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I love Trader Joe's--granted, they do offer a lot of packaged foods, but if you read the labels on the packages, you'll see they are made of "real" ingredients. For example, the cookies I purchased for my kids said "flour, butter, sugar, milk..." No preservatives, chemicals, or fake flavors in their food. I also find the store offers VERY affordable organic options. I would prefer to see more fresh produce and grains, nuts and rice in bulk quantities, but I can get those at the Food Co-op or in the Strip District (pittsburgh's market district). I'm sure glad TJ's came to Pittsburgh--it is an affordable place to shop for a family of six--I find that a cart full of food there costs about half of what I would pay in our local giant supermarket.

trader joes is my favorite place to buy groceries. I agree with everything said above. It is hard buying/cooking for one and all the pre-packaged,frozen etc foods make it much easier. I can eat healthy, organic, and interesting foods without things spoiling or getting moldy.

I'm with Oolah. The TJ's in Manhattan is next to my gym, so I stop by there sometimes when I need to buy groceries on my way home. I'm always disappointed.

It never has really what I want, and what's there is always extremely packaged and frozen. I never buy much-- just sushi, milk, chips, vitamins or maybe some fish. I find the selection there limited and fairly uninspiring; I'd much rather trek over to the Coop in Park Slope or to a Greenmarket for my groceries.

I've been shopping at TJ's for over 40 years (I live near their #2 store) and will continue to do so, unless the changes go too far afield. There are specific items I buy--coffee beans, wine, Altoids, nuts, KA flour, frozen mochi, frozen organic corn and peas, almond butter, canned organic tomatoes, fresh flowers/plants and probably a few other things that I can't think of right now. Oh, their fresh fruit preserves are wonderful! Their prices are usually better than other stores for the same items.

Their produce can be iffy and most of it comes from Mexico or other countries. Their meat/chicken sucks. Cheese isn't all that great either. Their frozen vegetables are better than what you get at the supermarket (which isn't saying much, but I like to keep corn and peas on hand). I don't find their prepared foods (either fresh, boxed or frozen) very good, but I don't like most prepared foods anyway.

It's not a place to shop for *everything*.

I think it's great.. I live in the area and go to Sahadi's every now and then, but I have no guarentee that it's all natural (or is that an unstated rule?). The only thing is that Cobble Hill/Brooklyn Heights desperately needs a great all-natural/organic produce store, as the farmers market is always lacking, and Pacific looks pretty but I doubt it's clean. But if I don't have to go all the way into Union Square to get my Chocolate Moo - the organic chocolate milk syrup for a mere $2.49, I'll be a very happy shopper!

Having loved grocery shopping at a Chicago Trader Joes location for two years, (which obviously includes supplemental shopping at other grocery stores especially a fruit and vegetable market for produce), I have lost my enthusiasm. I still pop in every now and then for vitamins, cheese, emergen-c, dried fruit and nuts, I've found another grocery that fits my needs more specifically: Sunflower Market. A smaller, more ecnomical alternative to Whole [Paycheck] Foods, Sunflower offers a wide variety of whole food at reasonable prices. I still frequent the fruit and vegetable market every week, but Sunflower is a pleasure and offers a great variety of products, lines and foods. Also - nothing sold in the store is GMO and they try to avoid partially hydroginated oils which takes alot of the guess work out of shopping.

i agree with a nony mous, its not a place to shop for everything. but its great for some things. like cereal (love their mini wheats, and half the price of another grocery store), good diary, juices, packaged lunches and frozen foods. and the produce is ok, but sometimes you want just one artichoke, not 4....overall, i'm ecstatic about it. i belong to the coop, but the lines are just as bad as trader joes and for me, their best feature is the produce. if i can get my produce at the coop and everything else at tj's (and pay using a credit card at that), i'll be a happy camper.

I'm a die-hard TJ fan having shopped in L.A. stores for maybe 30 years, but I have to say that shopping at the one on 14th St. is one of the most unpleasant shopping experiences I've had. It's takes all the joy out it. I hardly go there anymore because of the crowds on line and in the aisles. Because I go to L.A. so often, it's still easier and satisfying for me to shop there and shlep my favorites back to NYC. I'm hoping that a new Brooklyn venue will ease the traffic jam at 14th Street and since I live in Brooklyn, not cause a new one there.

That said, I agree with all the posters who say that TJ's is not for everything. I think of it as a moderately priced, kind of quirky specialty foods store and more. I never buy produce or meat or fish. Much of the produce does come from Mexico and I'd sooner buy that locally at the greenmarkets. But I love some of their jarred condiments, salmon burgers, jarred peach sauce, mango chunks, rice vinegar, nuts, juices, crackers, and their garlic from California. (It's one of the few places these days where you can buy garlic that isn't from China, which I refuse to do). I can't wait to give it a chance in Brooklyn. But if the crowds persist, I'll stock up in L.A.

I like TJ's better than most grocery stores and resort to shopping there for packaged foods during particularly busy times of my school semester (most of the time I try to buy as much as I can at the farmers' market and cook from scratch). However, like Oolah, I avoid shopping there very often because I'm bothered by the excessive packaging and waste. And it's always unpleasantly crowded at my local TJ's in LA (must be a different one from the one BB goes to!).

I think Trader Joe's brother is the Aldi's guy? Not sure if that's an urban myth or not.


Pinkuschi, where is this Sunflower market? I think I may have heard of it. Is it a co-op by any chance? I went to a Sunflower in Cocoa, FL and it was really cool.

chiffonade, all their veggies come in compostable packaging. Not sure about the plastic wrap but the little containers are all corn-based.

And I have to say, I agree with using TJ's as a resource for some stuff but not everything. They have a lot of great frozen and prepackaged stuff that is wonderful when you're in a rush and often can be pepped up by adding some sauce or fresh stuff to the mix. I try to buy my produce other places but I have to say their cracker selections are great, as silly as that sounds. And here, the food options are not so good as they may be in major metropolitan areas so overall I am really happy we have a TJ's.

i've never had the patience for the NYC TJ's--lines that long compel me to evaluate whether i really NEED dried blueberries or mango pomegranate juice or insert esoteric item here. But my parents live around the corner from TJ's in Newton, Mass, and i load up like a Roman every time I go home. here's to their salsa!

I live 2 blocks away from where the new TJ's will be at Atlantic & Court and I welcome them to the 'hood. Our only options for decent grocery shopping around here is to schlep to Fairway in Red Hook (which I don't mind at all in the summer, but sucks in the winter), order from Fresh Direct (requires too much planning in advance and usually takes them 2 trips or more to get the order right) or go to the crappy Key Food on Atlantic & Clinton (i have to really be desperate to go in there for anything other than to use the only-a-dollar surcharge ATM!). While I do shop in Sahadai's once or twice a week, it's usually just for specialty items. Anywhere else we like to shop involves a ZipCar, which I'd like to cut down on. I'd /prefer/ a Whole Foods, but I'll take TJ's for now.

I think it's interesting that everyone who is "off" TJ's still lists 5 or 6 items they buy there. I also live near the new Brooklyn Trader Joe's and I'm totally psyched (and so is my husband, who won't have to drive me to the TJ's in Westchester anymore). I've never been to the TJ's in Manhattan and don't plan to go as I hear it's a mob scene. I hope the Brooklyn TJ's won't be that way and I sort of feel that it won't - especially since there is no parking nearby.

Art, I'd never heard that rumor and seriously doubt that it's true. However, Aldi's bought out TJ's several years ago, and that's when they started expanding into other areas/states.

I agree -- TJ's is a great place for snacks and staples such as rice, pasta, canned foods, frozen stuff, and WINE (I love their wine/beer selection) but I could never use them as my only grocery resource. I think a vegetarian could do very well, though, with just a TJ's and a nice farmer's market.

After a little google action it seems as if Trader Joes and Aldi are owned by the Albrecht brothers of Germany who in 2005 were thought to be worth 20 billion dollars. Still, who knows and who cares? I just think it's brilliant if it's true because they are successfuly catering to both poles of the marketplace.

TJ's produce blows, but their coffee, pastas, and frozen foods are great and super cheap (the frozen enchiladas are worth trying). But I'll be hiking up Court Street to stock up on their eco-friendly cleaning supplies. All their bath products are pretty nice, too.

trader joe's is wonderful for nuts and dried fruit.

(1/2 the price of other places)

and their lox (smoked salmon) is reasonably priced.

granted, produce is best from the farmer's market, my csa, or whole paycheck (or the local co-op), but i still love tj's :)

TJs is great for their variety of cheeses, coffees, nuts, dried fruits, and other pantry items-- but if you love to cook from scratch, it might not generally be the best place to shop. They are very focused on frozen fare, much of which is really good.As a native Californian, I still like going there, though can't get used to the crowds, as the CA stores have far more space-- maybe the Bklyn location will too! Let's hope.