This is hilarious and spot on. My sister once called Trader Joe’s corporate to suggest they open a store in our city, and they actually said, “We did studies, and your city isn’t congested enough for us.” 😂 We do love them though.

Absolute fave thing from TJ's is the dark chocolate peanut butter cups. They're awesome and I get them every time I go because I have to drive over an hour to get to the closest one.

My toddlers favorite things about TJ’s is the stickers the cashiers give to children at checkout. Just last night our toddler asked to go shopping. My husband asked her what she wanted to buy and she said, “Stickers!” We beat the Trader Joe’s parking lot craziness by shopping at night, and living right across the street from one so we just walk to it! Apparently our toddler has gotten a little too used to swinging by the Trader Joe’s on her nightly walk with Dad.

I LOVE TRADER JOE'S! The plants are awesome and cheap. SO MANY of my over 200 potted plants started out as little baby plants from TJs. I have an olive tree that I bought two years ago (where else can you buy them?!) and the rosemary I bought back in 2018 got so big that I could no longer find pots to fit her and now she is in the ground and doing well. You can't go wrong with their plants. My FAVORITE fancy food was the candied hibiscus flowers. EVERYONE loved them because they are good and interesting and most folks had never seen them before. OF COURSE after years of impressing everyone with these beautiful treats, I can no longer get them because they stopped carrying it. FUN FACT - you can return anything at all for a full refund or store credit. So if you want to try something but are not sure if you will like it, JUST BUY IT and see. I really love this store. Excellent produce, decent wine, fantastic plants, fun food........ OH - and the rice stuffed grape leaves are the BEST! Even people whose moms make them from scratch like the TJs ones in a can!

Those mango joejoes were good. So where the strawberry vanillas. I love Traders Joes because they donate to the perishable food ministry that i run and they have been consistently wonderful to work with. We used to have whole foods, amazon squashed that. We had a local farmer, covid lockdowns shut that one down. But we still have TJ and im thankful for them.

I forgot to add that my favorite thing to buy there are their flowers 💐!

I love the peanut butter dog treats made with human ingredients. I snack on them while I shop being extra obvious because the looks I get are absolutely priceless!!

This couldn’t be more accurate. You really nailed it. Our closest Trader Joe’s was always crowded and we could hardly get two carts abreast down the aisle. We were so relieved when they enlarged the store and thought the issue would be solved. It wasn’t long before nature abhorred that vacuum and it was back to being crowded again. Having said that, nothing will keep me away from their artisan bread, dark chocolate peanut butter cups, and last, but not least, their Danish Kringles.❤

This is so funny. I worked for Trader Joe's for 13 years and so much of this rings true. I remember chasing carts in the parking lot as the sped down hill. I was one of those incredibly talkative, nice, food and cooking obsessed crew members that you are talking about. Tj's does base of their hiring decisions on the personality of who they are interviewing. Funny, friendly, food-lover, good at flirting and so on... Many people did share a lot about their lives' with me. You have probably tried these as they are a TJs staple, but the Tarte d' Alsace (Frozen) is incredible (it is from the French-German blending region of Alsace-Lorraine). I am just going to say it, there frozen buffalo wings are really good, especially for frozen, and the used to have one of the best blue cheese dressings I have had that paired perfectly with the wings, but, and I know you will be shocked, they discontinued it. They also discountined the pollenta provencale, I miss that one too. I you want a real salt-fix then get the sausages with the Unexpected Cheddar in them. My wife loves the chocolate coated toffee pieces, not the one with nuts, but those are great too. The larger rectangular frozen cheese pizza from Italy is very simple, but awesome flavors and textures.

Something I wish had been mentioned is their advertising strategy ... I ❤ the fearless flyer.

Those suspiciously nice employees are THE BEST at bagging groceries. They put all other baggers to shame!!!

I love how they tackle truths all see, but while others doing so tend to pass it on unkindly, they do it with humor and an explanation of love and acceptance

One thing that surprised me that I am obsessed with and always buy 2-3 at a time is the Salmon Rub seasoning. We put it on all kinds of foods, not just salmon. It’s great on chicken, shrimp, pork…anything we throw on the grill. Newest obsession - Jersey Gouda.

I love Trader Joe’s! Still have a TJ’s canvas bag from 25 years ago! A cashier once told me I could sell it used on eBay for a decent price. My local TJ’s donates flowers to our Meals on Wheels program for homebound elderly folks. I still miss the sundried tomato sprinkles they used to sell quite a few years ago. So many favorites there! ❤️

So funny and so true! My absolute favorite are the dark chocolate sea salt carmels that are only available at Christmas time, but get them quick because they always run out. I have to buy several boxes to last me through the year. For a short while, they had them year round, but then went back to only Christmas.

As a child, I remember going to Trader Joe’s in my hometown near Pasadena, CA and it always smelled like fish (which I hated). Fun fact: TJ’s started in Pasadena! Later during college, I started to go to Trader Joe’s during all the grocery store union worker strikes (early 2000’s). We have three in my area and they all have small parking lots and one is indeed on a hill! I like most of their seasonal treats and their frozen foods too. During Thanksgiving one year they had a Thanksgiving-themed pot pie with roasted Turkey pieces, cranberries and stuffing. So good!

Oooh! I forgot to mention I love their greeting cards!!

I just moved to NYC from Michigan and I assumed the tight spaces and all the weirdness of Trader Joe's was a NYC thing. Good to know it's a Trader Joe's thing

I was aware of the chain but, as Trader Joe's does not have a Canadian presence, I had never truly understood what the stores were about. Now I don't know whether to be bummed or to be thankful! Cheers from a neighbour to the north 🇨🇦

“We need an idea for a traumatic experience.” Penn: “on it.” The employees really are so kind. Even when your freshly potty trained child has an accident, they’re totally cool.

Growing up on the West Coast (Seattle) I forget that places like TJ's & Costco are not everywhere - it's so fun to see folks discover them and make fun of their "quirkiness". And yes Mint Joe's O's are only available for maybe a week in December - ours are sold out immediately by folks buying them to sell on EBay! Thank goodness for the ice cream version!

This past summer, they had a great unsweetened Oolong ice tea. Knowing that once it's gone, it may never reappear, I bought every bottle they had, except one. 😆

Trader Joe’s Triple Ginger Cookies are absolutely the best.

I can actually walk to the Trader Joe’s in my neighborhood and yes I do that! The biggest reason is because parking is unbelievable and I can never find a space. The store is not on a hill though! However, my house value has skyrocketed since they put one in our neighborhood. I love to try the new things that they bring in although I agree with you that they never stay long especially if they’re really good.

Trader Joe's frozen Indian food is the best!

*A fun thing to know if it's relevant to your family and if you didn't know: Any colorful treats at Trader Joe's, yes even candy, is made with natural food colors. (One of my niblings had a weird allergy to artificial colors when he was little.) *One of my favorite treats they have is Bamba. It's like cheese puffs, but instead of a coating of cheesiness, it's peanut butter. *A favorite Seasonal Treat is turkey-stuffing-flavored potato chips. *My favorite "normal" thing there is the frozen mac and cheese. Sure, they have weird ones too, but I like the regular kind.

The free samples are dangerous, it started my addition to their dark chocolate peanut butter cups. I nominate that item for your blog list.

TJs has a great podcast where they address a lot of the (lovingly presented) complaints you aired. Give it a listen!

What would we do w/o Kim & Penn Holderness?

The pork & ginger soup dumplings are literally the only reason I go to Trader Joe's.

We love their DARK CHOCOLATE every thing... and Scandinavian swimmers and the super sour ones are the bomb!!! lol. Our town even had a petition to have them put a store in an empty store location because they heard that they prefer to use pre-used space. It probably didn't qualify because it has lots of parking, lol. But totally get the small parking bit...we have one in our large city that is squished to a small strip mall and has very little parking space. :).

Hilarious and accurate. My youngest LOVES to go to the Trader Joe's nearest the auditorium we perform in every Lunar New Year. She would live there if we let her. My favorite thing is the dark chocolate covered cherries. Her favorite thing is the soft dried mango.

Favorite item: Dark Chocolate Covered Star Cookies (or as I’ve lovingly come to call them: Crack in a Box). They are the best item that comes around each Christmas, hands down! I always buy a few extra boxes so I can have some after the season is over. Also the Citrusy Garlic seasoning is awesome. As far as location and parking lots go, our Trader Joe’s is the best I’ve ever seen. Best parking lot in an easy to access location. I pretty much hate going to any other Trader Joe’s because of all the issues listed here! Also ours only has one item that isn’t stocked as often as my kids would like but otherwise I never have trouble finding what I need. 😄

LOL!!! OMG, I love you guys. I'm sitting here working on a video for my channel and can't stop laughing long enough to edit... Thank you for doing what you do and bringing joy and laughter to us all.

TJ favorites: Raspberry Kringle, Caramel Pumpkin Kringle, macaroons, chocolate croissants, Butter Waffle Cookies, Triple Ginger Snaps, Aussie chocolate cookies(Tim Tam equivalent), chocolate chip Dunkers, Spiced Apple Cider, Dry Shampoo...

My favorite Trader Joe thing are pumpkin dunkers. SO delicious, especially with coffee in the morning. They are only stocked at Halloween, not Thanksgiving or Christmas or any “pumpkin spice season”. They’re seasonal to Halloween only. They immediately sell out. They could make money on them all year long. 🤷🏼‍♀️

We have a grocery store here in Cincinnati called Jungle Jim’s that you can purchase foods from around the world. If they don’t have it, you don’t need it. It sounds like your store. Do you walk through a portapotty to enter the large public restrooms too? It is strange with all of its larger than life displays from everything from Campbell soup to Green Giant.The produce and everything else cheese dept. wine around the world ,eggs that have developed chicks (this is a delicacy in some Asian countries) to fruit I have never heard of. It’s wild!

I avoid the crowded parking lot by going when they open at 8 am. Some of our favs: -Trader Potato Tots -Sea Salt & Turbinado Sugar Dark Chocolate Almonds -Caramel Coffee Almonds -Harvest Blend Tea -Pumpkin Spice Rooibos Tea -Low Sodium Veggie Broth -Olive Fougasse Loaf -Veggie Samosas -Vegetable Spring Rolls -Tteokbokki -Tandoori Naan -Scallion Pancakes (Pajeon) -Flowers: The $3.99 bouquets are great. I’ve had really good luck with their orchids too.

It is the ultimate road trip snack store. :)

How is it possible to have ONE favorite thing from TJs? Let me say this: unexpected cheddar. Chicken verde enchiladas. Cauliflower gnocchi. Sweet potato gnocchi. Unexpected cheddar chicken sausage (!!!). Mushroom & truffle flat bread. Their creamy raw almond butter. The cashew butter. All of the various nuts and crackers that come in everything but the bagel seasoning. And as a Greek woman who is picky about her spanakopita, I will bake a TJs spanakopita in a pinch without any problem. True story: my husband is a map maker and works in non-residential real estate. He gave me some color on TJs and their notoriously (and universally) crappy parking lots--getting store fronts in areas where the parking is insufficient or really not that great is a way for the company to keep their overhead lower contributes to their ability to keep their prices pretty low.

I love TJs. Small store with limited choices gets me in and out quickly. I love their Mango Nectar for mixing with Margarita mix. and Taquila. Also use the 2 the Power C juice blend when no mango nectar is available. Another staple is the Applewood Bacon. OHH but holiday time they have minty marshmallows covered in dark chocolate. I've been to many around the country. The one in Oakland CA. Lakeshore area has lines that wrap inside the store to the cashiers. People come in 2's, one stands in line while the other shops.

The Thanksgiving flavored potato chips are strangely wonderful. Aldis has them too😊 but only in the fall.

Our TJ’s is on Hilltop Drive! (Redding, CA). I only go once a year, at Christmas time to get chocolate covered peppermint JoJo’s to savor (I have 2 left). So why did I spend $53? For the Spanakopitas, quinoa veggie burgers and especially the 12 pack of Ace Craft Ciders, of which I wanted the pear ale, but now have 4 each of Pear, Pineapple and Guava flavors! Worth it! 🥰

Lemon ricotta! Only at the winter holiday. I was chatting with a fellow shopper who was also looking for it and when the store clerk came, my companion was given the VERY LAST ONE (forever, maybe, who knows?) 🤣

Butternut squash ravioli!!! & Pumpkin samosas!!!

I have never been to a Trader Joe's, and by the sounds of the foods AND stores you describe I probably don't want too either!! Recently I went to my nearest Walmart to buy wiper blades for my car, I walked in and the store was insanely busy, with long lines at the registers and people literally running everywhere!! I made it back to the automotive section and found what I was looking for, BUT as I made my way back past electronics a cashier was screaming at a customer!!! I put the wiper blades down on a TV box.......and walked out!! The point is......I just wanted to get wiper blades and leave.....BUT the way these stores run anymore.......it is just too crazy to shop there!!! I ended up going to Advanced Auto for my wiper blades......I was literally IN AND OUT of the store in less than 10 minutes and didn't have to fight through people to do it!!!

I love Trader Joe's. We just got one in our town a couple years ago. My current favorite thing is maple cranberry orange spread which is great with cheese and crackers, or grilled cheese sandwiches. Of course it's only available in October and November. I also really like their falafel, spanakopita, and feta pastries.

I love trader Joes! i lived right next door to the original store in South Pasadena, Califorina. It was al of those things then and you are right it has been replicated all over. People love the store and it is iconic because of all the things your stated. They do change items all the time. My current fav is the dried mango and the various specialty cheeses. good pickings for charcuterie boards! The employees there are Sooooo Nice!. During covid when safeway looked like a refugee camp, with only half the shelves stocked, half of the lights turned off and the employees looking like they had a gun to thier head to be there, I went to trader joes. The employees were happy, all of the shelves were stocked, the lights were all turned on and there was happy music playing. We joked with the guys at the register, helped them bag our groceries and bought more than we needed, just because it was a happy place to be. They make the store a real neighborhood experience. I have now pledged that i will only live in places near to a trader joes.

Trader Joe’s is my fav and I do majority of grocery shopping there. I always get 1 or 2 of the green salad kits - favs are the Very Veggie, a Mediterranean, and the Harvest Apple. My fav cheeses are toscano with Chardonnay and toscano with Syrah. The macaroni and cheese with Hatch chilis is delish and just mildly spicy. This November I discovered the peppermint hold the cones and the next week they were already sold out. Next year I’ll get 3 boxes!

OMG, pumpkin biscotti. How do they not stock this throughout the whole fall season? Instead we get one precious week and then they're gone. But for regular stuff, there is always chicken gyoza, char siu bao, and falafel (the elusive regular ones, not the ubiquitous pickle ones) in my freezer for nights when we can't be bothered to cook.

You need to visit all our Trader Joe’s in NYC! No hills, no parking and if you don’t see “it,” they’ll find it for you! Of course, there are the queues outside and inside the store - but they have the best air-traffic control systems (all human)! A couple of favorites… the Olive & Basil Pesto, the Roasted Cauliflower Ravioli, the Green Goddess seasoning and the Trek Mix - perfect for trekking on the sidewalks of NY. Their Hot Chocolate is dope too! 😋 We❤TJ’s

Yes, parking lots in TJ are ALWAYS tight! But I love it there as well. Can’t beat the prices and selection🌟 Love the size of the stores as well - easy to get in and out!

I agree with everything here, and I REALLY REALLY LOVE Trader Joe’s!! My favorite item they used to carry, then dropped : Montezuma 100% cacao bars with nibs. Perfect! True, not for everyone, but at $2.69 for a 100 gram bar, great buy. Made in England and outrageous $$ to ship overseas, but worth it. Wish they’d stock it again….

As someone who has never even seen a Trader Joe's, much less been to one, I am now convinced to never try to find one! Thanks for the laughs 🤣🤣🤣

Fun fact: Trader Joe's and Aldi are owned by the same company. 😊

I’m a native Angeleno- so Trader Joe’s used to be this quirky store that wasn’t very popular- then so cal had an employee grocery store boycott of the big grocery stores- so to support the employees we had to find small grocery stores we could shop at and that was how the general public found Trader Joe’s, fell in love with it, and it is crazy how popular it had become. And yes, crazy parking lots, small spaces 😂

What I want to know is they say "they are going to check the back" but they never come back with what you need hahaha. It's always going to be in some other day. The caramelize onion cheese is amazing! LOVE me some Trader Joe's!

My favorite thing at Trader’s is a fall seasonal item so can’t get it right now! It’s the Autumn Harvest Creamy pasta sauce. 😋😋😋

Fav products/things I re-purchase over and over: 1. almond butter filled pretzels 2. sliced, toasted almonds. I toss those on everything! 3. Barebells protein bars. These truly taste close to a candy bar but are a little less bad for you. 4. Sunflower butter cups 5. premium ice creams - are as good as HugYourDogs and cheaper. 6. greeting cards are cheap -- but also nice -- unlike other cheap cards that look and feel cheap. 7. flowers and little plants are good and reasonably priced. The workers there are SO NICE!

1> pick something random, 2> cover it in chocolate. Boom. New product.

I lived in Long Beach as a kid and we had a TJ’s. Originally it only had alcohol and an amazing cheese section. We used to go often. Then it expanded into more foods. Our favorites are the chicken soup dumplings, chocolate mint stars (like GS cookies), and better prices for dried fruits and nuts.

Some of my favs: the burlap shopping bags, small flower bouquet, lentil soup (refrigerated), dark chocolate PB cups, peppermint joe joes (they are my birthday treat), omega 3 trail mix, frozen chicken breasts, pasture raised eggs, French baguette, tortilla chips, unexpected cheddar, mushroom Brie (OMG), and wine. Ok, I thinkI just made my shopping list for the week, lol

Many cities' planning/zoning boards have a formula based on the store's square footage that they use to determine how much parking a retailer must provide and since Trader Joe's are smaller than typical supermarkets, they require fewer spots despite attracting many customers. And it seems TJ's keeps to that minimum no matter what. Maybe to save $ on land acquisition? Or to keep the appearance of demand?

Spot on. I started going there regularly when I discovered their tofu/spinach egg rolls. So amazing. Then they stopped stocking them. And that happened over and over.

The flowers and the plants. But mostly, they stock our beloved Natalie's OJ from Florida, rebranded as their own unpasteurized OJ. Worth every penny. Also, the produce is always great: lettuce, English cucumbers, haricots verts, baby carrots, cocktail tomatoes, great strawberries, raspberries and bananas, better and so much cheaper shallots... Just don't ever let yourself fall in love with a prepared food, because, as you sang about - it WILL be gone before you know it. Still miss their garlic sauce & frozen carrot medallions. Adorable mini ice cream cones will probably go away next...😑 In IL the parking lots are at least always flat!🤣

Insider tip: -Chocolate Coconut Almonds -Trail Mix Crackers -Feta Carmelized Onion Pastry Bites -The Chocolate Croissants in the Frozen section (are a must) -Roasted Red pepper Soup -Artichoke Jalapeno Dip

Oooh, the chocolate bark with pretzels and almonds... but maybe I shouldn't tell anyone so they don't sell out!! Lol 😅

I feel like the interesting food combinations didn’t start until about 15 years ago and the parking lot issues and inconvenient locations are REAL(and I don’t drive). I really love the prepackaged grapefruit (seasonal- not sure which seasons are the right ones. 🤷🏻‍♀️) And the chocolate covered pretzels and regular toffee (no nuts 🎉) are delicious.

Current favorites: a grinder with salt, dried minced garlic, minced onion, and parsley. Love it!! Also, love cauliflower gnocchi. 😄 And I love their coconut sugar and canned coconut cream. Thankfully, mine is in one of the wealthiest suburbs in America and shares a parking lot so I can always find a spot. And it’s very flat, and I don’t live in a flat area! I am extremely sensitive to gluten and dairy from a hereditary disease so I do enjoy some of their unique ideas to add to my simple diet. Lol, news flash though - not everything at Trader Joe’s is healthy!

Favorite TJs thing (and we go there weekly), changes…right now, it’s their winter warmer & Chai. We love their clam chowder & jalapeño artichoke dip. But our new fav is the jalapeño garlic chunky hot sauce.

Going to TJ's is like going to a party. It's the only grocery shopping experience I can handle. The .99 cards are the best. And since Miley Cyrus says I can buy myself flowers, I always do because I can afford them at TJ's. Dark chocolate peanut butter cups - a staple! Pumpkinpalooza causes me to loose my mind. And free therapy with the check out clerks on the way out is the icing on the cake. I always get a little seratonin boost at TJ's...even with the tight parking.

My town has a lack of grocery store options that is going to start getting pretty bad with some new developments that are being built. People complain about it all the time on Facebook and the other day someone was trying to get people to flood the Trader Joe's "request we come to your city" page. But I feel like if we did get one, people would then just complain about how they don't carry enough "normal" products.

My favorites are gone. Spinach kale bites. Amazing. And three layer humus with this amazing red pepper hummus. Please help bring these back. 😊

Trader Joe’s specialty items are like goldfish (the actual fish). Don’t get too attached to them because they won’t be around for long.

Hot cocoa cream cheese sounds incredible. I'd buy that. Too bad they don't have Trader Joe's in Canada.

Luckily, we have no hills in Annapolis 😂. However, the parking lot is always jammed. I miss their gummy bears. I only ever go there for specialty items, it's definitely not a full-service grocery store. Also, I have told my husband that he can only ever buy me flowers from there because they are reasonably priced and beautiful! We even used them at our wedding.

The flowers!! 💐 They long outlive the flowers from every other store. No joking!

The All Butter Shortbread Cookies with Raspberry Filling are my favorites. In cities where there are no hills, TJ’s selects locations with dangerous parking ramps… narrow lanes on the parking garage ramps and too narrow parking places.

Sounds like the one in Buffalo is a bit of an anomaly. It's on very flat land, and also in a big box/mall area. So there is parking available if needed... but the parking area around the store itself is pretty cozy. I only got to go there a couple of times. I like variety and new things, so the weird and wonderful combos were very exciting. Also got cheap avocadoes.

Chocolate covered peanut butter filled balls of bliss (peanut butter filled, chocolate covered pretzels.. so addictive, and so tasty!!) In the “they never stocked it again” category, they had a GREAT low sugar margarita mix (just add tequila) that was a staple.. and then never seen again.

Raisin Rosemary Crisps with St. Andre triple cream brie! I grew up in So California and we had TJs back in the 70s. It was the place my mom went for wine and snacks for gatherings, and I was shocked when I heard they actually started carrying produce and meat, etc. We got the first one in Minneapolis/St. Paul area, about 11 years ago and they DID pick a congested area with a very TINY parking lot!! Spot on you guys!! 🤣

I'm glad mine isn't on a hill....lol. They don't have enough parking but nicer than pie and I just had the less guilt mac and cheese. Some favs are missed but they'll be back. My husband loves the dark chocolate peanutbutter cups and dumplings. My daughter loves the cheeses and crackers, my son the orange chicken (not healthy but hey, it's good for once in a while)

My dog and cat both LOVE the Advent calendars for pets. I could not do without the Quinoa Cowboys and their nut selection is first rate.

Truffle Aioli....paired with any of their French fries. Unfortunately it is seasonal and it won't be back until May. 🤭

Frozen croissants!! Put them out to thaw the night before and bake in the morning. So good!!! So many yummy things.

A bag of the leftover bits and pieces of dried fruit strips. The bits and pieces were cheaper because they were the leftover cut out pieces from the strips. But…after I got hooked they stopped carrying them and I never saw them again. 🤣😭

My favorites are Orange Chicken, Pumpkin Pancake mix, and the fresh flowers.

Flowers are a must

My favorite items: (i) Mango Kefir, (ii) Cruciferous Crunch Collection (aka Kale/Brussel sprout salad trimmings) - The missus likes pasture-raised eggs, turkey bacon, and their organic chicken and beef broth. This is in Camp Hill, PA where the parking lot is suspiciously flat and even, but small. My wife rolls up in her F-150 4-door and it's like piloting a crude carrier through a narrow canal. And yes, the employees are amazingly happy/cheerful, and heavily pierced & tattoo'ed as well.

Gluten-free Chocolate Muffins and can’t find anymore Gluten Free Ginger Muffins - my gluten eating family love them both!

Hot chocolate cream cheese they also have too. That stuff was good, save for me as a sample cause acid reflux plus chocolate equals no dice. So everyone else got some for Christmas save me sigh... And that was selling like hot cakes. Which i agree, you have to buy it when you see it as they don't restock consistent and if it's seasonal, forget it. Good luck finding it. Its like old-school Black Friday shopping from the 90s where peoples running each other over but grocery edition.

For years Trader Joe's had sticky toffee pudding for the holiday season- then stopped making it and I'm still devastated. They now have pumpkin sticky toffee pudding and pretzels sticky toffee pudding and they're both not as good.

I like their paper bags.

My favorite items are: 21 Seasoning Salute (it goes on almost everything & salt is NOT an ingredient) and their Herbs de Provence (this is seasonal so I stock up for the year. One of the best prices for this lavender blended savory seasoning). Before I developed a dairy intolerance, I loved the Tomato Red Bell Pepper soup -- it's amazing (in a box on a shlef) and has actually been one of the few staple items there. With the intolerance, I've discovered the sunflower peanut butter cups by the checkouts -- yum!

TJ’s orange chicken is a staple in our house. Make trips specifically to get them (along with their gyoza, tamales, garlic naan, honey shaving cream, and red Thai curry sauce). Our closest one is 30 min away so we buy at least 10 bags per trip. I also recommend a location near me often. Hasn’t worked yet, but noticing up!

Our Trader Joe’s shares a parking lot with Chuck E. Cheese

At our Trader Joe's, the parking lot involves driving down an incline, into it, and then driving in circles until someone backs out. This is 'extra' because we're in Minnesota and getting back UP the steep driveway during winter/icy periods can be treacherous. But, still....... we go there and do their required dance.

It really is weird how we love it lol. My town put in a Natural Groocers' & I'm like but it's not the same.. I want Trader Joe's. I have to go if I have time in the city every time. Mom & I just want to go up & down each aisle so we don't miss anything. So far the corn arrepas and chocolate covered almonds have been my favorite things.

My favorite thing was their espresso pillows! Omg! Basically chocolate espresso beans. They discontinued them and I was so sad!

Even I live in Florida and through my experience ALL of this is accurate. I hate shopping there but I love the items sold in the stores