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Trader Joe's, 16 Area Locations


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The fresh produce that I have seen has been horrible and there is nothing but frozen meat and fish. Dairy on the other hand is normal.
I've shopped at the Gaithersburg, Rockville, and Silver Spring Trader Joes, and the produce has been substandard at all three. I do not like having to buy my produce packaged; I want to examine each item before bagging it. The bagged greens have been uniformly slimey and disgusting once opened. I stopped buying fresh meat there after getting spoiled chicken three time, and spoiled pork once. The dairy is fine, although I do not like buying shrink-wrapped cheese.

Trader Joe's in fine for nuts, dried fruit, vitamins, and good deals on Pellegrino.

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I've shopped at the Gaithersburg, Rockville, and Silver Spring Trader Joes, and the produce has been substandard at all three. I do not like having to buy my produce packaged; I want to examine each item before bagging it. The bagged greens have been uniformly slimey and disgusting once opened.
I shop at the Bailey's store and have found the produce pretty disappointing. I no longer buy any pre-packaged produce unless I can get a good look at everything in the package. I've had to throw too much out. I like their nuts, olive oils, chocolate, and some of the prepackaged items (e.g., tuna curry and this one kind of excellent bread sticks I forget the name of). I've never bought meat there or frozen goods. I've bought the occasional piece of cheese when it's something I need and I don't want to make another stop.
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I shop at the Bailey's store and have found the produce pretty disappointing. I no longer buy any pre-packaged produce unless I can get a good look at everything in the package. I've had to throw too much out. I like their nuts, olive oils, chocolate, and some of the prepackaged items (e.g., tuna curry and this one kind of excellent bread sticks I forget the name of). I've never bought meat there or frozen goods. I've bought the occasional piece of cheese when it's something I need and I don't want to make another stop.

I go to the West End TJ's, and while the produce isn't great, I've had luck with their meat and poultry. The chicken sausages I bought were excellent, and the chicken breasts, kosher chickens and filets I've bought have been good. And they carry Garelick Farms cream, Fage yogurt and lots of other products I regularly buy in their dairy section. But to be fair, on some level my buying those things has to do with convenience; I live a block away.

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The subject of fiddleheads at TJ's came up on Zora's blog. I just wanted to report here that yesterday they had some at the West End store, and I bought some. They were a little the worse for wear, unsurprisingly, but thoroughly washed and carefully trimmed they were quite serviceable. I had some sauteed in olive oil with some garlic, tossed with spaghetti and a bit of its cooking water, and some parmigiano reggiano. Very nice.

As with most of TJ's produce, these come pre-packaged, unfortunately. The hand-written sign announcing them was written such that the F and the I in "fiddlehead" ran together, so that it looked like "Addlehead Ferns", which was funny. They're stocked on the shelves near the herbs and salad greens and such, to the left of cheese.

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Trader Joe's Indian Fare: Just Say No

My wife came home with a stack of boxes last week - must have been a sale of some kind. Now I understand why they couldn't move these off the shelf. These are the vacuum sealed in foil pouch meals - there are a couple of Indian brands at Whole Foods that we buy now and then (sorry xcanuck) when going out for Indian food or spending hours cooking just isn't in the cards.

Palak Paneer was almost edible. The cheese cubes were more the consistency of tofu, but the spinach was processed so fine it was more like eating pureed rather than simmered. The advertised ginger, garlic, tomato and onion were nowhere to be seen.

Punjab Choley was one step closer to awful. There was an odd medicinal taste all the way through, though the chickpeas themselves were passable.

Bengal Lentil got tossed after a couple of bites. I know that lentils are supposed to have a bit of tooth in them, but these had enough tooth to break teeth.

I do believe the rest of the boxes are in the Food Bank box by now.

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I don't know if it's just my local (Old Town) TJ's, but I'm getting pretty tired of getting home with a package of Lime Floes (popsicles) and finding that the ones at the back of the box (away from the clear plastic window) have melted at some point, resulting in a frozen mass with about a quarter inch of popsicle stick poking out. What's the deal - improper temps en route from warehouse to store? too much time out in the aisle before getting put in the freezer case? I even went back and traded boxes last time because I could see this had happened to the first package I picked up. Wasn't worth the trip because I got home and found it had happened to the replacement package too :angry:

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I don't know if it's just my local (Old Town) TJ's, but I'm getting pretty tired of getting home with a package of Lime Floes (popsicles) and finding that the ones at the back of the box (away from the clear plastic window) have melted at some point, resulting in a frozen mass with about a quarter inch of popsicle stick poking out. What's the deal - improper temps en route from warehouse to store? too much time out in the aisle before getting put in the freezer case? I even went back and traded boxes last time because I could see this had happened to the first package I picked up. Wasn't worth the trip because I got home and found it had happened to the replacement package too :angry:

I have this problem with mango mochi ice cream, too. I always open the package to check if it looks like it had thawed and was re-frozen. If it isn't, I buy it. If it is, I take it to show the manager. Somewhere in the delivery chain, someone isn't paying attention. It's hard to know where that is. Surprising, since they carry so many frozen products.

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TJ has had a problem with their frozens ever since I've shopped at the store (SoCal in the 90s). I find the Old Town store to be better than the Baileys or the Springfield on this point. I also only have problems with sweets - never meats or vegetables. Maybe it's social engineering? : )

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Thanks for the warning. FWIW, I think the masala burgers are decent (even though they aren't authentic "Indian" fare).

Does anyone know if TJ sells ground lamb, or will I have to shell out at Whole Foods?

Never seen it there. It's hard enough to find pork sausage there. They really push those horrible chicken and turkey sausages.

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Does anyone know if TJ sells ground lamb, or will I have to shell out at Whole Foods?

Sometimes they have a few packages of ground lamb, sometimes they're just not there. I can only speak for the 3 NoVA stores I frequent (Falls Church, Bailey's XRoads and Fairfax).

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Thanks for the warning. FWIW, I think the masala burgers are decent (even though they aren't authentic "Indian" fare).

Does anyone know if TJ sells ground lamb, or will I have to shell out at Whole Foods?

I made "tandoori lambburgers" last night. Mixed 1.5 lbs of cubed lamb shoulder with about 2 tbsp tandoori paste and a handfull of chopped chili peppers. Ground it using the grinder attachment on my Kitchenaid and tossed it on the grill. Mighty tasty, if not exactly authentic fare. Using the paste may be considered cheating, but if it was good enough for my Mom, then it's good enough for me!
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Anyone besides me tried the Baked Sugar Snap Pea snacks? These things are as good as Cheetos only much more healthy for you and they don't turn your fingers orange :angry: The only problem is that the supply is intermittent, so if you see them, I suggest you get a couple of bags, because you're gonna love 'em and they might not be available next time you go looking for them.

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Anyone besides me tried the Baked Sugar Snap Pea snacks? These things are as good as Cheetos only much more healthy for you and they don't turn your fingers orange :angry: The only problem is that the supply is intermittent, so if you see them, I suggest you get a couple of bags, because you're gonna love 'em and they might not be available next time you go looking for them.

It seems like everything good there is intermittent.

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Anyone besides me tried the Baked Sugar Snap Pea snacks? These things are as good as Cheetos only much more healthy for you and they don't turn your fingers orange :angry: The only problem is that the supply is intermittent, so if you see them, I suggest you get a couple of bags, because you're gonna love 'em and they might not be available next time you go looking for them.

We picked some up last Sunday. Our kids loved them.

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Anyone besides me tried the Baked Sugar Snap Pea snacks? These things are as good as Cheetos only much more healthy for you and they don't turn your fingers orange :angry: The only problem is that the supply is intermittent, so if you see them, I suggest you get a couple of bags, because you're gonna love 'em and they might not be available next time you go looking for them.

My wife bought them a while ago for our daughter to snack on. I don't think she had more than 10 crisps before the adults had finished the bag. They're terribly addictive!

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Yesterday: Plugra "European Style Unsalted Butter", 1 lb. = $3.69 at TJ's, same butter at Safeway= $4.69 for 8 oz.

Good deal!

Plugra has been a TJ's supercheap deal for years. One of the best bets in the store. They used to sell organic unsalted cultured butter that was packaged like regular 1/4 pound sticks of butter in a one pound package, but the organic unsalted butter now costs more and is no longer cultured. :angry:

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Seen at Trader Joe's in Foggy Bottom this morning:

Four-packs of Samuel Smith's Winter Ale. $1.99 a four-pack. I had to rub my eyes a few times to make sure that I was seeing straight. Samuel Smith's is usually $8.99-$10.99 for a four pack. But it was no illusion. I bought three 4-packs for $6. That's the equivalent of $3 a six-pack. For Samuel Smith's. That's cheaper than Budweiser. Also 2005 Two Hands Lily's Garden shiraz was on the shelf for $29.99 -- the 2004 was listed in Wine Advocate as retailing from $57-60 a bottle and was rated at 95 points. I've never seen a premium Oz wine there before. I've only had Two Hands Brave Faces and Angel's Share, their low-end wines, both of which are fabulous. The "Garden" wines have always been priced out of my reach. I feel like I hit the jackpot today. And I only went in to get buttermilk.

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:blink:

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Anyone been lately?

Last year, Trader Joe's was selling packages of three fuyu persimmons for a reasonable price. All the persimmons I've seen so far this year have been at least $2 each.

Fuyu persimmons were selling for 99 cents each at Shopper's Food Warehouse (I was at the 7 Corners Store) and then I got a few for 49 cents each at Halalco in Falls Church, although they weren't all in primo condition. I used them in a pear and persimmon crisp.

I was at the Bethesda TJ's yesterday, and two of their four refrigerator cases were down for repair and empty, including their cheese case. I really like the little Trader Joe's goat milk brie that they often have, and it has been MIA in two different TJ's stores I've recently been in.

I bought a package of frozen puff pastry and a couple of TJ's frozen pie crusts--they are made with butter and are actually very good. Their primary drawback is that they are folded into fourths in the box, and are therefore weak where they've been folded. But if I end up being crunched for time next week, I will have them as fallback for pecan and pumpkin (well, kabocha actually) pies. My 90 year-old mother-in-law will be looking for a project to contribute to T-day dinner, so I may give her one to make an apple pie with.

I noticed a sign saying that they will be selling "heritage turkeys" for $1.99 a pound--"first come first served."

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Last year, Trader Joe's was selling packages of three fuyu persimmons for a reasonable price. All the persimmons I've seen so far this year have been at least $2 each.
I went to the Bailey's Crossroads TJ's yesterday -- no persimmons to be seen. They've rearranged the store a bit. The veggies & fruit are now over by the dairy. And the tortillas have continued their game of hide-and-seek.

They (not sure if it is chain-wide or just the Bailey's Crossroads store) are also holding a drawing to win a free bag of groceries for those who bring in their own shopping bags. :blink:

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Dark chocolate sea salt caramels. All I can say is FAN-FREAKIN-TASTIC! Y'all have got to try these. The slightly bitter dark chocolate shell has a nice snap which yields a buttery smooth caramel inside. Topped with a few flakes of "rock salt" that give a great crunch. And the salty/sweet thing. It's like a party in your mouth!

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Dark chocolate sea salt caramels. All I can say is FAN-FREAKIN-TASTIC! Y'all have got to try these. The slightly bitter dark chocolate shell has a nice snap which yields a buttery smooth caramel inside. Topped with a few flakes of "rock salt" that give a great crunch. And the salty/sweet thing. It's like a party in your mouth!

OMG. I succumbed to temptation and bought a second box yesterday. The first box was rationed to one candy per day, and I wasn't going to buy any more because these yum-nubbins are so incredibly good. There is a depth of flavor here that reminds me of the dark chocolate covered honeycomb candy called "seafoam" that I was addicted to as a kid.

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The sea salt one bite brownies are pretty freaking good too. Bought them on Wednesday while feeling sorry for myself (cancelled a Citronelle reservation due to nanny double booking herself) and finished the container on Friday. Won't be buying more if I want to still fit into my jeans but the sweet salty thing was terrific.

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I picked up a 2-lb. bag of Californian clementines at TJ last week because it was convenient and I was curious. Lately, a lot of Spanish clementines have gotten bigger with baggy skins. The ones from CA are tiny w peels snugly wrapped around the fruit like jeans on the young Brooke Shields.

They looked really good and they are. However, it should be noted that the clementines were flown from California to New Jersey, first, to be packed. Then, off to regional distribution centers and then trucked to D.C.?

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As mentioned elsewhere, I tried these:

Trader Joe's Multigrain Tortilla Chips - Made with organic corn, wheat and steel cut oats. They're pretty darn good and have some good Omega-3s in them too.

Overheard a discussion (in the Old Town store) between a customer and a member of the staff that they are trying to find a new supplier for edamame. I assume they were talking about the frozen stuff - glad I've got a couple bags in the freezer at home!

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On Monday afternoon about three pm, I wandered into the Trader Joe's near 25th and Pennstylvania looking to buy some bananas. I was met with a small scraggly looking bunch of them. When I checked various aisles, I found that quite a few of them seemed to be depleted of stock. It made me wonder whether Monday is a particularly bad day to go to this store, perhaps due to lack of deliveries--or is there another reason?

I do know that Joe's frequently doesn't restock when it runs out of a particular item, but I wonder whether this depletion of stock is part of something different.

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On Monday afternoon about three pm, I wandered into the Trader Joe's near 25th and Pennstylvania looking to buy some bananas. I was met with a small scraggly looking bunch of them. When I checked various aisles, I found that quite a few of them seemed to be depleted of stock. It made me wonder whether Monday is a particularly bad day to go to this store, perhaps due to lack of deliveries--or is there another reason?

I do know that Joe's frequently doesn't restock when it runs out of a particular item, but I wonder whether this depletion of stock is part of something different.

There are some posts earlier in the thread about the stock at the location becoming seriously depleted at times, especially on Sundays. Since many GW students shop there and classes just resumed, they may have recently restocked their larders and emptied out the store.
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There are some posts earlier in the thread about the stock at the location becoming seriously depleted at times, especially on Sundays. Since many GW students shop there and classes just resumed, they may have recently restocked their larders and emptied out the store.

I just got back from that store and it was seriously picked over and sparse. Whole stretches of empty freezer and shelf space.

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I just got back from that store and it was seriously picked over and sparse. Whole stretches of empty freezer and shelf space.
If it's because of the students, you'd think by now they'd know when to anticipate that happening.
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If it's because of the students, you'd think by now they'd know when to anticipate that happening.

At 10:30 in the morning, it can't be the students, because the store wasn't very crowded. They are supposed to re-stock overnight. Not finding what I went there for + the always irritating music they play = think twice next time.

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At 10:30 in the morning, it can't be the students, because the store wasn't very crowded. They are supposed to re-stock overnight. Not finding what I went there for + the always irritating music they play = think twice next time.

A couple of days ago when I made a comment about the shelves being a bit sparse, one of the employees told me they have been having supply chain issues lately.

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At 10:30 in the morning, it can't be the students, because the store wasn't very crowded. They are supposed to re-stock overnight. Not finding what I went there for + the always irritating music they play = think twice next time.
Don't ever go to the Giant on Wisconsin. Not only is it a lousy store, but the music...
I don't know if anyone else buys them but the pork gyoza are back after a seriously long absence (from the Old Town store at least). They're good enough when a trip to Super H Mart doesn't seem on the cards.
Thanks for the info! These were the only prepared food product I'd ever been tempted to purchase and I really thought they were good cooked in just a little chicken stock and fat until glazed and slightly browned. Then minced scallions and a little soy sauce. Was disappointed not to see them again and put down a package of the shrimp ones after reading the calorie count.

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Stocking problem appalling even towards closing on Friday evening which is generally a good time to visit since new shipments for weekend frenzy fill the aisles. The store may benefit by its proximity to GW, but it really needs to be bigger and on a street that huge trucks can navigate more easily.

Lots and lots of bare space on shelves. None of the one coffee I buy there regularly. (Don't ever go for the Ultra-Roasted Sumatra. What a lousy thing to do to Sumatra beans. :mellow: )

On other hand, fellow cheapskates may wish to know that the full-fat Greek-style yogurt is 50 cents less than the 2%.

2-lb. bags of Californian blood oranges for $2.29. I've been missing these all year. Tiny, but good--not the off-putting slightly bitter Moro type.

Don't know how reliable info was, but when I asked someone about the persimmons they never got in this year, he said 65% of the world's fruit supply was wiped out this year due to unusual weather. That figure seems rather extreme. Did I miss something in the news?

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FYI: Someone calling himself a First Mate--is that a local manager--now knows about DonRockwell.com and has checked out what we all have posted about the TJ stores in this area.

No doubt he will be peeking to see what we have to say, so please, please pipe up with requests, suggestions, feedback, complaints, praise and so forth and see if we might serve as an agent for change. :mellow:

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On other hand, fellow cheapskates may wish to know that the full-fat Greek-style yogurt is 50 cents less than the 2%.
This stuff isn't any good. At least, it's not very thick and it's sweet rather than tart. Nothing like FAGE or one's own yogurt, drained.

* * *

Sunday afternoon may be the worse time to shop here in terms of crowds and low inventory, though there still were blood oranges and little clam shells of fresh red currants.

The Heritage Grains mix mentioned in topic devoted to Quinoa contains a very small amount of red quinoa. None of the dried bouillon powder or dehydrated vegetables found in the boxes of farro (called spelt by TJ).

There are also boxes (10 oz.?) of the kind of quinoa most of us know for $2.10, more than one pays at Yes, Whole Foods, etc.

Actually, more prices are becoming less competitive. Currants cost less even at Safeway.

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