On Tue, 28 Aug 2012 11:23:20 -0400, pltrgyst >
wrote:

> I have a TJ about a half-mile from the house, and I hit it about once a
> week (I hit Whole Foods about 3x a week, and a Giant or Harris-Teeter once).
>
> TJ has great buys on some wines, a few cheeses (e.g., an English Coastal
> cheddar that is superb), and many of its frozen items (though I buy
> frozen things about once a year).

Trader Joe's had frozen petit peas before the regular grocery stores
did, then roasted corn. I still prefer buying frozen vegetables from
TJ's because they have what I want (like frozen strips of
multi-colored bell peppers in the middle of winter) and I don't have
to buy multiple packages to get a decent price.
>
> Their baked goods seem to be dry and lacking in flavor, like most
> "healthy" formulations. They do sell a cinnamon coffee cake that is
> quite good.

The two I go to in my area have a coffee cake that's basically a huge
bear claw. OMG - it's so good! We have to divide it and make sure we
eat it over days, not hours because we could polish it off in a flash
w/o thinking twice.
>
> Their produce simply does not compare to WF in either range or quality.
>
> They sell jars of a corn salsa that is superb, as well as their own
> branded excellent Kansas City BBQ sauce (second only to Pigtown, IMO).

I like the Trader Joe's hummus (1 lb container with the perfect amount
of garlic IMO) and I've said many times how much I like their Tuscano
marinara sauce in a can.
http://www.traderjoes.com/fearless-f...article_id=416
>
> In short, if you pick and choose, they have some worthwhile products,
> but like WF, which doesn't sell so many brand-name products, they cannot
> be relied on exclusively.
>
I'm not a name brand junky like some here are, so I'm perfectly happy
when I can find a quality no-name product at a lower price.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.