Peppi, a new Aldi's just went in about 30 miles from here, I like shopping there a lot. Elery went there yesterday and bought avocados, so far all the produce has been from the USA. I like that I can get Dubliner cheese there in small amounts and the kids like their snacks, about half the price of Meijer or our local Evil Empire. However, Mother bought something called "Winking Owl" wine. Why? Because Mother thinks owls are cute, LOL. She said the wine was possibly the worst she'd ever had. I asked her what she expected for $2.99. (grin) If I lived in Chicago and had your shopping available I probably wouldn't be that impressed with TJs either, but with no Trader Joe's, no Whole Foods, no Wegman's, few specialty stores, well, TJs is a fun stop. Annie

This list is so odd. I shop at TJ's almost every week and I buy or like very few of the items on this list! I would be darned if I had to stand in line for 30 min to check out. Since TJ's began in the L.A. area, we have a goodly number of stores. Parking still stinks in most locations, however there are alternative stores and times to shop. Cathy, I'm thrilled that you don't have to drive all the way to Atlanta to find those fun food items!. Good way to make lemonade out of lemons! In addition to some of their produce ( the Kumatos are great!), their pricing on items like Lactaid milk and all dairy products is also very good. We buy cheeses (DH loves their Quatro Fromaggio blend and I use plenty the grated parmesan/romano cheese blend), the dairy products and some juices are definite winners. My grands like Hold the Cones and DH really likes their edamame hummus and their new pomegranate walnut hummus type dip. I buy their green Lindsay olives, marinated and unmarinated artichoke hearts, fresh bruschetta and 3 of their vinegar's. The white balsamic, the small square jar red balsamic and their delicious orange vinegar! Orchids and flowers are definite faves. My dad loved the same ginger thins, but DH prefers the dark chocolate lace cookies. I'm sad that the lost their supplier for meringues. I also discovered a new seltzer drink -- Spindrift Seltzer in grapefruit or raspberry-lime. They are delightful change from the usual sparkling water with lemon or lime. I could go on, but most of the items I like and buy are NOT on that list!

I buy TJ's salad's sometimes, but usually not the ones with much lettuce. The other day, I got a GREAT salad from there, a jicama, papaya salad. Also has some green cabbage and a slightly spicy dressing. Yum! It says it is 3 servings and that's about what I got out of it, over 3 days. I even added the whole packet of dressing the first day and the jicama and cabbage stayed crunchy until I ate it the last day. Highly recommend. I also am not crazy about most of their produce, except they have great organic Persian Cucumbers and really good organic sweet red peppers, both the mini bells and the full size. They are always better than the grocery store's because they don't mist them with water. I buy their organic cherry tomatoes in the winter. They aren't like summer tomatoes, but are passable in a salad for me.

Re: the notoriously bad parking lots. One reason to love TJ's besides their groceries is that they seldom will build a new building for their stores. They locate in vacant storefronts in strip mall locations and the parking lots are often inadequate for the increased traffic from a TJ's. Ours in Oly isn't too bad if you time your visit to off peak hours. I find that early morning and evening just before closing are both good. Early morning, when it first opens there is a rush of seniors who seem to want to always be first in line for everything, but if you wait about 30 min, they have finished their shopping and there is a lull until the parents who've dropped off their kids at school show up. 8:20 - 9 a.m. is perfect at my store. Sometimes the shelves are picked over just before closing, but the stock is often in the back waiting to be shelved. So if you ask, they will see if stuff you want is in the back. I once rushed to get there before they closed and commented to the checker that I was worried I wouldn't make it before closing and he told me that if you are IN the store at closing they won't hurry you to leave. They are stocking shelves for a while anyway, so as long as you're there, you can shop. I don't know if that is company policy, but it sounded like it.