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My pleasure bareneed, especially when it is to bring new people into the TJ's cult. Unfortunately there isn't a store in SC yet. They have locations in Chapel Hill, Charlotte, and Cary in NC, and half a dozen locations in GA. Perhaps a road trip is in order once you get there; you can even use the excuse that you want to compare the 'cue in NC and SC (well beyond the scope of this thread).

bareneed: There is a recently posted video of a fan-made TJs "commercial" on this site. It sums up the store better than I can, but here is a brief overview. TJs sells mostly private-label products, which are often identical to brand name ones, just with different packaging. They sell them at much lower prices than the branded counterparts, but even when they do carry items you can find elsewhere, they are often significantly cheaper. Their basic "philosophy" is to cut out middle-men as much as they can, and buy directly from manufacturers. Other ways they keep prices low are by having a more limited selection (and smaller stores) than most suburban supermarkets, limiting advertising to radio ads they record themselves, getting rid of products that don't sell well, buying from suppliers in large quantities, etc. etc. While they do sell a lot of organic and healthy food, there is also a ton of snack food and other items that are upscale but definitely off-limits to anyone on a diet (witness the bacon spinach salad containing 50 grams of fat). The stores are done up in a mock-maritime decor, with wood paneling, a ship's bell for signaling the crew, Hawaiian shirts for full-time employees, etc. As you can probably tell, people are fanatical about the place. Aside from the food and prices, there is a fun atmosphere to the stores; I worked there for three years, and constantly had people telling me that it was their favorite place to shop (for anything). The company also treats its employees better than just about anyone else does; IMHO, the only reason it never appears on Fortunes Best Companies to Work For is that it is privately held.

Ditto on the gyoza. Sesame-crusted cashews. Marinated tri-tip (almost impossible to find in any other store in New York). Frozen pizzas. Greek yogurt. Frozen raspberries at half the price of any other store. Double-roasted salsa.

kqrbob: The edamame are from Thailand.

the manhattan store is just too crowded and can't keep the stock on the shelves as quickly as things are purchased. they probably gear it towards nyu students because they are the only people who can go during the middle of the day when its empty. its frustrating, but it is so much cheaper then our neighborhood grocery stores and the quality is much better so my roommate and i go every few weeks to stock up on staples. we love the gingersnaps and all of the cereal is great.

Cream-topped whole milk – Never thought I'd see that again!
Naan – my daughter's favorite. Fortunately, our new copy of How to Cook Everything has a recipe! (The nearest Trader Joe's is an hour away from where I now live.) Actually, almost all the TJ breads I've tried have been good.
Double Gloucester cheese. Like cheddar with extra butter. And chives. Mmmm.
Maple syrup – affordable at last!
King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour – beautiful stuff, but it's about $6/bag at Safeway.
Spelt Farrotto!
Sugar/salt scrubs for getting extra gooky stuff off your hands. My son swears by it.

TJ's brand: Organic mint tea, Organic orange juice, vegetable chips, original beef jerky, frozen brown rice, frozen Thai shrimp dumplings, gyoza dipping sauce, jalapeno stuffed green olives, whole wheat pizza dough, challah bread rolls, garlic naan, orange blossom liquid hand soap, and their french chocolate truffles.

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Alcoholic- margaritas hands down (fresh limes though)
Non Alcoholic- iced tea

Mint juleps! Forget mojitos, I prefer this classic work of art in bourbon, mint, sugar and ice - the perfect compliment to relaxing on a porch swing or rocker.

I love a Sea Breeze - vodka, cranberry juice, and a squeeze of fresh lime. Ahhh!

for me its gotta be lemonaide or a margarita...yum!

Root beer floats!

Iced tea and cold beer!