Trader Joe’s Rants & Raves (mostly raves, a few rants)

About

Please note, this is an independent blog, and unaffiliated with Trader Joe’s® in any way.

Thanks for checking out this site. First, the full name of the site is actually “Trader Joe’s RANTS AND RAVES“. Picking 3 words was just to make it easier for you to find but you will see for the most part it’s not Rants, most of the reviews are Raves – with the occasional Rant here and there. Most of the rants are probably about Discontinued Items, one of the most frustrating things about Trader Joe’s for us shoppers. Don’t get me started! );

Since you are checking out this website you probably like Trader Joe’s, maybe even “love” the store. For the most part, I do as well exceptions (again see “Discontinued Items”). Discovering something you like only to find out later that Trader Joe’s decided to discontinue it, is the orginal reason I started the blog in the first place. That is so frustrating but the reality is TJ’s has very limited space and limited stock compared to any “normal” supermarket and each item they carry has to sell well and “earn its place” to keep it in inventory. They add 15 items a month and get rid of 15 items a month. Hence the “Discontinued” headaches for us customers.

This site is intended to be a place where you can learn, share, add comments with your own raves, your own rants,  likes, dislikes, recipes, stories, experiences,… absolutely anything and everything you might want to say about our friendly food emporium “Trader Joe’s”. So feel free to comment, rave, or rant, and I’ll post it to share with the world.

I have a small business in New York City (ProMacNYC) where I am a freelance computer consultant. So this blog is basically just for fun, it’s not a business endeavor for me. I got all the products listed here the exact same way as you did, just bought ’em.

My TJ “background”: New York City is a place that had zero Trader Joe’s stores until 2006 when the first store opened in NYC. Before then I knew little about Trader Joe’s other than what I read from time to time in the media, the main thing being about some $2 wine they sold called “Two Buck Chuck” which was actually drinkable (I heard)

It took years for TJ’s to open a location in NYC but New York City did finally get a Trader Joe’s store (East 14th Street, near Union Square, right next to an NYU dorm around 2006. It was always packed (mostly with NYU students?) and I used to see people on line going around the whole store then sometimes out the door. I assumed they must give away free food, otherwise why would a line be that long?! I didnt go there as the lines were insanely long all the time. Finally in late 2010 TJ’s opened a store not too far from my neighborhood (Upper West Side) on 72nd Street and Broadway. The store is not exactly next door to me, but not as far away as the two other TJ’s (in Union Square and Chelsea). At first I admit I didn’t get the whole Trader Joe’s thing…? What was so special about this grocery store? When I went to the first NYC TJ’s (E. 14th St) I just saw these endless lines that went on and on from the cash registers literally curling around the entire store right to the front doors! Hundreds of people waiting on line! I just could not fathom WHY all these people would wait on line for about 30 mins to buy groceries? (The 14 St. TJ’s is notoriously always jammed with long checkout lines)

So to start with, I went to the East 14th Street TJ Wine Store next door. I had heard about “Two Buck Chuck” (which actually sold for 3 bucks in NYC). I tried a bottle. Great no, but honestly for the price it was not at all bad, in fact I have bought wines at 2-3 times the price that were worse. Frankly I still think Two Buck Chuck must taste better when its $2 and not $3! Now I’ve bought similar wines in France, called vin du table (everyday table wine) for about the same money especially from a French wine vendor called Nicolas, the kind of shop in France where you can even bring your own empty bottles for refill which they fill from an enormous wooden barrel with a spigot! Actually in France and many European countries being able to buy a drinkable vin du table for around $3-4 is completely normal, folks!

I began to get intrigued about Trader Joe’s. I tried some other wines from the Trader Joe’s Wine Store next door to the main store on 14th St in NYC. All the selections at the TJ wine store seemed reasonably priced and good selections. Staff? Great. Helpful, knew their stuff, and give no attitude, in fact were super friendly, unlike the typical wine store. I liked the handwritten notes on display with very personal & informative descriptions of the wine, written as if a friend were telling you about a wine they tried and liked. They even had a drinkable Port (from Portugal not California) for something like $7. Decent Sherry for $5. “Good wines” for $9-10. I started to get it. Trader Joe’s is interesting!

(…to be continued)

Related articles

• • Nothing Like A Little Two Buck Chuck (bottledwine.wordpress.com)

• • Trader Joe’s Charles Shaw Merlot (distilledopinion.wordpress.com)

• • FYI = No Pink Slime at TJ’s (traderjoesrants.wordpress.com)

• Billeater: What to Buy (or Not) at Trader Joes (savings.com)