Why I Love Trader Joe's
No, they're not paying me to say this.
I want to begin by saying I do not work for Trader Joe's. I am not being paid to endorse them in anyway. I want to write this article for those that are not familiar with the products Trader Joe's offers. If you are not already shopping at Trader Joe's, I want to tell you why you should start.
When I first moved to Baltimore, I had never heard of Trader Joe's grocery store. Some of my friends had started to shop there, but I figured it wasn't for me. After all, I had seen the crew working there and thought, "What a weird place! Why are they wearing Hawaiian shirts?" I assumed it was some organic food store and I could never afford their prices. I was kind of right about the food, but wrong about the prices.
A thumbs up on prices!
I've found that just about everything in Trader Joe's is cheaper than other grocery stores, except a few special products. Trader Joe's buys from local farmers and bakeries so they can pass the savings onto their customers. Not only does this keep the cost down, but it means everything is really fresh. Some great items to buy at Trader Joe's are milk, eggs, fruits, vegetables, and bread. Keep in mind, since a lot of preservatives are not being used in most items, some things like bread tend to go stale faster than food from other stores. If you live by yourself, you might want to buy your bread elsewhere unless you know for a fact you can eat the bread within a couple of days.
A couple of examples of lower prices:
- A gallon jug of milk at Trader Joe's is always under $4. I believe it is currently running at $3.69 a jug. I can't even find prices like that at Walmart.
- Bananas are 19 cents a banana. Normally bananas are weighed at other stores, but because of the Trader Joe's method of pricing bananas, it is to your benefit to get large bananas. Even if you get small bananas at other stores, when you break down the price you've usually paid around 22 cents or more per banana. I've done the math.
Trader Joe's Cookbooks
Not your typical brands...
If you are looking for the standard brand names you will see at all other supermarkets, you may want to go elsewhere. Trader Joe's stocks a lot of products with the Trader Joe's name on it, along with some other brands. Occasionally, you will find the same brand names you've seen at another store, but it does not happen a lot. For instance, if you are looking for Bounty paper towels or Kellogg's cereal, you will probably need to go elsewhere. I've found that you can usually get everything you need by visiting Trader Joe's and Target or Walmart.
Even if you usually like to stick to name brands you already know, I suggest giving Trader Joe's brands a try. Many of them cost much less than you will find at a grocery store like Giant or Food Lion. I highly recommend the Mushroom Turnovers in the frozen section and their Juice in a Box. Also, they make great preserves! Even if I find their preserves to be a little more expensive than preserves sold at other stores, they are so great that I won't buy anything else. I especially recommend the Cherry Preserves.
Seasonal favorites at Trader Joe's...
Another aspect of Trader Joe's that really stands out are some of the seasonal treats the store sells. Once fall rolls around, it is time to stock up on Pumpkin Bread Mix and Gingerbread Mix. Their mixes are delicious and easy to make. Anytime I use them, I get a ton of compliments as if I baked everything from scratch.
For Christmas, Trader Joe's always sells a giant Gingerbread Man Kit, Candy Cane Green Tea, their own version of the Chocolate Orange, and so much more. I will warn you, if you want any of the seasonal items at Trader Joe's, you'd better buy them as soon as you see them. They tend to sell out fast, especially the Candy Cane Green Tea. Stock up while you see them!
Happy shopping!
I hope if you have not had the experience of shopping at Trader Joe's yet, you will now give it a try. It is a fun place to shop full of workers wearing Hawaiian shirts and a unique variety of music. The prices are great, the food is delicious, and the atmosphere is like no other place. That is why I love Trader Joe's. So go out there and shop!
Copyright ©2011 Jeannieinabottle (Revised 2012)