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Trader Joe's - I don't get it

Trader Joe's - I don't get it
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  • Post #211 - December 9th, 2011, 4:03 pm
    Post #211 - December 9th, 2011, 4:03 pm Post #211 - December 9th, 2011, 4:03 pm
    Tried their Honey Sesame Almonds on the last go round and they were very good. Just barely sweet so they weren't cloying.
    "things like being careful with your coriander/ that's what makes the gravy grander" - Sondheim
  • Post #212 - December 9th, 2011, 5:53 pm
    Post #212 - December 9th, 2011, 5:53 pm Post #212 - December 9th, 2011, 5:53 pm
    grits wrote:Tried their Honey Sesame Almonds on the last go round and they were very good. Just barely sweet so they weren't cloying.


    At the other extreme, I cannot recommend their Eggnog Almonds. White chocolate coated with a nutmeg punch, it was just too sweet for me.
  • Post #213 - May 11th, 2012, 12:16 am
    Post #213 - May 11th, 2012, 12:16 am Post #213 - May 11th, 2012, 12:16 am
    Belgian Waffles from Belgium: not bad.
  • Post #214 - May 11th, 2012, 6:41 am
    Post #214 - May 11th, 2012, 6:41 am Post #214 - May 11th, 2012, 6:41 am
    alain40 wrote:It is also true that quite often after you get used to a certain product that you really like, it suddenly disappears without warning from the shelves and never comes back. The main reason might be that when TJ's cannot obtain a decent low price for such a product from their supplier anymore, they either drop it or find another supplier that will offer an inferior quality similar product for the same price.

    You know, I don't know why I never thought of this before, but the practice you describe is pretty much built into their name--all but promised by their name, I'd say. The name is telling us that they're this Trader who travels the markets of the world for goods he thinks his customers want, which he can sell to them at an attractive price. When a particular commodity becomes impossible to procure at a cost that allows this, he moves on, either finding a substitute from another purveyor in that same port, or setting sail to find another somewhere in the world, or dropping it altogether. Unlike a normal supermarket, he has no implied social contract with his customers that locks him into supplying a predictable roster of products or brands; his very name, Trader Joe, promises his customers that his business is something else entirely. The benefit he provides (the promise he makes) to his customers is not predictability but his eye for quality and his shrewd bargaining talents on their behalf.

    "Come see what I've procured for you today," his name beckons.

    You have to give the outfit credit for having been totally consistent about their style, through different owners, from the beginning, starting from the name. This could be a big "duh" to everybody else, but my mind never alighted on the name long enough before to realize it.
  • Post #215 - March 14th, 2013, 4:37 pm
    Post #215 - March 14th, 2013, 4:37 pm Post #215 - March 14th, 2013, 4:37 pm
    It's not so much what they have; It's what they don't have. I don't know how many times I have gone there to get something that's been mentioned on this thread and struck out. Just the other day I was making Momofuku's Bo Ssam and I needed a head of Bibb lettuce, kosher salt, and Kimchi. I found a picture of TJ's Kimchi on the web. Of the three items I needed, the Kimchi was the only thing they had. No Bibb lettuce, no Kosher salt. I asked an employee about the kosher salt because the only thing I could find was fine sea salt, which I have plenty of. No, they don't carry it. Off to a real grocery store. Why wouldn't they carry kosher salt?
  • Post #216 - March 14th, 2013, 11:39 pm
    Post #216 - March 14th, 2013, 11:39 pm Post #216 - March 14th, 2013, 11:39 pm
    imsscott wrote:Of the three items I needed, the Kimchi was the only thing they had. No Bibb lettuce, no Kosher salt. I asked an employee about the kosher salt because the only thing I could find was fine sea salt, which I have plenty of. No, they don't carry it. Off to a real grocery store. Why wouldn't they carry kosher salt?



    They are a limited SKU operation. They ONLY sell products that turn very quickly. Why would you want to carry Kosher Salt which will take a minimum of a month to move a case (if not more) when you can bring in a product where you can sell 3-4 cases per week?

    They have no intention of being everything to everybody. They buy things that they can convert to cash quickly. The model seems to be working.
  • Post #217 - March 15th, 2013, 6:26 am
    Post #217 - March 15th, 2013, 6:26 am Post #217 - March 15th, 2013, 6:26 am
    jlawrence01 wrote:
    imsscott wrote:Of the three items I needed, the Kimchi was the only thing they had. No Bibb lettuce, no Kosher salt. I asked an employee about the kosher salt because the only thing I could find was fine sea salt, which I have plenty of. No, they don't carry it. Off to a real grocery store. Why wouldn't they carry kosher salt?



    They are a limited SKU operation. They ONLY sell products that turn very quickly. Why would you want to carry Kosher Salt which will take a minimum of a month to move a case (if not more) when you can bring in a product where you can sell 3-4 cases per week?

    They have no intention of being everything to everybody. They buy things that they can convert to cash quickly. The model seems to be working.


    We're talking about salt here, one of the most basic items of all time. I would think any proprietor worth their salt would carry it if only just as a courtesy item.
    "Good stuff, Maynard." Dobie Gillis
  • Post #218 - March 15th, 2013, 6:44 am
    Post #218 - March 15th, 2013, 6:44 am Post #218 - March 15th, 2013, 6:44 am
    Don't they carry sea salt? Just find it with similarly sized granules - same thing.
  • Post #219 - March 15th, 2013, 7:51 am
    Post #219 - March 15th, 2013, 7:51 am Post #219 - March 15th, 2013, 7:51 am
    imsscott wrote:
    We're talking about salt here, one of the most basic items of all time. I would think any proprietor worth their salt would carry it if only just as a courtesy item.


    You're right, we are talking about salt. And since you're cooking with it then it really doesn't make any difference if it's kosher, coarse sea or fine table salt. It's all going to dissolve anyhow.
  • Post #220 - March 15th, 2013, 8:09 am
    Post #220 - March 15th, 2013, 8:09 am Post #220 - March 15th, 2013, 8:09 am
    spinynorman99 wrote:
    imsscott wrote:
    We're talking about salt here, one of the most basic items of all time. I would think any proprietor worth their salt would carry it if only just as a courtesy item.


    You're right, we are talking about salt. And since you're cooking with it then it really doesn't make any difference if it's kosher, coarse sea or fine table salt. It's all going to dissolve anyhow.


    spinynorman99 - what's the price difference between TJ's sea salt and your garden variety big box of kosher salt? Just curious because I certainly wouldn't put a cup of my fleur de sel into a brine. I use the cheap stuff for that.
  • Post #221 - March 15th, 2013, 9:35 am
    Post #221 - March 15th, 2013, 9:35 am Post #221 - March 15th, 2013, 9:35 am
    Darren72 wrote:
    spinynorman99 wrote:
    imsscott wrote:
    We're talking about salt here, one of the most basic items of all time. I would think any proprietor worth their salt would carry it if only just as a courtesy item.


    You're right, we are talking about salt. And since you're cooking with it then it really doesn't make any difference if it's kosher, coarse sea or fine table salt. It's all going to dissolve anyhow.


    spinynorman99 - what's the price difference between TJ's sea salt and your garden variety big box of kosher salt? Just curious because I certainly wouldn't put a cup of my fleur de sel into a brine. I use the cheap stuff for that.


    From what I recall it was fairly trivial and the recipe needs no more than a spoonful, which would make buying a box of kosher salt all the more wasteful. This is a tempest in a teapot. Just because the recipe lists "kosher salt" I can't see getting bent out of shape rather than using any old salt.
  • Post #222 - March 16th, 2013, 8:14 pm
    Post #222 - March 16th, 2013, 8:14 pm Post #222 - March 16th, 2013, 8:14 pm
    Under the "also surprised they don't carry it" category, I ran into Trader Joe's Friday afternoon expecting to pick up a bottle of dried tarragon and quickly be on my way, but they don't stock it. I was mildly annoyed, because I had planned a very efficient walking route to run some errands in Park Ridge, and was thwarted in my goal.

    Oh, well; one more reason to plan a trip to the Spice House!
    "When I'm born I'm a Tar Heel bred, and when I die I'm a Tar Heel dead."
  • Post #223 - March 18th, 2013, 8:35 am
    Post #223 - March 18th, 2013, 8:35 am Post #223 - March 18th, 2013, 8:35 am
    TJ's only has a very limited set of spices. They carry more in certain seasons - Pumpkin Pie spice in Fall, etc.
    Leek

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  • Post #224 - March 18th, 2013, 9:22 am
    Post #224 - March 18th, 2013, 9:22 am Post #224 - March 18th, 2013, 9:22 am
    Now see, I'd expect TJ's to be much more likely to have a pricey little bunch of out-of-season fresh tarragon or a frozen tarragon-cream chicken dish than a jar of dried tarragon amidst a wide stock of herbs (I think tarragon is justifiably one of the least-used dried herbs, mostly because the dried stuff bears no resemblance to the fresh... I lived well into my 40s thinking I didn't like tarragon, until one day I was persuaded to try it fresh and had my mind changed entirely. Now it will always have an honored spot amongst my favorites in my annual herb garden).

    In my experience, TJ's is not so much a grocery store to be used to stock a practical cook's pantry, but rather a source of mostly pre-made, ready-to-eat foods more suitable for quick meal prep (and a good place to load up for a road trip). I like riddlemay's thoughts on the name practically promising the place to have no social contract to provide a predictable inventory. Expecting it to be otherwise is to set yourself up for disappointment.
    “Assuredly it is a great accomplishment to be a novelist, but it is no mediocre glory to be a cook.” -- Alexandre Dumas

    "I give you Chicago. It is no London and Harvard. It is not Paris and buttermilk. It is American in every chitling and sparerib. It is alive from tail to snout." -- H.L. Mencken
  • Post #225 - March 18th, 2013, 5:32 pm
    Post #225 - March 18th, 2013, 5:32 pm Post #225 - March 18th, 2013, 5:32 pm
    leek wrote:TJ's only has a very limited set of spices. They carry more in certain seasons - Pumpkin Pie spice in Fall, etc.


    As I discovered on my recent visit :)

    I have bought spices there before, but I didn't remember what their collection entailed.
    "When I'm born I'm a Tar Heel bred, and when I die I'm a Tar Heel dead."
  • Post #226 - March 18th, 2013, 5:36 pm
    Post #226 - March 18th, 2013, 5:36 pm Post #226 - March 18th, 2013, 5:36 pm
    mamagotcha wrote:Now see, I'd expect TJ's to be much more likely to have a pricey little bunch of out-of-season fresh tarragon or a frozen tarragon-cream chicken dish than a jar of dried tarragon amidst a wide stock of herbs (I think tarragon is justifiably one of the least-used dried herbs, mostly because the dried stuff bears no resemblance to the fresh... I lived well into my 40s thinking I didn't like tarragon, until one day I was persuaded to try it fresh and had my mind changed entirely. Now it will always have an honored spot amongst my favorites in my annual herb garden).

    In my experience, TJ's is not so much a grocery store to be used to stock a practical cook's pantry, but rather a source of mostly pre-made, ready-to-eat foods more suitable for quick meal prep (and a good place to load up for a road trip). I like riddlemay's thoughts on the name practically promising the place to have no social contract to provide a predictable inventory. Expecting it to be otherwise is to set yourself up for disappointment.


    I wouldn't normally be looking for dried tarragon, but the recipe I was using for Green Goddess dressing swore up and down that the dried was tastier if you soaked it in a mix of lemon juice and water before mixing everything together (Cook's Illustrated, no less!). I thought the finished dressing was OK, but not what I had in mind as far as taste profile.

    Your observations about what TJ's is really good for match my experience. However, every so often, you will be surprised by what they carry for ingredients, which is why I had hope in this particular instance.
    "When I'm born I'm a Tar Heel bred, and when I die I'm a Tar Heel dead."
  • Post #227 - March 18th, 2013, 5:38 pm
    Post #227 - March 18th, 2013, 5:38 pm Post #227 - March 18th, 2013, 5:38 pm
    leek wrote:TJ's only has a very limited set of spices. They carry more in certain seasons - Pumpkin Pie spice in Fall, etc.


    Jewel's spice section would dwarf the combined spice/sauce/condiment sections of most TJ's. Jewels spices and condiments combined would probably take up 1/3 of the shelf space at most TJs. It's not trying to be everything to everybody.
  • Post #228 - March 18th, 2013, 9:40 pm
    Post #228 - March 18th, 2013, 9:40 pm Post #228 - March 18th, 2013, 9:40 pm
    I usually stop in for four things at TJs. The sourdough bread, the inexpensive smoked salmon when I
    don't want to spend the cash for the good stuff, the cheap cheese (Gouda, fontina) and the $6 large "sushi" tray for the kid for a quick after school snack on the way to pick him up.
  • Post #229 - March 19th, 2013, 10:10 am
    Post #229 - March 19th, 2013, 10:10 am Post #229 - March 19th, 2013, 10:10 am
    spinynorman99 wrote:
    ... since you're cooking with it then it really doesn't make any difference if it's kosher, coarse sea or fine table salt. It's all going to dissolve anyhow.

    ...the recipe needs no more than a spoonful, which would make buying a box of kosher salt all the more wasteful. This is a tempest in a teapot. Just because the recipe lists "kosher salt" I can't see getting bent out of shape rather than using any old salt.


    I don't know how you got the impression that I needed 1 spoon of kosher salt for a single recipe, got "bent out of shape" about it, made a special trip to a grocery store that I know doesn't carry many common items, where I planned to buy a big box of kosher salt, use a spoon of it, and then wastefully discard the rest of the box.

    For the record, the recipe calls for 1 cup plus 1 Tablespoon of kosher salt. That's seventeen spoonfuls, not one.

    When I saw that my supply of Kosher salt was low, I went ahead and used a half a cup of table salt instead for the first rub, saving the kosher salt I had for the finishing rub, and made a mental note to buy more for future uses. I went to Trader Joe's specifically for the Kimchi (and bibb lettuce,) not for the kosher salt, but as long as I was there I thought I'd pick up the salt too. They only had the kimchi. Have I sufficiently justified wanting kosher salt and only kosher salt?

    I and many others would also disagree that it makes no difference what type of salt you use if you are cooking with it because it all dissolves anyway. In fact, Kosher salt is used in some cooking applications because it doesn't all dissolve, such as on the skin of a roasted bird. Other factors for choosing one type over another include ease or effectiveness of use, additives, mineral content, purity, volume differences, cost,...etc.

    spinynorman99 wrote:...it really doesn't make any difference if it's kosher, coarse sea or fine table salt.


    By the way, I didn't see any of the 3 types you mentioned. I only saw fine sea salt. No kosher, no coarse sea salt, and no table salt.
  • Post #230 - March 19th, 2013, 4:31 pm
    Post #230 - March 19th, 2013, 4:31 pm Post #230 - March 19th, 2013, 4:31 pm
    Jewel's spice section would dwarf the combined spice/sauce/condiment sections of most TJ's.

    Yes, and so would the prices.

    Why anybody buys supermarket spices, with their astronomical prices and questionable freshness, is beyond me. We haven't bought any in probably 12 or 15 years.

    Just a little effort will find a Penzey's, Spice House, bulk spice departments at Whole Foods, and many local stores - for instance the Westbrook markets in the western suburbs - where you can get the tablespoon you need for a particular recipe.

    Just the achievement of checking out of a Whole Foods with a bill for 26 cents makes the whole special trip worthwhile. :lol:
    Suburban gourmand
  • Post #231 - March 20th, 2013, 11:11 am
    Post #231 - March 20th, 2013, 11:11 am Post #231 - March 20th, 2013, 11:11 am
    Tried the frozen Mozzerella Sticks this week, which are usually a disaster from my experiences with previous frozen mozzella sticks that I have baked in the past.

    These were really good, but be sure to watch them like a hawk, since they can bust open and leak the cheese out if you leave them in the oven too long.
  • Post #232 - January 7th, 2014, 2:55 pm
    Post #232 - January 7th, 2014, 2:55 pm Post #232 - January 7th, 2014, 2:55 pm
    Looks like the villagers of Schaumburg are getting their first TJ.
    Grocery chain Trader Joe's is making a play for shoppers in Schaumburg, which faces a void in its grocery market after the closure of two Dominick's stores.

    Trader Joe's signed a lease to open a 12,500-square-foot store in the Woodfield Village Green shopping center, at the northeast corner of Golf and Meacham roads in the northwest suburb, a spokeswoman for the Monrovia, Calif.-based company said.

    http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/ ... schaumburg
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #233 - February 5th, 2014, 11:22 am
    Post #233 - February 5th, 2014, 11:22 am Post #233 - February 5th, 2014, 11:22 am
    Trader Joe's is coming to Wicker Park, adding another yuppie marker to the affluent Northwest Side neighborhood.

    http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/ ... cker-park#
    Never order barbecue in a place that also serves quiche - Lewis Grizzard
  • Post #234 - February 5th, 2014, 2:42 pm
    Post #234 - February 5th, 2014, 2:42 pm Post #234 - February 5th, 2014, 2:42 pm
    Dave148 wrote:
    Trader Joe's is coming to Wicker Park, adding another yuppie marker to the affluent Northwest Side neighborhood.

    http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/ ... cker-park#


    Well, they do already have an Aldi's in the neighborhood and a Jewel. :shock:
    Ava-"If you get down and out, just get in the kitchen and bake a cake."- Jean Strickland

    Horto In Urbs- Falling in love with Urban Vegetable Gardening
  • Post #235 - February 5th, 2014, 4:03 pm
    Post #235 - February 5th, 2014, 4:03 pm Post #235 - February 5th, 2014, 4:03 pm
    Construction of a Trader Joe's in Libertyville (1600 Milwaukee Avenue) is progressing, and rumor has it that they are hoping to open in the second half of February. It is across the street from the relatively new Mariano's in Libertyville, so they won't be competing for staple grocery sales, but rather (I presume) on sales of their specialty items. After losing two Dominick's stores in the area recently, a Mariano's and a Trader Joe's are welcome additions.
    "Your swimming suit matches your eyes, you hold your nose before diving, loving you has made me bananas!"
  • Post #236 - March 1st, 2014, 4:46 pm
    Post #236 - March 1st, 2014, 4:46 pm Post #236 - March 1st, 2014, 4:46 pm
    Stopped in to the Diversey Trader Joe's this afternoon on the way home from a movie. Purpose of stopping in was to take home one of their rotisserie chickens. Couldn't find them, asked a young lady who worked there where they might be, and was amazed to learn the store has stopped carrying them from whoever the purveyor was, and has yet to find a new purveyor. The young lady said, "Maybe by this summer."

    I get that the whole "schtick" of Trader Joe's is "sometimes we have stuff, sometimes we don't," but the other thing the young lady said made it even stranger. She said, "I must get your question 120 times a day." You'd think that the possibility of selling (minimum) 120 rotisserie chickens a day would furnish enough incentive to find a purveyor.

    (I also confess surprise that an outside purveyor is involved in this at all. I guess I thought the store roasted the chickens itself, although I can't say I ever saw any turning around on a spit.)
    Pithy quote here.
  • Post #237 - March 3rd, 2014, 3:08 pm
    Post #237 - March 3rd, 2014, 3:08 pm Post #237 - March 3rd, 2014, 3:08 pm
    riddlemay wrote:Stopped in to the Diversey Trader Joe's this afternoon on the way home from a movie. Purpose of stopping in was to take home one of their rotisserie chickens. Couldn't find them, asked a young lady who worked there where they might be, and was amazed to learn the store has stopped carrying them from whoever the purveyor was, and has yet to find a new purveyor. The young lady said, "Maybe by this summer."

    I get that the whole "schtick" of Trader Joe's is "sometimes we have stuff, sometimes we don't," but the other thing the young lady said made it even stranger. She said, "I must get your question 120 times a day." You'd think that the possibility of selling (minimum) 120 rotisserie chickens a day would furnish enough incentive to find a purveyor.

    (I also confess surprise that an outside purveyor is involved in this at all. I guess I thought the store roasted the chickens itself, although I can't say I ever saw any turning around on a spit.)


    Profit on 120 rotisserie chickens wouldn't cover that day's electric bill for the roaster.
  • Post #238 - March 3rd, 2014, 4:40 pm
    Post #238 - March 3rd, 2014, 4:40 pm Post #238 - March 3rd, 2014, 4:40 pm
    spinynorman99 wrote:
    riddlemay wrote:Stopped in to the Diversey Trader Joe's this afternoon on the way home from a movie. Purpose of stopping in was to take home one of their rotisserie chickens. Couldn't find them, asked a young lady who worked there where they might be, and was amazed to learn the store has stopped carrying them from whoever the purveyor was, and has yet to find a new purveyor. The young lady said, "Maybe by this summer."

    I get that the whole "schtick" of Trader Joe's is "sometimes we have stuff, sometimes we don't," but the other thing the young lady said made it even stranger. She said, "I must get your question 120 times a day." You'd think that the possibility of selling (minimum) 120 rotisserie chickens a day would furnish enough incentive to find a purveyor.

    (I also confess surprise that an outside purveyor is involved in this at all. I guess I thought the store roasted the chickens itself, although I can't say I ever saw any turning around on a spit.)


    Profit on 120 rotisserie chickens wouldn't cover that day's electric bill for the roaster.


    Good info to have (I would have thought otherwise), but I think it's safe to say that if 120 people are asking that employee daily (which, granted, could have been a "figure of speech"--I don't know if the young lady would testify to that number in a court of law), another daily 120 hope to find a rotisserie chicken and ask a different employee, while another 120 are surprised not to find one but don't bother asking anyone, while yet another 120 rotisserie chicken would-be buyers are not surprised not to find one because they've been in the store the week before and know they don't have them anymore. So that makes 480 lost rotisserie chicken sales a day. Are we edging into profitability?
    Pithy quote here.
  • Post #239 - March 28th, 2014, 10:50 am
    Post #239 - March 28th, 2014, 10:50 am Post #239 - March 28th, 2014, 10:50 am
    Trader Joe's, Costco Ranked Tops by Consumer Reports
    Walmart at Bottom


    From today.com: "The perfect supermarket would offer the highest quality food at very low prices. It would be squeaky clean and the service would be exemplary.
    There is no such store, but according to the latest ratings from Consumer Reports two national chains – Trader Joe’s (87 out of 100) and Costco (84) – are getting very close....
    “Trader Joe’s gets exemplary marks for service and very good marks for perishables. Their prices were considered extraordinary and they’re a very clean store,” said senior projects editor Tod Marks.
    Costco got top marks for prices and perishables, but only rated average on service, which makes sense to anyone who shops there."

    From http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/supe ... -guide.htm
    Among the top stores were national grocers Costco (the no-frills warehouse club that offers great deals if you're willing to buy in bulk), Trader Joe's (a limited-assortment store that specializes in store brands and unusual goods), and Whole Foods (focusing on perishables, organics, and service)....

    No chain tried their customers' patience more than Walmart Supercenter, where 80 percent of shoppers had at least one problem. Shoppers who frequented Walmart, the nation's largest grocer and the chain with the most shoppers in our survey, were most likely to be miffed about the lack of open checkouts, out-of-stock regular items, indifferent employees, spotty pricing, and confusing store layout.
    "Life is a combination of magic and pasta." -- Federico Fellini

    "You're not going to like it in Chicago. The wind comes howling in from the lake. And there's practically no opera season at all--and the Lord only knows whether they've ever heard of lobster Newburg." --Charles Foster Kane, Citizen Kane.
  • Post #240 - March 28th, 2014, 11:09 am
    Post #240 - March 28th, 2014, 11:09 am Post #240 - March 28th, 2014, 11:09 am
    “Trader Joe’s gets exemplary marks for service and very good marks for perishables. Their prices were considered extraordinary and they’re a very clean store,” said senior projects editor Tod Marks.


    I shop at TJ quite a bit, and I concur on the price assessment for wines and flowers, but "perishables"? Meaning what, the somewhat iffy and certainly not cheap (or local) fruits & veg, or the soggy Cryopaked meats? :|

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