Trader Joe’s

no more can be said that Trader Joe’s is a great place to shop love the selections love the customer service just a really fun store to come to and Shop thankfully he came to Salem.

Salem, OR: great!
Love shopping TJ’s! Some selections of packaged nitrite free deli meats, some gluten free and vegan products, Lots of organic produce. Many items are very attractively priced when compared with similar things at a box grocer. Just read labels, be informed, and enjoy the many surprises Trader Joe’s offers. On my last trip in, I found house label gluten free Chocolate Chocolate Chip cookies. So delicious and reasonably priced! They’re also offering vegetarian fed, no hormones added turkeys at $ 1.99 a pound right now. A counter in the back corner offers samples of food and a hot drink.
Lots of free parking in a shared strip mall lot, with the store located at the far north end. If you’ve never been in, stop by and see what goodies you can find for not a lot of moolah!

Most of the food here is not organic, and neither is it gmo free. It is however mostly free of chemical additives. For great tasting snacks, frozen dinners, and sweets that are slightly better for you, this is a great place to shop! I’ve found the prices to be lower than Safeway, but higher than Winco in general. If you are looking for actual health food skip Joe’s and try Natural Grocers just down the street.

Love love love Trader Joes! Every time we are in Spokane we stop by and fill up our cooler. They have some of the yummiest unique things. We love the cookie butter, polenta, chocolate chip cookies, salsa, crumpets and several frozen items.

I have never been happier about a new business coming to town than I was Trader Joe’s. Where else can you go for any business transaction, and have staff just walk up and ask if they can help you. Then they escort you to the item. All with a smile.
At checkout the cashiers LOOK at every single item. During one visit my cashier noticed my frozen Cod Chunks were not in an airtight container, and sent someone to grab a replacement.
Today I had both a wonderful cashier and then a very kind young man push my groceries out to my car. I had my dog in the car, a ginormous Pit. Sweetest dog ever. I was telling the young man helping me that my dog is a service dog, and when I have to leave him in the car because there are certain places he won’t go in, Trader Joe’s being one, he always gets a treat when I get to the car.
I reached in the glovebox for a treat, and alas, I was out.
My helper ran inside, and with his own $ paid for puppie treats for my sweet baby.
Who does that? Where can you go knowing that every visit will be positive, uplifting, and filling with exceptional foods and wines! I am A Trader Joe’s devotee for life! Great healthy food, exceptional prices, and superior customer service. They really deserve a 10+!

Love me some TJ’s!!! However hate that I still have to shop with caution and read labels! TJ’s please certify yourself GMO free please! :)

Pretty good store. I do a moderate amount of shopping here but Conagra, Trader Joes’ private label parent company has got to stop lying to their employees and admit that their products are NOT ORGANIC, and DO, indeed, contain GMO’s, contrary to what their signage says. Trader joe’s is going to get sued one day for false advertising if they keep doing this. I’ve never heard of a biotech company manufacturing organic products and not taking credit for them by labeling them.
Anyways, other than that, the store is clean and the prices are good. The green signs notate that these individual products are indeed, organic. I would otherwise recommend this store.

Had never been in a trader joes before but know I understand their great reputation. Loved all the organic foods and really unique specialty items they offer.

I have been here several times but it is all the way across town for me. Not sure why they chose to go to South Salem with two direct competitors within 1 mile of each direction of them while North Salem/​Keizer has no competition for them at all.
Anyway, this is a very nice store, however I find it a bit smaller than their store in Eugene where I used to live (although a far better parking lot here! Hated that in Eugene). I love getting the Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits because it has a picture of a Greyhound on it. My greyhound loves them.
Since it is on the other side of town we usually only get a few select items here when we do shop here. Never had an issue with service or anything.

Love Trader Joe’s! Wish there was one on Lancaster so I could make this my main grocer, but I still get there every month or so. I feel good buying products there, like they are just a little healthier than the norm. SO happy we got this in Salem!

When I’m home in Oregon, this is the closest Trader Joe’s. It’s on the main drag in Salem, Commercial, and is a pretty well-​stocked shop with everyone’s favorites– Joe Joe’s, fresh grab and go salads and sandwiches, decidedly unhealthy but yummy cookies, and frozen foods for quick & tasty dinners. The staff has always been friendly and the lines were short.
Ample parking at TJs can be hard to find, but this location has a large lot (it’s next to a Petco) for multiple businesses.

I’m a little mystified by how many reviewers think TJs is an organic vegan GMO free generic healthy foods store. First of all, healthy food is the responsibility of the eater. No one should expect to go into a store, buy anything on the shelves, and expect to be eating healthy. Secondly, since I discovered TJs in the mid-​eighties, it has always been, if anything, more of an imported and gourmet foods store. It has since evolved into the ultimate bachelor shopping experience. Lots of single serving items, plenty of guilt-​laden snack foods and just enough awareness and naturalness to promote a better planet. But they still have quality and imported foods for a deal. You have to be a savvy shopper, just like at any other store, to get the most out of Trader Joe’s.
There are so many incredible deals here. Organic Italian pasta for the same price or less as non-​organic American pasta at Safeway. Real French mustard for a fraction of the price. Same with mayo made with whole eggs. Spices, curry paste, canned beans, tomato paste and sundried tomatoes are all a steal here compared to any other grocery store (except Costco where you would be forced to buy 10 times more than you need). That whole aisle is a deal. Also on that row are the oils. If you follow food news, you’ll know the mess olive oils are in these days. Big distributors, like Costco, are selling oil labeled olive oil that is as little as 40% olive. It’s advised to buy only oil with a single country of origin: Spain, Italy, California. And TJs has that at a great price. Incredible tasting oils. Coconut oil. Coconut milk. Have you seen how expensive coconut milk in a can is at a regular grocery store? If you don’t have an Asian grocery nearby and you cook ethnic food, seriously, TJs has the deals.
Produce I mostly skip. Too much packaging. Though it is awfully convenient around Thanksgiving to buy pre-​cleaned and cut veggies. Nuts are about the same per pound as other stores but they have a great selection. Same with dried fruits. I get my steel cut oats here for great price. Dairy is a little cheaper — especially for organic milk and yogurt and butter. I stock up on butter. And you can get grassfed Kerry Gold butter here. Eggs are dollars cheaper than other places but I get farm fresh so I don’t buy them here. Frozen foods are about the same except that in most grocery stores you can’t even GET organic frozen veggies. Chocolate is way cheaper here, especially imported Swiss chocolate. Yes, there are plenty of highly fabricated snack foods here with a disgusting list of chemical ingredients, corn syrup and palm oils, and no, I don’t think they used to sell that crap but I don’t buy it.
Then there are the cheeses. Now I love cheese and I don’t buy as much of it as I’d like but unless you’re buying in bulk at Costco, you can’t get imported or gourmet cheeses ANYWHERE for the prices Trader Joe’s has. That doesn’t mean there aren’t some expensive ones. Again, you have to know your prices and know what it costs other places. I’m in love with the raw cheddar cheese. I’ve never seen it anywhere else. Danish blue, Roquefort and Gorgonzola, yes they’re three countries’ versions of the same cheese but they have them all and they’re all fantastic. They have wine deals. If you compare the exact same wines from TJs to other stores, you’ll see that they are often dollars cheaper. And they have more great wines for under $ 10 than anywhere else. I was recently at a market that didn’t have a bottle of wine for cheaper that $ 16! You don’t have to get Two Buck Chuck to get a good deal on wine.
I never fail to get the all natural laundry and dish detergents. The all natural versions at grocery stores are either owned by Clorox or are über expensive still laden with chemicals brands like Method. The ones at TJs are simple with very few ingredients, a very mild natural fragrance, and super concentrated. And they aren’t that much more — if at all — than the toxic stuff.
On a road trip, there’s nowhere better to stop than Trader Joe’s for a sandwich, chips or veggies and a drink. It’s fast and cheap and always good. I don’t eat ready made food on a regular basis but I still prefer theirs to anyone else. I used to frequent the Corvallis store but have taken to shopping at this one on the way to or from Portland. It’s a big store — which is why it’s never crowded — and easy to navigate. The staff here is as helpful and friendly as any other store. They answer questions about products, help you find things and check you out quickly. Another thing I love about this place is that they’ll take anything back, no questions asked. I really can’t fathom judging a place by what the employees look like. They do their jobs and after several dozen visits here, I have no complaints.

I like Trader Joes, however, I have either become more educated or TJ’s has changed.
Gotta be careful, can’t just assume that if it is from trader joes that it is organic and GMO free. So I still have to read labels.
Great selection and prices. Fun place to shop, treats employees well.
My cat is addicted to their Tuna For Cats. And it is so very inexpensive!
Love the holiday offerings, a lot of goodies you can, sorta, feel good about eating it in the middle of the night.
I’m thinking about the TJ peppermint cream filled chocolate cookies. Mmmmmm surely they are available now?

One of my favorite stores. Some of the items that I purchase regularly I always buy here because the prices are the best for these particular items.

After living other places with Trader Joe’s, I sorely missed TJ’s when I first arrived in Salem. So happy now! When you buy TJ brands, you know what you’re getting — quality food at a good price, and what you’re not — no artificial or genetically modified stuff. I’ve learned that the produce seems to get wilty quicker than other places, and I buy accordingly. I will always go to Life Source for some items on my list — their produce and local-​ness can’t be beat, for example, and Roths for a few other items, but biggest grocery list is always for TJs. I’m a pretty healthy and creative eater. Love their gluten-​free labels and lists, and that fun, new stuff keeps getting rotated in.

I have to honestly say the only time I’ve come here is to stock up on the $ 3 buck chuck. My wife LOVES that wine, and so I must keep it fully stocked :-D. I don’t drink it, so I haven’t a clue on how it tastes.
I love the quirky stuff I find as I walk the aisles. I would probably try some other items if I didn’t have to haul them all the way back to Idaho.

As a Hawaii transplant I really love and appreciate Trader Joes’ wide selection of affordably priced foods, fresh and frozen. While living in Hawaii I’d purchase at Whole Foods identical items found at TJ but at two and sometimes three times the price so it’s fair to say TJ’s prices are affordable.
I found roasted seaweed (nori) for 99 cents which my kids love, and got some dark chocolate covered almonds, prepacked salad and kale ($ 1.99), and a bottle of Sauvignon blanc for $ 2.50.
The employees were all friendly, pleasant, and helpful and my kids loved hunting for Mojo Jojo, the cookie store mascot. (When found, kids tell the cashier who calls out «Mojo!» the rest of the crew call out,“Jojo!”) they were rewarded with loads of scratch n sniff stickers. Hunting for mojo Jojo made my kids keep quiet (er) and made mommy’s shopping trip much more pleasant.
I’ll be back to stock up on organic frozen fruit for smoothies, coconut oil, and hummus!

Erin, you are a Debbie Downer. And, apparently, you have been breaking and enetering…
I love TJ’s and yes, it would be better if it were local. BUT it is inexpensive and (mostly) organic. I am a fan of Trader Joe’s service, too. They are so helpful!
There is no way this place will be gone in a year. They just put one up in Corvallis also. They are doing well!

I have been 9 times and I will go 9 more before labor day. South Salem really needed TJ’s. In the latest Sunset there was an article about the owner (Joe Coulombe) being introduced to «jug wine» by his wife’s family. (they lived on a professors salary) They would go to a winery and get these jugs for $ 1. Thank the lord for Charles Shaw 2 Buck Chuck. His MIL also taught him to cook with olive oil. He started learning about good food and wine. He attributed Trader Joe’s basic objective– making good food affordable to teachers like his MIL… educated but underpaid.
It’s not your one stop shop for everything, but I have found some great dinners/​lunches/​marinated fish (less sodium too) in the frozen section that are great for working parents. I am a frugal shopper and instead of buying generic brands at other stores, I am paying similar prices for food with better ingredients at TJ’s. The produce is great. The help is super friendly and (weird) helpful?
Pros: healthier options, good prices, they bag for you, charles shaw is actually really great wine, nice parking lot
Cons: it’s typically packed and hard to get around people without my toddler ripping stuff off the shelves, the meat selection is small
This place makes my heart sing.
EDITED TO ADD: LET’S ALSO BE GRATEFUL FOR THE JOBS CREATED FROM TJ’S!

I’ll bet this place packs up and tears out of Salem within a year.
Unlike the rest of Salem, I waited until the «newness» wore off to visit. It was dead, despite the fact that I only waited four days. This fact didn’t surprise me, as Salem isn’t the kind of city that supports new business. The lack of attention that TJ’s is getting doesn’t sadden me, though, as I think the store sucks.
I went in hoping to God that the store might have at least one thing that would interest me. It didn’t. The prices here for mediocre, premade food are astounding. I’m sorry, but when I think ‘organic’ and ‘fresh’ I don’t imagine prepackaged or frozen food with the TJ’s logo.
I hate to say it, but Lifesource is a far better option. Not only is their produce section far better, but nearly all of their products support local, sustainable farmers and businesses. TJ’s, on the other hand, is more like an organic mini-​mart, with their premade burritos and ready-​to-​eat merchandise.