Don't have a TJs that's "on the way" for everyday errands. SOOO, if remotely close to one, will stop in. The extra virgin OO is very nice... nice aroma/flavor AND price. I like TJs solid tuna in olive oil. Saw solid tuna in a JAR..ONE time only and have never seen it again. Was something like $5 a jar... BUT actually about the size of 2 regular cans... and VERY tasty! Wish I had splurged one more than ONE jar?!?

Go get 'em Jude, I'm happy for you! Only 10 hours from me.

It's about a 2 hr drive for me to the closest TJ's.

I find all these things good: Their olive oil is very good for the $$. Cartons of chicken broth. Persian cucumbers (for that matter, their produce is very good). Canned fish products (smoked trout very good).

The 'two buck Chuck' wine is now nearly $3. While no one would ever confuse it with Chateau Margaux, the Cabernet Sauvignon is the best $3 red wine I've ever had. We bought several cases of wine there, and I found that in general TJ's cheap reds are better than their cheap whites. Look for the reds that are just a little more than their cheapest, in the $4 to $8 a bottle range; I had some quite tasty inexpensive reds there. Lots of good wines from Argentina.

Bon appetit!

Ginger Thins! A friend was in the town with the Trader Joe's closest one to us (4 hours). He very kindly picked up 6 boxes of Ginger Thins for me.

Even better are the ginger cookies sold in the clear plastic tub. Because I lack the discipline to eat only one or two, I simply do not buy them. But they are sooooo good. How good are they, you ask? I will get up in the middle of the night craving a cookie, if I have those in the house.

I also like the marcona almonds with olive oil and rosemary. They are a tad price-y, but just a few will satisfy you.

I am green with envy that you have a TJ's nearby.

Congrats Jude. I have three near me but I have to be honest there really is only two hand fulls of stuff that I buy there. The ones by me are really, really small and don't offer a whole lot. They do the bulk of their business on wine and flowers here. We have so many other high markets in my area that I think it makes it hard for them to compete.

But, I have purchased some great cheese and fish there in the past. I hope you enjoy your new TJ's!

Jude, did you go and what did you find?

For sure stock up on TJ's organic chicken broth.

They also have some great whole grain breads - the dense stuff.

Cathy, I did go...twice... and it was packed both times. Opening day because I had other errands in the same shopping center and then again the latter part of last week. First time I bought pretzel rolls out of curiosity. Kept hearing Wizardum and LindaC talk about making them and I had never heard of them. Also picked up a couple of frozen dinners and a box of meyer lemon thins. I didn't want to fight the crowd any longer that day.

This past week I picked up a big bottle of maple syrup, some roasted tomato hummus and I honestly don't remember what else I got but it wasn't much, maybe some bananas. You know grocery stores in TN can't sell wine so that wasn't a possibility. I was disappointed they don't carry brioche rolls...I bought them in Mt. Pleasant when we were there in the spring.

I'm looking forward to going again when it's not so crowded.

We have a TJ's just down the street. They have lots of good stuff and some mediocre stuff. On the bright side, they'll take ANYTHING back.

Those pretzel rolls mold pretty quickly. Eat or freeze.

Walking through the store mentally - I like their bagels, Joe's O's (Cheerios), good prices on Kashi cereal, Columbian coffee (reasonable quality for the price), egg prices, Greek yougut prices, pasta price, wasabi mayo, regular mayo, Dijon mustard (it's awesome if you like a spicy mustard), Basmati rice, rice/orzo mix (think Rice-a-Roni) expensive but good, what I call gerbil food (it's a mix of Israeli couscous and some other grains), chicken stock, corn bread mix (expensive but good), General Tso's sauce, Annie Chung's noodle bowls (good price), their version of Triscuits, water crackers (flax seed and something), most of the bagged popcorns, many of bagged tortilla chips, fresh salsa, salami (in a paper wrapper), packaged sliced or shredded cheese (good price), little mini ice cream cones, party meat balls, turkey meat balls, tamales (cheese and green chili), many of the "chunk" cheeses, Greek brine packed feta, pub cheese, many of their cookies, Valrhona chocolate at checkout.

We have several TJs in every direction and shop at one of them 2-3 times/week. Some of our favorites include Shredded Bite Size Wheats cereal (like mini Shredded Wheat but with a toasted flavor), many of their cheeses, organic Broccoli Slaw (we add it to our salads), chocolate ice cream (very chocolatey!), the Pound Plus chocolate bars (large bars usually on a shelf in one of the frozen-food aisles), roasted unsalted almonds and many of their trail mixes... OH, and their Joe Joe's sandwich cookies --- like Oreos but better, especially the Peppermint variety sold during the holidays!!!

We finally have one scheduled to open in our area sometime in September. Can't wait!!

I was at TJ's last week and did not escape without a container of triple ginger cookies, lemon bars, a pound-plus chocolate bar with almonds, balsamic vinegar and Ezekiel 4:9 bread. They sell the bread fresh, whereas Wegmans only has it frozen. I also bought some white stilton with apricots - less expensive at TJ's!

I think the ginger cookies would make a good crust for pumpkin cheesecake around the holidays!

I've been twice now to the one that opened up an hour away from me. They are going to open one 5 minutes from my office (about 15 min from my house) on SEPTEMBER 15!!! Yeah baby.

Two things I discovered that are fabulous are their cinnamon raisin bread and the carrot juice. The cinnamon raisin bread is full of cinnamon and sliced thick so one slice is practically a meal. I bought one loaf the first time I was there and I got one slice out of it. It got eaten by the other two members of my household in seconds flat. The next time I went I bought four loaves and marked one loaf as MINE. There is still some of that loaf left but the other three have been decimated.

The carrot juice is not something I would normally have thought to try but they were giving samples and it was delicious. It is a combination of carrot and some fruit juices with no added sugar but it is very sweet and refreshing. I can't wait to buy more in Sept.

Oh and their sweet potato chips. And their sweet potato flavored corn chips. Yum.

Once they open the one near my work, I'll be spending some lunch hours shopping there. How convenient! We have plenty of fridge/freezer space at work so I can buy anything and just store it at work till the end of the day. I can't WAIT! Between TJ's, Central Market, Phonecia and Penzey's I am set!

I am absolutely addicted to the chocolate flavored coconut water (Zico). What a low cal, no/low fat treat. Really takes care of my chocolate craving. They started selling it in a larger container, yahoo. I did NOT like their unflavored coconut water....poured it down the sink.