Trader Joe’s

Not as familiar with this Trader as I am not from SF but it’s set up like most others. Staff is always friendly. Getting into the parking lot is a bit of a clusterf*ck to the point that there is a parking attendant directing traffic.

I like going to TJ’s in general but this particular location is super slow. The lines are horrible if you go there any weeknight between 5:30 — 8:30 or on a Sunday at any time. Friday night is the exception for the most part as it’s usually pretty mellow then. The parking lot is a mess as well. Give yourself at least 40 mins if you plan to go there to shop on a week night after work.
Side tip: to avoid the parking lot line, drive past the TJ’s lot and park in the lot of the (now closed) Lucky Penny diner next door to the south. It’s usually empty and considering the Lucky Penny has gone out of business, there’s nobody there to police who parks there. Saves you at least 5 – 10 minutes of dealing with getting in and out of the TJ’s lot.

Extremely crowded all of the time and cashiers are rude and unfriendly. The products and prices are not worth the unpleasant grocery experience. I will not be shopping here ever again.

Love Trader Joe’s! Great produce, sandwich meats, cheese. Love the fresh fruit and juices. Great service and parking is free!

I love Trader Joe’s, and this one is perfectly fine.
But that parking lot situation drops it two stars. It’s perhaps the most frustrating parking/​driving situation in the Bay Area. I had three Ubers cancel because it was too hard to get to me… I walked half a mile, with groceries, before I could summon a ride. THAT bad.

The people that work here make this a very enjoyable place to shop. Very friendly, helpful, and great selection of food.

Good selection of ‘Trader Joes’ items, produce selection is a bit small I found though. Store is also fairly small but the staff didn’t seem overwhelmed, lots of people working the check outs.

Today I visited Trader Joes, Nathan, a very pleasant young Asian man, with terrific teeth and tall hair, was dreamy and fabulous, omg! I inquired into the location of a product, he was on the ball!

They tend to run out of baked goods (breads and sweets) sooner than the Stonestown store, and the parking situation there is annoying — waiting in a lane on Masonic to get in, and then waiting to be directed to a parking area. Regarding staff, I really like the dark-​haired Jersey Girl, but watch out for the tall, graying pentagenarian at check-out…kind of mean. Altogether, Stonestown is better (and friendlier) for me.

Here is a FACT about the «long» parking lines at TJ’s.
I also used to get irked by sitting in my car in line to get to the parking lot, until I decided to actually TIME how long it took.
I timed it several times so this counts (for me anyhow) as a pristinely scientifically controlled experiment :)
From the furthest back in line from where one can see the large ad, it has never taken me more than 11 minutes (often less) to get into the lot.
How many other 11 minutes in your life do you spend doing «nothing»?
I then decided to do something productive in those wait times, like listing all my friends I am thankful for, or seeing how high I can get in the past 12 multiplication tables (stave off Alzheimers) !
ok no more complaints about the parking line!
:)

Friendly service, wonderful prices and free samples :)

First I have to say that it has been a long time that I wanted to write a review about this Trader Joe’s store!
I have been going to this place for my weekly grocery shopping since two years ago! actually it is ok! sometimes I bought some items like lettuce or broccoli that I ended up put them in a garbage bag coz they were rusty, wilted, or even once the broccoli was just covered with tinny winy insects! I didn’t know what they were! but still I said these things happen so to me it was no big deal!
yesterday, Saturday, I and my husband went to do our weekly grocery shopping as usual!
I stay away from one the guys there and even if I see he is the only available cashier still will avoid going to him! he is bad temper, poker face, and never gives a hand in bagging or even putting a single item in your cart! he is tall white, always wearing a hat and earrings! well, normally we do all these things ourselves when doing shopping at any store! to be faster and to show that we never think this is a part of the cashier’s duty! NEVER! but courtesy is appreciated! if you just say thanks for bagging your items or something, at least the customers will feel better! (some of the cashiers here and at other stores do so!!) among the stuff we got, we had two mushroom packs! both 8 oz and each for $ 1.79! but when we arrived home my husband checked the receipt and shocked! we paid $ 7.16 for one of them! why? who knows! I really liked to go back and return it but we could not unfortunately! well, Mr, at least if you do not like your job or your customers, do not double charge them! plus we always use our own bags! he hid the raffle container under the counter before him lol he did not want to give us a piece of paper and not letting us take part in the weekly Trader Joe’s raffle! hahaha! shame on you! I will never ever go to this cashier again! under any circumstances!
I just left this note for you as a complain! I and my husband are really upset! it is not much just a $ 5 –dollar– over charge! but it is not acceptable by any means! I wish you hire more nice and friendly staff who are not like this guy! and at least do not treat customers like worthless creatures! this is beyond rude!

First and foremost, thank God they have someone conducting traffic for parking at this TJ’s. Otherwise it would be a horrible mess. Because of them, parking usually runs pretty smoothly. You might have to wait a little bit in line, but the line moves surprisingly fast.
Moving on…
This is my local TJ’s ever since I moved into the city. Right by one of the 38 stops if I’m on the bus and need to pick something up, and a parking lot if I have my car. No complaints here! You know you’ve been shopping at TJ’s for a while when quinoa black beans chips are normal to you and you don’t know what to do when other stores don’t carry them… :/​
Favorite items include:
Turkey meatballs, chicken sausages (they are pork-​free!), Quinoa black bean chips, Cowboy caviar, hummus, Mushroom mélange, Bruschetta and Olive tapenade, crunchy almond butter unsalted.

I will not return to Trader Joe’s after the way I was treated today. I realize that my review is a little long so I want to give you the «New Rules» version. If you are Black, Trader Joe’s has a different return policy for you. Even if the product is packaged in Trader Joe’s packaging and you are inconvenienced because you are returning rotten meat well before the expiration date, you will be berated and told that for your return, a receipt is required. And when you protest that there is a different policy for other customers, you will be rudely asked to leave the store (while being swatted out like a fly). And, even when you get to the parking lot, the management will continue to swat at you and ensure that you are humiliated when he tells you that he needs to see that you are completely off the property of «his store.»
WOW…could this be why Trader Joe’s has been protested in Black communities where people would rather commute out to get food than have a store in their community where they will become an outsider in their own community.
I started my day on the wrong foot. I opened a package of filet mignon from Trader Joe’s and could smell that it was spoiled although the expiration date was days away. I don’t remove it from the package because the odor was STRONG. So I open my second package which is a Trader Joe’s ribeye. Yikes –it smelled rotten. I placed the two packages in a large zip lock so that I could return it later in the day. I don’t have my receipt but the web says you can bring it back with no problem. Well, apparently there is a different policy for me because the self identified manager tells me that he won’t refund it in the future if I don’t have a receipt. So I remind him of the policy and tell him that I wouldn’t be returning the meat had it not been rotten. I am at least 30 years older than him and he is talking to me in a very disrespectful manner before telling me — «that’s it… get out of my store.» He then begins to swat me with both hands as though I am an insect. Really? I understand that he thinks I’ve stolen the meat or have done something wrong and he’s going to give me a refund but don’t come back again. So it’s not enough that he swats at me until I leave the store but he is determined to follow me to my vehicle because he wants to make sure that I get off his property. I’m with one of my board members from Westside Community Services and we are stunned. I’ve been coming to this store since it opened and have never seen a white person asked to leave the store but this kid’s implicit bias and willingness to insult me breaks my heart.

One of my favorite things about this Trader Joe’s is that it’s located a mere 2 blocks from my house, so it’s incredibly convenient. I can’t help but have a spring in my step as I sashay into the parking lot past the line of cars desperately waiting to get in, swinging my tote bags in a jaunty manner. I do marvel at that line of cars; it’s as if we live somewhere without abundant public transit and ride share options.
Once inside, my eyes are drawn to my favorite items: the delicious white bean hummus with pine nuts, the protein rich, creamy Greek yogurt, the abundant selection of healthful pre-​made salads or the many handsome, capable gentlemen that Trader Joe’s always seems to employ. When I’ve made my selections, I breeze through checkout and back into the sparkling sunlight of the day, usually only 10 minutes later, and stroll past the same line of cars trying to break my cheerful stride with their scowling glares. Before you know it, I’m back home enjoying a tasty meal or snack and those cars haven’t moved an inch.

The parking sitch here is a little cuckoo for coco puffins.
It reminds me of when Kathy Bates plays Evelyn in the fabulous 1991 classic «Fried Green Tomatoes». She channels a young Mary Stewart Masterson and goes TO-​WANDA on some classless hussies in the parking lot. If you’ve seen the movie, I bet you’ve thought about that moment if you’ve ever tried to park at this particular TJ. If you’ve never seen the movie, you should, it’s a winner. But it makes you want southern cookin’, so that’s when you have to go to Trader Joes to pick up some green tomatoes, think about Kathy Bates, then go out to the parking lot and throw a fit. It’s a vicious cycle.
The traffic coordinator for the parking lot is always friendly though :)

Their selection is decent, but I’ve found so many items that were spoiled the minute I got them home!
Over the past 6 months, I’ve come home with spoiled chicken thighs, a rotten watermelon, moldy pita bread, rotten asparagus, and Brussels sprouts that looked fine until they were cut in half… they looked diseased inside.
I’m not sure what’s going on with this TJ, but I try only to buy frozen or dry packaged foods here.

Love this Traders!!!
Although during peak hours parking can be difficult, at least there is some and it doesn’t take long for a spot to become available.
The staff is always super friendly and always help me find new items I wouldn’t have tried if it weren’t for their assistance!
Thanks Joe!

A normal trader joes except the parking lot is often full during the day so they need attendants directing cars coming into the lot.
Apparently they still use them at night when their main impact is to cause traffic jams when there would otherwise by plenty of room.

What’s not to like about Trader Joe’s? Um, well, I guess the parking situation here is less than ideal… but life is not fair… is it?
This is a nice (albeit busy) Trader Joe’s. The staff is friendly and the lines move quickly. It has your typical Trader Joe’s staples including cookie butter and two buck chuck.
Thanks Joe.

Brie
Belletoile Henri Huton Triple Cream