Matt M.
Yelp
Apparently, I've been sleeping on Trader Joe's for a minute! I've known about Trader Joe's for years, but I live on the far Eastside of Indy, so it didn't make a lot of sense for me to drive past 20 other grocery stores to make the trek to Castleton. But now that I work on the Northside several days a week, I'm just a stone's throw away and decided to stop in to pick up some essentials.
In my family, I am the main meal planner, grocery shopper, and cook. I have had this role for years, so I have a good amount of experience when it comes to grocery stores. And let me tell you, I get $&@*!NG ANGRY when I go to the store anymore! Prices are literally out of control. And I am talking about the big box stores with mass-produced food (containing known carcinogenic ingredients!) that is meant to be cheap.
So, color me surprised when I walked into Trader Joe's and they have prices that are straight outta 2005. Two items I did always love at Traders Joe's were the Tea Tree Tingle shampoo and conditioner. I remember them bragging that they hadn't changed the price in over a decade. But we are living in the post-covid price apocalypse, so surely that has changed, right? Freaking $3.99 each. Are you kidding me? You know what kind of crap I have to buy at the other stores to keep my cost that low? Let me tell ya, it ain't good! And I LOVE the Tea Tree Tingle products. Salon quality. I'd pick it over most shampoos I've tried over the years. And it's less than $4. Crazy.
So, I started to look around, a bit, and it's not just the HBA products. Aisle after aisle (ok, there are only like 4-5 aisles. This store could be bigger. But they have a lot of the things you need, so maybe I've just gotten used to mega-marts), I found myself thinking, "Wow, that's a good price." Over and over! Honestly, I was astonished. And in that moment, I fell in love with Trader Joe's. Here is a company who could easily raise their prices. You almost expect to pay higher prices for organic and whole foods. Yet, Trader Joe's is clearly making a significant effort to keep prices low. As someone who runs the family budget, I appreciate that so much. In a world where I feel like companies are trying to take advantage of people and gouge prices, Trader Joe's stands alone. I picked up a very nice, embroidered canvas bag (also only $4! WTF) to keep in my car so I can make these stops at Trader Joe's a much more frequent event!