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In which I finally go to Trader Joe's and the end result is...

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MillCreek:
I have heard a lot about Aldi's, but I don't think they are on the West Coast. Certainly not in the PNW.

Ben:
Yup - if you categorize TJs as a grocery store, it pretty much sucks. "Boutique" is probably as good a description as anything. When I go there, I'll get stuff like the excellent TJ jams and marmalade, cheese, and some of the hippie produce you can't always get at the grocery store. Then there are finds like their awesome sweet onion and bacon vinaigrette salad dressing, and this time of the year, a decent brand of lebkuchen (German ginger Christmas "cookie-cakes") at a reasonable price.

BlueStarLizzard:

--- Quote from: Mike Irwin on November 17, 2018, 07:33:35 AM ---TJ's isn't, by any stretch of the imagination, a grocery store. It's really a boutique store with really decent prices on cheese and some other products. 

--- End quote ---

I was under the impression they were more of a grocery store. Especially given how crowded I hear it is all the time. I did note that the cheese section seemed fairly well filled out, but I didn't need any cheese and doing a cheese binge wasn't worth fighting the crowd in that area.

I did grab some oddball stuff. I was impressed that they carried Walker Shortbread (although that may be seasonal) and some of their frozen food looked good. I did get these microwavable pork dumplings to try. I probably would be inclined to go in there every once in a while if it weren't that, according to most people I've talked to, it's *always* crowded in there and the shopping center is one of those ridiculous new fangled types that is really stupid to navigate.

However, Wegman's has more selection, regular grocery items and ready to eat food. It also tends to be crowded but there is more space to move around and the shopping center is laid out much more logically, so I'll probably stick to that if I want to get fancy food.

BlueStarLizzard:

--- Quote from: MillCreek on November 17, 2018, 10:00:09 AM ---I have heard a lot about Aldi's, but I don't think they are on the West Coast. Certainly not in the PNW.

--- End quote ---

We don't have an Aldi's, either.

We did get a Wegman's about the same time we got the Trader Joe's. Wegmans is the bomb. The only reason I don't go in there regularly is because I can't afford it. Their regular grocery items are very reasonable, but when you start getting into the good stuff and add in impulse buying you can break the bank real fast.  :laugh: Eric took me on a shopping spree in there for my birthday and I went a little crazy, but so worth it.

zxcvbob:
Aldi's is my main grocery store, but they are lacking a few items that I have to goto Walmart or HyVee for.  I'll go to TJ's every once in a while, mostly to buy beer and a few goodies like their candied ginger.  I wish we had Fiesta supermarkets up here, like in Houston.  I think we have enough Mexicans to support one.

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