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anemonemometer t1_ivjev7g wrote

Trader Joe’s is a strange place. It’s got lots of great tasting stuff at pretty reasonable prices, way better than, say, East Side Market or Shaw’s. But it’s such a limited supply, I’ve never been able to find a full week’s grocery list there. I went in to the new location this weekend and it was pretty full. Employees were cheerful and the line moved really quickly despite the line being long. I’ll go back for specialty items but it’s not going to be a weekly visit for me.

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kickstand t1_ivjj66l wrote

The whole concept of TJ’s is that it is a curated selection. Instead of 20 kinds of (x), they have one kind that was supposedly selected by “Trader Joe.”

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anemonemometer t1_ivjmmmp wrote

I’m not bothered by the curation part. Having 1 instead of 20 items is fine. My issue was I can’t reliably find one thing in a category sometimes. The produce selection leaves a lot to be desired, for example. I still go to TJ’s and find good things, I just have to plan to go to another store afterwards to get the rest, that’s all.

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nygrl811 t1_ivkileo wrote

I agree. TJ has a few gems but for general shopping I prefer Shaw's. Although NOTHING beats TJ's dark chocolate peanut butter cups!!!

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boulevardofdef t1_ivjr3ur wrote

Trader Joe's isn't really supposed to be a place where you get all your grocery shopping done. It's supposed to supplement a larger grocery store. It's also very geared toward giving you ideas. So if you're sitting at home thinking, "What do I want to eat this week?" and you make a grocery list, you probably won't be able to buy everything at Trader Joe's. But if you just show up with no idea what you're going to eat this week, you're supposed to think, "Oh, that would be great, I'm going to do that."

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wearTheDamnMask_137 t1_ivjz3jc wrote

Good point! I have been shopping at the TJ's in Cranston (too much) and a lot of it is very processed food, particularly the frozen dinners. But certain things they sell, such as olives, cheeses, and salsas, are quite good and relatively inexpensive.

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anemonemometer t1_ivk8pca wrote

They have a great cheese selection for sure! Interesting dipping sauces too.

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Throwaway1231200001 t1_ivotac0 wrote

TJ's is basically upscale Aldi's for me, as I go for a set supply of things I want and leave the rest of daily shopping elsewhere.

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