Do You Shop At Trader Joe's, or Is It Just Hype?

Question

Explain please... I understand they pride themselves on healthy naturality AND low prices, but do you ever wonder if you're getting what you pay for?

If you pay less, are you getting less quality?

How do you know for sure?

Thanks!

Answer 1

So far, life's been good there. I have no complaints as of yet. I feel their quality AND quality of workers is comparable to that of the Whole Foods stores. In other words, they are paying their workers well. Too bad I can not say that for the local Safeway stores by my house.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Trader Joe's was started by a guy that wanted to bring gourmet food to the average man. That was how it started and it is still following that mantra. The way they keep prices down is that they have been able to work with suppliers to buy up their entire stock of whatever it is they are selling and get the best price. Many items TJ sells are purchased from suppliers that have not been able to sell their items because of poor marketing or they may have an overstock, but to TJ's credit, they look out for the "gourmet" aspect of it.

The only problem with Trader Joe's is that they are SOY munchers. I have personally written them with specific scientific, peer reviewed studies showing that SOY is very harmful to the human body and asking them why they are selling that garbage in their stores as healthy. They keep writing me back and saying that they will have their nutritionist respond, but they never do. The only reason I can surmise is that they do not have a good answer.

If you want to learn about why SOY is so bad for you, just buy the book called, "The Whole Soy Story." This is a good reference book that has been well written and explains the history of how soy got into our diet and why it is very bad for you. It is in hard back and available in a lot of health food stores that are progressive.

There are many scientific journals that are being generated and have been generated that go into great detail as to why soy is harming the body in many ways. The soy industry is fighting back with big bucks, but they are not able to refute the research. They are fighting back with the same techniques they've been using for years and eventually the truth will come out for the public to be informed.

good luck

Answer 3

I love Trader Joe's. I can make a meal out of things that taste good and didn't cost me an arm and a leg, and are much better for me.

Great meal from TJ's: Get a jar of their julienned sun-dried tomatoes, a bottle of olive oil, a can of black olives, some onions, a head of garlic, some crimini mushrooms, a bottle of red Charles Shaw wine (they call it Two-buck Chuck there), a jar of their pesto sauce, and a couple of bags of their filled dry tortellinis. You'll need a big skillet and a large cookpot. Fill the cookpot with hot water and put it on the stove to boil. While it warms up, dice the onions, mince the garlic, slice up the mushrooms, and sautee them in the skillet in a couple of spoonfuls of olive oil. Drain the olives and sliver them, and add the olives and about half the jar of tomatoes to the skillet, and cook for about five minutes or so, stirring often. When the onions clarify and the mushrooms begin to release juice, put a cup or so of the wine into the skillet. Season everything with black pepper and dried basil, stir it very well, and reduce the heat to low and let it simmer and get acquainted.

By this time the water should be boiling. Boil the tortellinis for about 12-14 minutes, then drain them. Add three tablespoons of the pesto sauce to the skillet, stir it really well, and add the drained tortellinis to the skillet. Toss everything to coat it all with the sauce. Serve it in bowls with some Parmesan cheese.

Trader Joe's enables that kind of a meal. Believe me, I'm all for it. For the ingredients at my local grocery, I'd probably pay ten to fifteen percent more.

Answer 4

Trader Joe's is awesome!! We moved from Cali to Texas and now we don't have T.J.'s anymore :( , we really miss it. All the stuff you mentioned is true. Trader Joe's makes an effort to supply quality, healthy, organic foods at a reasonable price. Part of how they do this is by selling mostly their own brand, cutting out the so-called middle man.
Their produce selection is fairly limited as well, which often neccessitated two grocery store trips (but we do this anyway with Whole Foods and CostCo, so...).

Answer 5

I shop at Trader Joe's. Some of the stuff they sell is more expensive than the local grocery store, but everything I have bought there has been good quality. They really have good prices on nuts -- better than any other place around. The one near me has a huge selection of wine and is the only place around here where I can get Kashi cereal.

Answer 6

I shop at Trader Joe's. I find their food to be just as good, if not better than national brands and other store brands. I buy granola bars there-- $1.99 for a box of six bars that are made with whole ingredients. I can't say that for Quaker bars, which are made with corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oils and other stuff. Yet, they advertise themselves as healthy. Plus, I think the TJ's brand tastes better. (Must be all that good, whole stuff.) Also, their tofu (another one of my staples) is only $.99 block. Most of their cereal is under $2.50, including the Kashi. (Their equivalent to Cheerios is only $1.99.)

Last week my husband went there and found some whole wheat tortilla chips and some rice chips. The rice chips were good, but we decided that they would make better soup crackers.

TJ's has some vegan "convienence" items, like frozen foods that can just be heated in the oven that I want to stock up on. It's still more expensive than cooking, but if my husband can't come home for dinner, it might just be easier than actually cooking once the baby is born.

My husband and I don't do all of our shopping there, but we do a majority of it. Unfortunately, for our current budget, Wal-Mart is a necessary evil, so we do buy some things there as well. (In addition to Kroger.) Also, Kroger and Wal-Mart are more convienent. Especailly Kroger which is in walking distance. (Kroger is more expensive, but we save gas by going there.)

Trader Joe's also has some good beer.

Answer 7

I really like trader joes. I shop there regularly. I find all their produce and products are in great condition and its nice to know that they are organic and free of pesticides and all that stuff. However, they are pricey. Their food is worth it. Wild oats and sunflower markets also have very good food but again, are a little more pricey.

Answer 8

I find Trader Joe's to be good for two things:

1. Wine

2. Desserts

Everything else is rather bland and mediocre, IMHO.