During the winter of '14-15 I thought I did.
I was thinking perhaps thatās why your local TJs is mostly frozen product.
Iām not going to pick and choose from these photos but it pretty much represents every TJs Iāve been to - including Manhattan. Sorry CT is bad.
I just flashed on the fact that my local WF has more frozen food than my TJs.
By local I generally mean the New England states, or more broadly the northeast. Further away could mean anywhere in the US. Our aim is to keep shipping at a minimum distance.
Did you just sightsee, or did you actually buy things there? The stores are small, so youāre right to observe that the fresh food areas are small; so are the packaged food sections. TJās isnāt one-stop shopping, itās where to go for affordable, quality ingredients/items that while not necessarily organic, are healthier than their supermarket counterparts. E.g., they have regular potato chips, but they also have reduced sodium sweet potato chips and plantain chips, which IMO taste better than potato chips, but donāt tempt mindless snacking. The 12-grain crackers are a high fiber, less salty, and nutty-tasting Ritz analog. The frozen almond croissants, which you proof overnight, then bake, are as good as those from top-echelon bakeries. Thereās a great nut and dried fruit section, where everything is a good dollar a pound less than at other stores.
You should give TJās a try, with the assurance that they will happily refund your money for anything you donāt like. They want customers to return disappointing products, because, since space is limited, they will promptly discontinue unpopular items.
I hardly ever go to Trader Joeās but I canāt criticize them for being quick to recall potentially problematic items.
G,
At the end of the visit I guess you could say it was sightseeing, since there was nothing there that was of interest. I am fortunate that I live a mile and a half from a store that 99% of what I need, whether it is organic, non-organic, healthy, less than this weekās report tells me to buy. And there is nothing on your the list that I would make a special trip for or could not get in the store I go to. I am one of those people who is not uncomfortable leaving a store empty handed.
I did give TJs a try, and another try and a third try. I called the company and had a very nice talk with the regional manager, since I was wondering if the store I visited was a mini-store and he told me not.
Until my little dog went to her great reward in December, Iād been going there all her life for Charlie Bear Treats aka CBTs
OK Fineā¦
Why canāt people understand that some people do not like TJs. I am one of those people. Three tries, a call with the regional manager. I think that is WAY more than most would give a store that they have never bought anything.
I am glad many of you find great stuff there, but I am not one of them.
Sorry.
Were you replying to me???
Donāt you know, jfood, disliking TJs is just plain un-American.
I didnāt read this discussion as others trying to convince you about TJs virtues. Rather, folks were just responding to your comment about less fresh produce, more frozen produce. I think the proportion of frozen to non-frozen is about the same as any other grocery store
I didnāt āgetā TJs for years. I would read the threads on Chowhound, go visit TJs, and would feel just like what you described. Many years (and trips) later, I found a couple items I liked, then slowly it started to grow on me. Not saying thatās what you should do, just I can sort of understand where youāre coming from. Honestly, if the customer service wasnāt so great, I would go only a handful of times a year. There are some other advantages for me.
Iāve been to TJs in eight different cities. Itās very convenient to get the same exact items when I am visiting families and friends. This consistency can backfire, too, if you get too comfortable. Some items do vary by region. E.g., just recently I learned TJs in many cities have better pizza crust than where I live. And many of the breads and baked goods vary, too.
TJs also has good turnover. That means your bag of chips or box of crackers is fresher. I know these products are sealed, but itās a noticeable difference, in my opinion.
My TJs has kidsā shopping carts, a monthly coloring contest, and free stickers. Thereās a cheese of the month program. Plus the new items shelf often will have interesting products that I havenāt seen before and will never see again. (This is invaluable if you live in a smaller city.) And thereās free coffee and food samples, although Iām too picky to enjoy those. These perks make TJs an outing for us, if you will.
Sadly, items I relied on have been discontinued and quality can be up and down on products like nuts. I have begun searching online sources for many items because of this. You could say slowly Iām inching back toward your side of the scale.
That first sentence is Hemingway-worthyā¦thank you for the smile.
I get the same reaction when people talk about Pepeās pizza and Louisā Lunch and I give them my opinion, which is general received by either a blank stare of disbelief or a tirade of verbal vitriol.
Good point, kiddo. There are those places that bring to mind āthose are fightinā words.ā
I donāt have a TJ near me but have been to several within an hour drive. Iām not a big buyer of prepared foods and snacks so for me there is less appeal and I havenāt bought into the whole organic thing. I wander around the produce and itās not much different from other stores. They have a nice selection of cheeses though but nothing that makes me want to return often. Now if they had a great fresh meat and seafood dept that might be a draw for me
Since these recalls affected many stores and brands including costco, safeway, walmart, and many others i do not hold trader joeās responsible for neglect or oversight.
Iām also a TJs fan and this wonāt prevent me from shopping there or trusting their products.
(However if in the future there are numerous recalls focused exclusively on trader joeās products my stance may changeā¦)
I think ten years ago we never would have known about a recall, or any problems until there was widespread illness reported- i would rather be warned and overly cautious. But with modern testing abilities and monitoring it does seem there are an increasing number of food recalls in general.