skews towards unprocessed foods without preservatives.

[Anonymous]

Clearly, the posters who don't 'get' TJs have never had their frozen macaroni and cheese. OMG. I could subsist on that alone. To. Die. For.

[Anonymous]

They just started carrying a lite version of the frozen mac and cheese. Just FYI.

[Anonymous]

I can't believe no one has mentioned their hand soaps and petroleum-free lip balm. I'd make a special trip just for the lip balm.

Also, they have pre-cut veggies around the holidays for things like stuffing. No preservatives and saves a boatload of time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's a Wegmans in Fairfax...

I'm not the PP who pointed out that it doesn't pay for those of us who live in the city to haul our too-cosmopolitan asses way the hell out to Wegmanvilles. But my dear, it hardly argues against her point when you inform us of a Wegmans in Fairfax as if it would be of any use to us.

That's OK, all you have to do is go west on the King's 29th Highway and turn right at the third gryphon nest. If you reach the wind cloud blowing north, you've gone too far, and are at risk of being attacked by the dwarven nomads in the wilderness of Clifton. But at least we have regular trade missions to there, it has been some seven cycles of the moon since the last returned.

Plus, it's been decades since anyone went there, but I hear there are places called Leenassas and Manburg off to the uncharted west, and there is said to be a legendary river called the Sherando even further to the west, but none now living have laid eyes upon it. It is said that it floweth green on Saint Patrick's Day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There's a Wegmans in Fairfax...

I'm not the PP who pointed out that it doesn't pay for those of us who live in the city to haul our too-cosmopolitan asses way the hell out to Wegmanvilles. But my dear, it hardly argues against her point when you inform us of a Wegmans in Fairfax as if it would be of any use to us.

That's OK, all you have to do is go west on the King's 29th Highway and turn right at the third gryphon nest. If you reach the wind cloud blowing north, you've gone too far, and are at risk of being attacked by the dwarven nomads in the wilderness of Clifton. But at least we have regular trade missions to there, it has been some seven cycles of the moon since the last returned.

Plus, it's been decades since anyone went there, but I hear there are places called Leenassas and Manburg off to the uncharted west, and there is said to be a legendary river called the Sherando even further to the west, but none now living have laid eyes upon it. It is said that it floweth green on Saint Patrick's Day.

LMAO!

[Anonymous]

they discontinued the beer bread?!? why? that is my only problem with TJ's, they constantly discontinue items that I love.

[Anonymous]

OK, but it's still the sticks if you live in Georgetown or Woodley Park. Do my fair friends from the wilderness of Clifton drive the oxen team in to my local cheesemonger on Connecticut Ave? What?! no??

[Anonymous]

I think you are very confused about what TJs has to offer. TJs skews towards unprocessed foods without preservatives.

I've been going to TJ's for 15 years and this just isn't true. The preservatives part, sure, but not unprocessed, aka, food that hasn't undergone a process of some sort. Pretty much ALL their food is processed in some way except for the fruits, vegetables, eggs, and some meats and some fish. But a lot of their meats are doctored up with herbs and marinade.

Pasteurized milk is a even processed food. Organic yogurt is too. Cheese with salt and rennet is a processed food. All those preservative-free meals in a bag are processed. Pasteurized orange juice is a processed food. etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:they discontinued the beer bread?!? why? that is my only problem with TJ's, they constantly discontinue items that I love.

Fear not, the beer bread had a whopping 3 or 4 ingredients and I trust most could manage to reproduce it from home with a little blood, sweat, tears.

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/beer-bread-i/Detail.aspx

[Anonymous]

You know what I heard? That at Congressional Plaza in Rockville (Container Store, Buy Buy Baby), they are opening a "Fresh Market" grocery store which is supposed to be just like Wegmans! Not sure what is happening with the Whole Foods located there when it opens--seems like too close to have both upscale markets located but what do I know?

[Anonymous]

I'm with OP. I've shopped at TJ's a few times for staples, but I enjoy cooking from scratch so the frozen section holds little appeal. I primarily shop at Safeway, WF and Cotsco and spend about $900/month for a family of 4. I've seen people talking about the bargain milk prices at TJ's on this and other threads, and have yet to see it myself. In my experience, Safeway, which frequently has the O brand on sale, is the best price and the only one which is less than $5.99 per gallon for organic. If others have seen otherwise, please let me know.