Is this a misconception about Trader Joes? (Highland: coupons, prices)

[djxpress]

Originally Posted by Radical347

I agree it's not more expensive than Ralph's, Albertson's, etc...in fact, same item for same item TJ's is MUCH cheaper.

I can only go by what I purchase but....
Trader Joe's Yogurt = 79-89c
Ralphs Yogurt = 50c

Trader Joe's 1/2 gallon lemonade $2.99-$3.49
Ralphs Minute Maid Lemonade 3/$5.00

TJs Tortillas $1.99
Stater Bros Tortillas 99c

Small Can of Salsa at TJs $2.99
Large Can of Safeway brand Salsa (2x the size) $2.99

The deli meats are expensive as heck at TJs usually $3-$5 for enough to make 3 sandwiches, same goes with their cheese. Albeit it's a better quality, but if you look at the per oz. cost, Trader Joe's is more expensive.

Of course my belief is that the quality of what I get at Trader Joe's is better than what I'd find at Ralphs and Stater Bros, so it's worth it.

[Jenkay]

Originally Posted by djxpress

I can only go by what I purchase but....
Trader Joe's Yogurt = 79-89c
Ralphs Yogurt = 50c

Trader Joe's 1/2 gallon lemonade $2.99-$3.49
Ralphs Minute Maid Lemonade 3/$5.00

TJs Tortillas $1.99
Stater Bros Tortillas 99c

Small Can of Salsa at TJs $2.99
Large Can of Safeway brand Salsa (2x the size) $2.99

The deli meats are expensive as heck at TJs usually $3-$5 for enough to make 3 sandwiches, same goes with their cheese. Albeit it's a better quality, but if you look at the per oz. cost, Trader Joe's is more expensive.

Of course my belief is that the quality of what I get at Trader Joe's is better than what I'd find at Ralphs and Stater Bros, so it's worth it.

Yeah, If you go to Ralph's and buy the natural yogurt sweetened with fruit juice instead of HFCS you'll be paying the same price as at Trader Joe's

[Sunday1]

Originally Posted by magsterly

I hate Trader Joe's. 15 years ago it was a fantastic quality store that lived up to it's name (Trader in the title) It had quality grocery items from 100's of vendors. Now, they sell crap that they make themselves to save the money. This place no longer lives up to the original vision it set out to do. And ironically, no one has ever interviewed it's mysterious CEO based in Germany, now owned no doubt, by some corporate nobody.
I stopped shopping there 10 years ago once I saw they started making the items themselves. Low grade garbage masked as "healthy" "organic" etc.

Unfortunately, I must agree. TJ's has been going downhill for awhile and the quality is now (by and large) substandard. It's only inexpensive if it's usable and their freshness and quality has gone so far downhill that a lot of what we bought there last month went into the trash. I don't care who makes their products. If they put thier company name on the product, it needs to be at a quality/value they can take pride in. Their brand name is now one I avoid like the plague.

[DontH8Me]

Originally Posted by sdurbanite

What I really love about Trader Joe's is how I'm able to impress others with my garlic naan, cilantro salad dressing, Thai yellow curry, masala sauce, lobster mac 'n cheese, gnocchi with prosciutto and peas, among many others. They don't all need to know that it came from a jar or a box, do they?

Last week I asked my son what he wanted from TJs - garlic naan. It is good, isn't it? I also love the gyoza dipping sauce, and they were sampling sweet potato gnocchi in a sage butter sauce so I HAD to get some of that...the battered halibut is the best deal in town, and it's the only fish my 4 year old will touch.

Each trip to TJs (we only go once or twice a month) I insist on picking out at least five items that we've never tried before. They are always coming up with new items so we've never been able to say we've tried EVERYTHING.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by magsterly

I hate Trader Joe's. 15 years ago it was a fantastic quality store that lived up to it's name (Trader in the title) It had quality grocery items from 100's of vendors. Now, they sell crap that they make themselves to save the money. This place no longer lives up to the original vision it set out to do. And ironically, no one has ever interviewed it's mysterious CEO based in Germany, now owned no doubt, by some corporate nobody.
I stopped shopping there 10 years ago once I saw they started making the items themselves. Low grade garbage masked as "healthy" "organic" etc.

sorry, many would disagree with you. As for the German family, the original owner died about 2 or 3 months ago. I don't know what will happen to the company now. The same family that owns Aldis owns Trader Joes, but different brothers involved.

I am still pleased with what Trader Joes carries, I only wish they were some stores located in our area. They are on both coasts and some inbetween but none here, Texas, Fl, La, etc.

Nita

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by shmoov_groovzsd

I dunno, their parent company is Aldi which is German supermarket. On the east coast there were a few Aldi's which targeted a "no frills" brand of shopping. In other words they would sell items that looked familiar like an Oreo cookies pack, except it wasnt made or branded by Nabisco.

Alas, Trader Joes gets bought by Aldi and over the years Aldi manages to broker deals and use those same suppliers as the Aldi stores and have them repackaged with the TJ Brand.

Now as far as Elitism or anything like that: I suppose I could see that in some stores though not on the whole. I dont shop there enough to be a regular, but I have seen most TJ's spread out towards upper middle class neighborhoods.

TJ's also makes shopping more streamlined by providing organic items as well as less brand focused (cereal commercials, or advertisement driven) and just sticking to the nuts and bolts of what is in the packaging.

Aldis and Trader Joes are owned by the same family, but different brothers. I don't know where you got the idea Trader Joes was brought out by Aldi's. If you have been to both, you certainly would notice a huge difference.

Yes, TJs are normally in middle and upper class neighborhoods, though I do not think of them as attracting only the wealthy by anymeans. We go to Aldi's once in awhile when near one of their local stores, but not often. Our biggest complaint, sometimes the stuff isn't terribly fresh (the produce that is) overall there prices are a little lower and sometimes they run great specials. But the employees do not go out of their way to be helpful, nor are they terribly knowledgable. On the other hand, Trader Joe's employees are overly friendly, helpful and very aware of what is going on within the company. I see almost no comparison of the two.

Nita

[lrmsd]

TJ's started in so cal-and was originally a beer and wine wholesaler, then added cheeses (which are still great in selection and price, IMO-including many great european cheeses)....but with growth comes change...i still love tj's, but dont find it super cheap or the best quality overall....except for alcohol and cheese.
the rest has never been amazing, but it is a fun place, and cheaper than ralph's or whole foods, and mostly better quality than costco, to be sure (which i am gathering may be cheaper? b/c the 'mainstream super markets' are certainly not cheap. I never understand when people talk about the cost of shopping tj's either....if anything, i think people have a hard time getting out of their comfort zone, and associate tj's maybe with hip or trendy people-particularly outside of CA...in my experience)

[khuntrevor]

Trade Joe's is budget gourmet. They do quite of bit of research on their store sites. Almost always upwardly mobile crowd. My old Cuban refugee neighbor approached me around Christmas time to tell me that he had been to TJs and bought four bottles of wine. I asked him if he checked out the fish, he said that his mom buys it from a chineses grocer.

[Newdaawn]

I had been hearing about Trader Joe's forever and how great it is. Well they finally opend a store in my state (Maine) and when we were passing through Portland on our way home from NH I just had to see it... It was a big disappointment to me anyway. The presentation is terrible and store is drab. I prefer "Whole Foods" which is right in the same area.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by lrmsd

TJ's started in so cal-and was originally a beer and wine wholesaler, then added cheeses (which are still great in selection and price, IMO-including many great european cheeses)....but with growth comes change...i still love tj's, but dont find it super cheap or the best quality overall....except for alcohol and cheese.
the rest has never been amazing, but it is a fun place, and cheaper than ralph's or whole foods, and mostly better quality than costco, to be sure (which i am gathering may be cheaper? b/c the 'mainstream super markets' are certainly not cheap. I never understand when people talk about the cost of shopping tj's either....if anything, i think people have a hard time getting out of their comfort zone, and associate tj's maybe with hip or trendy people-particularly outside of CA...in my experience)

you have made good points. Yes, the original Tjs was in Pasadena on Fair Oaks and the corner or i don't remember.

It is hard to compare prices as the type of gourmet items many of us buy at TJs are much less expensive, as for basics, I can't imagine people using TJs for them. Here are some of the things we love to buy and they are cheaper and generally better:

chesses and cheese spreads like blue cheese and pecan, sauses like Hollandaise, certainly breads. Where can you get a really decent loaf of sour dough bread for under $2.50? How about baby artichokes or even reg ones for the price TJ has them? The selection of wines though not the biggest I have ever seen, certainly are some of the best prices and I am not talking only 2 buck chuck.

My feeling, one can not compare TJs with the local super market, they are 2 totally different things. One specializes in mass purchasing, with quality being second, the other is a specialty or gourmet type of store.

Nita