TJ's and Costco are very close to each other where I live, and I often hit both in the same day. I have to note that the prices at TJ's are almost unbelievably cheap, especially for the quality of the products. Produce prices definitely rival Costco's, with the advantage that you can buy in smaller quantities. How is it that they can price fresh shiitake mushrooms so well? But I digress.

I love TJ's cookies, esp. the triple ginger. My SIL makes an awesome ice cream pie with a crushed gingersnap crust, and she uses these cookies. They're good eaten out of hand too, of course.

The soups are usually excellent. I like the chicken curry and the lobster bisque.

They have very good, inexpensive, gourmet sodas in glass bottles, like Italian blood orange and French berry lemonade (these are the two that I just bought).

I like their selection of somewhat-healthier-for-you "junk food" (such as the flaxseed tortilla chips) and breakfast cereals.

When we were redoing our kitchen, we lived off of TJ's frozen entrees. Things like lasagne are surprisingly good. I liked the green chile and cheese tamales and the roasted vegetable enchiladas.

Fresh desserts are good. So are some of the frozen ones. It's obvious that someone at the home office taste tests everything to make sure it appeals to the yuppie palate. I think of it as a cheap Whole Foods.

Someone I know raved about the fish in the freezer case, so yesterday I pushed aside my doubts and bought frozen red snapper filets, which I'll make for dinner tonight. We'll see.

They have the cheapest and best designed (IMHO) reusable grocery bags too. I have two of their insulated zippered bags which sell for $2. They do a good job keeping things frozen until you get home.

I have gotten some clunkers at Joe's. I've been disappointed by the bread once or twice, so I avoid it now. The failure rate is pretty low, however.

It's a great store. They give my toddler a balloon when we shop there, so it's one of her favorites too.

I like the basic stuff at TJ's...nuts, grains, oils...as well as things like wasabi peas and interesting marinades.
Their hazelnuts and pignoles are the cheapest of anywhere I know.
Linda C

I am hooked on TJ's Sumatra coffee. It's better than any I've had and cheaper, too. I like Sumatra because it is low-acid.

At TJ's I like the Bruschetta spread and their fruit spreads. I buy almonds there, too. Cheap and fresh.

I don't like their cereals, but others do.

Thumbs up: Greek yogurt, "British" muffins, Havarti cheese, triple ginger cookies, Monte Pollino olive oil. And the Soft Whole Wheat Bread, except it's often underbaked.

Thumbs down: frozen fish and shrimp, canned tomatoes, Manchego cheese (my favorite, but better elsewhere), dishwasher detergent.

My must haves are: Vanilla, EVOO, General Tso's sauce, sesame oil, baking chocolate chunks and pomagranite white tea.
TJ's is a trip for me..but luckly hubby's commute takes him almost right by it, so for the staples he'll grab some for me.
If I lived only 30 minutes away, I'd do most of my shopping there, I'm sure.

There are excellent products and there are really crummy products and the challenge is to figure out which is which.
I buy oils, some vinegars, juices, Greek yogurt, some frozen desserts, baguettes etc-(i think their sweet baked goods as a whole are tasteless and heavy) chips, some produce- I don't buy much fruit there as they pack it in 4 packs which I've found to have at least one piece of rotten fruit in the mix, I do buy nuts, raisins, some sauces-- their ketchup isn't bad and doesn't contain corn syrup, I like many of their cheeses, their proscuitto is good and very cheap, tea,wine, the bottled French lemonade, other dairy products and some veggies ( mushrooms are a great buy).
Their flowers are also a great deal!
It's a great store to have as a shopping alternative and I usually end up spending around $40+ on any given trip.

To be honest, I don't shop there much but I have friends that do. They are very pleased with the frozen seafood that they get. The prices are very low. The one near me is very, very small. But, I have Harris Teeter that is one mile from my house, Wegman's that is 5 miles from my house and Whole Foods which is 5 miles from my house so I tend to go to them. I also have Safeway that is 1 mile away on the other side of town and Giant that is up the road about 3 miles away. So, I've got a great selection. Wonder why I have a hard time stocking my pantry (see my other thread)???...too much to choose from and not enough time.:( (and maybe not enough money)!

Trader Joes List: 21 Seasoning Salute, Three Layer Hummus, Roasted Garlic Wisecrackers, nuts, chocolate chips, olive oil, fresh veggies: zucchini, artichokes, green beens, basil, peppers (green, red, yellow), fresh salsa, fresh dough (for pizza), cheeses, Frozen Garlic cubes (must have), frozen veggies - great taste and price, Frozen mini tacos (great snack), tomato and roasted red pepper soup, pasta, Tuscano Marinara sauce (in can), chocolate covered pretzils, frozen fruits (cheap), flowers, cards, cliff bars, fresh breads, olives, organic strawberry jam, chicken base (low price), and some meats, I usually buy that at Coscto, but the sausages, lunch meat and ground meats and marinated steaks have been great.

Two buck Chuck (Charles Shaw Chardonay) wine. ($1.99 - $3.49 per bottle, depending on the region) It really is very good especially for the price. The Cab and Zin are pretty good too. And the extra large giant TJ candy bars. They also have a lot of other great chocolates and candies. Wine and chocolate - what else do you need! I think I need to make a run to TJ!
Clare

I asked this same question over a year ago, when my experiences at TJ's were mostly failures. Since the, I've come to love the store, but it is hit or miss. As long as you know what's good there, it's terrific. Here are some things I like:

- cereal
- milton's breads (with 5 grams fiber/slice)
- banana choc. chip muffins (6 pack) with 7 grams protein (great snack for kids in school)
- various cheeses
- good prices on empire chicken - whole and pieces
- trader giotto's frozen pizzas (not the refrigerated ones)
- frozen brown rice - box of 3 pouches (heats in 3 minutes and is quite good)
- ciabotti rolls
- frozen cheddar and potato perogi's
- frozen little chocolate cheesecakes (thaws in 10 minutes - very handy for unplanned desserts)

By the way, I bought frozen tilapia there - and also some fresh from Costco's that I had frozen. I was making a big batch of fish, so I used both. Hands down, Costco's was better. Really fresh and inexpensive. The TJ's wasn't bad - but it wasn't good either. If it had been my first taste of tilapia, it would also have been my last.

I have a question for TJ'ers - Ive gotten flank steak there several times. The first few times I thought it was very good (it's prepackaged from New Zealand), but the last time wasn't very good - I just don't know if that was the meat or we overgrilled it or undertrimmed the silverskin. then I had flank steak from Costco which was excellent (and cooked correctly). So in retrospect, I wonder how TJ's flank steak is. Any opinions?

Lynn.

We don't have Trader Joes here in Canada, but I did manage to order their bags online. I love them, and when I get to the States, I will stop there. Diana55

Cinnamon roasted almonds - yum!!

pineapple salsa
wine
chocolate chips
hand soap
bruschetta spread
spaghetti sauce