Trader Joe's - America's Favorite Grocery Store - Page 10

Noel7 · ‎03-09-2010

@Yahooey wrote:
@missy1 wrote:
@Yahooey wrote:
You guys crack me up and it seems a big peeve is the parking lot. Problem solved as there are NO parking lots in their Manhattan stores. The stores are not large (much smaller than Whole Foods) or maybe it looks small since it is always packed with people. At times especially the holiday season, there are lines outside the store to be let in.

The staff is always cheerful, perhaps an act but that's fine with me. When I'm there, I have see them asking people who are waiting on line if they forgot anything and could they go get it for them. Our lines are long but they always go very quickly. To be met with sullen staff with grunts when asking a question or I don't know and walks on by at some retailers is the pits. They also treat their employees well in terms of benefits.

Trader Joe is not Utopia, it may not serve everyone's purpose. I'm glad it finally came to my area, I read about it here for a while.

How do you get your grocieries home if there is no parking lot? I assume a taxi. That would be a pita for me.
@missy1 the subway - I buy what I can carry easily which is one shopping bag. I go once a week.

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@Yahooey

I wonder if that's a neighborhood thing. On an earlier post I mentioned SF has a new downtown TJs. Before opening, they put up big signs that they would have NO PARKING available. There is none downtown. That store is targeted for people who work in high-rise offices and shop the area on foot.

Yahooey · ‎07-09-2010

@Noel7 wrote:
@Yahooey wrote:
@missy1 wrote:
@Yahooey wrote:
You guys crack me up and it seems a big peeve is the parking lot. Problem solved as there are NO parking lots in their Manhattan stores. The stores are not large (much smaller than Whole Foods) or maybe it looks small since it is always packed with people. At times especially the holiday season, there are lines outside the store to be let in.

The staff is always cheerful, perhaps an act but that's fine with me. When I'm there, I have see them asking people who are waiting on line if they forgot anything and could they go get it for them. Our lines are long but they always go very quickly. To be met with sullen staff with grunts when asking a question or I don't know and walks on by at some retailers is the pits. They also treat their employees well in terms of benefits.

Trader Joe is not Utopia, it may not serve everyone's purpose. I'm glad it finally came to my area, I read about it here for a while.

How do you get your grocieries home if there is no parking lot? I assume a taxi. That would be a pita for me.
@missy1 the subway - I buy what I can carry easily which is one shopping bag. I go once a week.
**************************************************

@Yahooey

I wonder if that's a neighborhood thing. On an earlier post I mentioned SF has a new downtown TJs. Before opening, they put up big signs that they would have NO PARKING available. There is none downtown. That store is targeted for people who work in high-rise offices and shop the area on foot.

@Noel7 definitely a neighborhood thing. There is no parking lot at Whole Foods either. A parking lot in Manhattan means $$$. Real estate is limited in Manhattan and probably the same of SF. I once went into a TJ in Jersey and it was huge complete with parking lot lol. I was shocked at how wide the aisles are.

Noel7 · ‎03-09-2010

@Yahooey wrote:
@Noel7 wrote:
@Yahooey wrote:
@missy1 wrote:
@Yahooey wrote:
You guys crack me up and it seems a big peeve is the parking lot. Problem solved as there are NO parking lots in their Manhattan stores. The stores are not large (much smaller than Whole Foods) or maybe it looks small since it is always packed with people. At times especially the holiday season, there are lines outside the store to be let in.

The staff is always cheerful, perhaps an act but that's fine with me. When I'm there, I have see them asking people who are waiting on line if they forgot anything and could they go get it for them. Our lines are long but they always go very quickly. To be met with sullen staff with grunts when asking a question or I don't know and walks on by at some retailers is the pits. They also treat their employees well in terms of benefits.

Trader Joe is not Utopia, it may not serve everyone's purpose. I'm glad it finally came to my area, I read about it here for a while.

How do you get your grocieries home if there is no parking lot? I assume a taxi. That would be a pita for me.
@missy1 the subway - I buy what I can carry easily which is one shopping bag. I go once a week.
**************************************************

@Yahooey

I wonder if that's a neighborhood thing. On an earlier post I mentioned SF has a new downtown TJs. Before opening, they put up big signs that they would have NO PARKING available. There is none downtown. That store is targeted for people who work in high-rise offices and shop the area on foot.
@Noel7 definitely a neighborhood thing. There is no parking lot at Whole Foods either. A parking lot in Manhattan means $$$. Real estate is limited in Manhattan and probably the same of SF. I once went into a TJ in Jersey and it was huge complete with parking lot lol. I was shocked at how wide the aisles are.

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@Yahooey

There's a TJs just outside of SF we go to when we're in that area. A very nice store with a very small parking area, next to a major roadway, it's surrounded by apartment developments and next to rapid transit.

There are no close-by normal supermarkets and the TJs does big business tucked in there. They have, more or less, a captive audience consumer base. Smart move, people can just walk in.

Bri36 · ‎02-20-2017

@Noel7 wrote:
@Bri36 wrote:
If you like a lot of prepared foods, you'll like TJs.
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@Bri36

Only if you ignore their grass fed beef, fresh chicken, brisket, pork chops, famous haricot verte, bags of various fresh salads, fresh kale and fresh spinach. Then there's fresh artichokes, avocados, clementines, apples and bananas, to name a few.

Plus their dairy section with really good Greek yogurt, cage-free eggs, milk, and of course the cheese section with cheeses from around the world.

And the bakery section, all fresh, and the already prepared fresh foods that busy people can grab on their way home.

You must have missed all that.

I didn't miss a thing

I didn't say they didn't have fresh produce and meats.

I said they have a lot of prepared foods.

Your tone is not appreciated

Noel7 · ‎03-09-2010

@Bri36 wrote:
@Noel7 wrote:
@Bri36 wrote:
If you like a lot of prepared foods, you'll like TJs.
*****************

@Bri36

Only if you ignore their grass fed beef, fresh chicken, brisket, pork chops, famous haricot verte, bags of various fresh salads, fresh kale and fresh spinach. Then there's fresh artichokes, avocados, clementines, apples and bananas, to name a few.

Plus their dairy section with really good Greek yogurt, cage-free eggs, milk, and of course the cheese section with cheeses from around the world.

And the bakery section, all fresh, and the already prepared fresh foods that busy people can grab on their way home.

You must have missed all that.

I didn't miss a thing

I didn't say they didn't have fresh produce and meats.

I said they have a lot of prepared foods.

Your tone is not appreciated

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@Bri36

Not exactly what you said, but what grocery store DOESN'T have a lot of prepared food?

Pardon my tone of reality...

Spurt · ‎03-20-2010

@ChynnaBlue wrote:
@Carmie wrote:
Most if the grocery stores on that list including Traders Joes is not in the area where I live. I have never even heard of them.

i don't know where that poll was taken, but it certainly wasn't in Pennsylvania.
HEB always makes it into the top 5 and they are only located in Texas.

@ChynnaBlue @Moonchilde

A couple of my friends rave about Trader Joes......I bought a couple items---prepared food which was OK but not great, and another item some special kind of chips and they were stale even though the expiration date was not for some while...

Thanks for the article Moonchilde, not only interesting but best laugh of the day---HEB with 83% (I know your only the messenger)......but I can't believe those results and I think there's a bit of "creative math" going on with their statistics.....

I think HEB being the only major grocery store chain in town pushes up their satisfaction results.....who wants to wait in a long line at WalMart with your ice cream melting because they only have 2 cashier lines open........Target has terrible selection of produce.....if you have a specfic special product in mind then you might run into a Wholesale Food, Trader Joe's or Sprouts....but difficult to do complete grocery shopping there....So in San Antonio your basically stuck with HEB......they do not carry some products consistently so it's hit or miss......they bag groceries terribly putting eggs in with laundry soap or putting all the items in glass jars or bottles together so they clang together and break.....bugs in the cereal and Manager was rude about giving me a refund....(when I got home I immediately opened up the box and put it in a Lock & Lock container so it came from HEB and not my home)....Also HEB is carrying more and more of their brand and less national brands.....I have even tried going to different stores that are more high end....same problem....My friends and co-workers have the same complaints....Perhaps @ChynnaBlue you have better luck in the Austin area with HEB.....

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goldensrbest · ‎03-10-2010

Would you believe the first time i went into a whole foods, i became so overwelmed ,that i almost had a panic attack ,because of so much food?

When you lose some one you L~O~V~E, that Memory of them, becomes a TREASURE.

DiAnne · ‎09-22-2010

I do part of my shopping at Trader Joe's but I was a much bigger fan of the old Trader Joe's before the Germans bought it. The prices were better and the items they carried were healthier - not so much candy, cookies, cookie butter, etc. I still frequent Trader Joe's for cheese, nuts, dried fruit, dog biscuits and some condiments.

PS: When I can't resist the frozen almond croissants!

Yahooey · ‎07-09-2010

@goldensrbest wrote:
Would you believe the first time i went into a whole foods, i became so overwelmed ,that i almost had a panic attack ,because of so much food?

@goldensrbest I had that reaction when I walked into a Costco for the first time. This was eons ago and they weren't selling multiples of items. Such as 6 cans of diced peaches but a 5lb can of diced peaches or a 10 lb can of tuna. I'm may be exaggerating but they were huge cans of food much like what you see in a cafeteria. I was fascinated.

tansy · ‎01-02-2011

@DiAnne wrote:
I do part of my shopping at Trader Joe's but I was a much bigger fan of the old Trader Joe's before the Germans bought it. The prices were better and the items they carried were healthier - not so much candy, cookies, cookie butter, etc. I still frequent Trader Joe's for cheese, nuts, dried fruit, dog biscuits and some condiments.

PS: When I can't resist the frozen almond croissants!

The wide variety of sweets is why I don't shop at TJ's very often. The coffe ice cream is my favorite.