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the first time I got to experience Trader Joe's was such a wonderful experience for me. I was relocated to Detriot for 2 months after katrina for work. I was staying in the hosptial's dorms for international students. I didn't have a car with me and there wasn't much around. I finally met a friend that drove me out to Trader Joe's. I was in heaven. Only having a microwave to work with I quickly found things that would work for me. I bought microwave annie's mac and cheese, chicken sausages, some microwavable meals, lots of cheese, yougurt, and lots and lots of wine from the $10 and under. It was so much better than the little grocer that was near where all I could get was overly processed foods. I only wish we had one here now. I got spoiled.

My first experience with Trader Joe's was back in the summer of 1990, when I was living in Manhattan Beach, California. I became a vegetarian that summer, so finding a place where I could find lots of fresh nuts and dried/fresh fruits and vegetables was key. Trader Joe's at that time had all these big barrels and bulk foods areas. A very different place than today. But I'm still a huge TJ's fan.

The Trader Joe's I remember from when I was a kid (I'm 22, haha) is different than the one that I go to now, more bins and piles of veggies, less packaged goods, but I always remembered how much fun it was. TJs was the only supermarket within walking distance of our house, so it was the only one I knew, I thought all people bought groceries at a place like that. Imagine my shock in college when I discovered what Walmart was! (I still have never been inside one, I refuse).

The huge over 1 lb chocolate bars in each flavor, coffee (I spent over 70.00 on coffee that day) salmon cakes, tilapia, soup size penne rigati, chicken sausages, humuus, guac, salsa, sparkling water, olive oil, vinegar, marinated veggies, preserves.
I think I spent almost 200.00. That was so long ago.
Still love TJ's.

Jeez, I'm still a TJ's virgin. Guess I'll have to go up to Danbury on my day off to see what it's all about. Wow, what might I bring home . . . ?

You No Joe...then you no knows...so go to Joe
Try dark chocolate coved macadamia nuts. All produce. TJ Canned Alaskan Pink Salmon. Artichoke Antipasto. Cracker snacks are wonderful and all over the place. Thai Red Curry Sauce. 3 Bean Chili. Soft bite Mini Biscotti. All the bread. Awesome assortment of non-alcoholic beverages. French lemonade, Sparking Blueberry Juice, mineral waters, fruit juices, coffee. Now I did it... I must drive in to Chi town got to GO JOE (3 HOURS)

When we moved from Hyde Park in Chicago to Palo Alto, I had my first life-altering moment at Trader Joes. We had just taken possession of our house and needed quite literally one of everything. I didn't know where to begin until a friend told me to drive one town over to Mountain View, make a right and there I'd find a store that would have most, if not everything I needed to get started. As I drove down this tree-lined street, up loomed this over-sized, lovely looking 'grocery store with a large, welcoming, sort of cutesy sign saying "Welcome to Trader Joes". My thought, of course, was that the family that owned the old fashioned-esque store were into warmth as in wood floors, short aisles with low shelves, and, most of all, really nice and friendly and bright packaging. Little did I know that 'this' was the sib of a much larger parent. All I knew was how glad I was to find Traders and that slowly but surely, as I shopped, a sort of addiction was beginning to set in. I needed, no - I must have - I thought one of everything. How could I resist the price of such fine looking olive oil, sea salt, tuna, dill pickles, capers, - well, you've all been there so you get the idea. After loading three carts, I checked out with this dumb looking grin on my face and kept it that way all the way home. I was so sure that I had found the most unique family run groceteria in the whole entire world. Though now, years later, I know much better, I still feel a glow coming on whenever I shop at Traders.

I am glad for the positive TJ's outpouring here...I know there are some detractors among SE readers. When TJ's opened in my hometown around '92, I had just become a pre-teen vegetarian, and their wide selection of cheeses, nuts, and things like Nutella (!) became dietary staples for me. I have never been very fond of their produce (though it will do in a pinch), but I buy almost everything other than fruits and vegetables there.

When they opened in NYC a year (two?) ago, I knew it would be a huge boon for my grocery selections and budget, and it has been. The prices in the NYC store are about the same as their prices nationwide, which means they're much more affordable than other local stores for staples like tofu, olive oil, and frozen fruit, and they're the only place I can find e.g. whole wheat tortillas or tamari almonds other than Whole Foods (and of course their prices are lower). Their bath and paper products are also high-quality and low-priced.

I guess TJ's isn't for everyone, but it's just about the perfect store for my grocery needs!

Extremely disappointing. I drove clear across town, about 1/2 hour to check out the Trader Joe's in Milwaukee. Such hype - I had to go. It was such a tiny store with poor layout and bad selection. I didn't buy anything, I went to the new Whole Foods instead (which opened at almost the same time as Trader Joe's). I don't see what the big deal is.

i remember buying a huge bag of pine nuts. this was back in the days when pine nuts were only sold in tiny little glass jars for five bucks, and they were usually stale and nasty, so finding an affordable abundance of them was cause to go a little crazy. there were pine nuts in everything for a while!!!

No one has listed Two Buck Chuck?
I also bought a "reversible candle." My friends and I had no idea what made it reversible. As I remember, it was one of those 9" glass candles found in Mexican groceries that usually have a painting of a saint on them. The bottom half was red wax, and the top half was black wax. On the glass, it had a white outline of a face with two arrows encircling it (think recycle symbol), with the word "reversible (or something of the like) under the face. Can anyone shed any light on this oddity for me?

I miss Trader Joe's. The market is glutted by "whole paycheck" (Whole foods) here in Denver. Sigh....TJ's please come to Denver? PLEASE!!???

I totally forgot to look for Two Buck Chuck!

Thanks to everyone who posted. I enjoyed reading your responses. Understand that alot of the items I saw in TJ's are a.) not available near me b.) too expensive if they are available or c.) of poor quality, so my maiden voyage to the store was exhilirating in a food-geek sort of way. I can't wait to go back. With a cooler. Or two.

The next establishments on my list of "Stores I Must Visit Before I Die": Whole Foods (regardless of the prices/impending world domination) and Wegman's.

Maybe it's that I'm spoiled by living in Manhattan, but Trader Joe's -- based on my single experience there -- carries nothing that I can't get in a cleaner, considerably more organized store with staff that is more helpful and pleasant and cash-register lines that don't reach to Connecticut. My interest in 47 different kinds of trail mix is extremely limited. It may be that the Trader Joe's in Manhattan is skewed to appeal to the NYU students in the dorm right next door. It sure as hell isn't designed to appeal to cooks. Or grown-ups.

I shop at TJ's about once a month - some of their prices and selection can't be beat...but my love for them took a nosedive this past spring when I found out that a lot of their frozen produce is from China. :-( Also, their fresh garlic is sometimes from China as well, and this was confirmed by customer service. Apparently, it's all PACKAGED in California, but it's not all grown there.