Aldi's opening stores in Dallas...can we hope for a TJ's soon after? (Austin: living, restaurants)

[Jennibc]

Originally Posted by Topaz

Uhm, no, you wouldn't, because there is absolutely nothing remarkable about HEB. Trader Joe's, on the other hand, is unique and inspires lots of fans.

Like I've said before when people get offended when Texas transplants miss TJ's, if you don't want to hear about it, I recommend staying out of threads with TJ's in the name.

Really? When I moved back to Seattle I missed HEB a little with its cooking kiosk and great recipe cards, but especially its low low prices!

[Jennibc]

Originally Posted by mimimomx3

I really didn't think of it in terms of prices- how low can you go? "Two buck chuck" sounds absolutely nauseating to me. I'm a foodie- I can't imagine that TJ would offer anymore interesting food offerings than what we currently have. If I could have another market in Austin it would be Pecks' from Milan, Balducci's from DC, Dean and Deluca from NYC, Lafayette Gallerie in Paris....

You'd be amazed at how many "foodies" shop at Trader Joe's.

[kingugly]

Trader Joe's rebrands quality items with their label and sells it for less. Those brands agree to it because TJ's buys in bulk. Consequently, the local growers/brands make a large sale and save on the advertising, and they still sell their wares under their own brand to different buyers. Consumers benefit from quality foods and don't have to pay the "Whole Paycheck" prices. Think of it as a corporate co-op.

Whole Foods is great, Central Market too, but they ain't cheap. However, at Trader Joe's you can't really get everything you need at because it's a smallish store. But for most things, I would say it is on par with the specialty grocers as well as Whole Foods. And did I mention cheap? This is the reason for the cult. It fills a very interesting niche in the market. It hurts HEB-like stores somewhat because the prices are the same but the quality is much, much better. It hurts Whole Foods somewhat because the quality is the same but the prices are much, much lower. I'm talking 30%-50% lower. It's a significant difference.

That being said, their meat/fish and vegetable selection doesn't really compare to Whole Foods. In that realm, I feel you pay for what you get.

[Jennibc]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

I have to agree about the amused part. On here, and other forums, there seems to be the "cult" of Trader Joe's on the part of ex-pat Californians. If it didn't feel a little too much like just one more way to try to make everywhere else (and Texas in particular) into just another California clone, I'd be more amused.

But Trader Joe's is in far more markets than just CA. I agree it is something of a cult, but when you lived in high cost of living areas like some of us have where groceries are 20 to 30 percent higher, TJ's was a lifesaver. I don't think it would be as a big a deal here to me now that we have an HEB close by, but back in Seattle it saved our budget.

[HappyTexan]

I support local. HEB and Farmer's markets for food.

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by Jennibc

But Trader Joe's is in far more markets than just CA.

Yes, but it appears to be the Californians who,when they get to the Land of Reasonable Grocery Prices, can't seem to let go of the idea that they just have to have a Trader Joe's, much moreso than other relocatees talk about it. So they get stuck with it appearing to be just a California Cult.

[awecelot]

Aldi is actually two separate companies. While they are run by the same family, operations (read: warehousing, shipping, etc.) are kept completely separate.

Aldi Nord owns Trader Joe's.
Aldi Sud owns all of the Aldis in the USA.

Therefore, in the United States, Aldi and Trader Joe's should not be thought of as the same company.

[Topaz]

Originally Posted by TexasHorseLady

Yes, but it appears to be the Californians who,when they get to the Land of Reasonable Grocery Prices, can't seem to let go of the idea that they just have to have a Trader Joe's, much moreso than other relocatees talk about it. So they get stuck with it appearing to be just a California Cult.

I don't think this is a phenomenon limited to Californians, and I think Texans should stop taking enthusiasm for Trader Joe's as an insult to Texas or a desire to transform Texas into someplace else. It is just a great store and it would be fun to have them in Texas. That's all.

[austinaggie]

Originally Posted by mimimomx3

No, you see, I'm a lifelong Texan. Maybe if I moved to, say, California, I would be endlessly moaning about not having HEB.

Well, don't knock it until you try it.

I know I have only lived in Texas for 30 of my 46 years so I am not a "life long Texan" like you so I actually have shopped at BOTH both HEB and Trader Joes and I like both stores very much. They are quite different in what they offer and if TJs was to come to Austin I would shop at both and for different reasons.

Maybe you should hold back your contempt of the store (and those who like and miss it) until you have actually step foot in one.

[Zzyzx]

I would welcome a trader Joe's into this market. HEB prices need to be kept in check.