Trader Joe's

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  • LAT1963
    LAT1963 Posts: 1,375 Member
    Oh, I forgot--

    Tuscan cantaloups
    coconut water (unsweetened)
    coconut oil
    spices (limited range but good prices. Costplus world market is also a good place for spices on the cheap)
    almond meal (add to pancakes, use as breading)
    CHEESES! Fewer than Whole Paycheck but still an impressive selection.

    TJ's is my preferred shopping venue, along with local farm-stands for produce during the summer. The nearest Whole Paycheck is 40 minutes away, for more exotic items like einkorn flour.
  • rivka_m
    rivka_m Posts: 1,007 Member
    Hmm that makes sense LAT1963. Thanks for the possible/probable explanation.
  • jillyrose0711
    jillyrose0711 Posts: 46 Member
    All of their condiments & spices are wonderful and reasonably priced. I also like to get basics like nuts, bread, almond milk, frozen fruits & veggies, etc. They also have delicious boxed soups & frozen dinners for when you don't have the time to cook for real =)
  • mygnsac
    mygnsac Posts: 13,413 Member
    I go there maybe once a month. I don't buy produce there much because at my TJs, their stuff is always so old and about to turn, and pricey. I almost always leave that place with more than I intended to buy, but here's stuff we buy regularly from them:

    - Pound Plus Chocolate Bar (Dark, 72%)

    - Spinach & Kale Greek Yogurt Dip. I don't make a trip to TJs just for this, but if I'm there I always pick some up. Yummy!

    - Unsulphored Dried Apricots. I looked everywhere for these, and finally found them at TJ's. They are sure ugly, but good.

    - Dark chocolate covered cacoa nibs. A few of these little nibs always satisfy my sweet tooth and chocolate cravings.

    - Nitrate/nitrite free, low sodium chicken hot dogs.

    - Ezikiel or Alvarado Street bread

    Trader Joe's website has a list of their 2013 Top 25 Customer Favorite Products at http://www.traderjoes.com/productstories/.
  • BarbieAS
    BarbieAS Posts: 1,414 Member


    Just be prepared, at TJ's your favorite item will disappear for months, maybe forever. Some things are seasonal, some things seem to disappear (where did the frozen fava beans go? And the shelf-stable tofu?). I suppose it's part of how they keep prices down.

    And the stone ground grits. I can't find them anywhere. I had to switch to polenta from Whole Foods - it's just not the same.

    Something I learned in a business class--when producers have excess factory capacity because their main customers are ordering less, they will often take on orders at a lower price from other, smaller customers, to fill the gap in production and make some extra profit. Since the price for their primary customers was set to cover all their fixed costs (rent, equipment leases), the money producers make from these smaller contracts needs to cover only 'variable costs', such as the salaries of the people doing the extra production, and the extra utilities costs. So these extra contracts often offer very low prices.

    I suspect that the non-staple items Trader Joe's offers at low prices, that appear and disappear, are made via these small contracts using "excess capacity" in producers factories. I think these items go in and out of production based on the availability of low-cost "excess" factory capacity.

    I think for other items that they offer consistently (eg: bacon), they contract as a main customer, at prices that cover the producer's fixed cost, like everyone else, so that their supply is steady.

    And of course produce is subject to the seasonal harvest. Trader Joe's probably only buys produce that meets both price and quality standards, and if the market for that particular item goes out of Trader Joe's range, they simply don't offer it until the price and quality come back into Trader Joe's guidelines again.

    I'm making an educated guess here. The pattern fits a business model I learned in school (though I majored in Engineering).

    From their website:

    6. Why does TJ's frequently discontinue products?
    Our mission is to bring you the best quality products at the best prices. To do this, we have to manage our store space well. Each of our products must "stand on its own," meaning it must pay its own way. Each product passes certain criteria in order to earn its way onto our shelves – including a rigorous tasting panel.
    There may be several factors that determine why we discontinue products:
    It may be a seasonal product - for example, strawberries, which are in season only specific times of the year.
    The gang way factor - because we introduce 10-15 new products a week, we have to eliminate 10-15 items in order to give our newest items a fair chance.
    The cost of producing the item may increase, which would in turn increase the cost to you - if the item is not a strong seller, we may choose to discontinue it.
  • lma0423
    lma0423 Posts: 78 Member
    Looove trader joes. I really like their "reduced guilt" stuff.. For example, the guacamole and the frozen mac and cheese. SO good! I also like to get their frozen grilled eggplant parm and frozen spinach lasagna, I pack them for lunch. However, some of their other "reduced guilt" items are horrible.. for example the poblano chicken and the veggie pizza - both were watery and lacked flavor.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member

    Meatless sausage flatbread pizza tops the list, mmmm so good

    WTF is meatless sausage... and now I'm sad that I know that's a thing.
  • Cortelli
    Cortelli Posts: 1,369 Member
    Not all organic. But reasonably priced, interesting options. Depending on the store, some really good produce and fresh bread. And some really good packaged foods if you're not opposed to that (somewhat expensive but hard to find smoked trout, for example, and interesting choices in frozen seafood). Cheap wine. Friendly staff. I like TJs but also shop at other markets, too. I am a definite fan.
  • sistrsprkl
    sistrsprkl Posts: 1,010 Member
    My staples are the organic european yogurt, peanut butter, whole wheat flour, full fat cottage cheese (the best!!), contandina pinot grigio vivace, eggplant or lentil wrap (so good!!)
  • beckathaa
    beckathaa Posts: 5 Member
    The Mikawaya Mochi Ice Cream are great for a small 100 calorie dessert: Mango, Green Tea and Chocolate (in the frozen isle)
    The Vegetable Masala Burgers are sooooo good!
  • chelseloveschris
    chelseloveschris Posts: 7
    A Trader Joes opened in a nearby town last year, 1st one in the area. I went just to check it out but I wasn't impressed. I'll stick to my Wegmans :-)

    Wegman's = food heaven
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,031 Member
    bump to add my favs tomorrow:tongue:
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    WISH THEY SOLD BOURBON :-(

    They are pretty awesomer though :-)

    the ones in cali sell booze! i didnt know that when i moved here so when i saw makers and jameson at my local TJ i was like

    21_dancing.gif

    the main things i buy at TJ are
    power to the greens
    baby spinach
    peanut asian spicy dressing
    smoked salmon
    eggs
    raw sugar
    low sodium broth
    mirepoix mix
    polenta
    olive oil cooking spray
    2% fage yogurt
    reduced sugar blueberry dressing
    thai chili and mile almonds (i remember when they used to be cashews, but i guess the recession finally hit TJs)
    diet hansen's anything
    frozen chicken thighs
    frozen mangos
    cats cookies
    gorgonzola crackers


    oh yeah i cruise by the snack bar to. i once had a delicious tuna salad from there that was so easy : canned tuna (in oil) and some of the mirepoix mix.. hook that up up with some spices and it's so good and easy!
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
    The nearest Trader Joe's is about a 40 minute drive, but the honey chevre is worth it. Add in some tasty organic and CHEAP veggies and it's well worth the drive once a month or so, especially if I remember to bring a cooler for some frozen foods.
  • sistrsprkl
    sistrsprkl Posts: 1,010 Member
    That's weird I just saw that mine has the Thai chili and lime cashews. I'm also in CA. They're so good! I stopped buying them though because they're $$ and prob higher in fat, now I get the raw almonds... boring.
  • SnuggleSmacks
    SnuggleSmacks Posts: 3,731 Member
    The mesquite smoked almonds are amazing. Great topping on salads, seafood, rice or lentils.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    Cowboy bark. Epic. Keep in mind their "nitrate free" meat items are little liars. :)
  • thenolanz
    thenolanz Posts: 43 Member
    I agree, they're no Wegmans, but there are a bunch of things that I like to pick up when I'm on that side of town:

    Broccoli crowns (frozen)
    French green beans (frozen)
    Brussels sprouts (frozen)
    Chicken gyoza (frozen)
    Shrimp (frozen)
    Very Cherry berry blend (frozen)
    Garlic hummus
    whole wheat pasta
    Harvest grains mix
    quinoa
    couscous
    Clif bars
    Champagne pear vinaigrette (produce)
    Peppermint tea
    Savory thin mini crackers
    Any of the dark chocolate
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    A Trader Joes opened in a nearby town last year, 1st one in the area. I went just to check it out but I wasn't impressed. I'll stick to my Wegmans :-)

    Wegman's = food heaven

    Wegman's gives me anxiety- I hate shopping there.
  • 1HappyRedhead
    1HappyRedhead Posts: 413 Member
    LOVE Trader Joe's!!!
    I'm very lucky that there is one within 3 miles of my home.
    IF you ever don't like anything or have any issue with it at all, you just take it back (with or without receipt) and they replace/refund it, no questions asked! Also, I've heard that you can try anything in the store simply by asking!

    75% of my food diary list contains something from TJ's... lol

    My favorites are:

    red peppers stuffed with turkey & rice
    quinoa & steel cut maple flavored oatmeal
    eggwhite salad
    lacey's cookies
    smoked rainbow trout
    olive tapenade
    watermelon spears
    organic low-fat cottage cheese
    caprini tomatoes
    british crumpets
    etc, etc, etc...

    Trader Joe's = YUM!! :bigsmile:

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