I went back today because It takes several trips to find all the special stuff.
Cookie Butter,anyone tried this?
It tastes like spreadable ginger bread.I plan to have it on Multigrain toast with Raspberry preserves.
I also bought Cornbread mix,heard it wasnt to be believed.
Several types of Trex Mix aka Trail Mix.
Freerange Chicken Broth
The only thing I've had from TJ's are the olives......some are green & shaped like kidney beans....yum...but my SIL couldn't find them for me this past week....The closest one to me is about 40 miles away, so I've never been......
Its near Wegmans here.Add it to your list for your visit next year.
How busy is it?
I usually go at 8:00 AM.It isnt crowded then.Wednesday there were maybe 15 customers but today there were many more but no line at the register.
I'll certainly get there with Laurie next summer!
Your best bet is a mid week day.That Plaza is awful with traffic on a weekend.
Pretty crowded during the week, too......couldn't find a parking spot at Wegman's last time we went, but it was lunchtime, & many folks were eating there.....
Lunchtime is the kiss of death
Trader Joe's carries a kind of "healthy" nacho chip (big bag) that is better for you than the average stuff.
The bag is clear in the middle, with yellow color on top and bottom. Of course, by the time you dip it into something, all bets are off....
Haaaaa!! I had heard of those.
It will take me months before I find all my favorites.
Any suggestions are welcome.
Since the TJ quality is better than the Wegmans brand of anything ,I plan to shop there on a weekly basis.
Yep, even though Trader Joe's can be pricey, you can carefully pick and choose, and still get your money's worth.
Since the 1950's, supermarkets have used "loss leaders" to bring in customers; the loss leaders are to get the customer in the door, and then "they gotcha."
Stop & Shop (in my area) will offer a few tantalizing specials from week to week, but then charge almost $ 4.00 for a tiny jar of tartar sauce !
I just hate that.
Wegmans whose name is legend,is based here. I shop there because its a store I can get around without needing oxygen.
I also like their pharmacy.
They would feature an item,say Bolthouse Yogurt Dressings and have a big display with appropriate vedgtables and greens displayed.
I got hooked on Thousand Island Dressing because its so versital.I poured a small amount on poached salmon,spread it on bread for sandwiches and even had some on salad.
This went along fine for a year or so.Then Wegmans pirates the recipe and bottles their own. Believe me there is a world of difference.Its not just dressing, there are bread products and sauces and the list goes on as to how this store now sells mostly their own brand. Not always high quality too.
I have only a small grocery in town....prices are high on everything....the nearest Stop & Shop is about 15-20 miles away, so I only go for big orders.....
I've heard so many people talk about Wegmans stuff, we don't have one close and glad because I wasn't impressed. I like TJ but that isn't close either and I have never been there that it wasn't packed. I've tried all different times too, doesn't matter, always a crowd.
In my opinion Wegmans was the tops in the 80's.Now its just a big supermarket,just like all the rest.
I still think Wegmans is the best. You can't beat their prices, and I haven't had anything that was not good quality. And they have a good variety. Twice what Tops is, and those were our two choices before.
I agree Wegs produce cant be equaled.Spahgetti sauce is wonderful even if it originally was Marios.
Its not all bad,its just not what it was 30 years ago.
And I miss the bubble tea!
Robin, there's one in Hartford and one in Danbury. We have one in Darien, about 15-20 minutes from here, and a new one coming in next year about 10 minutes away.
Wegmans get high grades in a lot of things, but like all supermarkets, they vary from location and individual store manager. When a store brings out their own brand, they don't "pirate" the recipe. It is either made by the original manufacturer to the specs of the store or by a company that does competitive manufacturing for store brands. Sears does it to with appliances. They say Kenmore, but they are made by a standard brand to Sears' specifications.
TJ's gives the best price for the product. If it becomes uneconomical, they drop the product. So, if they cannot do the same product for less than a supermarket, they do not sell it. Our local TJ's is always providing promotional samples and always provides coffee or lemonade. Amazing how much more I buy when I've tried it out at the store. Many times I can buy a product cheaper at Costco, but if it is a small amount I'm looking for or only one bottle/can/hunk of cheese, Trader Joe's is the place to go. Produce is usually seasonal, and around Thanksgiving, there are lots of seasonal items that they promote only between now and January.
Sounds very nice, & I may get to one, probably in Danbury.....don't like going to the Hartford area....
We have a {new?} Trader Joes in Saugus. It is in a plaza right next to the PetSmart store so I get up there now and then. It is on route 1 between the stop and shop and Hannaford's. I shop at all three. But generally only for specialty items at Trader Joes that I would expect to pay a high price for at the other stores or couldn't find there. Stop and shop has "dumbed down" its selection in Saugus also. They don't carry many items any more and sometimes not their store brand of the name brand types either. Hannafords has better deli prices and meat and fish prices too. Stop and Shop is my local pharmacy, however and is the closest to my home for convenience sake.
Martha
Marlborough is not too far Saugus so I am aware of the stores that Martha speaks. We have the same stores in my area. The next town over has a Wegmen's that just had their first aniv. It is the first one built in all of New England. The opening of this Wegmen's was looked forward to more then when they threw the tea into Boston harbor. We love Wegman's, it carries the of the largest selections of gluten free products of anywhere I've shopped. Both my wife and daughter can't have wheat products. We are close to Trader Joes and also Whole Food (whole paycheck as my son calls it) store. My wife likes TJ's but you have to understand pricing when you shop. Another new supermarket that they are building locally is "Market Basket" (local chain), everyone is excited about this also. Overall Market Basket has the best all around prices.
My top vote getter would be Wegman's.
Chuck
Even though I only get to one once a year when I'm visiting my niece, I agree....I love Wegman's......
Dogwalker is right: you Do have to understand the pricing at Trader Joes to make it work for you. About a year ago we got a Fairway Market, which is around New York City, and like Wegman's it is great. While it is a bit pricey on many things, their sale items are unbelievably cheap in every department. So we learn to like specials.
Wegman's has a reputation for being a wonderful employer as well.
Market Basket is positioning itself in the "lower price point" range, just a notch above Price Rite (P.R. doesn't even take coupons, last time I tried 2 yrs ago).
Step 1) Comb the circulars, make brief lists (worth the 15 minutes);
Step 2) Purchase in bulk, organize "pantry" and frozen;
Step 3) Don't rule out farm stands (in season) for perishables;
Step 4) (most difficult) Write down errors, so you can avoid repeating them. We all get caught flat-footed at the last minute, from time to time; and who can resist a great impulse purchase ?
Just 10 minutes of organization, every 5 days or so, can save $$.
Having just had my 65th birthday and beginning Medicare I had to get new prescriptions. Because the mail order people take up to 14 days for new prescriptions I had 3 of them sent to Wegman's for a 30 days supply. I was going shopping anyways so I picked up the 3 scripts before shopping. They only cost me $16.00 verses the normal $60 to $70 I paid before. On top of that Wegman's has an offer for every new or transferred prescription (up to 5) they give you a coupon for $20. They handed me 3 of them totaling $60. All of that days shopping was FREE!
The only problem was that the offer isn't allowed for government sponsored programs, but they had already printed the coupons so they just gave them to me.
I LOVE WEGMAN"S!
Chuck
Right now they are giving free lipitor
Yes, saw the sign outside when I was there in August....
My friend was just bragging about the great deals on wine at TJs
My stepdaughter brought me a pumpkin cheesecake from Trader Joe's....pretty good, but a little sweet for me.....
My pumpkin cheesecake is better. It is actually a recipe that calls for Kahlua. But if you like Kahlua and put it in the recipe, it would be excellent.
Martha
That does sound yummy...
