Trader Joe's Tips and Hints

[hillview]

I recently went to TJ for the first real grocery shopping trip (like a weekly shop vs I need milk). The prices seem really good. Can you give me your hits and tricks for TJs? Thanks!

[Charlie]

My new fave is the everything seasoning mix (like what you would find on an everything bagel) - tastes great on eggs!

[SnuggleBuggles]

Wow! You held off a long time. :) Almost anything on your shopping list is at TJs so just shop normally. If it catches your eye, get it. They have an amazing return policy and great customer service. There are always employees around to answer questions and give recommendations too so be sure and chat with them.

Things we like:
Brownie mix
Cole slaw and broccoli slaw
Everyday Seasoning
Chili lime seasoning
Everything Bagel Seasoning
Yogurt
Cream of tomato soup
Chicken quesadillas (frozen)
The different sausages
Lasagna (frozen)
Frozen croissants
Cookies (pretty much all)
Chili lime burgers (frozen)
Lots of their frozen meals are good. We like a lot of their Indian ones.




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[ahisma]

My new fave is the everything seasoning mix (like what you would find on an everything bagel) - tastes great on eggs!

I love it on baked potatoes too!

[marymoo86]

We get bagged salad, diced onion, organic apples/pears, Rosemary ham, oven roasted turkey, mozzarella cheese sticks, spices, Shade grown coffee, GF bagels


We don't buy cookies unless I need to send a "treat" for preschool party (Snickerdoodles) or crackers/frozen prepared food. We also get frozen cod, sunbutter, GF pancake mix, taco shells, enchilado sauce, parm cheese, fresh squeezed OJ.

[robinsmommy]

Our faves - butter, dried fruit and nuts, energy bars like Rx bars, recycled TP, organic bell peppers, spaghetti sauce, whole wheat pasta, ravioli (dried ones), organic jams and nut butters, and frozen croissants. I love their sliced brioche bread and pain au lait, but am avoiding white flour.

Samples are always fun, ours has wine samples as well. :)

ETA - As far as tips, avoid taking the kids, and if you can, go during the early morning after the kids are off to school. It's quieter and freshly stocked - they stock evening and nights. Weekends are nuts, esp right before a game, holiday, etc. And like any shopping, avoid going when you are hungry. I don't get cut flowers from them anymore - they tend not to hold up, esp the roses. They have lists of stuff like vegetarian or gluten free items if you have dietary restrictions. Ask if you do. And they have a little section of "new" stuff, we always check there. Don't get hooked on temporary or seasonal items - like horseradish cheddar chips (temporary, gone, wah!). Learn which items are seasonal so you can stock up - wish I had done with their vegan marshmallows. Hopefully they come back next year.

We also like frozen organic veg like peas and corn. Cookies are great - we love the maple ones and peppermint joe-joes at the holidays. Really avoid going when you are hungry.

[annex]

Some items are better deals than others. Produce especially varies in quality and deal. I will stock up on mushrooms, limes, lemons, shredded cabbage, organic carrots & baby spinach there. Aldi's (if you have it) is much better for produce deals. TJ's is the only store I can locate with non ultra-pasteurized half-n-half, so I will stock up on that too. Their dried gnocchi is cheap & good. We love their chocolate chips - quality much better than other stores, and a good price. I feel like their nuts and dried fruits are a good deal too, but haven't shopped around a lot on those. The TJ brand seltzer liter bottles are much cheaper than cans of LaCroix and taste the same to me.

[DualvansMommy]

im not near TJ. I only go bi annually whenever im done with my dentist appointment since its nearby.

I tend to stock up on seasonings and sauces like better than everything seasoning, chili lime seasoning, vanilla yogurt, Indian curry sauces (for quick dinner nights with just chopped chicken and vegetables) certain flatbreads, and I like their bag of frozen shrimp.

I think im an outliner with TJ as have bought tons of things pp said above, but ended up stuff that 3 of my family members didn't care for. like the orange chicken. they found it too sweet and preferred my homemade one or the Wegmans brand. If you like orange chicken or any of the PF chang entrees, then you'll like their Chinese frozen prepared entrees. I also buy raviolis since DS2 loves them. just him though, as rest of us didn't care for it. I love their shredded cabbage and tend to stock up on those for my own salads. I also buy their nutbutters. great price and taste for ds2. but I also buy the Wegmans brand nut butter too.

the store I shop at don't sell wine so I can't recommend anything from that section.

[lizzywednesday]

I get the peanut butter, quick-cook steel-cut oatmeal, "Just the Clusters" granola cereal (I like the chocolate almond when I'm having a rough week), chicken sausages, and I maintain that their Tuscan Pane makes the best grilled cheese.

I need to get more of the coconut oil spray (I use this for greasing brownie pans or for spritzing foil-lined pans for rest-spaces when I'm making pancakes or waffles) and I find that the pricing on the olive oil is competitive for the size bottle I buy. (I don't buy large tins anymore, as I find I waste them.)

In the summer, DD likes the watermelon-cucumber cooler. I like it with muddled basil or mint & vodka (about the only time I drink vodka.)

The Josefsbrau beer is OK, but very hit-or-miss. I don't particularly care for Two-Buck Chuck, but the box wine is fine; my store also has a decent selection of inexpensive wines, but I sometimes find better pricing at Bottle King (this is a NJ discount liquor store chain.)

We're slowly trying the hard liquor because our store sells it, but we haven't tried many. The tequila is fine for mixing but I'm not over-fond of the Jailhouse Gin.

I like the margarita mix; DH adds extra lime. The Bloody Mary mix is pretty good, too.

I use the no-salt-added marinara in Giada chicken parm if I haven't made my own marinara.

The nuts tend to be a better deal than other places, and the dried fruit has a wider variety than a lot of stores (although I'm not 100% convinced it's priced competitively.)

[RiverRat]

I really like their brown frozen rice. Just stick it in the microwave for a few minutes.


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[MMMommy]

TJs will let you sample an item if you ask. For example, if there is a cookie or cracker you want to try, they will open one up for you to taste test before buying. Love TJs!

Favs:

Bruschetta
Cheeses
Sour Cream and Onion Puffs (like Pirates' Booty)
Pita Bite Crackers
Little packs of yogurts (mango and peach)
Milk (I buy my refrigerated almond milk and low-fat milk there)
Frozen mac n cheese
Hummus
Ghost chili pepper in grinder bottle (spice section) Refrigerated vegan Green Goddess dressing

[SnuggleBuggles]

I really like their brown frozen rice. Just stick it in the microwave for a few minutes.


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That is my favorite staple. 3 minutes and done.


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[JustMe]

Sorry to be redundant, but I am dependent on their frozen brown rice. Other staples for us include whole wheat pasta, frozen broccoli, bok choy. Kids eat frozen burritos or enchiladas.

Totally agree its important to be careful with the produce. Look at dates carefully (some have a sell by and some have a use by) and inspect when possible. I have come home with a lot of stuff that was already bad. They will always refund, but I have not taken them up on this as its just not convenient to return that quickly or even remember by the next shopping trip.

[jgenie]

We love their homemade flour tortillas (blue writing on package) and their sliced mozzarella cheese. They make the best quesadillas. Pumpkin muffin mix in the fall is great - we stock up. Cornbread mix is great too. (Located on the shelf above the ice cream treats.) We love their sliced peaches in the glass jar. I add them to our oatmeal instead of sweetener. We have a peanut allergy but before we used to buy their version of Cheerios and breakfast bars. The breakfast bars are super yummy.

[Twoboos]

I only glanced over other responses so sorry if these are a repeat:

Frozen organic jasmine rice, along with the brown rice
Blondie Mix - people go NUTS over these, they are the best
Jarred Pizza sauce (They used to have 2packs of frozen organic pizza shells, but they stopped carrying them for some reason. My kids loved this combo! :( )
Jarred Salsa verde
Israeli Cous Cous
Salt and Pepper with the grinder top
Chili Lime seasoning

I'm sure there's more I am missing right now!

[lizzywednesday]

... Cornbread mix is great too. ...

How could I have forgotten about that? It's my go-to for serving with chili or pulled chicken. I've been known to buy several boxes at a time whenever I have pantry space!

In the fall, DD loves their pumpkin soup (she is not crazy about the butternut squash soup), I like the carrot-ginger bisque, and DH & I like the black bean soup (we mix in a can of beans, as it's a smooth texture & he likes having whole beans) but it's too spicy for DD.

ETA: We also get double- and triple- creme cheeses (they sell small wedges for decent prices) and if I want goat cheese, I buy it at TJ's. We love the Manchego cheese and almost all the double-creme/triple-creme cheeses (Brie or Brie-like) ... it's how DD became my "fancy cheese girl."

Oh, and we all love the frozen spinach-artichoke dip!!

[zukeypur]

I only go a few times a year, so I stock up on pantry items that we use often.
Tomato paste in a tube
Coconut milk
Everyday seasoning
French Roast coffee
Joe’s Dark roast coffee
Organic Sumatra coffee
Frozen leeks (I cannot find these anywhere but TJ’s. They’re already sliced and washed. Saves so much time!)
Ginger grapefruit juice (this may be seasonal, as I couldn’t find it last time I went) :(
A (insert fruit name here)walks into a bar breakfast bars
Fresh broccolini
Spanish cheese (made from sheep and goat cheese, so I can eat it being lactose intolerant)
Refrigerated cinnamon rolls
Refrigerated biscuits
Goat cheese
Frozen Brussels sprouts
Frozen asparagus
Frozen French onion soup
Frozen marinated veggies (eggplant, zucchini, etc)
Pumpkin butter when in season
Frozen Steele cut oatmeal
Harissa
Frozen corn
String cheese
Spanakopita
Fish nuggets
Soft pretzels


I tried their flavored Greek yogurt and was very disappointed. They used thickeners instead of extra straining, and it upset my stomach. I can normally tolerate yogurt that is extra strained, such as Greek or Icelandic. I think the plain Greek is strained, not thickened. As others has said, their frozen meals are almost always good.

[mikala]

My new fave is the everything seasoning mix (like what you would find on an everything bagel) - tastes great on eggs!I adore this seasoning too! Even my toddler asks for it.

[solsister]

Ive got lots of favorites, but will have to return to share.
Our tops are the coconut milk yogurt and ice cream, my daughter has tried many dairy free yogurts and ice creams, and LOVES both of these products.

[mikala]

I'm sure I'm duplicating the list above but here are some of out favorites...I also buy lots of other staples like pasta, grains, sauces, crackers etc if we need them. Produce is hit or miss, definitely check ripeness.


Big chocolate bar, I chop it up for recipes that require semisweet chunks
Bacon cheddar dip, so addictive
Cheeses, especially the unexpected cheddar
Freeze dried mango
Sliced honey almonds, and any other nuts and trail mixes
Dairy products
Refrigerated pizza dough balls, jarred pizza sauce
Grapefruit jelly
Fresh flowers
$1 Greeting cards

[div_0305]

I don't have much to add, but wanted to suggest doing a search on the BBB. TJ's fave list threads are posted often it seems. I would only add that you should check ingredients, even on items you buy often. I've noticed a small trend towards less healthy additives and thickeners in some products. It's still my fave place for groceries for the past 3 decades.

[jgenie]

How could I have forgotten about that? It's my go-to for serving with chili or pulled chicken. I've been known to buy several boxes at a time whenever I have pantry space!

I buy several boxes and remove them from the boxes when I get home to store them in the freezer. Same for the pumpkin bread mixes.

[lizzywednesday]

I buy several boxes and remove them from the boxes when I get home to store them in the freezer. Same for the pumpkin bread mixes.

Space in my freezer isn't as efficiently used as I'd like. Honestly, I'm not far from TJ's, so there's really no need to stock up at any point. Except the pumpkin soup.