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Trader Joe's, 16 Area Locations


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At 6 p.m. this evening, the new Trader Joes looked as if the citizens of D.C. had been making preparations for a national emergency. The produce section was basically empty. The non-frozen prepared food had a very limited amount of product left. Considering I have developed a preference for the carrots and celery TJ stocks, I left. But wow, I have never seen a grocery store look like the TJ tonight expect after severe snow/ice storms in the South.

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Must have been a lot of shopping today, because it was pretty well stocked last night around 8 when I was there buying wonton chips.

The bag is already gone.

Note to self: do not buy wonton chips.

On the other hand, the low-fat vegetable enchiladas are delicious and ALSO fit into a healthy eating plan.

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At 6 p.m. this evening, the new Trader Joes looked as if the citizens of D.C. had been making preparations for a national emergency. The produce section was basically empty. The non-frozen prepared food had a very limited amount of product left. Considering I have developed a preference for the carrots and celery TJ stocks, I left. But wow, I have never seen a grocery store look like the TJ tonight expect after severe snow/ice storms in the South.
And you expect something else on a Sunday evening?
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And you expect something else on a Sunday evening?
I have been going to the new TJ since I moved to WP in November on Sunday nights... usually later than I did this evening and have never seen such limited stock. They even had more right before New Years when one of their managers told me they had not ordered as much stock in anticipation of lower crowds. The only thing they were out of that day was celery. Today there was nada. And I actually do expect more on a Sunday night.
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Must have been a lot of shopping today, because it was pretty well stocked last night around 8 when I was there buying wonton chips.

The bag is already gone.

Note to self: do not buy wonton chips.

I purchased a bag of said chips at about 2pm yesterday...gone by noon today.

The healthy eating plan resets to "clean slate" every Monday morning, right? :P

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Oh yeah, the student body at GWU (maybe G'town too) knows all about the TJ now. At 8:30 p.m. tonight the check out line went all the way to the end of the coffee aisle. I know I didn't eat that well in college... :-)

Of course they had everything I needed but at 8:45, but I didn't need anything that much.

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Must have been a lot of shopping today, because it was pretty well stocked last night around 8 when I was there buying wonton chips.

The bag is already gone.

Note to self: do not buy wonton chips.

On the other hand, the low-fat vegetable enchiladas are delicious and ALSO fit into a healthy eating plan.

My name is Mark Slater and I'm a wonton chip-aholic.

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Oh yeah, the student body at GWU (maybe G'town too) knows all about the TJ now. At 8:30 p.m. tonight the check out line went all the way to the end of the coffee aisle. I know I didn't eat that well in college... :-)

Of course they had everything I needed but at 8:45, but I didn't need anything that much.

Those of us in the neighborhood never go there after noon. Too crowded by then.

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This past Friday evening, as new stocks were being put on shelves, the store was out of only one item on my list which shouldn't have been there in the first place (the frozen potstickers).

Since I am making a mushroon stew for this month's Italian regional cooking thread over at Egullet (where I mentioned donrockwell in a post last week), I was especially pleased with both the quality and price of:

  • button mushrooms, 8 oz at $1.29
  • crimini, 10 oz., $1.69
  • shitake, 4 oz., $2.69
  • Combo oyster, crimini & shitake, 8 oz., $2.99

Also managed to find a lot more decent produce than before, ending up with parsnips for half the price of WF, 2 lbs of organic carrots (at .79 cents a pound, best price in town), scallions (14 for $1.19) & brussel sprouts for $2 a lb.

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Oh, Trader Joe's how much do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

1)Your cheerful red sign makes me all warm and fuzzy

2)The fashion sense displayed by your managers always brightens my eye

3)Your tortillas and pizza dough always set me right

4)Your reduced sodium pistachios nourish my sprit

5)Your generic cheerios fill my soul with delight

6)Your Kalamata Olive Oil smoothes the road to my heart.

7Your floating balloons that spark such joy in my little Peanut that I cannot help but smile.

For the reasons and more I adore thee.

But you know what?

Saying that your Italian sausage sucks ventworm nut is an insult to ventworm nut suckers everywhere!

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I can't resist trying new products, but it's always a crapshoot--as with the dried mangosteens of the recent past. Flavor and texture both horrible-- like dried out marshmallows dipped in citric acid.

Dried lychees, which I found today are a different story. Texture is similar to a moist prune, and flavor is intriguing--actually still tastes like lychee!

Another even better new product--dried mangoes with chile. The South Asian woman behind me in line had about 10 bags of them in her cart. I asked about them and she said that they were amazingly delicious--which I could have deduced from how many bags she was buying. The line was long enough (this was the Bailey's Xroad store) that I had time to run back and get a bag for my daughter, whose favorite snack is dried mangoes, and who loves spicy food. I, of course, had to have a taste and I am now struggling against the impulse to devour the entire bag. These things are ADDICTIVE. Sweet, tart and spicy, chewy and mangoey.

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Another even better new product--dried mangoes with chile. The South Asian woman behind me in line had about 10 bags of them in her cart. I asked about them and she said that they were amazingly delicious--which I could have deduced from how many bags she was buying. The line was long enough (this was the Bailey's Xroad store) that I had time to run back and get a bag for my daughter, whose favorite snack is dried mangoes, and who loves spicy food. I, of course, had to have a taste and I am now struggling against the impulse to devour the entire bag. These things are ADDICTIVE. Sweet, tart and spicy, chewy and mangoey.
Yep, the two most addictive products at TJ's are the Chinese Mustard Wonton Chips and those Chili Spiced Mangoes.
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You all got me addicted to the wonton chips! I have only had the plain version, so I must try the mustard flavor.

I also just bought the potato chips with goat cheese and fines herbes. They are quite interesting and somewhat addicting.

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Those spicy dried mangos are awesome. On a recent flight to South Africa I managed to consume three packages of them with the help of the Malawian family sitting next to me. Unfortunately I don't think there's a Trader Joes in Lilongwe, so the folks I introduced to this product won't be able to feed their addiction :lol: .

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I just picked up a bag of the dried lychees and was actually pretty disgusted. The smell was quite pungent and the taste reminds me of sour milk. There is a slight lychee-like after taste but it doesn't make up for how awful the original taste and smell are. Did I just get a bum bag?

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Another even better new product--dried mangoes with chile. The South Asian woman behind me in line had about 10 bags of them in her cart. I asked about them and she said that they were amazingly delicious--which I could have deduced from how many bags she was buying. The line was long enough (this was the Bailey's Xroad store) that I had time to run back and get a bag for my daughter, whose favorite snack is dried mangoes, and who loves spicy food. I, of course, had to have a taste and I am now struggling against the impulse to devour the entire bag. These things are ADDICTIVE. Sweet, tart and spicy, chewy and mangoey.
I looked at those. Put them back. Looked at the Just Mango packs to them. Put them down and picked up a bag of mixed golden raisins, cherries, blueberries & cranberries for breakfast (wish they didn't come coated with oil & shot full of sugars, but mix is convenient when the end of oatmeal season is in sight).

Standing in line, I noticed the young woman behind me was holding a hoard of the plain dried mangoes, explaining it was the only kind she's ever found that doesn't contain added sweeteners and that TJ always runs out of its stock quickly. So, I also stepped out of line for a second to pick up a bag. Truly delicious.

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Saying that your Italian sausage sucks ventworm nut is an insult to ventworm nut suckers everywhere!

What else do we not like from Trader Joes? Since just about everything looks and sounds good, I'm likely to try whatever strikes my fancy. However, this is not always a good thing.

Recently, I tried the salmon spread/pate roll. Approximately 15/16ths of the roll is still in my fridge and I don't think I'll ever get to the rest of it. It wasn't particularly flavorful and the texture was, um...paste-y? Not good.

Also, I do not like the prepared tuna curry packets. I thought the idea was excellent, but the smell/taste was overwhelmingly fishy and I couldn't even eat it.

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Did anyone else catch any of the webcast from Berkeley yesterday?*

I intend to return to the site in about a week once an archived version becomes available since spillage in the refrigerator kept me busy late last night and I only half-listened as a result. However, Trader Joe's was the one and only store that John Mackey mentioned as real competition with WFM, largely in terms of having to react to the chain's lower prices. I may have missed it, but I was surprised not to hear Wegman's name.

*Cf. forum on News & Media. Michael Pollan & John Mackey spoke together before a large audience.

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What else do we not like from Trader Joes? Since just about everything looks and sounds good, I'm likely to try whatever strikes my fancy. However, this is not always a good thing.

Recently, I tried the salmon spread/pate roll. Approximately 15/16ths of the roll is still in my fridge and I don't think I'll ever get to the rest of it. It wasn't particularly flavorful and the texture was, um...paste-y? Not good.

Also, I do not like the prepared tuna curry packets. I thought the idea was excellent, but the smell/taste was overwhelmingly fishy and I couldn't even eat it.

Then return it! That is probably my greatest reason for loving TJs. I can try anything and if it doesn't work for me, I return it. 99% of the time I like it. It's a wonderful policy!
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Did anyone else catch any of the webcast from Berkeley yesterday?*

I intend to return to the site in about a week once an archived version becomes available since slippage in the refrigerator kept me busy late last night and I only half-listened as a result. However, Trader Joe's was the one and only store that John Mackey mentioned as real competition with WFM, largely in terms of having to react to the chain's lower prices. I may have missed it, but I was surprised not to hear Wegman's name.

*Cf. forum on News & Media. Michael Pollan & John Mackey spoke together before a large audience.

I don't think Wegman's has the coverage that TJ's does, plus the prices at Wegman's are about the same, if not more, than at WF.

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I don't think Wegman's has the coverage that TJ's does, plus the prices at Wegman's are about the same, if not more, than at WF.
You're definitely right about prices, though I hadn't taken account of the wider exposure of TJs. Makes sense to me, too. I am guessing Wegman's remains (mostly/exclusively?) an East-Coast phenomenon that I only heard about fairly recently, though TJ has been aggressively moving from the west, eastward for quite some time.

I was thinking more in terms of the appeal of Wegman's for those serious about high-quality produce, dairy, meat, etc. and rare or hard-to-find ingredients, i.e. for serious cooks who are willing to pay a lot. Is that demographic smaller than the crowd who prefers bargains and items that don't require much preparation--such as snacks? The latter is what I associate with TJ, though a taste for the "exotic" is another factor to consider.

I get the impression that WFM is not all that worried about Wegman's since it does not exhibit a strong desire to dominate and expand, but also because it shares the chain's small, elitist customer base.

On the other hand, TJ's base is wider as Mike indicates, and probably younger; the company is also ambitious. Think of all the GW students who are going to end up TJ customers post-graduation wherever they move. Plenty of college students are concerned about "eating healthy" [sic], but don't necessarily care about organic foods, though that may change in a decade or two.

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I get the impression that WFM is not all that worried about Wegman's since it does not exhibit a strong desire to dominate and expand, but also because it shares the chain's small, elitist customer base.

Based on my shopping trips to Wegman's and talking to friends that go there, it is not a small, elitist customer base by any stretch of the imagination. Many of the customer's are there for the prepared foods and they don't carry that much specialty stuff. Hell, I was trying to find malt power there (WF does not carry it) and all they had was Carnation® Brand Malted Milk Powder which is barely usable.

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I was thinking more in terms of the appeal of Wegman's for those serious about high-quality produce, dairy, meat, etc. and rare or hard-to-find ingredients, i.e. for serious cooks who are willing to pay a lot. Is that demographic smaller than the crowd who prefers bargains and items that don't require much preparation--such as snacks?

Yes.

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Something I like about TJ's -- they area the only place I've found around Alexandria that carries heavy cream that is just that, heavy cream. 100% cream. Nothing added. No mono- and di-glycerides. No caregeenan. And, as an added bonus, it's not ultrapastuerized. :lol:

(The brand is Garelick Farms and, oddly, they only list their ultrapastuerized, alduterated heavy cream on their website. :o )

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Something I like about TJ's -- they area the only place I've found around Alexandria that carries heavy cream that is just that, heavy cream. 100% cream. Nothing added. No mono- and di-glycerides. No caregeenan. And, as an added bonus, it's not ultrapastuerized. :lol:

(The brand is Garelick Farms and, oddly, they only list their ultrapastuerized, alduterated heavy cream on their website. :o )

I have only seen the Garelick Farms brand up in MA.

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I have only seen the Garelick Farms brand up in MA.
I know that at least the Baileys Crossroads TJ's carries it (and Garelick half-and-half). It is good cream worth seeking out. :o Just be sure to check the use-by date and store it in the back of the fridge where it is coldest -- it won't hold like the ultrapasteurized cream.
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Then return it! That is probably my greatest reason for loving TJs. I can try anything and if it doesn't work for me, I return it. 99% of the time I like it. It's a wonderful policy!

Heh, I'm picturing myself with a bowl of curried tuna and rice, holding it out to a Hawaiian-beshirted guy and saying, "I don't like it - please take it back."

However, it should work for the salmon log. I think I will return it!

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Caveat emptor: Empire kosher ground turkey, not the ground white meat.

I tend to buy the Shadygrove stuff on sale at Safeway; the more expensive packets at WFM started to look soggy, so I stopped bothering with those.

Shadygrove says on the front of the package: 93% lean or something to that effect.

Empire only says "LEAN" on the front. Turn it over. Nutritional information on a 4 oz. serving: 180 calories. Fine, okay. 90 calories from fat.

No wonder Empire poultry is supposed to taste so good.

* * *

All you wonton chip lovers: the store is still out. I overheard a distressed pearl-necklaced shopper last night complaining to a very courteous employee that she's never seen a store that is so perpetually out of the inventory she's made a special trip to buy. Is this because TJ's still doesn't understand this area's market? Or is the proximity to a college campus to blame?

Not a single dried mango to be found. Some dried white peaches looked interesting, but.

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Don't buy the tofu.

It's only 99 cents and if you go to Whole Foods, you'll see the price proved a source of anxiety since WFM now offers its own brand in Firm & Extra Firm (TJ's only options) for the same price.

It's more porous than most, crumbles with the slightest poke or even a harsh word. Texture unpleasant and I really have grown to like tofu over the years. I'm going to freeze and thaw the rest of the cake I bought.

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What else do we not like from Trader Joes?

The dark chocolate-covered pistachio toffee is tasty but well-nigh impossible to eat without getting both chocolate and pistachios all over your clothing. I wouldn't buy it again.

Yeah, that's all I've got.

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Is the store in D.C. getting worse rather than better in terms of gauging inventory? Or is this a problem at a central warehouse, affecting all the area stores?

I went a little after 7:30 last night since supplies tend to be replenished on Friday evenings. Instead, there was very little activity of that nature going on and more empty gaps on shelves than I am accustomed to seeing.

Prices that drew me there on some items are going up, such as $1.99 now on Genova tuna (still better than WF).

No "Just Mango" or chili-sprinkled ones on shelves; I don't understand why dried mango needs to be sweetened, but they were in stock.

Best deals I noticed included big globe artichokes for $1.69 each. You have to scrounge around in the piles, but there were several fat ones with good stems, no browning, leaves tightly closed.

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Attention apricot lovers! When was the last time you had a fresh apricot that was both SWEET and JUICY? It's been years for me. The ones we get here on the east coast are invariably mushy and dry. Sort of like vaguely sweet flannel. Acceptable when cooked or baked in a tart or crisp, but not anything you'd want to eat raw.

So I was shocked, SHOCKED I tell you when I tasted the California-grown apricots (Apache variety) I bought at TJ's a couple of days ago. I had already made tart pastry, so I went ahead and made an apricot tart with them, which turned out pretty darned yummy, with very little extra sugar. But I went back this morning and bought 4 more boxes (six apricots per box). Prepare for JUICE DRIPPING DOWN YOUR CHIN. They are the best apricots I've eaten since I had an ancient apricot tree in my backyard in Santa Monica many years ago. Nothing will ever be as good as those were. But I had about given up hope of ever having a delicious raw apricot again. HOSANNA!

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Sort of like vaguely sweet flannel.
:blink: Having only had this same 'flannel' experience with fresh apricots, I'd just assumed this was their natural texture and it wasn't much to my liking. Will definitely have to get some of those Trader Joe's ones. Thanks for the tip!
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We don't buy much at Trader Joe's but there are a few things that we get there regularly. First and formost, frozen fish. I find that the frozen fish at TJ's is about half of what it cost elsewhere. And before you say I should buy fresh fish, I do, but then I have a tendency to put it in my freezer until I want to use it (what you think I grocery shop every day?) so what is the difference? I love the cod, although they have not had the plain cod lately and have been quite apologetic about that claiming supplier problems. My son loves the packaged Indian and Chinese foods that he buys there that are not available elsewhere. Even if they don't have it out, if you ask they usually have it in the back and are happy to go get it for you. I buy some sauces there, especially a red curry sauce, for when I don't feel like making a curry from scratch. My wife likes the nuts (and they do have a large variety available) and the turkey bacon (which is the same brand as at WF and costs about 40% less). Oh yeah, the peach salsa. The only problem I have at TJ's is that I have a tendency to buy things using the "Oh this looks interesting" approach.

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The freeze-dried mango is instantly addictive. I like their other mango products too, but this stuff is like crack, addictive on the first hit. The chowpup offered me her gameboy in exchange for the remainder of the bag, so it's not just me. This is Thai mango, freeze dried with nothing else, in a foil bag.

There is a freeze dried pineapple, also from Thailand, and the tubs of freeze dried strawberries, both of which are very good, but not even close to the pure mango goodness. My local store is out of them now but says they will have a fresh batch on the shelves Wednesday morning. I'll be stocking up for our upcoming trips.

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Attention apricot lovers! When was the last time you had a fresh apricot that was both SWEET and JUICY?
3/4 of a lifetime ago or more! I am very, very VERY skeptical, Zora, but you are quite persuasive. I am definitely going to make a trek next weekend and see if they're still around...THANKS for the information!
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I now officially rescind my approval of TJ's apricots. The Apache variety was no longer there when I went back on thursday, and the two varieties they are selling now (Earlicot and Organic) are much more typical of the apricots we usually get on the East Coast. Definitely lacking in flavor, texture and juiciness.

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I now officially rescind my approval of TJ's apricots. The Apache variety was no longer there when I went back on thursday, and the two varieties they are selling now (Earlicot and Organic) are much more typical of the apricots we usually get on the East Coast. Definitely lacking in flavor, texture and juiciness.
The Organics I bought earlier this week are going straight back for a refund. ;) This happens routinely (thinking I am going to bite into a perfectly ripe apricot that was purchased in a grocery store here) I feel like Charlie Brown and the da** football.
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So, as a seafood fanatic, I was very happy to see Trader Joe's prepared, cooked mussels on the shelves yesterday afternoon. They come in a sealed pack, already cooked and ready to eat cold. If you so choose, they may also be reheated in the broth/juices and eaten alone or added to pasta.

Sounded delicious and just what I was craving. Mussels, broth, and something to sop it up.

Unfortunately, my dream dinner came with a side dish of major stomach ailments. And since everything else I ate yesterday was either completely allergen free (ie cereal, yogurt, fruit), I'm pretty sure it's the mussels that did me in. Is it just me, or does TJs prepared food have a tendency to uh... go down not so easy? I bought their crushed garlic and everytime I used it I felt pretty ill after.

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I found this quote interesting:

"Wal-Mart doesn't sell high-quality perishables and neither does Trader Joe's," the FTC quoted Mackey as saying. "That is why Whole Foods coexists so well with (Trader Joe's)<snip>."

Trader Joe's obviously does not sell anywhere near the number of perishables as Whole Foods, but every TJ's has a produce department, a fresh meat case, a selection of prepared foods and a whole bunch of different cheeses as well as a big refrigerated case full of milk, yogurt, butter, juice and other dairy products. The majority of TJ's perishables are every bit as high quality as Whole Foods'--often the very same products, at a lower price.

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.

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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 presume you are referring to TJ"s? Because I can understand if you were referring to Walmart! At what location and when were you last there? I was just at TJ's last week in the West End, and was actually quite surprised by the selection of meats and produce. They have improved from what I had seen previously. There was a much wider selection of fresh meats, which I commented on because I was introducing a co-worker to the store who had not been to this location before; the produce, albeit limited in selection, looked very good, and I even saw fiddleheads.

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