Trader Joe's

[zhelder]

Well, it still looks like it's a go for Trader Joe's, although it won't be as soon as we expected. My brother's been making signs for them at his job, and he said they're definitely still coming, although he told me the woman he spoke to told him they would open in August at the earliest, and it may get pushed back further. They have also advertised on quite a few job sites online. Until then, Westwood it is!

[jon777]

According to Trader Joe's website, Paramus is in the "Coming Soon" section. Doesn't provide the exact location, but sounds like we can expect one in the near future...

[menton1]

According to TJ employees in Westwood, the Paramus store is a "go", probably early September opening. They said that TJs expects it to be one of their highest volume locations in the Northeast. They will be able to open on Sunday, even with the strict Paramus regulations.

So when this location does open, expect big crowds and long lines!

[Anonymouze]

I thought I'd miss Trader Joe's however there is great news in my future! The town we're buying a house in/near has a Trader Joe's and not just one but 2 within 5 miles - Reston & Tyson's Corner (Vienna area)! YAY YAY YAY!!!!!

Well we're leaving in 10 minutes to drive down ::GULP:: make a big deposit on a home. At least the fact of TJ's being near by and several whole foods and many MANY shopping areas will make me less nervous about moving away from New Jersey. I hear there are many great restaurants in nearby DC to taste-test.

I will miss it's toxic waste and other bad and good features... but most of all I will miss folks at Picnic, Silver Oak Bistro, Fortunato's and other great places.

[wilsonrabbit]

Passed by the other day and the Trader Joe's sign is up above the entry doors. One step closer...

Anonymouze-it'll be interesting to see if you like the TJ bakeries in VA because the stores use regional bakers (the extent of the region I'm not sure) hence you can't find vegan cookies on the East coast, just the West coast. Boo hoo. They're awesome if you can get your hands on em.

[Anonymouze]

Right now I'm recovering from my mothers passing-on however once I get out again later this week I'll stop in at Trader Joe's and let you know... this remains to be seen. When I visit my in-laws in Maywood I'll check out the new Trader Joes if they are open by then. Otherwise I'm looking forward to hearing more!

[zhelder]

OK, guys, mark the date...

The Paramus Trader Joe's opens August 28. Get ready!

P.S. Anonymouze, sorry about your mother's passing. You have my sympathy.

[Anonymouze]

Thank you Zhelder. I hope to be in NJ sometime soon... maybe I'll peep at the new TJ.

[Kape]

I was in the Office Depot in Paramus today and the Trader Joe's next door seemed ready to go: the shelves were all stocked. So Monday's opening appears to be a go, though the sign on the front door said only that it was "opening soon."

[jpr54_]

visited the new Trader Joe's-

not very exciting

but i did find 1 or 2 bargains

[wilsonrabbit]

Woah! I passed by a few times recently and the lot was full to the brim with cars!! I've never seen Office Depot fill it like that and so consistently to boot! I'm afraid to maneuver through that... I'm curious as to whether it's any better than the Westwood one. More space for the same stuff? Or is there actually more variety (excluding the booze)?

Anonymouze, you have my sympathy as well. I hope you are doing well.

[Deldino]

Hi!

We went to the new Trader Joe's in Paramus last night and I was happily surprised. The layout seems roomier then the Westwood location.

There were quite a few more name brands then I remember from the past. Good prices on organic produce (better than Whole Foods prices) Though not as many options as a farm or Whole foods but for staples like peppers and zucchini and onions they were good prices.

I don't know why people here are so anti Trader Joe's but I find they actually have quite a few good items. Since I can't afford to go out to dinner everynight and some nights I don't feel like cooking I look for high quality frozen. And Trader Joe's has some tasty, healthy frozen options. We had a penne with roasted pepper sauce (frozen fresh) and it was really quite good. They also have really good unique frozen ravioli.

Anyway it is worth a mid week trip for a quick stock up for the pantry/fridge.

Edited September 8, 2006 by Deldino (log)

[Kape]

>>Or is there actually more variety (excluding the booze)?

The Paramus TJ's, like the Westwood one, does not have beer and wine.

~ KenP

[Deldino]

>>Or is there actually more variety (excluding the booze)? 

  The Paramus TJ's, like the Westwood one, does not have beer and wine.

~ KenP

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Yes more variety and no wine/beer.

[nola2chi]

The TJ's here in Chicago, on N. Lincoln was a welcome opening for me as all others were a road trip. Anyone willing to pay the Whole Food prices probably won't be impressed. Though not very willing, I do shop at Whole Paycheck for certain things. Back to TJ's, I have a standing list that includes Triple Ginger Snaps, made with fresh, crystallized and ground ginger, w/ no trans fats. I've tried to keep them on hand for a cheat to thicken gravy but have never done so. Between the husband, kids, dog AND amazon parrot there are never any around even though I buy 3 boxes at a time.

Other staples include nonparrel capers, dijon mustard, hot & sweet mustard, whole grain mustard, some spices, pastas, extra dry sherry, unsalted blister peanuts (great snap), Snapea Crisps, a couple of their hot sauces, La Boca and Yellow Tail wines (very cheap but good), juices (the just cranberry is a fraction of the price at other markets), olive oils, vinegars (the white balsamic is great), cracked green olives, sometimes some good cheeses, blue, fontina, ex sh cheddar, mozz, occasionally pizza dough (.99/lb. cheap cheat for quick), anchovies, peanut and cashew butters, tahini, and dare I admit? canned artichoke hearts. (I thought their frozen ones were awful.)

They HAD a really good jarred pasta sauce, Arribiata, no longer carried. You can never be sure when you should stock up on an item.

In agreement with many, there hasn't been anything in produce to attract me, or frozen either.

Frugal is important, with 10 people in the house I shudder to think what the increase in grocery expense would be if I had to buy all these things at WF, or other chain. But if the quality was not there I would not be either.

[menton1]

I don't see anything in the Paramus store that is not in the Westwood store; in fact, the space is actually too large for TJs. The aisles are actually a bit too spread out, and there is a lot of emptiness in the store.

The location is convenient, though.

[birder53]

I don't see anything in the Paramus store that is not in the Westwood store; in fact, the space is actually too large for TJs.  The aisles are actually a bit too spread out, and there is a lot of emptiness in the store. 

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I had the same feeling about the store in Marlton. It seemed very spacious and bright - a bit too bright for me.

The store in Albuquerque, NM was very large and bright. That was the first TJs I had been in outside of NJ. The ABQ store seemed new, but the space didn't seem too large. It felt comfortable as oppossed to the Marlton store which seemed unfinished. Maybe they've filled it in a bit since my visit in December of 2004.

[Deldino]

That is what I must have noticed - the store being more spread out - that is good for me - I really don't like when the aisles are so close you are rubbing elbows with people when you try to pass - I have not been to the one in Westwood in a long time so it may well be the same items.

I find some good bargains there - I will still go to Whole Foods for other things. I never mind food shopping at more then one store - I will usually go to DiPiero's in Montvale and then head back To whole foods - I work so close to the new TJ's that I can do a mid-week drive by.

[menton1]

I find some good bargains there - I will still go to Whole Foods for other things

I think that TJs and WF are apples and oranges; there is really nothing similar about these 2 chains at all, I don't understand why folks group them together so often.

TJs is a selective House label store with brilliant merchandising, their "frequent flyer" but never a sale. (They claim they don't need a sale). About 80% of the store is house label, selected, interesting unique items that tend to be fun and interesting. Pricing generally lower than comparable item in the supermarket, but often there is no comparable item.

WF is the melding of a health food store with a supermarket. If price is an object you can't shop there. A "green" theme pervades the store, no foods with preservatives or chemical additives are sold here (supposedly).

2 different stores, 2 different MOs, and a different psyche for their particular customers.

[ghostrider]

WF is the melding of a health food store with a supermarket.  If price is an object you can't shop there. 

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As a blanket or categorical statement, that is untrue.

WF has pricey stuff & cheap stuff, like any other supermarket. There's an intriguing psychological thing going on that makes people focus on the pricey stuff. I don't fully understand it yet.

[tommy]

i gotta say, in my experience, WF, in general, is more expensive than the other (all others, in fact) supermarkets in the area. i don't think menton is off-base with that suggestion, and i certainly don't think he's off-base in questioning why some people tend to speak about WF and TJ in the same breath. i shop at WF as often as i can stand the crowds in the parking lot, and don't care about TJ. so for me, i question why people make the connection as well.

i also have many friends who won't normally go to WF due to the prices. i suppose you can find some "deals" there (i can't think of any), but it's probably hardly worth the cost of the gas to go there for a deal, and then elsewhere for the rest of your shopping needs if, as menton states, price is a consideration. i would think that the price generalization is based on reality (though I've never done a strict price comparison of WF vs other supermarkets), and that reality keeps people from shopping at WF. that's my experience, and i suspect many many others share that experience.

menton may be abrasive , but he's not always wrong.

Edited September 13, 2006 by tommy (log)

[maggiethecat]

menton may be abrasive  , but he's not always wrong.

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On the differences between WF and Trader Joe's, menton is perfect.

[ghostrider]

menton may be abrasive  , but he's not always wrong.

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On the differences between WF and Trader Joe's, menton is perfect.

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Agreed.

I wouldn't drive a half hour to shop at WF on a regular basis. (I wouldn't drive 10 minutes to shop at TJ's on an irregular basis but that's another story.) There's a WF in the town where I work, so I shop there regularly. If I didn't work there, I would still drive there once a month or so for some items (principally cereals) that are essential to my diet.

There's no other store in this area that carries no-added-sugar Familia. WF is the only source I've found since ShopRite dropped it from their stocks.

WF has consistently had the cheapest Jersey Fresh corn in this area. (Emphasis on Jersey Fresh; sure, you can find cheaper out-state corn elsewhere.)

They also have consistent low prices on other cereals, chocolates, mineral waters, occasional seafood sales, etc. (ShopRite has jsut recently begun to match WF's mineral water price with the occasional sale on their own house brand.) Of course, if you're basing your diet on cost, you aren't buying these items anyway.

Now, I would never try to argue that the pricey items at WF aren't more expensive than comparable items at other supermarkets, though there's a grey area in how you define "comparable." E.g., WF's chickens are more expensive than those at ShopRite; to me, the superior flavor is worth the price differential. But if you are shopping purely on price, yes, you may choose to go elsewhere. Or you may figure that what you save on that case of mineral water at WF pays for the chicken.

[Deldino]

I find some good bargains there - I will still go to Whole Foods for other things

I think that TJs and WF are apples and oranges; there is really nothing similar about these 2 chains at all, I don't understand why folks group them together so often.

TJs is a selective House label store with brilliant merchandising, their "frequent flyer" but never a sale. (They claim they don't need a sale). About 80% of the store is house label, selected, interesting unique items that tend to be fun and interesting. Pricing generally lower than comparable item in the supermarket, but often there is no comparable item.

WF is the melding of a health food store with a supermarket. If price is an object you can't shop there. A "green" theme pervades the store, no foods with preservatives or chemical additives are sold here (supposedly).

2 different stores, 2 different MOs, and a different psyche for their particular customers.

←

I don't lump them together for comparison per se. I meant that I will shop at both - and I don't think last I looked that I have a split personality so they both appeal to me in some ways - I will go to them for different things. I don't think there is anything wrong with shopping at different stores for different things. And they DO have some similiar items as whole foods such as salsa and chips and hummus, etc. that are as good as whole foods but at a lower cost, they also have 100 percent cranberry juice for at least $1.00 difference so I will buy it there instead of Whole Foods. I think that loving Whole Foods does not limit me to just shopping there.

Anyway that is just my opinion.

Edited September 13, 2006 by Deldino (log)

[Deldino]

i gotta say, in my experience, WF, in general, is more expensive than the other (all others, in fact) supermarkets in the area.  i don't think menton is off-base with that suggestion, and i certainly don't think he's off-base in questioning why some people tend to speak about WF and TJ in the same breath.  i shop at WF as often as i can stand the crowds in the parking lot, and don't care about TJ.  so for me, i question why people make the connection as well.

i also have many friends who won't normally go to WF due to the prices.   i suppose you can find some "deals" there (i can't think of any), but it's probably hardly worth the cost of the gas to go there for a deal, and then elsewhere for the rest of your shopping needs if, as menton states, price is a consideration.  i would think that the price generalization is based on reality (though I've never done a strict price comparison of WF vs other supermarkets), and that reality keeps people from shopping at WF.  that's my experience, and i suspect many many others share that experience.

menton may be abrasive  , but he's not always wrong.

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For me the point of Whole Foods is that I can buy healthy organic brands at a price that is less then the Chain supermarkets for the SAME items (muir glen tomatoes, most of the snack items, etc) Whole foods has them for less, now I am not saying that they are inexpensive items to begin with, just that Whole Foods has most organic brands for less than the Chains, like A&P and such.

TJ's does have some organic and natural products so maybe that is why I may compare but I am not comparing their philosophy just comparing on some very specific item. again, I don't see anything wrong with shopping at more than one store - I don't define myself by the food stores I shop at - I try to buy organic whole foods but I can find some of those things at TJ's also, not ALL items just some.

And Menton is right when he says they have great marketing - they do make it seem fun to shop there -

Edited September 13, 2006 by Deldino (log)