To all Trader Joes Fans ! (St. Louis, Springfield: transplants, house, living in)

[Cali BassMan]

Originally Posted by Lake Junkie

See, I don't think of TJ's as expensive. Although they have items that are gourmet or hard to find (like some wines) which may be pricey compared to Food4Less, they also have lots and lots of items that are good (like other wines) but affordable!

And before I hear about it....I DO make it past the wine section in Trader Joe's. I like the deli meat aisle...for smoked salmon...(there's a great wine that goes with that...) And the frozen food/chocolate aisle for dark chocolate covered espresso beans (have you ever had that with red wine? OMG...) And the cheeses...(with some, er, wine, of course...) And the cracker aisle has crackers you can't find elsewhere to go with...(wine...?)

OK. I give.

The wine aisle rocks.

Whoa, maybee we need to rename you Wine Junkie.......

[G4inMO]

Thanks everyone for doing your part!

As for the wine.... I haven't tried it yet, but Gripster said it is good. It is by Charles Shaw - She calls it 2 buck Chuck. She delivered me a case of 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon.... I will let you ladies/getlemen know.

[mrschilicook]

I've been sending TJ's email and snail mail about this area for the past several years. They've only had an on-line website contact capability for about a year. I called them once a few years ago and they said they wanted folks to talk to their "local" TJ's about wants and needs. So it was followed by a couple of snail mails. I mean how do you ask a TJ's in Las Vegas to push for a TJ's in the Springfield/Branson area.

When they finally got on-line contact capability, I asked everyone I knew to send them a suggestion for this area including reasons like the migration of folks from CA/AZ, the carpools to St. Louis, and the growing population and income profiles, etc.

Even got my husband to send them a note.

I'm in again....and again in 6 months if still needed, and 6 months after that, etc...

[mrsgenealogy]

Originally Posted by Lake Junkie

See, I don't think of TJ's as expensive. Although they have items that are gourmet or hard to find (like some wines) which may be pricey compared to Food4Less, they also have lots and lots of items that are good (like other wines) but affordable!

And before I hear about it....I DO make it past the wine section in Trader Joe's. I like the deli meat aisle...for smoked salmon...(there's a great wine that goes with that...) And the frozen food/chocolate aisle for dark chocolate covered espresso beans (have you ever had that with red wine? OMG...) And the cheeses...(with some, er, wine, of course...) And the cracker aisle has crackers you can't find elsewhere to go with...(wine...?)

OK. I give.

The wine aisle rocks.

Right on, L J! I'm with Boof! You're toooo funneee!

Originally Posted by mrschilicook

...

When they finally got on-line contact capability, I asked everyone I knew to send them a suggestion for this area including reasons like the migration of folks from CA/AZ, the carpools to St. Louis, and the growing population and income profiles, etc.

Even got my husband to send them a note.

I'm in again....and again in 6 months if still needed, and 6 months after that, etc...

You're a real trooper, MrsC! When one opens out here, I think you deserve some sort of reward...something FREE from Trader Joe's, of course! What would YOU choose?

[GraniteStater]

Oh come on guys! The Kansas City metro area does not even have a Trader Joe's and it is a much bigger metro area than the Springfield area. Trader Joe's is an excellent store and I enjoyed shopping at the location they had in the Minneapolis area I think? The prices are higher, but I do like organic food. Good luck to you guys trying to get Trader Joe's to come to SW Missouri!

[mrsgenealogy]

Hey, Mr. Moderator! That doesn't sound like very nice talk!
If we get one here and you're still around, we're gonna havta make you eat your words!

[northbayeric]

Well I think it would be a real folly for Trader Joes to not open new stores in Springfield and/or Branson. We have two of them here in Santa Rosa, CA (population about 158,000). Personally, while I think it's perfectly good, neither of them are that close to where I live in town; and my favorite grocery store I've ever shopped at is the Dierberg's in Fenton at the Gravois Bluffs shopping center (if money's not an object). I think Dierberg's has stores in the St. Louis area only.

But having said that, Trader Joes has a great selection of, among other things, wines and vitamin/mineral supplements. The Charles Shaw Merlot, at a piddling $2 or $3 per bottle, actually won some prestigious awards a few years ago. Trader Joes could really fill a key health food niche.

[J1ndo]

Trader Joe's expensive? I go there to bargain shop! (and I am cheap). Breads, breakfast cereals, beer, wine, and toiletries ($2 shampoo that works great) are all cheaper and of generally superior quality at TJ's than at competing supermarkets.

I mean sure, you can get expensive gourmet stuff there. But it's also a cheapskate's best friend, if you pay attention. In fact, even the gourmet stuff is cheaper at TJ's than it would be elsewhere (go to Whole Foods or Bristol Farms to see what I mean).

[gripster2]

I have been shopping at Trader Joes for over 10 years, I do all my grocery shopping there and only get the few things they don't have elsewhere. There prices are ALOT cheaper and the quality is superior to any other grocery store for everyday items and specialty items. I just went to Pricecutter for the first time here and was shocked how expensive it was. I also went to Walmart ( yes I have now become a Walmart shopper) and found the grocery prices to be similar to what I am use to paying. Walmart was 2/3 cheaper then Pricecutter. I actually spent 500.00 on groceries that I brought here from my local Trader Joes before I moved so I have a stocked pantry and will have to make the St. Louis trip when I get low. If you have not experienced Trader Joes for yourself I don't think you can appreciate the quality and prices.

[GraniteStater]

I think that my previous post was misunderstood. I wish you good luck at trying to get Trader Joe's to come to SW Missouri. I was only pointing out that the KC metro area does not have a Trader Joe's either.