I have been living in the U.S. for almost a year now, and there are many things I love about it. Today I’d like to discuss Trader Joe’s, but stay tuned for love letters to other amazing American retailers in the days and weeks to come.
I am not sure if I can express just how awesome Trader Joe’s is. Think Whole Foods, but way cheaper and way better, with amazingly delicious products that are better than many found in high-priced gourmet shops. If you’re a foodie who doesn’t like to pay through the nose, Trader Joe’s is paradise. It’s so wonderful that when I took my friend Karen there when she came to visit for a week in June, we ended up going back every second day, and then eating or cooking together all the great stuff we found. She’s a fantastic cook and loved what she got at TJ’s so much that she recently made her husband drive her to Detroit to restock her Canadian pantry. She’s also been sending Trader Joe goodies abroad to her travelling family members.
You Americans know all about this place. But for those who don’t, here is just a sampling of Trader Joe’s wonder products:
Pub cheese with or without jalapeno
Frozen Thai shrimp dumplings
White bean hummus
Irish butter
TJ’s smoked salmon
Dried mango with chili
Seedless raspberry jam
Blueberry preserves
Greek yogurt
Lemon curd
Cinnamon crumpets
Frozen mac and cheese — as good as home-made
Frozen naan
Portobello ravioli
Fresh flowers that last forever — I bought three big bouquets of peonies for four bucks each in June, and they lasted more than a week
Bath products that are also ridiculously cheap and high-quality:
Tangerine and grapefruit sugar scrubs
The Mid-Summer Night’s Cream moisturizers
Shaving cream
Honey soap
Lavendar sea salt scrub
I have only scratched the surface here; every time I go, I find some new product or ingredient that I love. What are your favorite Trader Joe’s finds?
ButtercupPunch - "La clique, c’est chic!" 
July 24, 2009 at 10:37 am
My love for Trader Joe’s is almost obscene, and that love is magnified by how CHEAP it is. 89¢ for a can of chickpeas that cost $1.39 at Jewel? YES.
And the unscented TJ’s shave cream is something I will not go without. Like Alba, but BETTER/CHEAPER. The flowers from TJ’s routinely last days longer than those I’d pick up from the florist in my ‘hood, too. I think they coat them in a fine dust of magic. I can’t go into TJ’s and not buy the multigrain instant cranberry oatmeal- it’s not possible. It’s my favorite breakfast.
(I know that TJ’s isn’t all sunshine and puppies- their seafood recently was criticized for its lack of sustainability, but I’d rather shop there than many other places.)
July 24, 2009 at 12:09 pm
Frozen sweet potato fries, frozen quiches, unsweetened dried mango, whole wheat frozen pizza dough, pomegranite SEEDS (they do all the work for you), cheap and good creme freshe, cheap and good cereal. I get these most every time I go. I can leave with 2 giant grocery bags full of amazing things for 30 bucks. I am so glad they opened one near me in Brooklyn.
July 24, 2009 at 12:44 pm
Their greek yogurt…it is to die for, so creamy and fluffy and OMG it is the only reason I eat yogurt every day. No other yogurt will suffice.
Jalapeno pub cheese
Their Sea Salt Brownies (of which you must pry out of my hands before I eat an entire container)
Nitrate-free hot dogs (stick with me, they are healthy and have that snap to them, I promise!)
Also, just the fact that their prices are fabulous is great. I buy milk, cereal, yogurt and other essentials and I spend less than at the regular grocery store for the same items.
July 24, 2009 at 3:08 pm
I have been told of the wonder that is TJ’s sea salt brownies. I am seriously glad that the TJ’s closest to me is always, always out of them when I’m there, or I’d find my way into morbid obesity within one week.
July 24, 2009 at 6:22 pm
Frozen chocolate lava cakes (less than a minute in the microwave!)
Penne peperonata
Colombian coffee
English muffin bread
I was very sad when they discontinued the artichoke tortellini and the chicken drumettes.
*Shakes fist at those responsible*
July 24, 2009 at 7:46 pm
Frozen chocolate croissants.
Such as.
July 24, 2009 at 8:09 pm
I’m huge fan of the margarhita frozen pizza. Throw some sliced tomatoes on it, I’m sure basil or olives would work too, bake for seven minutes, and it’s better than most US take out pizza.
July 24, 2009 at 8:37 pm
I’m drooling:
Premade harissa chicken over couscous dinner for two
Almost all of their premade salads kick ass
Frozen banana waffles
Breadless frozen breakfast quiches
Olive oil popcorn
And the white bean hummus is ridiculously delicious.
July 24, 2009 at 9:24 pm
Um, your redneck cousin is here to say that I went to TJ’s in Atlanta and was so depressed by the interior and the healthy foods and the crowds of people in flip flops that I abandoned my cart in the chickpea surprise aisle and ran for the exit.
I am super glad that you heart American shopping, though! We are glad to have you here.
July 27, 2009 at 6:40 am
Oh god the flip flops.
July 28, 2009 at 6:09 pm
Do not hate on the flip flops. They are comfy.
July 25, 2009 at 10:17 am
I get giddy over how many products don’t have HFCS. (cheerios, greek yogurt, bread) My husband has never liked the bread in this country because it is too sweet. So to be able to find him good sandwich/toasting bread that doesn’t have weird things in it is a pleasing situation.
I love their eggplant hummus, pasta, greek yogurt, crackers, orangina, blood orange italian soda, dirt cheap olive oil and cornichons and a lot of their cheeses. I also love those French sponges that last forever and a day.
(and there are a lot of fairly healthy things to buy my kid that he can snack on)
My Mother lacks a TJ’s where she lives and whenever she visits, she insists upon stocking up. She loves the pralines, greek yogurt, italian truffle cheese and organic pasta.
Pretty much I am in that joint all of the time. It is bad when they know you and your kid on first name basis.
July 25, 2009 at 4:56 pm
Myrtle: I feel your pain. I only go there to get pub cheese and croissants. And if there are very many people there I leave. I refuse to fight crowds and stand in line for an hour to buy fancy food.
July 25, 2009 at 9:56 pm
It’s a neat place for some foods, but only a reality for a couple of the major US metro areas. Not everybody lives in the big city ya’ll!
July 26, 2009 at 12:20 am
Thank you. I’m a born and bred American, but between Indiana and New Jersey, I’ve never been INSIDE a Trader Joe’s. Though I hear they’re nice.
July 28, 2009 at 5:31 pm
There are some in NJ, I promise! I go to the Edgewater one, but my parents use one in central Jersey (the name of the town escapes me). They bring coolers to stock up. Literally.
July 27, 2009 at 9:10 am
Weird…I most certainly do not live in a major metro area (60 miles at least from either “city” near us), maybe we just got lucky?
July 26, 2009 at 1:20 am
The Thai chili and lime peanuts are like something from another planet. They are divine. I will, in fact, stand in line at the one Trader Joe’s in Manhattan when the line wraps around the store seventeen times to get those peanuts. Oh, man. And the wine store. THE WINE STORE.
July 28, 2009 at 3:40 pm
Holy shit, we’re spoiled in CA, no? These lines you speak of are foreign to me. I don’t think I’ve even been more than 4-6 deep and I’d be seriously annoyed if it were any worse than that.
– creamy peanut butter
– pub cheese
– chocolate susan cookies
– pb & choco chip cookies
– white cheddar popcorn
– french sponges
– tang sugar scrub
– shaving cream
– basil & lemon handsoap
– spicy penne
– gnocchi
– garlic flatbread
– choco croissants
– pastry for tarts
– BABY TACOS
– lemon and lime fizzeh water
– 5-buck-cava/prosecco
– peach puree juice
– spicy hummus and pita bread
– candied pecans
– choco-covered sunflower seeds
I can’t think of anything else at the moment, as this thread has made me STARVING despite the fact that I read it whilst eating lunch. EVIL! Oh, I agree with the flowers. Those Thai orchids or whatnot get me every time.
July 30, 2009 at 7:58 am
TWO BUCK CHUCK!
Seriously, for freaking $2.99, their Charles Shaw wine is pretty damn good. Add some pub cheese and their little rosemary wheat crisps and you’ve got a good thing going.
July 30, 2009 at 9:15 pm
TJ’s is the only place where I’ll indulge in junk food, because it’s actually not that bad for you. My TJ list (junk and non-junk):
sweet potato chips
baked jalapeno cheese crunchies
tamales
frozen pizza
MAPLE CRUNCH CEREAL
gnocchi
wine!!!!
prosecco
lentil rice pilaf thing
guacamole (refrigerated section)
Italian bread
Better than Bouillon (1/2 price compared to my usual grocery store!)
The only thing I don’t buy at TJ’s is bananas. They don’t ripen normally (they go from light green to overripe in days, skipping over the yellow phase).
August 27, 2009 at 9:24 am
Oh dear, I was afraid you were Canadian. I was hoping you were British, at least, but NO — of course, you are Canadian, like me. Why does this upset me? Because, despite having so much in common w/ the USA, our grocery stores SUCK. My husband and I almost passed out when we hit Whole Foods for the first time in Rhode Island. Why, why, why CAN WE NOT have a decent grocery store here?
– blerg! Not impressed, Ottawa.
February 18, 2010 at 12:04 am
I’m a transplanted Californian living in Quebec. My family is from Europe so I’ve been a long-time fan of Trader Joe’s as one can pick up a lot of European things for much less than at the regular grocery stores. I thought that Quebec would have a lot more European, organic, and “gourmet” goodies at the grocery stores, but I found that they are largely like traditional American grocery stores. I miss my Trader Joe’s and exclusively shop there on our many trips back to California.
Nancy, Quebec City
November 19, 2010 at 5:42 pm
Nancy, you are living in the wrong part of Quebec! In Montreal and surrounding areas, there are ethnic grocery stores everywhere you look. Greek, Lebanese, Italian, Portugese…everything! And it’s just a 2 hour drive from Quebec City!
February 15, 2011 at 9:23 am
Nancy lives in the best part of Quebec. Hopefully Trader Joe`s will make it there, too.
August 29, 2009 at 1:28 pm
pretzel rolls
pub cheese
smoked gouda (so cheap!)
huge cashews
nonfat greek yogurt (amazing)
pre-cooked rack of lamb
coffee coffee coffee (lots of fair-trade for great deals)
pizza margharita
mandarin orange chicken
mini tacos (200 calories in four– I eat 6 for lunch!)
chicken verde burritos
carmelized onion and feta pastry bites (amazing little appetizers)
frozen spinach and artichoke dip
roasted red pepper soup
multigrain crackers with inulin
vinho verde (my favorite wine is only $4 a bottle!)
potato and lentil curls (loaded with fiber)
cheap chocolate
i could do this all day!
September 3, 2009 at 3:12 pm
Whole wheat breads of all sorts
Chicken gyoza with TJ’s dipping sauce
Greek yogurt – plain, honey, and fig varieties
Dark Chocolate in the pink foil
Madras lentils
All of the nuts and trek mixes!
Wine
Gnocchi with creamy Gorgonzola sauce
A Midsummer’s Night Cream – THE BEST!
Jo-Jo’s – all varieties
Salad mixes for a really reasonable price
Wheatabix for half the price of Pavilions
Cheese! Cheese! Cheese!
Bison burgers
Chocolate truffle brownie mix :)
A fig walked into a bar – like Fig newtons but better.
Natural toothpaste -TJ’s brand
Cans of organic beans for not a lot of dough
All of their seasonal Thanksgiving and Christmas foods are really worth checking out too.
Steel cut oats
I really could go on but I have to go pick my sister up from the airport now! Trader Joe’s is my primary grocery store. I love this place beyond words. It’s more than food, it’s nourishment.
December 26, 2009 at 8:15 am
My 10 year old – aloe vera
My dog – beefy twists.
My hubby -any sweets.
Me – frozen rice, 3 minutes to brown rice!
My whole family – 17 Bean & Barley Soup.
We go at least every 2 weeks. It would be more often, but we live 1 hour 15 minutes away!
December 26, 2009 at 2:09 pm
We are indeed spoiled in California, where there’s always a Trader Joe’s within an easy drive. And people, this is not “fancy food” – it’s just GOOD FOOD. For cheap.
My personal can’t-live-withouts:
Peaberry Coffee (when it’s available, which is sadly not all the time)
TJ’s Meatless Meatballs (no, I am not a vegetarian but them suckers are GOOOOD)
The prettiest reusable bags EVER
Multi-grain bread that I’m pretty sure they bake crack into because it’s so damn addictive
Better N’ Peanut Butter
CHEESES
Their holiday foods (pretty much all of them!)
December 29, 2009 at 11:25 pm
I wanted to see what Trader Joe’s was all about. My sister likes to go there. They opened one up in Maple Grove, MN. I like to try out new foods.
There chocolate soy milk is good. I tried their Apple Bread mix that’s good too. I just needed to keep a closer eye on it in the oven. They sell HUGMONGUS size cans of coffee.
December 29, 2009 at 11:26 pm
Opps used the wrong their…
December 30, 2009 at 8:25 am
Wild mushroom truffle flatbread
Good enough to kill for
December 30, 2009 at 9:05 am
(par baked) Ciabatta Artisan Bread
yuuuuummmmy
January 1, 2010 at 2:23 pm
Not all big cities have TJ’s. I live in the Dallas/Ft Worth area and the closest one to me is over 500 miles away in New Mexico…but I must admit that after reading this comment thread….I’m tempted to go to New Mexico for some of this treats :)
January 2, 2010 at 8:49 pm
I often journey to TJ’s for my Akmak crackers, chicken stix dog treats, lemon curd (OMG), dark gingerbread mix – only at Christmas time, gingerbread coffee (they sell out WWAAAY to early), citrus scrubs, whole wheat sourdough bread….and mostly, I love happy sales people in Hawaiian shirts in the dead of winter. Most recently, I had to blog about one of their incredible employees, Joi. She will be missed.
January 26, 2010 at 8:30 am
well TJ is 60 miles from me- but after reading this I’m glad I’m going today. Going to have to try the pub cheese since almost everyone mentioned it! At Christmas my aunt was looking for just plain wild rice, she couldn’t find it anywhere, so I said lets try TJ- found some but better even for her we found some already cooked just wild rice- it was awesome!
February 3, 2010 at 9:16 pm
I love love love Trader Joe’s! They don’t have it here in Utah. :( When I lived in California I loved the beef tamales, almonds, sesame rice crackers, whole coffee beans of so many varieties, english muffin bread… I could go on and on.
February 12, 2010 at 12:20 pm
I, too, am a huge TJ’s fan. I shop at the St. Louis area stores, and I love everything about my experiences, especially the vibe from workers and customers. It’s a place where people like to hang out and shop, indeed, where shopping is actually fun, making it one of my favorite places to people watch. As a result, it’s a magnet for “interesting” people of every kind — from super-fit tri-athletes, to grad students, to hardcore foodies, as well as lots of folks from the immigrant communities. Everyone, employees and customers, looks as if they have an interesting life story to tell.
In any event, when I take my sons shopping with me, our routine starts with a bee-line for the free samples counter — me slamming down the free coffee, the boys going after the free juice. Then we search for the hidden stuffed horse so we can qualify for some free candy. Then I check out the wine, usually ending up with two bottles of red $2.99 Charles Shaw. And I always marvel at how TJ’s could sell wine this good at such a cheap price and still make money off it. Any other grocery chain wouldn’t hesitate to sell this wine for twice the price.
April 9, 2010 at 9:48 am
I’m an American expat who returns to her “summer dacha” in her “ancestral village” (Columbus, Ohio) every summer. A chief attraction for me is TJ’s.
And YES! re: the sea salt brownies. I just discovered those last summer.
April 29, 2010 at 6:29 am
Trader Joe’s is coming to Omaha, Nebraska. Announced on our news last night! Im about to FAINT!! Yipee!!