Trader Joe's vs. Amazon and the rest of them

[Music Lover]

I am grateful to have had a job making ten times more than an unskilled worker in China. Likewise, the top executives should be grateful making ten times more than me. Why do they need many times that much?

Saying someone "doesn't need that much" isn't a valid argument and never has been.

 

[Major Tom]

PLUS they are just plain nice. The stores are clean, and the fresh flowers are reasonable.

They have 99 cent greetings cards too. Sure beats the high prices of Hallmark and other similar cards.

 

[youbet]

I don't drink that much beer.

Darn, that's a shame! Why not start a thread on this problem and we can all give you tips on how to do a better job of chugging more down!

 

[youbet]

We need a store like Aldi or even (gulp!) Walmart near me.

Beginning with the COVID period, I found Walmart's curbside pickup to be the best around here. Friendly web site, easy to get close-in appointment times, accurate order filling, no questions asked resolutions if you have an issue, staff is polite and well trained,competitively priced merchandise and some decent house brand offerings. I'm still doing curbside with them even though the mask requirements are long gone.

I tried Amazon Fresh and Jewel Osco curbside with less satisfactory results. I shouldn't be surprised I guess as Walmart is near the top of the heap in procurement, logistics and order fulfillment these days.

I usually do a pickup every 7 to 10 days for the usual basics and then stop by a local chain store I like for deli and most produce. Less frequently, I stop by Sam's for meat.

TJ's is OK. I've shopped there a number of times in the past. Their closest store is just too far away to make a trip for some speciality they have very often.

 

[Chuckanut]

TJ's is OK. I've shopped there a number of times in the past. Their closest store is just too far away to make a trip for some speciality they have very often.

Distance is an issue. The Walmart that opened my eyes to how much more I was paying at Kroger is far enough away that I need to be buying at least 3 dozen items to make the trip worthwhile. Even then if I run into traffic on the way home, the ice cream might melt or the TV dinners thaw. So I rarely go there.

 

[youbet]

Distance is an issue. The Walmart that opened my eyes to how much more I was paying at Kroger is far enough away that I need to be buying at least 3 dozen items to make the trip worthwhile. Even then if I run into traffic on the way home, the ice cream might melt or the TV dinners thaw. So I rarely go there.

Yeah, agree. Our Walmart Super Center is 1.2 miles from the house on an easy to travel street. From the time I leave the house to my return is about 20 minutes. Once in a while they're a little backed up and I sit waiting a few extra minutes for them to arrive at the car, but not often. They have their act together.

Things seem to have slowed down with curbside pickup since COVID restrictions let up. Our Walmart has 8 curbside pickup reserved spots at the store and there are typically 1, 2, maybe 3 of us there waiting to be loaded.

Of course, it's still "Walmart" and our purchases are typically nationally branded items or some of their house brands we learned to trust back in our "walk into the store" days.

If we had a TJ's closer than Glen Ellyn, 20 - 25 mins away, I'm sure we'd patronize it for certain items. But it's just too far.

 

[RobbieB]

I like Traders for deli style sliced lunch meats, bread, cheese, frozen food and nuts.

Their produce (except fresh fruit) seems to be lacking and their meat sucks compared to the grocery. I also bought some fish once, once being the operative term.

 

[jimbee]

The closest Trader Joe's is 125 miles from my house. Never shopped there.

 

[11522914]

Distance is an issue. The Walmart that opened my eyes to how much more I was paying at Kroger is far enough away that I need to be buying at least 3 dozen items to make the trip worthwhile. Even then if I run into traffic on the way home, the ice cream might melt or the TV dinners thaw. So I rarely go there.

I must live in grocery store nirvana.

Within 10 miles (most within 5 miles) I have access to:

1 Trader Joe's
1 Whole Foods
1 Lowes
1 BJs
1 Costco
1 Publix
2 Sam's Club
2 Aldi
2 Lidl
2 Wegmans
3 Walmart
3 Target
5+ Harris Teeter
7+ Food Lion

Kroger actually left our market several years ago citing too much competition. I shop at Aldi and Publix. Only get BOGO free at Publix as they are very expensive compared to Aldi. Wegmans is nice but rather expensive, but damn, it is the largest grocery store I've ever seen.

My wife and daughter will occasionally go to Trader Joe's as they have a good variety of vegan products that they like.

 

[MC Rider]

I like Trader Joes, have shopped for some things there for years. Wine, beer, cheese, cookies, nuts, etc.


But nowadays the closest one is a good hour drive away, so we go when we are going down to Bakersfield and also hitting Walmart and a couple other stores.


Close to home is a Vons / Albertson for the usual stuff. And I like the Grocery Outlet which seems to take a page from TJ in the wine beer cheese area. But also has weird cereals like chocolate peanut butter Chex, odd variations of kids cereals, and different things all the time. Watch those sell by dates.

 

[Irishgirlyc58]

I love Trader Joe’s. The closest to me is about 45 minutes away but I typically go to the one that is 50-55 minutes away because the drive is much easier.
I can also hit up Costco- one of the few locations that has plenty of parking.
If I have enough time I also swing by Nugget that is in the same general area. I think Nugget is specific to the Sacramento area but I could be wrong.

My weekly grocery shopping includes a pick up from Walmart because I shop for my mom and there are a few things she likes that I can only get there.
Then I fill in with a trip to Bel Air that has a higher end selection and to pick out my own produce.
Bel Air is crazy expensive though and lately I’ve been thinking about trying Winco again. I used to shop there all the time but it is always so busy that I stopped.
I’m thinking about trying late morning/early afternoon to see if it’s less busy. Winco has a lot of unique items and a large bulk foods section. I believe it is only in California and Nevada?

I used to love grocery shopping. The last few years have made it challenging and the pick up options save so much time but not nearly as much fun.

 

[audreyh1]

No Trader Joe’s down here. I do just fine with HEB Plus, Costco and Sprouts.

 

[EastWest Gal]

We just got a local TJs, probably 2 years ago. I visited it once but was not impressed. Lots of packaged items. Since I eat low carb, there was no appeal. The same is true for Aldi. We don’t have Whole Foods here.

I shop at Wegmans and our local Giant and get my meat from a locally grocery chain which sources its meat and poultry locally. Giant and Safeway are probably the same-their brands use the same symbol. Occasionally I go to Walmart. Self-checkout saves a lot of time and makes it easy to use my reusable bags. Wegmans had the best self scan system but sadly they ended it due to theft.

Back in the early 80s, I lived walking distance from one of the earliest TJs in Los Angeles. I loved their cheese selection, but that was about it. I did buy their wine and sparkling wine for my wedding though.

 

[ownyourfuture]

Never been to Trader Joe's, but one of my nieces always raves about it.
70% of my grocery shopping is done at Hy-Vee, 25% at cub foods, & the remainder at Walmart for certain items that are substantially cheaper.

Up until about a year ago, Hy-Vee asked if you wanted to round up to help certain charities. Thankfully, enough people let them know they didn't care for that and they discontinued the practice.

Do places like Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Costco, etc practice that ?

 

[audreyh1]

Up until about a year ago, Hy-Vee asked if you wanted to round up to help certain charities. Thankfully, enough people let them know they didn't care for that and they discontinued the practice.

Do places like Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Costco, etc practice that ?

One of the advantages of going through self-checkout.

 

[RunningBum]

One of the advantages of going through self-checkout.

Not always. Martin's, which I think is part of Giant, will ask as you tap the screen to pay. Even more annoying, when you select that you are going to pay by card, and turn your attention to the card pay device and separate screen, the first screen is asking you to round up. Not sure how long I stared at the screen, waiting for it to tell me when I could insert the card, before I realized the other screen was waiting for me to say No, I'll choose my own charities.

 

[Music Lover]

One of the advantages of going through self-checkout.

If they want me to use self-checkout then they should let me use their break room too...

 

[audreyh1]

If they want me to use self-checkout then they should let me use their break room too...

That seems like a non-sequitur.

I like self-checkout because it’s far faster and more convenient for me and we prefer to pack our own bags. We don’t fill our cart to the top like many shoppers do. We generally have far fewer items.

Not always. Martin's, which I think is part of Giant, will ask as you tap the screen to pay. Even more annoying, when you select that you are going to pay by card, and turn your attention to the card pay device and separate screen, the first screen is asking you to round up. Not sure how long I stared at the screen, waiting for it to tell me when I could insert the card, before I realized the other screen was waiting for me to say No, I'll choose my own charities.

Well that’s annoying!

 

[JoeWras]

We went to TD once or twice. It is just a bit too far for us to go regularly.

DW likes Lidl and gets their wine. She calls it "Three Buck Chuck" even though it is from Lidl.

Other dumb stuff: Aldi and Trader Joe's are related, kind of. It is complicated. The Aldi in the USA is Aldi Sud, but Trader Joe's is a subsidiary of Aldi Nord. In Germany, it is two companies, but not really. They cooperate, but operate independently. To further complicate matters, the original owner of Lidl had a farther who was a partner to the guy who started Aldi, so he copied Aldi, although the two brands are in stiff competition and don't share ownership. In my city, I don't think it is a coincidence that the three stores are within a mile of each other: Aldi, Lidl and Trader Joe's.

 

[simple girl]

We love Trader Joes. It's not the only place we shop - primarily we go to Walmart and Costco. However, TJ's has some products we just love, so we go there every other week or so to stock up.

Some of our favorites things to get are their frozen side dishes. They are soooo tasty and easy to make - just heat up with a couple tablespoons of water on the stove and you have a nearly instant yummy side dish. Examples - fettucine alfredo, sweet potato gnocchi, mushroom ravioli in truffle sauce, and gorgonzola gnocchi. Most bags say 3 servings but we stretch it out to 4 so it works well for two of us for two weeknights with some other main and veggie that I make.

We also really like their frozen meatballs, frozen panko breaded tilapia, and fresh atlantic salmon.

 

[Osprey]

I wish we had a Trader Joe’s closer than 50 miles away. I try to stop in whenever our travels are close by one. I really like their gluten free bakery products: bread, burger rolls, English muffins and also enjoy some of their frozen side dishes and other products.

 

[sengsational]

We drive past our TJ's most times we get in the car. On the way home, the running joke is "need anything at Trader Joe's?", said even if we stocked up there the day before.


Like most here, there are a few things we always buy there. And DW often comes home with flowers/plants from there. But the main food supply comes through the weekly Walmart pickup order. My role is almost non-existent in food prep, for which I'm very grateful. I usually get asked "you want meal X this week?", I say yes, and it appears. Beats what I did when DW was away taking care of the FIL...buy a bag of potatoes for microwaving and a lump of ground beef for grilling, and eat the same thing every day.

 

[W2R]

Trader Joe's is less than 1/4 mile from my house. But, the parking lot is tiny and always jammed with cars so that's a drag.

When I started reading this thread, I didn't realize it was so old and thought that HaHa, Imoldernu, and other forum members from long ago were back. Wish they really were!

 

[SnowballCamper]

I get the appeal of trader joe's. It's not too big and the selection is reduced...I don't want to choose from over fifteen different bottles of ranch dressing. They have some things that are nice...like the dryer balls in my avatar picture on the forum...haven't bought dryer sheets for years ;-). I love their premade pizza dough and at $2 we can have a really nice pizza for under $10. Some of the frozen 'TV dinner' stuff they have is really good. I think they have a nice balance of quality and price. But since there are about six grocery stores that are closer, we just go for the pizza dough once in a while, and pick up whatever seasonal specialty that catches our eye.

EDIT to add: Just got back from a trip and the pizza dough is only $1.49