Tips for Trader Joes
 

We’re going there later. I’ve heard recommended on here a few times now, never been before.
Any tips for what’s good?

Thanks in advance

Re: Tips for Trader Joes
 

It is a good German company (owned by the family that own Aldi). Consequently, anything German. I always buy loads of their excellent greeting cards too incidentally...

Re: Tips for Trader Joes
 

I love TJ’s! You will be pleasantly surprised by the choice of goodies! If you are lucky the one you visit will also have alcohol....always good value, sadly my local store doesn’t. My only gripe is that when I really get to love something, they discontinue it....for example they used to have a fab crunchy lemon ice cream with lemon zest in it, but sadly no more.

You can have a free sample of coffee and they usually give out small samples of some food they are promoting.

Too much to list here but they currently have a lot of seasonal produce in....I’ve just bought a frozen creme-brûlée tart and ‘Wassail’ drink mix to add to red wine (for mulled wine) ;) Oh, and Jingle Jangle ice-cream (it’s very nice!).

I love their English Coastal Cheddar (from Dorset) and Irish Blend tea bags (more like Typhoo tea bags.....their English breakfast tea bags are much weaker than the Irish ones btw).

They sell crumpets! :thumbsup:

They also have (in the frozen section) Balti chicken pies and steak & ale pies.
Frozen bags of risotto rice (with asparagus or mushroom). Also frozen polenta with veggies.

Their fresh meat is mostly pretty good, no antibiotics and tbh most of the produce in TJ’s is non-GMO with quite a lot of organic stuff too.

Argentinian (large) shrimp. Excellent value and quality.

Their bags of salads are varied and good value, and I always buy blueberries and bananas there.

I always buy the halved walnuts there....the price is good compared to my other local supermarkets.

I do find that their breakfast cereals can be a bit hit or miss (they don’t seem to be very nutritious when I read the labels) but I am currently using their ‘Heart Healthy’ whole grain blueberry instant oatmeal with flaxseed and plant sterols (I add walnuts, fresh blueberries and some slices of banana).


Lots of choice of (healthy) chips and dips....I love their low-fat spinach and kale dip in Greek yoghurt and the 3 layered hummous.

Fresh flowers are very inexpensive.

You do need to watch the bread though....a lot of variety inc. pretzels and part baked baguettes...but as they don’t use (many?) preservatives it does go stale quickly and you have to watch the dates on the labels.

Www.traderjoes.com

Re: Tips for Trader Joes
 

Agreed. Also, their produce is not so great. I love their frozen Indian food (Lamb Vindaloo, Chicken Tikka). I also really like their frozen pizza. Another highlight is their Greek Yogurt, although my wife prefers their 'european style' yogurt. Belgium chocolate is tasty and cheap. And if you like hot sauce get their habanero sauce.

Re: Tips for Trader Joes
 

For some British goodies: the English coastal cheddar and Welsh cheddar, sponge candy (which are like crunchie bars) and the English fudge which is amazing.

Re: Tips for Trader Joes
 

My tip is to avoid the place. :lol:

Re: Tips for Trader Joes
 

I agree.

We went there once, and while we wouldn't rule out going back, the range of products was very limited - want crisps? We have these! Want crackers? We have these! Want olives? ..... Oooh look! We can choose "black" or "green"! :thumbsup:

It was like a trip back in time to the era before supermarkets, when you went to the corner shop and bought whatever products the storekeeper had decided to stock. :lol:

Re: Tips for Trader Joes
 

Their "Charles Shaw" brand of wine is a passable vin ordinaire. It's nickname is "Two Buck Chuck" from it's old California price of $1.99 a bottle. (One daughter lives in New York state which prohibits wine sales in grocery markets. Alcohol sales are regulated by the individual states).

Here in California, milk and eggs are a good deal. I like their mini shredded wheat breakfast cereal.

I like salt-free crunchy peanut butter. TJ is the only store that carries it.

Re: Tips for Trader Joes
 

Also Empire Kosher turkey breasts are good if the store carries them

Re: Tips for Trader Joes
 

One opened near me about 5 years ago, so I went, and I don't think I bought anything. Similarly a World Market recently opened in Clearwater. I went last week. Felt like a Tourist Trap, but it is my US colleagues that rave about both!

Re: Tips for Trader Joes
 

Perhaps I am still too British, but I don't find the (comparative) lack of choice to be a problem since, for the most part, I like the specific things that they actually have on the shelves.

There's an Italian deli nearby which I can go to *if* I want to agonize over which of 20 different kinds of olive I want to buy but, for the most part "what I want" when buying olives is "green" or "black".

Re: Tips for Trader Joes
 

Of course, every Trader Joes product is identical to a brand name product. I believe Trader Joes Greek Yogurt is actually Stonyfield yogurt.

https://www.eater.com/2017/8/9/16099...-joes-products

Most of the time the Trader Joes product is cheaper as well.

Re: Tips for Trader Joes
 

Their french cheeses are amazing! Try the "mini basque" a half round of sheeps milk cheese straight from my part of France - the Pyrenees. They have stilton in pots, lovely goats cheese - if they have any of the goats cheeses with jalapeno in it - yummy! Welsh cheddar - bit pricey but very nice. They have a salami secchi ( dried sausage) which even my Italian neighbour loves. Duck pate?
They have some very nice french wines for about $13 a bottle. I can't remember exactly what its' called but it a St Emilion. It costs more in France! Trader Joe's own label champagne at $20 is a very good buy.
They have traditional french pizzas - tarte d'alsace (onions and creme fraiche). goats cheese and tomato are both excellent.
real creme fraiche at a decent price
Their french village yoghourt is really lovely and creamy and if you get the plain one, it has no sugar added.
In the produce section they have a sachet of cooked puy lentils which is really good - cook them with onions and bacon and diced carrot to make a lovely french style lunch.

Love the place.

Re: Tips for Trader Joes
 

I love TJs. My favs include their own brand kurig coffee cups, cheese, avocados, salad in general... not so much fruit, jalipino hummus, organic frozen brown rice , organically c chicken breasts and tenders, empire kosher chicken, their chicken and veggie low sodium broths, washing up liquid, washing liquid for clothes (unscented) kitchen towels, loo roll, organic olive oil popcorn., wine, (any!) sparkling water, organic whole wheat pasta, honey, raw almonds individually packaged.... Ive just written out my upcoming shopping list! I also always have a mini coffee and whatever nosh is on offer. 🙄
Oh and first pressed olive oil and coconut oil

Re: Tips for Trader Joes
 

:goodpost:(s)

I couldn't agree more. I went in one once and that was once too often to visit a place with wilted produce, dirty floors and over priced meat.