Mike C.
Yelp
Living in Southern California had a lot of benefits, and Trader Joe's was one of them. Trader Joe's was one of my favorite places to "make groceries", and I was a loyal shopper for 7 years. (If you are not from New Orleans, don't try to figure out how to "make" groceries"). But I digress.
When we moved back to New Orleans, there wasn't a Trader Joe's to be found. And even when they opened a store in Baton Rouge, LA a year or so ago, it was over 75 miles to get there and wasn't convenient enough to shop there regularly. Fast forward 7 years to 9/23/2016, and Trader Joe's opened up store # 755 in the heart of Metairie (in the NOLA metro area).
We arrived on day 2 at 4 PM and the parking lot was almost filled to capacity. When we got inside, the store was even more crowded, but nothing was going to break more spirits or knock me down off this Trader Joe's high. I bought some beautiful rib eye steaks and all my old favorites. They brought in personnel from around the nation to assist them on opening day/week, and it's a good thing they did, as there were people everywhere. However, the employees were stocking the shelves as fast as the customers were buying them. Even though the checkout line wrapped around the entire store, there was a sign holder indicating the front of the line, the back of the line and a greeter guide you to the next open cashier. The line only took 10-12 minutes from back to front.
For those of you who have never been to a Trader Joe's, I liken it to a smaller, friendlier Whole Foods. Trader Joe's are not huge stores and average between 10,000 -12,000 square feet. Whereas most supermarkets carry around 50,000 items, Trader Joe's carries about 4,000 items; and about 80% of everything they sell bears their own brand name. But don't let this comparatively small number number fool you, as they have just about everything you could ever want or need.
If you are in to making healthier choices, "Trader Joe's has said its private-label products contain no artificial flavors, no artificial preservatives, no colors derived from anything other than naturally available products, no genetically modified ingredients, no partially hydrogenated oils (adding trans-fat), or MSG. In addition, its private-label dairy products use milk from cows not given the artificial growth hormone rBST."
The people here are friendly, the prices are good, the choices are numerous (& healthy) and the parking is ample. If you've never been to Trader Joe's, try them out, as you are likely to become a customer for life.