The Trader Joe's Product Discussion Thread (S/D)

No one's posted about it yet so get the Mee Krob rice noodle snacks while they're available. Not sure if they'll TOS fast, stuff like this tends to. Best newer TJ salty snack.

To answer the thing upthread, stores have a lot of leeway about their in-store music and it mostly depends on the captain's general attitudes. Employees at mine get to control the music within reason about 70% of the time, especially during slow periods.

(my spouse works there)

Trader Joe’s used to carry some decent stuff but it’s truly just junk food for rich people. The quality of ingredients in their food has gone way downhill and they don’t even really come out with many interesting ideas anymore in my opinion.

I don't really buy much of frozen, prepared meals - tamales on occasion. But it's good for things like frozen berries, jars of olives, cooking oil.. shit like that

Oh, and alcohol!

Employee discount + inflation means all my kitchen staples are from there.

Their alcohol is very on point.

I think their processed foods are mostly bad, and that seems to be the focus of the posts in this thread

- but the fruit, produce, flowers, nuts, bread, meat, canned foods, pasta, cheese, spirits etc are pretty great

their ground espresso is significantly better than anything else near the same price point and also better than any ground espresso available at the “normal” grocery stores

my preferred brand of beef jerky

my local is only licensed to sell wine and beer. oh well

I think their processed foods are mostly bad, and that seems to be the focus of the posts in this thread

agree, but
1. that's what they mostly sell? at least the one near me is basically a giant freezer section with like a head of lettuce in one corner.
2. i'm not standing in that insanely long line to buy the head of lettuce, they sell those at stores with shorter lines.

^why i haven't set foot in a trader joe's in like 4 years

Any TJ I've been in is 20% freezer aisle at most and even then there is useful stuff on shelves above the freezers.

things i regularly buy at TJ's

bag of citrus
carrots
hummus
prepackaged deli meat like prosciutto
crackers
peanuts, almonds, and sunflower seeds
whole bean coffee
peanut butter, jam, mayo, pickles, condiments

is the produce anywhere near as good as my local co-op? no. but i live alone and ultimately a lot of the portioning / sizing works for me.

mostly i shop at my local supermercado or the asian market for produce, meat, and most other things.

^gets it

Yeah, I find their produce underwhelming & overpackaged

I just start in the freezer aisle, walk down and get one of everything, get a free sample, then run out without paying.

^^ gets it

I'm with budo jero. It's also good for pantry staples like cereal, pasta/sauce, rice, canned beans, olive oil, tinned fish, etc.

I tried a free sample at TJ's today for the first time since before the lockdown, and the Super Seedy Cheese Snack Bite was an immediate purchase.

These were so good! Due to some logistical reasons I go to TJs at least twice a week and I haven't seen them since they first appeared. Hope they become a regular offering.

cheddar & gruyere melange cheese is the greatest egg breakfast cheese

I buy the prosciutto to add to dry bean pots. A bit annoying that TJ doesn't sell dry beans.

comments on produce mostly otm, but I'll get a sack of little red potatoes, cherry tomatoes, and the herbs

I saw a barefoot guy wearing hospital scrubs walk in and drink two cans of room temperature beer, right there in the aisle

that is "Trader Joe", a mechatronic puppet that does this on a schedule at every location.

I miss the bagged babby kale since I no longer live near a tjs. Avocados were usu good but realize buying Mexican avos is controversial.

I saw a barefoot guy wearing hospital scrubs walk in and drink two cans of room temperature beer, right there in the aisle

i swear by the spicy chakri mix and the ginger lemon soda water. my kids love the brookies. their prices on yellow peppers and onions are better than our local safeway.

A bit annoying that TJ doesn't sell dry beans.

Yeah, that seems weird given how crunchy-granola their image is. Do people not cook their own beans any more?

it had its own COVID spike a la sourdough, iirc.

Yeah, I guess people don't have the time for an overnight soak + couple hours cook time any more. I would honestly never cook my own beans either if I didn't have a pressure cooker. I've worked out that a quick "presoak" of 2 minutes at pressure, then letting them cool off, changing the water, and then another 15 minutes at pressure gives pretty cook texture and flavor. The whole process can be done in about 45 minutes, which is easily doable for a weeknight dinner.

I remember reading many years ago (decades, tbh) that they don't carry products that they can't get a deal on, such that their price would be lower than supermarkets. I think the question was in regard to tea, which they carry a lot of now. Maybe beans are such a low-margin/high bulk product that it doesn't make sense to tie up shelf space for it.

I would think dry beans would fall into the same category as staples like flour and rice, which they have to carry even though margins are probably not great. But I guess if there's not the demand for it, they don't bother. IIRC, they do carry dry red lentils.

i ate two boxes of the pickle dogs. they arent that good.

Are those the pickle corn dogs?

yes

has anyone tried both the original cascatelli and the TJ version?

I've only seen it Trader Joe's. I tried a recipe with it that included olives, Calabrian chilis, lemon, bread crumbs and tuna, and it was pretty good

https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2021/05/27/cascatelli-pasta-salad-recipe-tuna/

many xp i feel they could carry a higher quality, bit more expensive dry bean at a good price. Something like those eden boxes. I cook dry beans often to also get the broth for veg dishes.

(I asked management.)

TJs carries dry lentils and a couple other legumes, but not just like black and white beans. It's partly due to demand and space required, not so much needing to get "a deal" - TJs deals are mostly because TJs purchases from suppliers cash up front rather than on credit through a distributor. They're not a clearance retailer of food goods. Beans (like flours) have a pretty big spoil rate because of how easily bags can rip and how that ruins an entire pound or more of product.

It's also partly a difficulty in finding a good supplier. TJs has tried selling dry beans in the past but couldn't get one that met quality standards who was willing to private label.

TJ’s can be your primary grocery if it’s close, but their value is in being an auxiliary imo

It kind of depends on what kind of cook/eater you are. I think if you enjoy cooking, TJs def isn’t the main place you’d shop but it’s great for people like me who hate cooking and hate thinking about food - their choices are limited so eliminates a lot of decision fatigue for me.

They do have a way better candy/cookie selection than most supermarkets, and at good prices.

their chocolate is generally great and v cheap

ack!

TJs round our way was giving free sample bags of the Salsa Verde Tortilla Chips. Given that I was asked "how many?" when I said I would try some, my expectations drifted from "poor" to "must be disgusting"

Love that Chocholate Lover's bar, even with all the lead a cadmium

https://www.consumerreports.org/health/food-safety/lead-and-cadmium-in-dark-chocolate-a8480295550/

you can have a little lead and cadmium, as a treat

honestly, i was very enthusiastic about cooking at the beginning of the pandemic and went through waves of cooking a fair bit and then being completely burned out. having enough room at my place to buy a chest freezer was a boon -- i'd roll through trader joe's and buy half a cart full of frozen stuff and not have to do any shopping for weeks at a time.

there are occasional exceptions but imo the quality/price ratio of their frozen foods is a lot more predictable than standard grocery stores. that and, with a few exceptions, the local grocery chains here have been cranking up food prices like crazy

It kind of depends on what kind of cook/eater you are. I think if you enjoy cooking, TJs def isn’t the main place you’d shop but it’s great for people like me who hate cooking and hate thinking about food - their choices are limited so eliminates a lot of decision fatigue for me.

i don't agree with this. at least from my pov they have most of the staples i need

it depends on the size and location of the store imo

we have exactly one and it's in the suburbs

TJ’s is my primary for most food. There are a few items that I go to the Walmart Neighborhood Market for and all non-food household supplies.

huh, i believe you but i've used 4 regularly in my life. 2 in sf, one in Chico, other in SoCal and they all had similar stock even though store sizes varied greatly. maybe it gets dicier outside of CA?

xp

Looking at my spending data for the past four years, of all the money I've spent on groceries, 53% of that has been at Trader Joes. 21% at Walmart, 9% at Mariano's, 17% other.