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What in the Dickens is Trader Joe's?Apr 17 '01 (Updated Apr 19 '01) Write an essay on this topic.
Popular Products in Nutrition
The Bottom Line For value-priced gourmet food, this market can't be beat. Come here for inexpensive milk, cereal and beer. Their prepared sandwiches, salads, pizzas and entrees are delicious. Taste the breads.
Trader Joe's is a private label brand of products that are sold in Trader Joe grocery stores. Eighty percent of the items sold here carry the Trader Joe's private label. The chain carries more than 800 unique grocery items. If an item can be sold elsewhere for less, the stores won't carry it. The stores carry everything from apples to vitamins. Trader Joe's stores are convenience type stores. They are great for a quick in and out shopping trip. The stores hours are from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The unique gourmet chain began when JOE Coulombe opened a chain of Los Angeles convenience stores over 40 years ago called "Pronto" markets. A decade later he expanded the items sold and changed the name to Trader Joe's. His stores use buyers who travel the world seeking interesting products at great prices- hence the name change to Trader Joe's. The chain has 144 stores located in 14 states. Call 1-800-SHOP-TJS (1-800-746-7857) for a location near you. Luckily, there is one in my city of Scarsdale only 5 minutes from my home. New store openings are planned for Lake Zurich, IL, Boston & Newton, MA, Dublin, OH and Reston, VA. Trader Joe's brand name products are all high quality products at value prices. They are free of artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. They also taste good. A panel tastes every item before it is introduced in the stores. Even the store personnel taste products so they are able to answer consumers' questions. Trader Joe's products are regularly offered for consumer sample tasting at the stores. Many of the Trader Joe's Brand items are very unique and made exclusively to the chain's specification. A wide variety of items are also available for customers on restricted or special diets. At the front of the store, the company has lists of items (1-6 pages long) in the categories listed below so you can locate items more easily. If you are at all concerned about nutrition facts, recipes, party planning or country of origin of the foods, check out the plethora of information supplied. If the store doesn't carry your favorite specialties, speak to the manager. If he gets enough requests, he may stock the item. TYPES OF SPECIAL DIET FOOD CATEGORIES Gluten Free Foods Kosher Foods Sodium Free, Very Low Sodium, Low Sodium Foods Sugar Free, No sugar Added Foods Soy Foods Fat Free, Low Fat Foods Organically Grown Food Mostly, though, I shop for the gourmet specialty food. Last night I picked up an 8" pizza, Trader Joe's Roasted Pepper Pizza with Goat Cheese for $3.99. It was delicious and quite filling. With soup or salad and fruit, half a pizza makes a meal. Another favorite 8" pizza I enjoy is Pizza Pomodoro with Basil Pesto, Fresh Roma Tomatoes, Fresh Mozzarella and Sun Dried Tomatoes for $4.06. One half Pizza has 360 calories, 240 mg. of Sodium, 14g of Protein and 25 mg. of Cholesterol. Trader Joe products carry full Nutrition Facts on the labels. For a family, consider a pack of 4-5 1/2" Toscano pizzas. Or, choose a couple of 12" Italian Sausage & Green Peppers Pizza for $4.99. When I have more time, I pick up some fresh pizza dough, 16 oz for .79 and make my own from their dough. The dough is Kosher and free of artificial colors & flavors. Whenever I'm in a rush around lunchtime, I stop in for one of their deliciously prepared sandwiches. Their Low Fat/High Fiber Asian Wrap and Vegetarian Grilled Veggie Wrap are delicious. For tasty soup, try the New England Clam "Chowdah." Other favorites of mine are their Deluxe Salads: Calamari, Shrimp and Scallop & Fruitti di Mare. For a lunchtime snack, my daughter likes Trader Joe's Roasted & Salted(or Unsalted)Soy Nuts - 12 oz for $1.99. For a quick lunch, my daughter & I often buy their wonderful yogurts that have live active cultures. I especially love their wide variety of breads. Two of my favorites are the Sourdough Rye Bread and Sour Pumpernickel Bread. Breads run about $1.69-$1.99. My husband eats the Soft Whole Wheat Bread (24 oz, $1.69.) Their Cinnamon Raisin British muffins and Bagels are delicious, also. Try their 9-grain Whole Wheat Rolls. I always pick up a jar of their delicious Raspberry Jam to accompany the bread or their great variety of English Muffins or crumpets. They also carry delicious and varied cereals such as Fat Free Musli/Blueberry (16 oz for $1.99,) Natural Granola, Orange Almond Granola and McCann's Quick Cooking Irish Oatmeal-especially good in the winter. The cereals are relatively low priced. I buy their Uncle Sam Cereal ($1.97 for 10 oz) which is toasted whole-grain wheat flakes with crispy whole flaxseed (Dietary Fiber-10 g per serving, Low Sodium.) You can even find Soy Waffles for $1.69, 11 oz box of 8. Shop here for a wide variety of wines (not all stores carry wines, however,) and beers. Wines start at a low $4.00 a bottle on up. Microbrewery Beer starts at $4 for a 6 pack. Trader Joe's also carry bottle water, inexpensive milk, soymilk or rice milk beverages, soda, fruit drinks (Apple Juice, 48oz for $1.79,) great coffees and teas. I regularly pick up Trader Joe's Green Teas in boxes of 20 tea bags for $1.99. This is lower than I pay at Pathmark or A& P for the Celestial Seasonings brand. I love the cheese department and come here often when I have company. The cheese selection is good-both domestic and imported. Guests love the Brie in pastry shell and the Boursin cheese that I always serve at parties along with grapes and crackers. I also like their sliced Provolone, Veggie Slices and Swiss and Pepper that add flavor to sandwiches. They also carry Cabot and Tillamook brands of cheese. For dessert I usually pick up a Tiramisu or a mud pie. These are to die for! I ate a slice of tiramisu last night and it was delicious, as usual. My friends all ask me to bring this for casual get-togethers. Another great product for entertaining is Trader Joe's Authentic French Quiche - Broccoli & Cheddar Cheese. The 20 0z package retails for $4.99. It is the creation of Chef Thierry Nougaret and is delicious hot out of the over. Please don't try to microwave it, though. The produce area is always well stocked and clean. I particularly like their fruits and vegetables, which are attractively priced. The Corn on the Cob and the melons are sweet. Their kiwifruit, strawberries, peaches and tangerines are always fresh and juicy, as are the grapefruits. The tomatoes are ripe and deeply hued, as are the red peppers, broccoli and cucumbers. Their frozen meat department has chickens that are raised without hormones or antibiotics. They are fed grain and are floor-raised. This means they are protected from predators and disease; but the chickens are not enclosed in cages. The frozen ground beef ($2.99 per pound) is 93% Fat Free. The beef also does not contain any hormones or antibiotics. Bulls graze in pastures; the steer are fed corn and alfalfa hay. The Seafood Department carries Chilean Sea Bass (Patagonian Toothfish) for $6.99 per pound. I buy the Salmon Boneless Fillets at $4.79 per pound. Besides food items, the stores also stock lozenges, natural face and body creams, soaps and natural vitamins. Flaxseed Oil Capsules retails for $4.99 for 100 softgels and 100% Natural Vitamin E 400IU is $6.99. All supplements are tested for potency by an independent lab. Udderly Smooth Udder Cream is $2.99 for 10 oz jar. Olive & Aloe Soap is $1.69 for an 8 oz bar. I really like shopping in Trader Joe's because the personnel are so friendly and helpful. When the store isn't too busy they will gladly help you find items you are looking to buy. They are dressed in Hawaiian shirts that add a festive flair to the stores' atmosphere. The clerks are knowledgeable about the products. They quickly open cash registers if a line develops. They are always polite and helpful. I regularly visit my neighborhood Trader Joe's since it opened several years ago. I usually come by about once every two weeks because it is so close to me. My main complaint about this chain is that there are so few stores. They also don't accept American Express Credit Cards. The cashiers sometimes don't know the prices of items and that sometimes slows down checkout. Mine is a fairly new store but it doesn't use scanners. Since the stores are small convenience stores you can't use them for the bulk of your weekly shopping needs. Although they carry a variety of items there isn't that much choice for related items or for different size. All stores don't carry the same items. To keep cost down, stores often discontinue carrying certain items. You also cannot buy a case of anything at a discount price. The stores don't issue coupons or advertise special prices and they don't deliver. Nor are any opened 24 hours. They mail every so often a large sized 12 page very old-fashioned feeling brochure giving casual descriptions of items and prices. All negatives aside, this is a great store to shop in for quality gourmet foods. You'll find one-of-a-kind foods here that you won't find anywhere else. That's the niche they fill. I recommend this store to everyone who enjoys eating different ethnic gourmet foods. The handy paper grocery bags they use come with handles that are perfect for carrying home your purchases. (When the store first opened, customers received free canvass shopping bags.) My daughter told me about the wonderful convenience store she goes to in the Boston area called Trader Joe's. When I informed her of our neighborhood Trader Joe's Grand Opening, she said "Mom you are going to love this store." She was right.  |
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