I'm really not surprised. This is how many people will find TJ to be when they give an unbiased look at it. It's good for some and bad for others as I've said in the other threads. I gotta chuckle at those posts saying a store was dirty one time so they condemn the entire chain! It's hardly fair to condemn an entire chain for a bad experience or two in one store. Every store is going to be dirty at some time or another, it's going to depend on the management as to how often it's that way. I've been to clean Aldi (and BTW, there's no "s" in the name, it's short for Albrecht Distributing) stores and dirty ones. I've had good experiences and bad experiences in most every chain. It's the way it is. Aldi and Trader Joe have the same basic concept and not surprising since they're both owned by the Albrechts family. Aldi was started from one family owned grocery store and two brothers grew it to an international success, then split up when they couldn't agree whether to sell cigarettes. They divided up the world but still worked together for distribution and acquisition benefits. TJ is part of the one brother's Trust. Their joint concept was and is to keep costs low, then sell high volume of a limited number of items. They sell very few brand-name items, usually only if they get a great deal on them, otherwise it's far cheaper to sell your own brand name. They also do limited advertising. TJ is essentially the yuppie version of Aldi. Neither will generally serve all your shopping needs unless perhaps you only eat tv dinners. It's really curious how some people get SO defensive over a store of all things! Or how some can actually worship a store! I'm reminded of when "grouchy" went nuts in another thread about a big chain... LOL Geez people, it's a STORE fer cryin out loud!

No, the ginger beer isn't supposed to be exploding. :) They don't want you to take it back to the store, but to immediately and carefully dispose of it outside. Ginger Beer recall

We had just bought a bottle to give our ginger loving daughter. I "gingerly" carried it outside to the trash. :)

Twenty-five to thirty years ago, in SoCal, TJ's would definitely save one money over Ralph, Vons, etc. on certain items. By far the best prices on frozen fish (and better quality -- but I am not comparing to buying fresh at the docks, mind!), dried fruit/nuts, wines, cheese, chicken sausage (a rarity then), jarred condiments, cookies and chocolates and crackers. I adored the Crystal Geyser brand pink lemonade and key lime drinks (never seen anywhere else but no longer made, sadly -- I would even pack several bottles in my luggage when returning from a visit after I moved to the Midwest). At that time their baked goods were good but not awesome and a more limited selection, but increasing steadily. There were many things that I would put in the junk category, like the European cookies and chocolate, that they carried that just weren't available in mainstream stores and were also less expensive than the standard US brands. Those were my indulgences! I had to drive about 10 miles to get to one, so it was always a planned trip to stock up. I was so excited when TJ's opened here about 8 years after we had left SoCal. But, the price differential really is not so great anymore -- in fact the big local chains are highly competitive -- many of the once unique items can be found in many stores. Many of my favorite items were gone (I learned that the west coast and east coast stores have some differences) and I find the fruits/veggies actually more costly so I don't buy there. I drop in every 3 months or less now, or maybe a quick stop if I go past and am craving their tart d'Alsace. We do have a tradition of buying a selection of their frozen appetizers/munchies for our Christmas tree decorating.... mini quiches, mini samosas, that sort of thing, and usually find them quite tasty. Yep, Aldi far from upscale here either, and I buy my haricots verts and organic greens there (same product, different package) for less than at TJs.