An Open Letter To Trader Joe's

The Phillyist has written an open letter to Trader Joe's of Philadelphia that sums up how many people feel about Trader Joe's. Here's a few lines from the letter:

Thank you to the sample lady for asking us if we’d like seconds, even though the sign clearly says we should limit ourselves to one.

We love that you have products with puns in their names, like “Rosencrunch and Guildenstern,” and, our personal favorite, “So This Strawberry Walks Into a Bar…”

We love that all your employees wear Hawaiian shirts, even if it’s seventeen degrees outside.  Inside, it’s always summer.

So thank you, Trader Joe’s, for becoming such an important part of our lives. You complete us. You had us at “We tried it, we liked it; if you don’t, bring it back.”

Is it wrong for someone to love a grocery store?

Comments

[Sam]

It's not so much that it's wrong to love a grocery store....
It's just plain stupid.

[Sam]

These comments are made respectfully and honestly

Have you ever tried bringing anything back to TJ's?
At least at our location it's like..."How Dare You?"

The only reason I shop at TJ's is because I can walk there,

There are also dozens of beautiful actresses running around the Toluca Lake CA TJ's, which makes it worth paying the cover charge for staple items, lousy shampoo and bad sushi.

In my humble opinion, TJ's enjoys the best and most unwarranted PR & loyalty of any retailer in the land.

They're a far cry from what they used to be, and they thrive
on taste, convenience, and image.

TJ's really has nothing to do with value.
It''s a show, and it's all about profit.
I just wish there was an opportunity to purchase stock in TJs.

Then maybe I can offset paying 4.00 for Orange Juice.

That being said, Please Pass the Tongol Tuna.
Thank You

[Adam Jacob Muller]

It's not wrong if it's trader joes (or even whole foods :-)

[Dan]

Trader Joes had my lifetime loyalty when they replaced a gallon jug of apple juice that had broken because the handle of their bag gave way. I didn't even complain, just mentioned it when I asked for a double bag the next visit.

[john]

to the person who commented earlier. sounds like you are hateful.......about a grocery store?! get over yourself. tj's has tremendous value! sure oj may be $4 a gallon, but compared to similar (freshh squeezed oj buddy--not minute maid or tropicana) ojs, it's a steal. if you hate it, vacate it! go to your albertson's with crappy attitudes.....i'll stick with tj's.

[Lora]

More than one year ago, there were stories in local publications that TJ's was going to be opening a store in the Minneapolis burb of St. Louis Park within a year. Where is it? What's the status? The Twin Cities' area has over 1 million people. We need TJ's. We want TJ's. TJ's is one of the (very) few things I miss about L.A. Please open a store here. Now.

Lora
Minneapolis, MN

[rob]

yay philly trader joe's - the employees are so friendly they are almost creepy. i don't know how the heck they keep them so chipper, especially in a city recently ranked as the most depressed in the country. they must all be from out of town (and quarantined from the general poipulation outside tj's doors. seriously, i like trader joe's too. except that i just had their canned chicken stew and it was mour foul than fowel.

[brian]

As for a Twin Cities TJ's, it looks like there'll be one at Excelsior & Grand next spring - http://www.stlouispark.org/Publications/BLSummer05.pdf.

[Anne]

I'm a displaced Californian who has been waiting for 20 years for a Trader Joe's to catch up to me. I've been told the issue is "distribution". Okay Texas has Austin, San Antonio, Houston (my current home) and Dallas. Where are you and when are you coming to my town (Clear Lake area of Houston)? How much longer do I have to keep hauling an extra piece of luggage when I go to California just so I can bring my favorite stuff home to Houston?

[Cambria Anderson]

hey, I live in Ukiah, ca and i heard a rumor that there was gonna be a Trader Joe's here soon, is that true? it would really be great not to have to drive to santa rosa to go shopping

[Caralee]

Just wanted to put out that we would really like a TJ's on the florida panhandle... Pppplease!

[Pam Winch]

We are so excited the TJ is coming to Minnesota, I feel Mankato Minnesota would be an excellent choice for another store.
We get people from all over southern Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota and Nebraska coming to shop in our town. Please come Visit us !!!

[Marnel]

Olympia, WA would love to have a TJ. We have to drive 45 minutes to the nearest one and our city is growing leaps and bounds. Hurry, we need you!

[Tiffiny]

That comment about $4 orange juice at Trader Joe's is just not true. I bought a gallon of orange juice (not from concentrate)at the Washington, DC Trader Joe's for $1.99.

[Amy Sargent]

Please open a store here in Louisville. I know it would do exceedingly well. We have a WIld Oats, Whole Foods and Fresh Market but none can compare to your grocery store. I have talked with so many people who feel that is the only thing the great city of Louisville is missing. Please check the Highlands in Louisville out because I think you would find it is the perfect spot for your store.

[Carole]

I second the motion to open a Trader Joe's in Louisville. Please, please, please??!! I would prefer it to be in the Brownsboro Rd. area but if you put it in the Highlands I would still be thrilled. It's not fair that Cincinnati and Indianapolis have them and we don't!

[Carole]

I second the motion to open a Trader Joe's in Louisville. Please, please, please??!! I would prefer it to be in the Brownsboro Rd. area but if you put it in the Highlands I would still be thrilled. It's not fair that Cincinnati and Indianapolis have them and we don't!

[charlles]

They put one of these mini markets here in New York City last year. Why would anyone want a new Trader Joes? Trader Joes REALLY SUCKS. Its a hellhole shopping experience. The lines run completely around the entire perimeter of the store back to the front door where the cashiers are and the line starts. You can't see or get to anything on the perimeter of the store, and the isles are narrow with wall to wall shopping carts jammed from every direction so you cant move or see what they're even selling. Its like going to the monkey house at the zoo on free day in the summer when every camp, scout and youth group is there, except then at least you're taller then the kids and they don't all have shopping carts jamming you in from all directions. Trader joes-the worst shopping experience ever. Are you really that desperate.

[Darlene Vanderpool]

Hi, I am a customer of your Tacoma,Wa. store, and love shopping there, as it is relatively small and I can find the items we like very quickly..I especially like the explanation on the wines you sell, telling about the taste and the foods it will go with..I Live in Lacey Wa. (98503) and would love it if you would please put a store in our area...Do you see this in the near future? Thank you, Darlene Vanderpool

[Diana S.]

I'm quite surprised at the very unhappy TJ's customers I read above. It must be store to store, obviously you can't hire the perfect staff every time and some stores all together miss the mark. You just can't be perfect 100% of the time. I agree with "charlles" above that MOST stores are cramped beyond capacity. I don't know who came up with the compact-isle but they should be fired very quickly. The smaller TJ's that have been around for decades (?) really aren't made for carts and I avoid those stores completely. Two people, each carrying a basket may have to squeeze by each other.

I have to say though, TJ's is one of the best places in my opinion when it comes to products and service (provided the employee is over the age of 40 and has worked there a while). Grocery shopping was always done at Ralphs two miles from my house where 16 year olds are running the cash register and couldn't care less if you found what you were looking for. I'm seriously not racist but my Ralphs is always filled with Asians who don't understand the concept of PERSONAL SPACE, stand WAY TOO CLOSE to you in line, keep ramming their cart into your back or allow their children to run wild through the store. Large supermarkets are FILLED with people who have no respect for others and cause you to leave the store in sour mood (thanks a lot). Unfortunately, my Ralphs also just became a MEGA Ralphs so they’ve stopped selling my favorite FLAVORS in exchange for more BRANDS.

TJ's is different. People who shop there are going for their organic foods, the friendly people who work there, or because it's just easier than going to a supermarket. I'm not asked if [unrecyclable] plastic bags are okay, I'm just given paper (thank you). The specialty/rare organic and/or vegetarian foods that I want just aren't sold anywhere else. The prices are unbeatable. (Watermelon is $7 at Ralphs but only $2.70-$3 at TJ's for the same amount and my current fav protein bars are $1.69 at TJ's and a whopping $2.39 at Ralphs...AND TJ's NEVER RUNS OUT!! It's like a bottomless bowl of protein bars!! I’m always shocked at how little I spend compared to the amount of food I’ve purchased.) Also, they take your basket so you don't have to stand there straining to carry it and you don't have to empty your cart or basket when it's your turn!

I personally love Trader Joe's brand foods, especially their "this [fruit] walks into a bar" cereal bars and their Penne Arrabbiata. They always have my SmartWater in stock and they've got all sorts of stuff you never even knew you couldn’t live without (like organic Glee Gum and organic-soy-[enter food here]). Whole Foods can't even match my Trader Joe's shopping list and Ralphs...there's just no competition.

Produce leaves something to be desired but when it comes to organic produce, nothing beats the local farmer's market. Even organic produce in Ralphs and Whole Foods is less than desirable just due to the fact that it’s organic.

My point is, you have to be a certain type of [possibly "GREEN"] shopper to find Trader's appealing. Yes, they have weird foods and their isles might be too small but there's no one out there better than TJ's. I say try another TJ's if you're unhappy. I live in So. Cal. and the La Crescenta (91214) TJ's is TINY and I avoid it at all costs. The La Canada TJ's (91101?) is brand new but the parking is a nightmare and the isles are REALLY WEIRD and cramped. I've never been to the South Pas. Trader's but the Sierra Madre/Hastings Ranch Trader's (91107?) has an AWSOME parking lot that's NEVER full and the isles are the perfect size.

My only question is: WHEN ARE THEY GOING TO START SELLING GLACEAU VITAMINENERGY DRINKS??? I found one at a local Shell Gas Station two weeks ago and this week they don't have them anymore and neither does any other store [of ANY KIND] in the area. I also would like the B-RELAXED Glaceau VitaminWater to be sold. I found that ONCE at the CVS/Pharmacy in Montrose/Verdugo and haven't seen it anywhere since. I contacted Glaceau but apparently they don’t know who’s going to be selling them regularly yet.

P.S. I don’t drink but apparently their wine and Soy Chocolate Chip cookies are pretty tasty as well.

[Carol]

When are you opening a Trader Joe's in Florida ? central Florida would be nice.

[former employee]

Trader Joe's is Racist. Black employees are receiving lower raises, and are the first to get fired. Even black veteran employees are not getting raises equal to their newly hired, white, fellow employees. These instances are purely based on prejudice, and not on work ethics. I've witnessed incredibly hard working people recieve lower wages for absolutely no reason, except race. The Trader Joe's company provides you with benifits, and a retirement plan and their buisness model for the treatment of employees is quite wonderful, unless you are being discriminated against and not recieving equal wages.

I was with the company for over two years, and only recently quit to attend college full time. As a white female, my raises were moderate in comparison to white males, and black males that had less sick days, worked more hours, and had been with the company for years, received barely half the increase in pay that the white males did. I want to bring attention to the racism in Northern California Trader Joes. Every store has different managment, and different regional managers, so I don't want to say that every TJ's is racist, because I don't know, but they are a a single non-union company, who's owners should take full responsability for the conduct of all their stores. I want to get this message out to as many people as possible, because I believe Trader Joe's needs to step up and address this issue. If you are reading this and have experienced similar treatment then please write to the company also. If you do research on establishments , or write for a local paper - please investigate and expose Trader Joe's until they fix the problem. This issue is real, and I want to get people talking about it.

[Melanie]

That former employee, that wrote in on Oct. 17th, sounds like a disgruntled employee. who is trying to grind an ax. My son works for TJ's, and he has never seen the racism that was talked about. Perhaps it is just the one store where the employee worked. If that is the case ,handle it locally, go to the ACLU or any other activist group and deal with that manager, don't try to ruin a wonderful company, because you didn't apply yourself and didn't get the raise when you wanted it, My son has been fast tracked and received 2 promotions in 5 months. Maybe that employee talked about the store while at work and was overheard. Why is it that noone wants to blame temselves for their own actions , with that attitude it is no wonder why they didn't go far in the company.
We love the store, and there is not one ounce of racisim in me, or my family.

[joe]

u are all a bunch of suckers....tj's doesnt give a shit bout u. trust me

[floyd baker]

I would like to purchase Trader Joes stock, but can"t find the stock abbreviation.If you could help in this matter i would deeply appreciate it,thank you in advance. Floyd Baker