Lately I've been jonesing for Trader Joe's pretty badly. My husband and I lived just outside of Philly for about a year, where we had our choice of about five TJ's. Now that we're back in Des Moines, the closest Trader Joe’s is now at least three hours away in the Minneapolis area. There are often times I contemplate driving up there and back just for the day so I can get my chile-spiced mango fix or my delicious spicy black bean dip. Or the vodka marinara sauce. Or the gyoza. Or the lime juice popsicles. Or the soycatash. But I digress.
Photo:
Comp4Me [Flickr]
Every time I travel I check Trader Joe’s store locations to see if there’s one close that I can stop at. I have my cousin ship me stuff from New York. I have friends in Minneapolis who keep an eye out for me. One of my best friends drove to St. Louis and I actually made her take a cooler so she could bring me back some frozen food. It’s seriously become an obsession. I went on a trip with some friends last year and the first thing we did after getting our rental car was make a TJ’s pit stop. I figured we would need some snacks for the hotel room, you know? I’m pretty sure they all thought I was insane… except for the aforementioned friend who went to Missouri. She immediately picked up on the allure of Trader Joe’s. I was trying to figure out exactly what makes Trader Joe’s so great, and here’s what I found out during my research:
Trader Joe’s was founded by Joe Coulombe. He was running a number of Pronto Markets when 7-Eleven started to monopolize the market. He had the idea for a grocery store with more exotic offerings but at decent prices. It took off (obviously) and he started converting all of his Prontos into Trader Joe’s. (Photo: Private Label Magazine)
Many of their products are given a quirky name based on their origins – Mexican food is sold under the label Trader Jose’s, Chinese food is sold under Trader Ming’s, Japanese food is sold under Trader Joe-San and vitamins are sold under Trader Darwin’s.
The reason TJ’s can sell good-quality stuff so cheap is because they buy directly from small vendors instead of going through a corporate middle-man. This makes the products cheaper for them, which in turn makes them cheaper for us. What a concept.
Because they keep their products so cheap, you’ll never find anything on sale at Trader Joe’s.
For a grocery store, their benefits and wages are pretty great. Business Week reports that their wages are better than most ($8-$10 an hour three years ago), they give generous bonuses and contribute an extra 15.4 percent of every employee’s gross pay into a retirement plan. They even offer health insurance to part-time workers and their dependents, as long as they work an average of 20 hours per week. My favorite perk is the 10 percent discount. I’d be all over that.
Trader Joe’s is the home of Two Buck Chuck! TJ’s is the exclusive dealer of Charles Shaw wine. It’s technically Three Buck Chuck in some states, but at any rate, it’s worth it. For cheap wine, Two Buck Chuck is pretty darn tasty. It took me a while to figure this one out, though, because in Pennsylvania, it’s illegal to sell liquor in grocery stores. It took a trip to Virginia to finally procure the famous Two Buck Chuck.
The company has a great sense of humor. Exhibit A: one of the questions in the F.A.Q. on the Trader Joe’s Web site: “Will Trader Joe's products turn me into a superhero, a professional athlete or one of the great brainiacs of humankind? Um...well...no. Sorry (seriously, we are because that would be neat). But they will hopefully make your taste buds tingle and leave you with a happy tummy - and wallet. Way better than being a superhero.” Their “Fearless Flyer” is pretty good reading too.
You won’t find any overhead P.A. systems at Trader Joe’s: they operate solely on a bell basis. A huge bell is rung every time something comes up – one bell is to open another register, two bells means a customer has a question and three bells calls a manager over.
If you’re like me and DESPERATELY want a Trader Joe’s within an hour (I’d even take two hours… Omaha would be great) of you, you can go here and request that they come to your area. If there’s already a TJ’s in your area, I’d appreciate it if you went there anyway and requested that they open one in Des Moines. Thanks.
I know there must be some other rabid Trader Joe’s fans out there like me. So spill it: what’s your favorite TJ’s product? What do I need to cart home with me the next time I am in Minneapolis or Kansas City? Better yet, what can I badger my cousin or brother-in-law into mailing me??
If you haven't tried it, you need to. Then you too will understand why it deserves a post on Neatorama!
Must... visit.....
The best part is their plans to expand hugely in the next five years (too bad they aren't publicly traded), including an Iowa City location.
Best stuff:
The spicy black bean dip (as you mentioned)
The blue cheese stuffed hamburger patties
The array of simmer sauces - just add chicken and veggies..omg.
I also bought some rosemary and balsamic marinated chicken there once and have NEVER found it again. Such is the danger of Trader Joes. They went the way of another favorite, the indian curry patties.
If we weren't in the middle of a biblical rainstorm out here, I'd go RIGHT NOW. ACK!
My mother recently went to one while out of town and brought back twenty bags of almonds, since they're so much cheaper. That was a bit much, though.
Two Buck Chuck.
Mini Tacos.
Frozen Three Cheese Canneloni.
Just a Handful nuts (perfect portion controlled sizes!).
Avocado/Mango Salsa
Trader Joe's Teas
I have told my Australian husband that if we ever move to the U.S., we need to live near a Trader Joe's. It is teh awesome.
I've heard one bad thing about Trader Joe's from their suppliers: the company tends to knock off successful items and then stop buying from these small businesses.
I need to move.
The thing we couldn't live without? Jo-Jo's! They even had candy cane Jo's for the holiday season.
Whole Foods annoyed me they pulled the dishonest shenanigans with Wild Oats (RIP) which I did enjoy shopping at. (Not a replacement for Trader Joes in any case.
Nothing like cheap poison to start the day with...
Other than that, they're great.
Unfortunately I moved to Calgary, AB, where there is tons of money and no taste. This place NEEDS a TJs. Serious. Please, please send TJs to Canada!
The Closet Drunks' Snack Shop.
Cos that's all it is.
The Creamy Corn and Roasted Pepper Soup
The Roasted Soynut Butter (crunchy and smooth)
The Frozen Chicken Fried Rice
The Egg Rolls
The Flash Frozen Chicken Tenders (breaded or plain)
Trader Darwin Vitamins for the whole family
Frozen Berries for smoothies
Key Lime Pie
Chocolate covered soynuts
Almonds, Almonds, Almonds!
Joe's Frosted O's
"This blueberry walks into a bar..." Cereal bars
Fair Trade Coffee (samples available while I shop!)
And all the other goodies that you other folks listed!
About the stores: I have two within 7 miles of my home (I live in Northern VA.) And yes, I do know how lucky I am. The facilities are always clean, and the people who work there are helpful. When I go shopping with my son who is Deaf and has other challenges, the staff is friendly and tries to communicate with him. We both love going to TJ's!
You know, get the word out about how wonderful it is to shop there, and stuff.
Of course, here in southwestern OH we have Jungle Jim's. The names seem similar, but Jungle Jim's is huge. Domestic groceries, ethnic/national food sections for many countries, a cheese section that is too big for me to make a decision, wine, beer, cigars, pet foods etc. There are used animatronic exhibits from all kinds of out of business amusement parks. People drive for hours (with several coolers) to shop there.
The deals aren't as good as TJ's though.
My favorites are:
Organic Vegetable Lentil Soup, Reduced Guilt Kettle Cooked Potato Chips, their cheeses, crackers, yogurts, eggs, juices, lemonade, bittersweet chocolate chips, pumpkin bread mix, chocolate truffle brownie mix, gingerbread mix, most of their meats, great pork loin, coffees, they had an awesome organic eggnog during the holidays. I could go on and on. Anyway, they are awesome. Its a great store if your having a party.
I always stock up on frozen food when I am there: garlic nan, madarin organe chicken, kung pao chicken, teriyaki beef,nasi goreng, and gyoza. I love trying new types of wine from TJ's, especially since the prices are so reasonable I don't feel so bad if I don't like a particular bottle and it goes down the drain.
My dog loves thier dog treats too, I always pick him up a box of the assorted flavors. So much cheaper than Milk Bones - and I love the pics of the employees dogs on the box.
also one more thought, i don't like the way they seem to only hire "attractive" people. I think that's kind of regressive to give people more opportunities based on their appearance.
Locally, the two-buck chuck sells for four bucks. Great wine for drinking and cooking. Friends of mine buy it by the case.
Sounds pretty strange to me, but of course attractive is different for each person, and sure wouldn't care if all my local grocery employees were "attractive"
Sadly no TJ's in my area, in fact I have not been to one since I lived up north!
Definitely the trail-mix and two buck chuck for yummy treats though!
But they are kind and patient, and always greet us with a smile. Maybe that's what makes them seem so attractive. :-)
MSG is not only bad for you, its a neurotoxin = that means its toxic to the BRAIN. Epecially in children who are still developing.
As someone who is very sensitive to MSG, I cannot even shop at trader Joes. They put it in almost everything, salsa, hummus, curries, frozen foods, canned foods, you name it.
It is actually very VERY frustrating and infuriating to see Trader Joes sell themselves as this "healthy, wholesome food company" throwing around words such as "natural" and "organic," while at the same time spiking every product with MSG to boost flavor, and of course to boost whats ultimately more important than everything including its customer's health and well being: PROFIT.
BOO TRADER JOES!!!!!! BOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Google "MSG hidden names" and read all about this. Check out Truthinlableing or msgmyth or any of the various other sites who detail this information.
I love the Lowfat Granola (mixed berry).
I wish they still had the Salmon hot dogs. Yes, I said Salmon hot dogs!
I love the sea salt brownie bites, tarte d'alsace, horseradish hummus, Chinese mustard wonton chips, vegan pea soup with mint and lemon and maryland corn and crab chowder. I have to agree that TJ's doesn't do produce (or sandwiches) very well, but we do get some unique fresh stuff that I don't see often (trimmed leeks, sunchokes, super sweet blackberries even in the winter). I also LOVE the cheap, gorgeous flowers, and sneaking up to the demo station when I get a moment to breathe.
When I started working there, I was really surprised at how low the prices are, but since there's no middle man, most of our stuff is private label, and we don't charge for shelf space (we just put things wherever they make sense, mostly), the prices make sense.
The hardest thing to explain to uninitiated customers, though, is why their favorite things always disappear or get discontinued. I had to get used to this, too. It's because we have a very limited amount of space compared to supermarkets, we like being a "neighborhood" grocery store. We are constantly getting rid of slow sellers to make room to try new items as they become available (I'd say we get new stuff weekly). Things go temporarily out of stock frequently for a ton of reasons as well, so if you don't see your favorite thing, ask a crew member and they can tell you what's up and if/when it's coming back. I've noticed that traderjoesfan.com (NOT an official site) has a nice board dedicated to disco'ed items.
A few responses to comments here:
Jason said:
"It is actually very VERY frustrating and infuriating to see Trader Joes sell themselves as this “healthy, wholesome food company” throwing around words such as “natural” and “organic,” while at the same time spiking every product with MSG to boost flavor..."
Trader Joe's doesn't bill itself as a health food store at all, though it does get mislabeled that way by others fairly often, maybe because our privately labeled products don't contain artificial colors or flavors and we carry some organic, vegetarian, and gluten free products, and have a big vitamin section, but we are definitely NOT a wholesome food store and don't pretend to be. A lot of our products are decidedly unhealthy, our giant candy and cookie section, for example. What we say is that we're "unique" or "specialty" because you can't get a lot of our stuff anywhere else. I can't respond to the whole MSG comment because I don't know if it's true or not. I don't know if MSG is normally hidden as a natural flavor. How do you know that "spices" or "natural flavoring" really mean MSG in these particular cases? I wouldn't be too shocked. I see those words on lots of things that I assume are loaded with MSG at other stores, but frankly, so many of our products are too bland and it's hard to believe that they're all loaded with MSG, which is like salt on steroids. Did you try getting a list of low sodium products from the office or demo station? Those might be a safer bet with your restrictions. Did you really do the research and find out how much MSG is in our stuff, or are you assuming? While I understand your concern and hate when companies are deliberately misleading, I've come to my own conclusion over time that TJ's isn't really that sort of company. We're smaller on purpose, and still privately owned. I think your belief that the profit is more important than the customer is inappropriate here. I've seen quite a few products voluntarily pulled from shelves due to concerns for the customer's welfare even though there was virtually no chance that we had been supplied with damaged goods (cat food from a totally different country than the one with the problems, for instance, during the cat food recall [another aside: I DID have poisoned cat food in my house, from PetSmart]). I'd like a little more proof, because that was a pretty incendiary comment, what with all the BOOs. Spices and natural flavoring do actually exist some places.
Joe said:
"also one more thought, i don’t like the way they seem to only hire 'attractive' people. I think that’s kind of regressive to give people more opportunities based on their appearance."
Maybe that's true at your TJ's (that you've given up on, oh well), but at my store we really run the gamut from hot to not, all shapes, sizes and colors. They try to hire on personality and work ethic. I'd love to believe I was hired in part because I'm cute or whatever, but I'm pretty sure that's not the case, heh.
Overall TJ's is a very good employer. I have health insurance and a retirement plan even though I'm only a part timer. I made more than twice as much at my last (desk) job, but the atmosphere is so much better overall that I don't mind the pay cut. Everyone has off days, but we really like almost all of our customers and will bend over backwards for them.
I know I sound like an ad, and I just got off work and I have to go again tomorrow, so maybe I should just relax, but that's just proof that it's a good place to work, right? It was my mom's favorite store for years, but I didn't even like it before I worked there and really saw what it's about.
I can understand the longing for a good grocery store that you've grown to love. I'm from Rochester, the home of Wegmans, the best grocery store ever, and I would now need to drive at least 1 hr to get to the closest one. It's sad.
The word is that they're looking at building one here in Des Moines. There's a big building going up in the Drake area, south of McDonalds on Forest and 30th. The upper floors are supposed to be niceish apartments, with retail on the first floor. The retail store I've heard mention most is Trader Joe's.
I sure wouldn't. My roommate works on campus (we live just a few blocks south of there) and says that what he's been told is that the apartments are being built to attract the wealthier students, and one of the draws is they're putting retail stores on the first floor. I haven't heard a date, but I'm intrigued as I've never been to a Trader Joe's but my roommate and friends swear by them.
And to the guy that said all the employees are attractive...no, they're not.
January 6th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
MSG is not only bad for you, its a neurotoxin = that means its toxic to the BRAIN. Epecially in children who are still developing.
Google “MSG hidden names” and read all about this. Check out Truthinlableing or msgmyth or any of the various other sites who detail this information."
- Neurotoxin doesn't necessarily mean something is harmful to the brain. A neurotoxin is a toxin that acts on neurons, not always associated the soft tissue that is the brain. In the case of MSG, research is being conducted to see if the regular consumption of MSG leads to unhealthy increases in excitotoxicity (over-presence of glutamate in the synaptic cleft triggers apoptosis. In this case, the brain is the locale). Thus far, no large-scale scientific research has concluded that MSG is harmful for normal human consumption, even in infants. Just to put it all in perspective, even soy protein is being researched as an excitotoxin. Certain people have been shown to have severe adverse reactions to MSG, but, in general, weekly dinner from the greasy Chinese place around the corner isn't going to kill you. At least not through glutamate... I agree that correct labeling is important, but unless you're 100% certain that the company is mislabeling products (just because it says spices on the label, doesn't mean they're sticking MSG in it), you might want to lay off the caps lock... Just a thought...
TJ has an awesome business model and has an excellent customer following but don't confuse that with it is a wonderful place to work at.
But then I found The Fresh Market. And I got a job there (TJ's never called me back). Our benefits are similar, the pay is higher than TJ's, and the discount is 20%! Our employees don't just stock shelves and ring bells. They actually MAKE THE FOOD and assist customers in menu planning, food prep, ingredient selection and substitutions, and will break down or re-package many fresh foods to suit the customer. We're foodies! We'll order practically anything special, even if the customer only needs one of a 12- or 24-pack of something. At TJ's, the shoved a piece of fudge in my one-year old's face and were out of Pirate's Booty in the same trip.
TJ's is good for a lot of things, but TFM has the magic touch.
-Pesto Sauce
-Mediterranean Hummus Dip (make sure it's the one with the pine nuts on the top)
Their rosemary bread is really good as well as the chicken teriaki frozen dinner bowl.
http://www.laweekly.com/news/features/the-tastemaker/8053/
He's no longer with the company, but they've stayed very true to his vision.
Robert
Their prices have recently been skyrocketing, though. I'm shopping more at my local grocery store (one block away).
Avocado's Number Guacamole (wow! chemistry humor!)
16-ounce cans of energy drink (basically TJ's version of Red Bull) for 99 cents
Has anyone noticed that the three-cheese wood-fired frozen pizzas cost more than the four-cheese ones?
So, while feeling for your current situation, I decided to send a request on over to ol' Joe. Here's hoping something is done about this, eh?
Here's what was said. Hopefully the funniness and such will act as a big persuasion.
"I'm making a request on behalf of a blogger. Her nearest Trader Joe's is approximately 3 hours away. Not cool! This poor thing has been begging friends, family, acquaintances, and possibly random strangers to arrange for the pick up and delivery of her favorite Joe's goodies.
That's dedication, Joe.
I say bring the poor girl some awesomeness and drop a Trader Joe's on her doorstep. I'm sure she'd be grateful... AND, if she's rich, you guys could benefit from that. I have a feeling she'd be a big spender. Thing big, guys. Think big.
Here's a link to her blog: http://www.neatorama.com/2008/01/05/confessions-of-a-trader-joes-junkie/
Totally. You guys have to now. She NEEDS it. I think she may have an aneurysm if she doesn't get a Joe's in the near future. That could be messy."
You're welcome. :)
Trader Joe's Split Pea Soup
"No MSG Added"
Contains yeast extract
Trader Joe's Caribbean Brown Rice & Black Beans
"No MSG added"
Contains yeast extract
Trader Joe's Vegetarian Vegetable Soup with pasta
"No MSG added"
Contains natural flavor (yeast extract)
Trader Joe's Tex Mex Brown Rice & Beans
"No MSG Added"
Contains yeast extract
Trader Joe's Low Fat Vegetarian Lentil Soup
"No Preservatives or MSG Added"
Contains modified food starch; yeast extract
Trader Joe's Northwest Territory Premium Beef Stew
"No MSG Added"
Contains autolyzed yeast extract; natural
flavorings"
Check this website that has a list with all the different names used for MSG and then spend some time checking the ingredients on your TJ'S products and see it for yourself!
http://www.msgmyth.com/hidename.htm
this was delicious ; caramelized apples wera so good ...try it with vanilla ice cream !
Thanks for this post!
Les