We have a gigantic TJ warehouse but they won't give us a store! We beg, we plead, we constantly ask the poor guy that writes the Retail Watch column in the local paper and he, in turn, asks them and always gets the "none planned at this time" answer. I can drive about 1+ in a few directions to get to one but none here in town.

Since I'm in PA, with our state liquor control system, we can't buy alcohol at the TJ. Maybe by the time they give in and build us a store the constantly proposed changes to get the State out of the liquor business will also happen.

I don't plan to hold my breath waiting for either of those things.

Oh, please, Hhireno, you have Wegmans, for crying out loud! I have no sympathy for you! We got Trader Joe's here a couple of years ago, and believe me, compared to Wegmans, TJ's is a Seven-Eleven. We're getting Whole Foods next year. They've already broken ground. To that I say, BIG WHOOP. I want Wegmans...I miss it so much!

OKC just got a Whole Foods, so I bet it'll be about 50 years before we get a TJ's. pfffft!

It's funny that this post appeared today, because Trader Joe's just officially announced that they are finally coming to my small Southern Oregon city. People here are so excited that there may be dancing in the streets. The closest TJ's to us currently is about 2.5 hours away

hee, hee, hee...Stinky, you're right! I do have a Wegman's, within walking distance even! But I still want a TJ's because my sisters get such great stuff there so I want that option also. Maybe my whole interest in TJs is just sibling rivalry?

We have a TJ's. I like it for some things (their GF pancakes are the best I've eaten) prefer Whole Foods for others. I thrilled when TJ's opened...now? I go when I need pancakes. ;^)

We don't have TJs or Wegmans but we do have Whole Foods. I'm not thrilled with it.

Tina

We had a TJ's about a 45 minute drive north and south of our town, and there was a HUGE community effort to get TJ's here. Word was that our town didn't support the demographic.

Then, in a new shopping center in a neighboring town, a TJ's sign was erected...and Twitter went crazy. In about an hour it was removed and oh boy, the discussion that went on in this town! Apparently it was placed in error, but why?? How could there be such a mix up? Was there really going to be a TJ's in our community?? Alas, TJ's said NO.

THEN about a year later a tiny little notice on the door of a closed up grocery store made the front page news...it was an application for a liquor license...FOR TJ'S!! That confirmed it. What was even better is that it was in OUR town, not the neighboring town.

I don't think we'll get a Whole Foods, but I don't mind. We've got a lot of farmers markets and organic/natural foods places, so TJ's fills the gap.

Down in Albuquerque they have at least 2 Whole Foods, 2-3 Trader Joes, 1-2 Sunshine Markets, no Wegman's, though. I like WF. I think their meat market is much better than TJ's; WF's is bigger but their prices overall are significantly higher. I really love Trader Joes. The people who work there really (and I mean, really! ) care about the customers, the foods they carry, the store, everything. I like that a lot and I like much of the food they carry
Lynn.

I've been to Trader Joe's about an hour from us but just grabbed couple of things of interest to us. My DB and SIL live 10 minutes from one.

What do you all buy when you are there??? Does it substitute weekly shopping (i.e. milk, bread, meat, veggies, etc.)?

Though I adore Wegmans, I certainly do like TJ's. I can see how if both stores were in a community, shoppers would take advantage and go to both stores, as they fill different niches.

If I had both stores near me, I'd buy my staples and stock up at Wegmans, then fill a bag at TJ's with unique, special items only they sell (such as the Cranberry Walnut Tarte which DH & I love!)

And yes, I agree with Lynn, TJ's customer service is excellent!

We have a TJ's. I've found it to be a fun place to shop- they always have new, interesting things and the prices are very reasonable. We don't have a Whole Foods. I've heard they're pretty high priced.

cathrugg, I still use a regular grocery store for my weekly shopping. TJ's is a lot smaller and doesn't have a lot of the ordinary stuff I need.

It will be interesting! DFW's on the short list, so we'll soon see.

Can anybody compare TJs and Central Market? From the good things I've heard about TJs, it may compare in quality, but with lower prices than CM, is that right?

As a side note, I was not terribly impressed with Aldi here.

I'm a closet Grocery Store critic ;-) I worked in the corporate office for a North Texas chain for several years, many moons ago...

I must be in shoppers paradise! Within a few miles of my home I can and do shop at Wegmans, Whole Foods & Trader Joe's.

I shop at Wegmans & Whole Foods every week & Trader Joe's about once a month.

Cath: I have in fact seen some shoppers at Trader's with a full cart that resembled an average week's regular groceries. But that wouldn't be me! Some things are too pricey to do that. But there are some really good products on the shelves. Trader's has produce, but I like my regular supermarket for that--more items, more variety.

There are a few things I might dart into Trader's for:
their mini peanut-butter cups; triple ginger cookies; maybe one of their desert cakes or fruit crumbles; nuts (and nut /dried fruit mixes); a frozen butter chicken entree.

I never really roam the aisles looking carefully at all the offerings -- I never want to take the time, but I should.

(And their mailed flier is very cute and very funny!)

Beyond Trader's, we have Whole Foods (nope, not for me! too much $$. Unless I'm just running in for a beverage), Costco, BJ's, a couple traditional supermarkets (Safeway, Giant, Harris Teeter), and Wegmans!

And for you Wegmans shoppers: It's Pumpkin Roll time again! Go directly to the bakery! (Everytime I think I might want to bring one in to the office to share with co-workers, I end up realizing that my co-workers just don't deserve that mouthful of heaven!)

Southern Vesta...paradise, indeed. Where, pray tell, do you live?

Just read Pammyfay, that you too, have a grocery store extravaganza at your disposal! What neck of the woods are you in? I am particularly fascinated by what areas are selected to have Wegmans stores. I know it all comes down to demographics, & while TJ's and WFs think we have the right stuff, we'll never make the cut for Wegmans, I'd be willing to wager.

Looking at the W website at the store locator I see them all clustered together in a manner I find highly annoying. Reach out, Danny Wegman, and share your wares with the rest of the country!

Stinky,
Years ago, probably while you were living here, there was an article in the Morning Call about demographics & how stores pick where to locate. At that time, it said this area would never get a Starbucks (we have multiple SB now) or a Williams-Sonoma (there's one at the LV mall)because we were too low class or something. Maybe all the NY-NJ transplants improved our demographics. Maybe Wegman's deciding we were good enough changed things. Don't give up hope you might get a Weggie's yet.

Another business that the Retail Watch guy is constantly asked about is a Chipolte fast food place. There are always rumors that they're checking out locations but so far nothing. My TJ shopping sister has an app on her phone to find Chipoltes! The closest locations I know about are - you guessed it - near a TJ.

I am indeed in FW so will be interested to learn where they plan to install this new store. When/if it arrives, I'm sure we'll check it out, but since DH is the one who does our weekly shopping I can tell you we probably won't shop there regularly. It's sure to be hugely popular and thus crowded, and I'm guessing will be a bit more costly than our Super Target for the things that we ordinarily buy. Central Market was all the rage here when it opened several years ago, and it remains so - but the crowds and the higher-than-we're-used-to prices keep us away.

Greenthumbfish - I live outside of Austin and Central Market is my grocery store of choice - I like it better than WF.

My sister lives in NJ and when I visit, we always go to TJ. I can't believe how cheap everything is compared to CM. I like the overall quality and selection of CM but TJ's prices can't be beat.

Greenthumbfish, There is no real comparison between TJ's and CM. TJ's has mediocre produce, a limited ready-to-cook food section (compared to CM), and no baked on-site goods. TJ's has quirky private labeled foods, many of them refrigerated or frozen, at decent prices. TJ's prides itself on its affordable wine selection. They do have some organic and gluten-free foods, but nothing on the scale of Whole Foods' selection.

I would consider Central Market to be upscale gourmet and TJ's to be midscale specialty, especially for wine and beer.

Someone else asked if you could buy all of your weekly groceries at TJ's. I would say that you could, but you might not be getting the best quality or the best price in all cases. I tend to go there for specific products like the gluten-free pancakes, the ice cream, the sesame crackers and the pita bite crackers. Because the stores are relatively small, I might stop there occasionally to pick up eggs or chicken breasts rather than hitting a larger grocery store.

A fun way to check out some of TJ's current featured products is to check out their web site. I've linked it below. Be sure to check the product and the Fearless Flyer section.

Here is a link that might be useful: TJ's

Stinky: I live in Northern Virginia, so I guess you can figure out the demographics curve here! But then again, Wegmans did open a store (coming up on maybe a year and a half or 2 years ago?) in Prince George's County in Maryland, a county that for years has felt overlooked and has screamed for more "upscale" shopping and restaurants. PG is considered the most affluent African-American majority county in the nation, but it also has very poor pockets as well (as does Northern Virginia and D.C.) and has been among the hardest hit concerning housing foreclosures, so there's a broad income spectrum and still more economic uncertainties there.

There's a Wegmans in the northern part of Fairfax, and one in Woodbridge; one of the first was in another Md. suburb (can't recall off the top of my head where that is -- I try to stay out of Md.! Just not familiar with the roads!). And another will be built within a year or two in the southern part of Fairfax. The one I go to is always filled with shoppers, so I'm thinking that the chain does great business wherever it goes.

(OH! I forgot: Now the Targets around here have added the grocery section, and these are regular Targets, not the supercenters. And we have Shoppers Food Warehouse -- not like the Costcos and the old-fashioned warehouses that started up years ago where you have to grab boxes for your groceries and a huge cart!)

So a LOT of grocery shopping options around here, not even including the stores that cater to more ethnic residents -- and not all of those are small mom-and-pop places. One of them (which has a few stores) is about the size of a "traditional" supermarket.

But even considering all the options, most times I don't want to drive here and there -- I end up at my smallish Giant supermarket about 5 minutes down the road.

Watching the documentary "Food, Inc." really enlightened me to as to where our food comes from, particularly the so-called private label brands. The marketing geniuses would like us to believe there are little mom and pop operations cranking out healthy/gourmet/unusual food items, but in reality it's the big corporate giants that produce these items. I thought this was an interesting link!

Here is a link that might be useful: Who Makes Trader Joe's Food?

TJ's is no substitute for regular grocery shopping ... the same way that WF's isn't. We've had a WH for about 5 years and I shop there for very specific things ... produce tops the list.

We always stopped at one of the TJ's in Indianapolis when we went home for a visit. Great shopping experience!

Auntjen, I think there have been several articles talking about the fact that private label foods are manufactured by major manufacturers. That's actually the reason that I'm willing to try a lower priced private grocery label item to see if the quality and taste are equal to the more well-known brand. Sometimes, I can find no discernible difference. Sometimes, the difference might be that the physical appearance is not as uniform, but that the taste is unaffected. Sometimes, however, the product is made with noticeably inferior ingredients. It's always worth to try something once, though. You never know when you might find a new favorite.

Hhireno, thanks for the encouragement! Maybe I should start harrassing Danny Wegman with e-mails to bring a store to Southeastern VA. We got Chipolte a few years ago, so your observation linking it to areas with TJ's proves correct here!

Maybe the "powers that be" previously thought the Lehigh Valley was too close to King of Prussia, where there is so much great shopping! (I used to love to go to that mall and Ikea!) Glad the mindset has shifted. Surely, the success of Wegmans in Bethlehem, Allentown and (the other one) has confirmed that Lehigh Valley residents can shop 'til they drop with the best of them!

Pammyfay, you live in the shopping mecca! NoVA is a marvelous area which has so much to offer!

See how so many W's are clustered up there around you? Not fair! I agree... if they build one, anywhere, people will shop there. Why do they even bother to do research? Who could resist a Wegmans?

Obviously, I don't grocery shop just for food, but for entertainment! (I shouldn't admit that out loud.)

When we visit Dallas, I look at the Central Market as a special treat kind of place. The variety is much larger than one would find at Trader Joe's but my family would not be able to do the majority of our shopping there.

There is no one place where I can do all of my grocery shopping but I do love Trader Joe's. Their cheese selections are wonderful and their olive oil, yum! Many of the prices are fantastic there (1 L of the Spanish EVOO is $6). They also have the best price on almond butter that I can find. Their freezer goods and baked goods are often quite good as well.

I like Whole Foods, I really, really do but right now, they are just out of my league.

Here in Austin we have the BIGGEST of all Whole Foods, since this is the central headquarters~~Central Market is also a good-size store. But....having lived in San Diego, and having a TJ's only 10 minutes away, I liked their products, and thought their prices a bit less than WF. If they come to Austin, will definitely give them a try.

Kellyeng, where are you "outside of Austin"? ;o)

Patty, I'm in San Marcos. I usually make a monthly trip to the CM over on Westgate and load up on meats and staples. Those meat counter guys must get commissions or bonuses because they scramble when they see me - I buy about $400 worth of meat at a time.

Wish The Woodlands wasn't so darned far away! But at least Costco is close, and Central Market and Whole Foods aren't too far. Plus, we have the really ethnic stores (Hispanic, Asian and Middle Eastern) nearby and I'm not a timid eater ;-)

I'd happily drive a couple hours to shop at Trader Joe's. We may be headed to the Atlanta area next weekend and a stop at one of their TJ's is on the list.

Stinky, I'm in Fairfax County, (NoVA) about 20 miles W of DC. The "shopping mecca" indeed!

Interesting about the different markets. In our town, we have Safeway and WinCo, which are primarily in the western US; a Northwest chain called Fred Meyer (it's also a Kroger brand); and a couple of independent grocers. I rarely shop at Target, so I don't know what our stores offer for groceries. Last time I checked they had a small dry goods section and 3 refrigerated cases. The bigger of our Targets may have a bigger grocery section.

We also have 3 WalMarts, 2 are super stores with grocery; and one Costco. Now we have TJ's.

Since we're kidless, and our kids are primarily vegetarians anyway, we do almost all our shopping at TJ's. I find that their prices are comparable to the mid priced grocers around. I don't buy too much fresh produce or meat there (mostly get that at Costco), but they DO have a huge vegetarian/vegan selection, so I stock up on a lot of that stuff. I have a weakness for their vegan Pad Thai. I keep a couple of boxes at work for the days I forget to bring lunch.

For my household goods, I usually pick those up at WalMart or the cheaper grocery store so I haven't comparison shopped prices at TJ's. But my DD is on a campaign for me to switch to greener goods, so I might check into it. Overall, I guess it depends on what you buy on your normal grocery shopping trips, but for me, TJ's would fit most of our bill.

Thanks for your reply, Southern Vesta! It must be so fun living up there!

I have several TJs by me (in the Twin Cities.) They also have wine at really good prices. Has anyone noticed how friendly the TJ workers are? I have a friend who said when she retires she wants to get a part-time job there because everyone seems so happy.

Pammyfay's post sent me off to Wegman's yesterday to buy the pumpkin roll. It was heavenly! Thank you!

Pesky, you can also look at Wal-Mart for the greener cleaning products. I almost grabbed Palmolive dishwasher detergent the other day because it had big bold letters stating that it did not contain phosphates. On a whim though I picked up the generic, Great Value brand and it too stated it did not contain phosphates. Ours has also been making a push to carry many other "green" cleaners. Although, for around the house I have started using more vinegar and baking soda which is certainly cheaper.