Bill S.
Yelp
I'm not giving this Trader Joe's 5 stars like the one I usually go to because its only open until 830. The one in midtown is open until 10pm, 7 days a week. :)
The rest of the review is the same:
I LOVE Trader Joe's. I think most people who give Trader Joe's poor reviews miss the point of the store.
In my opinion, Trader Joe's is meant to supplement, not necessarily replace, Kroger, Publix, or Whole Foods.
1) They do not stock many national brands. You will not find Coca-Cola beverages, Frito-Lay snacks or Sara Lee anything. TJ's carries many of the same items as any supermarket, but many times its only with Trader Joe's own brand plus maybe 1-2 smaller companies' offerings.
2) Trader Joe's carries a lot more organic meats and vegetables than a Kroger or Publix and at much better prices. However, the selection is still lacking compared to someplace like Whole Foods or Fresh Market.
Also, the selection of non-organic meats and vegetables is not as great as Kroger or Publix, but prices are competitive and the produce is, more often than not, much higher quality at Trader Joe's.
3) Trader Joe's has a lot of frozen entrees for sale, mostly their own brand, but these are almost all of superior quality to anything you can get at the big chains. My favorites are:
- Mandarin Orange Chicken
- Vegetarian potato and vegetable skillet
- Any of their varieties of pot stickers/dumplings/gyoza
- Any variety of frozen pizzas.
- Frozen pepper melange ($1.29 for a 1-lb bag of frozen chopped green, red and yellow bell peppers... a steal!)
I could go on and on. Every person who raves about Trader Joe's has their own list of 6-7 products they absolutely love.
Now YOU should go to Trader Joe's, and find the things you'll love. I guarantee you will find those half-dozen things you can't live without and will be hooked like the rest of us! But at least you won't have to spend your whole paycheck!