Trader Joe’s

They have some good stuff and some bad stuff. It’s worth checking out, but really read the labels.
It’s cheap and easy to shop, but honestly support good foods down the road and not some chain

I freaking love this place. We had these all over when we lived in St. Louis, MO. Then we moved to SD and were devastated they did not have a TJ store and the closest one was THREE hours away.
We shop here at least once a week. The food is fresh and reasonable priced. They have a great variety and many healthy options.
The staff is always friendly and willing to help answer any questions. We are so happy TJs found its way to LEX.

Is there ever a bad experience at TJ’s? The staff always has a smile and they’re always exceptionally helpful. This particular store is always well stocked with their rotating items. Whenever I come to pick up some of my favorite things, it is never a problem. Check out is a breeze as I have never waited longer than 5 minutes. Overall, it is a great place to pick up some frozen meals or some desserts. The store is spacious and clean.
The best part is probably the wine store next door. There is always something new to try that won’t break the bank.

So I guess this place just popped up recently? Cool
This morning I went to buy some Ghost Pepper Trader Joe branded chips and after tasting them just now, I have to say that they are REALLY GOOD! At first, when you first try them, they taste like barbecued chips. Then after you eat around 10, you can finally get that that ghost pepper taste.
The store itself was very spacious. I went in and there was so much room to move around. I could have started a flash mob or something. Do some break dancing. The service at the registers was quick as well.
The three star rating was not for anything bad though. I still need to go and explore a bit, when I am in the area. The score should be getting better and better.

Every single one of their staff is exceptional! They truly care about their customers’ needs and I could not recommend this specific Trader Joe’s more! Thank you for the wonderful experience. Davey and Randy are amazing!!! Everyone should visit at least once and you will certainly come back! The value they offer is far better than any of their competitors.
Thank you Trader Joe’s!

What can I say? Trader Joe’s is awesome. If you’re bored and need something to read (or want ideas of what to buy), here are the staples we get:
1. Lunch stuff — The frozen cheese enchiladas are my fave, husby likes the chicken ones. The mac & cheese is phenominal so of course, it isn’t good for you. Haven’t tried the guiltless version. The cheese and spinach pasta is also good. My husband likes the frozen tamales. We’ve tried several of their pre-​made wraps and the only one we really like is the Turkey/​Spinach/​Swiss one. The others were okay but the big blob of mayo on one end was a little ick. The TSS one we like has no mayo but a nice zesty mustard. Tip: grab one from the back to get the freshest one. :)
2. Frozen vegetable fried rice — We tried the chicken version but didn’t like the chicken. But the veg is super delish. Easy to microwave. We also love just the frozen brown rice.
3. Frozen Mandarin Orange Chicken — Super good served with the frozen brown rice. Or make your own rice.
4. Frozen Chicken Gyoza potstickers — This is what we serve with the veg fried rice. And we just discovered the bottle of gyoza dipping sauce. Hello tastebuds! Love it too much!
5. Ground beef — I love an extra lean ground beef and theirs is great. I love that it comes in convenient 1-​pound packages which are vaccum sealed (not just wrapped in plastic) so it lasts longer than 3 days in the fridge. You can get a ⁹⁶⁄₄ for cheaper than Laura’s Lean at Meijer, which is only a 92/​8, I think. I want to say the TJ’s beef is $ 5.99 a pound and the Laura’s beef at Meijer is over $ 7 a pound. And I trust the integrity of the beef at TJ’s more than I do at Meijer or any other large grocery store.
6. TJ’s Greek Yogurt — Husby is the yogurt eater and this is his fave yogurt. He gets the strawberry. He normally likes a cherry yogurt but says this strawberry has the tang he’s looking for. I rarely eat yogurt and if I do, I prefer a citrus flavored yogurt, like lemon or lime. Sadly, they have none to offer. I tried the coconut cream flavor when I was craving coconut cream pie and was sadly disappointed when it didn’t taste like pie but instead tasted like yogurt with some suntan lotion spilled into it. :(
7. Frozen Chimichurri rice — I like to slice up some turkey smoked sausage and fry in a pan until the edges are browned then add this rice. It makes a kind of jamabalaya type dish. You could use any protein. It’s also good added to a roasted tomato soup. Little spicy but not overly so. Yummm!
8. Fresh Bruschetta Sauce — This makes great caprese salad or even a sandwich. Couple this with some fresh mozzarella (TJ’s sells it pre-​sliced) and drizzle it with the balsamic glaze you can find at TJ’s for a light snack. I’ve heard the sauce is also good on pasta but I haven’t tried that yet. But I will. It’s delicious stuff.
9. Quinoa & black bean infused tortilla chips — These are our fave chips. They’re especially good with the TJ’s pineapple salsa. Olé!
10. Organic bananas — ’nuff said
11. Frozen Croissants — The almond ones are my favorite, chocolate for husby. These are great, as long as you remember to put them out to thaw and rise overnight.
I’m sure there are more but I think I’ve rambled on long enough.

The beer and wine is sold in a smaller store right next door. It was my first time going to a Trader Joe’s that had a set up like this so I was utterly confused when I couldn’t find the alcohol! I was frantically prancing up and down each aisle. I must have looked like a crazy person with withdrawals!
Store is well kept and all employees were courteous as all Trader Joe’s I’ve been to.

I love shopping at Trader Joe’s. This place offers some unique buys, fresh produce, and items that you just won’t find elsewhere. I especially enjoy shopping here during the fall season because everything in the store seems to have some kind of pumpkin theme and it’s amazing! The only thing that’s more amazing is the liquor section. There are some great buys on wine ($ 2.99 bottles) and all kinds of alcohols. There’s one delicious, but quite expensive, ice wine that is sold here that is OUT OF THIS WORLD — it tastes like white grape juice. It’s so sweet, and crisp. If you don’t mind dropping $ 25 for two glasses of wine, give it a try. It’s really unique, and I think you’ll fall in love with it as much as you’ll fall in love with Trader Joe’s.

I had a lot of fun at Trader Joe’s. It’s not a grocery I would frequent for regular items, but it’s perfect for a monthly trip. I got a beautiful bouquet of flowers for $ 3.99, two bottles of $ 3 wine and some hummus. The produce section was somewhat lacking, as was the meat section. I purchased a cart full of frozen international foods that I couldn’t find at Kroger. I purchased Garlic Naan, Shrimp Stir-​fry, Gnocchi, Super Burritos and frozen pineapple tidbits. It was delightful. I like that everything I bought I could stock up on in my freezer, so I don’t have to venture back all of the time. But, I will be back.

A nice, clean, colorful and bright store. Definitely not very big, but the items they stock are unique and usually quite decent (in addition to being almost always only in Trader Joe’s brand). They almost always have free samples as well, and there’s always something new that’s being promoted– this week it’s a 7-​Juice Blend that was rather tasty. They have a variety of breads, fresh produce, frozen goods (lots of specialty ones– potstickers, pastas, tamales, enchiladas, etc), sauces, canned goods, cheeses, meats, and snacky foods. I would tend to say they would cater more to the «crunchy» (i.e. organic) consumer, but they have good stuff for any type of shopper. Also, you can select and grind your own coffee here, just like you could back in the day.
Come for the samples, stay for the selection. But then still go home because they have to close eventually.

I love Trader Joe’s! It’s the best place to buy organic produce in small quantities and for a pretty reasonable price. Most of their organics are only a dollar or so more than the regular item. I also like the availability of non-​produce organic items. They have great prices on cheese, but I will say that their cheeses don’t seem to last as long as the ones I buy at Whole Foods. Last time I bought cheese at Trader Joe’s it was moldy within 2 days and it was long before the printed expiration date. So beware of that and only buy what you will eat in a few days.
I like how they offer a few samples and coffee samples near the back of the store. I think they should have more, it always encourages me to buy something I wouldn’t normally buy if I can try it before buying.
They have a great selection of flowers, too!!! I love the orchids. This is the cheapest I’ve been able to find orchids.
And don’t forget about the wine and beer shop! I’m not too picky about my wine, so I can’t say whether or not it’s quality stuff, but it’s definitely priced right.

I used to be a Trader Joe’s fanatic. Trader Joe’s was THE place to shop for cheap, ‘trendy’ healthy foods. Then… I found other stores, and TJ’s kept dropping lower on my radar as I realized how limited their selection really was (and have you noticed that nearly everything is packaged!?). However, they’re still good for many things that I swear you cannot find as good elsewhere like mango Mochi ice cream, mini gingerbread men cookies, spiced Chai tea mixes, the Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper Soup, the biodegradable expanding sponges, and the list goes on. All random, but all amazing.
That said, I’ve been kind of missing TJ’s. I didn’t even know Lexington had one until I did a quick search over the weekend and ta-​da! TJ’s! I HAD to go and pick up a few grocery staples… and Mochi ice cream.
This location is typical TJ’s. Small, and crowded, but stocked with the usual food items and cheap, as expected. Woo-​hoo! I did appreciate that the employees walking around on the floor were holding up signs with question marks on them. Great way to spot someone if you have a question. Overall, very friendly and lively atmosphere, despite the crowds. All my favorite items were on the shelves and I had no problem zipping around everyone to get to them. I also love that I seem to get so much and yet never break the bank. Sweet.
Not making this a one-​stop grocery store by any means, but if I am planning to head to the co-​op nearby and don’t want to drop a few extra bucks on certain things, I’ll swing by TJ’s afterwards to score some fantastic items for cheap.

I have always had a good experience with the staff, especially during check out, but the story my parents brought home today, just touched me. My mom recently had cancer surgery, and just had her follow up visit and staples removed, so she sent dad in to get some things she enjoyed, well someone in discussion of my dad asking for help locating an item, he mentioned why he was needing help cause his wife just had cancer surgery and didn’t want to get out of the car, and the employee sent him out with a bouquet of flowers to give to her from her, and it made my dad cry because of the generosity of the employee, they didn’t have to do that and my mom was touched by it.

What’s with the long checkout lines? 4 staff /​mgt members milling around while the lines are 5 customers deep? I thought Trader Joes knew how to keep its customers!??
Listen up Trader Joes in Lex — The Trader Joes in Louisville works to make sure there are few delays in checking out — that alone keeps me coming back. Lex customers deserve that same excellent service — you won’t last long without it.

Never been able to brag enough about this place. Today was no exception. Growing up out west I’ve been lucky to have them California (I grew up in Idaho).
Today I was treated to yet again, excellent food and wine coaching. While considering myself a bit of a foodie these down to honest earth folks never cease to coach me up. I ate kale and spinach balls tonight for dinner. Added a Greek yogurt as a dip.
However, had planned on a curry chicken dinner. The liquor men coached me and totally expanded my pallet. I don’t like white wines, but am in lust with a new one.

This is my favorite place to buy cut flowers and alcohol as both are affordable and tend to be high quality. Their groceries can be hit or miss in that sometimes the meat, bread, and produce I’ve purchased spoils VERY quickly or just seems less flavorful than from other places. They do have some organic options that are really well-​priced and I love their curries, sweet chili sauce, and cheese options. The store is always clean and easy to move through, and most of the staff is friendly. As the mother of a toddler, I LOVE that TJ’s offers my son stickers at the check-​out. I don’t give my child much candy, so having stickers offered to him rather than candy is really nice.

I love home made smoothies this is the first place I have found frozen figs to put in my mix!!! Yeah for Me! They have the most Awesome selection of frozen organic fruits and fresh too! So of course I had to get both! Mmmm going in this store is a risky business when you are hungry!

I read an article yesterday and I will attach the link at the end, it sheds a little light on some of the Trader Joe hype.
I go to TJs for the 3 Buck Chuck. What’s that you ask? It’s $ 3 bottles of wine. Chardonnay, Cab, Merlot, and almost all of the basic wines, they have. Not the screw on cap, usual cheap wine either, it’s excellent, mid shelf wine, in my opinion. The liquor store which is attached to the store, has a separate entrance which makes it all the more convenient for me to swing in and pick up a couple bottles of wine… alright, maybe not just a couple, I go and stock up. They also have a fair amount of bourbons, other liquor and craft beer.
The grocery part of TJs isn’t really my cup of tea, they make a few things that I will swing in for, like cheese, crackers, sushi, sauce and I will randomly pick up a few other things. The produce is never great. Once, I got the worst watermelon I have ever tasted.
All in all, TJs was a welcomed addition to Lexington, just a few years back.

I should start saying that although I don’t fully understand the crazy hype over the Trader Joe’s, I do enjoy the experience of shopping there. There are several things in this store that make my shopping experience 4-​stars.
First of all, they have a reasonably priced (especially the organic stuff) store brand that dominates their shelves and the quality of their store brand makes up for the fact that they don’t carry many other brands. I don’t normally buy prepared foods but every so often when I feel too lazy or too tired to cook, I gravitate towards their frozen meals. Let’s be honest, their frozen meals are tasty, inexpensive for the quality and the stuff I pick are really not that bad for you (as long as I don’t get a junk food craving). They carry great selection of good quality (and budget friendly) olive oil and for this Mediterranean native, that is a BIG deal!
Whenever I go to TJ’s, I try to avoid the cheese section because I cannot just walk by without buying something and eating it all in one night! Not a bad thing for regular Janes but as I’m semi lactose-​intolerant, eating a whole block of cheese is really not a great idea. Having said that, they carry a great selection of cheeses and if you ask for a sample, the staff will be more than happy to give you a sample to taste.
Probably what seals the deal for me is the always colorful and unique selection of flowers and potted plants that welcome you as you walk in the store. Ok, other stores have the same floral welcome but somehow I managed to find a cute plant at TJ’s that I would only find in a well stocked florist.
Having listed all the great things about TJ’s, you might wonder why this place is not a 5-​star location for my shopping experience. The relatively small produce selection and lack of an in-​store butcher are probably two things that result in a star deduction in my book but I know a good co-​op that is not too far of a drive from TJ’s that I like going for some local produce and meat.

Love walking through TJ’s. I always leave with something new and several old favorites. My children love their yogurt cups, flax seed chips and the cheeses.
I always grab a few bunches of flowers when I walk through the door. They’re inexpensive and brighten my kitchen or office.