Trader Joe's will open its first store here in Prescott AZ on March 9. People here are all leaped up--we've been lobbying for a TJ's for years. And with good reason: TJ's is a great place to shop. Excellent food and produce at reasonable prices. Stupendous bargains in good, inexpensive wines from around the world. Friendly, courteous service.

Anyone here have experience with Trader Joe's?

Love the place, TB.

I used to have to go way out to Hewlett to shop there (there's a Riverside Chapel right around the corner, that's how I became familiar with it). But today there are a couple in Westchester, so sometimes I'll shoot up there.

The place is DEFINITELY worth the drive.

Love, love, love Trader Joe's. High quality and good prices. What more could you want?? I love their pizza, their cheeses, caviar, pate`, their frozen fish is excellent, they have the best frozen green beans I've ever had, and their desserts are too amazing for words. I didn't even mention their cookies and chocolates!!!

We don't have one here, but it's about a 15-20 minute drive into NJ, which isn't too bad.

I've never been to one that sells wine, but I'm not surprised that they have good selection and value.

Never been to one -- just checked, and there's one about 30-40 minutes north of here. I'll check it out. No wine there, though...

You know there is a TJ's right in my area by my daughter's house. I think I've been there maybe twice in my life. It IS nice but always packed.

I really can't comment on prices and such but I do know they have a variety of foods and it looks like a nice store. I just never feel like waiting in lines that I've seen there. I'll have to take the time sometime and check it out good.


TIS

Now I want to jump in the car and go there. UGH! So many delicious things to choose from....

Is it comparable to stores like Wegmans?

I might, if TJ's was larger or Wegmans was smaller. Perhaps a mini-Wegmans?

A good description. I like them both. Trader Joe's is too far for me though. One is going up in State College, which is about 90 minutes away. There are some outside of Philly and one in Maryland, but that's also 90 minutes. Wegman's is just 15 minutes. I understand that Wegman's is a verey good place to work.

All of this talk about food places - that we don't have in the UK by the way- is making me very hungry.......

I was gonna say, "do you even have (real) food in the UK?" ... but according to Chef Ramsay it's not too bad over there these days

We get by on crumpets,scones,tea,roast beef and yorkshire puddings.........

...to say nothing of Spotted Dick and Toad in the Hole...

Wegman's is very impressive, but their stores are HUGE--the one near my brother in law in central NJ practically bends with the curvature of the earth. TJ's typically are 14,000 squre feet or less. They have a broad range of products, but they specialize in brands they select for quality and value, vs. the multiple choices you get in a typical supermarket.

The TJ's in Westfield NJ sells wines. So do those in SoCal and Nevada. If anyone wants recommendations for great values in wines, PM me.

You probably already know this, TB. But when you're in Florida, you can NOT beat Publix for discounted wines .

Better than $11.99 (everyday) for a magnum of Bolla at my Buy-Rite?

I said in Florida, you pineapple .

PB, we spent two weeks in Surfside last month, within walking distance of a Publix. They had some fairly decent buys in standard brands. TJ's strength is in wines it brings in on its own label (TJ Coastal, TJ Organic, etc.), as well as those it brings in on exclusives or near-exclusives (Black Mountain, Napa River, Trellis, the "Moon" wines), and selected overseas wines.

Here in AZ, TJ doesn't do well competitively with its pricing of standard brands, like Mondavi, Concannon, Smoking Loon, etc. I think state taxes on alcohol are lower here. The supermarkets regularly run sales in which you get 10% off when you buy six or more (mixed six), and often go to 30% or more off. So, you can buy the abovementioned brands for as little as $5.30/bottle; Beringer for $4.99; Sterling for about $8; and sometimes Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc for a little under $10. Plus we have Costco, which sometimes comes in with amazingly low prices, like Blackstone Merlot for $4.50 and BV Coastal for $5. None of those are great wines, but they'll do for everyday drinking.

I haven't seen any great wine buys in the supermarkets in Florida. I end up in Costco or ABC Liquor for wine when I'm down there, and both offer great selection and prices.

You guys have had me jonesing for a TJ's run, so I talked my daughter into going with me after haircuts this afternoon (I had to bribe her with an M&M McFlurry first), but then I remembered that I had to get home to marinate the cutlets for the grill. Long story short, my mother never took them out of the freezer and I ended up running to Costco for a rotisserie chicken for dinner. So, no cutlets in my lovely OJ marinade and no Trader Joe's. All in all, a disappointing evening.

Ohhh, the cup dashed from the lips.

I guess I just have a soft spot for the place because I think it's the best supermarket in the state .


That's all I'm interested in, everyday drinking .

Well, whenever someone cares to start a thread on the virtues of UK cooking (of which I have always been quite interested), you can count me in!

Signor V.

How does Trader Joe's compare to Whole Foods?

I only eat my own spotted dick....i tend not to touch anyone elses..........

If you could do that, you'd never leave the house. Buth then again, who would?

That's the hot issue here, Lilo:

We have New Frontiers market here, which is directly comparable to Whole Foods and Fresh Fields--quality produce, gourmet foods, etc. TJ's competes directly with those items. TJ also sells wine and beer--New Frontiers doesn't. People here were agitating for TJ to come here for years, and New Frontiers used its clout to block them every time--until last year, when the city cut an innovative deal with a developer.

The consensus here is that TJ might kill off New Frontiers because of the direct competition. TJ probably will hurt Cost Plus/World Market, which sells wine and beer, some gourmet foods, and other stuff (furniture, carpets--really bizarre mix of stuff) located close by. On the other hand, TJ is located right below a fairly new mall that has been devastated by the recession (about a quarter of the space is empty). It is bound to bring lots of traffic from Sedona and Flagstaff, and people who come from there are likely to visit the mall and other Prescott businesses.

BTW: does Whole Paycheck sell alcoholic beverages?

Duh, that's where the name comes from, TB. Drunks go there to spend their whole paycheck.

...am I correct in assuming that you buy your alcohol at Publix instead of Whole Foods?

Whatever's on sale, TB .

I went to a Whole Foods for the first time a few weeks ago. I found some things very reasonable, and some things ridiculously overpriced. I think I would compare Whole Foods more with Fairway than Trader Joe's.

First of all, I got a $3 chardonnay at Whole Foods that was actually drinkable. It was a tad sweet for my taste, but my daughter, who just started drinking wine, loved it. I also got a $5 merlot, but haven't cracked it open yet, so can't comment.

Their sushi and their hot sandwiches were very inexpensive and fresh. We bought four different sushi rolls, and all of them were delicious. The price ranged from $6-$8, but I can't remember if there were 9 or 12 rolls in each. The herb-encrusted roast beef sandwich was only $7. They also had a very nice coffee and gelato bar, and their prices were no more or no less than anywhere else.

Their bakery was expensive, but everything looked top shelf. Their cakes looked gorgeous, but too pricey for me to try. We ran out of time before I could really look at much else, so I can't say what the other areas were like, but since they were advertising organic eggs from uncaged chickens, I'm guessing expensive.

Overall, I still like TJ's better, but Whole Foods was certainly a pleasant experience.