Status

Exploring The World of Trader Joe’s

TJs purchaseLast week, Trader Joe’s opened up here in town.  It’s been much anticipated especially since the opening date was pushed back several months due to construction issues.

I fully admit that I’ve never really been impressed with any of the Trader Joe’s that I’ve been in.  They have a lot of processed food items that seem to make up the bulk of the store.  That’s not really my style.  But I decided to check out the new Trader Joe’s here and I was pleasantly surprised!

Most TJs that I’ve been in don’t really carry any fresh produce.  Ours does and for really great prices.  I was able to get a huge bunch of bananas for just over a dollar.

They also have a really great cheese section that I look forward to exploring once the crowd reduces a little bit.

There is a huge dip and hummus section that I would also like to explore and check the ingredients.  I either need to go before the lunch rush or wait a few weeks for the store to be less crowded.

I was able to find some grassfed ground beef and fun items like purple spinach!  However, they did not have large tubs of spinach or salad mix, only smallish bags.

It’s a small store, there’s no deli, meat, or seafood counter.  You can find a few of those items in the refrigerated section.  The dairy section had only store brand almond and coconut milk. I didn’t look at their milk offerings but I did not see any local milk on the shelves.

This may not be news to you if you are a seasoned TJs shopper, but I am not, and I found the set up to be interesting.

A few fun items I got were things like pomegranate vinegar and sriracha barbecue sauce which has a great ingredient list and has a great flavor!  I’m also giving their Miso Broth a whirl to see what that tastes like.

Would I be able to do all my shopping there?  No, but it will be nice to go on occasion for some fun items that are unique to the store.

 

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post for TJs. They have no idea who I am. I’m just sharing my experience with my local store.

2 thoughts on “Exploring The World of Trader Joe’s

  1. I’m with you – TJ’s is great as a supplementary stop, but it can’t replace regular grocery shopping or farmer’s market trips. I actually like some of TJ’s prepared / frozen foods on occasion because the ingredients aren’t too terrible. I usually get organic, free-range chicken there (cheaper than Giant Eagle or Kroger), along with prosciutto, peanut butter, and some snacky items I like. (For example, they make kettle chips with just olive oil, potatoes, and salt!)

    • The meat section was really small and they didn’t have a lot going on. I was kind of surprised that they didn’t offer up more. You are right, a lot of their frozen foods don’t have any sketch ingredients in them. I got some potstickers that seem pretty clean!

Leave a Reply to Andrea Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.