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Old 09-21-2012, 01:23 PM
 
17,537 posts, read 39,154,399 times
Reputation: 24290

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Today I went to the new Trader Joe's for the second time and was able to shop a little more leisurely than the time I went during opening weekend, so I though I would just give my impressions. Before TJ came to Sarasota I had never been in one, but had heard LOTS about it so I am glad I could experience it firsthand. I will list positives, negatives and then general comments.

Positives:

1. Cute, fun store. Lots of light, nice decor and layout, good lighting.
2. Helpful and very friendly staff.
3.Many unusual items, especially in the frozen, prepared foods section.
4. Decent wine selection, pretty good prices
5. Decent cheese selection, pretty good prices
6. Lots of great "snack" items

Negatives:

1.Tiny parking lot from hell - very tight parking, difficult to enter/exit, location has lots of traffic on 41.
2. Slowest lines I have ever seen in ANY store, even slower than the worst WalMart I have been in. If you don't take a cooler with you, your stuff will be defrosted/melted before you leave the store, no kidding.
3. I expected more things to be "organic" - much of it is not. The "natural" stuff not more natural than what everyone else sells.
4. More expensive than I expected. Meat/poultry/seafood is just about as expensive (maybe even more) than what I readily buy at Publix and SuperTarget, and I didn't like the looks of a lot of their meat, either.

General comments: I observed a lot of items under their own packaging that I can buy at ALDI (their frugal "cousin" store) at higher prices (at TJ), also many similar items are carried by Super Target under their house brand "Archer Farm" The wine selection is pretty good for a small store, prices are reasonable, but honestly with a Total Wine in this town where you have thousands of choices at unbeatable prices this isn't a reason to go there, unless you are a fan of the Charles Shaw "soda pop" stuff. The crowd inside today was not bad at all, so I just couldn't understand why the lines moved at a snail's pace. I think it took me at least 20 minutes to check out today. Like I said, I came prepared with insulated bags and a cooler.

Overall, I really like the store, and if it were closer to my house (it's 10 miles away) and/or if I didn't have to drive there I might go there a lot. As it is, the negatives far outweigh the advantages of shopping there regularly (like once a week) so for now, it will probably be maybe once a month (or maybe longer) I have no shortage of places to shop for good deals and unique goodies. Remember, this is only my take on it, I am somewhere in the middle of "cult devotee and totally disinterested!" LOL Happy shopping!
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Old 09-21-2012, 03:15 PM
 
Location: Lakewood Ranch, FL
5,662 posts, read 10,748,988 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gypsychic View Post
I am somewhere in the middle of "cult devotee and totally disinterested!" LOL Happy shopping!
That perfectly describes the opinions of my wife and myself!

We went over there Saturday. It was busy and as I was pushing the cart thru the corner where the yogurt and cheese is located, I was suddenly reminded of why I hate driving on the interstate thru downtown Atlanta at rush hour.
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Old 09-21-2012, 03:16 PM
 
Location: Sarasota, FL
1,642 posts, read 3,345,973 times
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That about does it. Many people mistakenly believe that since the place is so crunchy in general, that their selection is more natural and/or organic. This is not the case. Might be true at Whole Foods. Not true at TJ's.

Otherwise, sure, the frozen stuff is worthwhile, and the wine and cheese is OK.

Certainly not cause for a new religion.
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Old 09-21-2012, 03:50 PM
 
Location: Sarasota/ Bradenton - University Pkwy area
4,621 posts, read 7,545,116 times
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Thanks gypsychic for the insight on your visit to TJ. I've never been to one of their stores either, so didn't know what to expect. I've driven past there several times since they've opened and the parking lot is always packed. Been waiting for things to slow down before I stopped in to check it out. I do like Aldi's in Bradenton, although I don't always have time to drive over there and I already have a super Target store much closer to home.
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Old 09-21-2012, 05:01 PM
 
8,366 posts, read 4,681,309 times
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If you like Aldi's - but feel that it's too far away to drive to it in Bradenton - then I suggest the "Shop N Save" stores in the area. There are several in Sarasota and one in Venice that I am aware of. It is the same kind of general outlay and philosophy of Aldi stores - most of the brands are their own private label items. IMO it's not quite as nice as Aldi - but the prices are similar. (Aldi might be a tiny bit lower on some of the prices).
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Old 09-22-2012, 01:19 AM
 
8,366 posts, read 4,681,309 times
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Correction to my previous post. The name of the store that is similar to Aldi is "Save-A-Lot" and not Shop N Save.

http://save-a-lot.com/
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Old 09-22-2012, 11:01 AM
 
Location: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
11,936 posts, read 13,116,607 times
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I'm a devotee.

I like that I don't have to search through thousands of bottles of wine to find good, reasonably priced wines.

Love the snack stuff, inexpensive cheese, cheap crackers, etc.

It's pretty close to my house so it I'll make the drive.
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Old 09-22-2012, 06:51 PM
 
1,235 posts, read 3,680,118 times
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Just an FYI-

Trader Joe's peanut butter recalled for salmonella risk - Vitals
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Old 09-25-2012, 05:04 PM
 
Location: Sarasota
462 posts, read 1,708,072 times
Reputation: 156
this will make it easier for me to shop! have fun wherever you go and leave TJ's to me!
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Old 09-25-2012, 07:11 PM
 
Location: Venice FL
77 posts, read 246,920 times
Reputation: 63
I will definitely shop Earth Origins or Costco before TJ's.
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