Trader Joe’s

I live right across the street so I come here every or every other day. It’s always pretty stocked with everything you could think of at a standard grocery store, but way cheaper. Like the avocados here are cheaper than if I got them in bulk from Costco!
I usually come here to get raw ingredients for lunch/​dinners so a variety of fruits and veggies, sometimes meats. I’ve tried both the raw meats and the ready made chicken. Personally prefer the ready made one in the fridge, which is lightly seasoned kind of like a rotaissaire chicken, but super low calories.
I also love getting snacks here like the cookies or Dunkers, the mochi ice cream, or any frozen pastries/​fruits. Although not every option is the healthiest, if you’re into healthy eating, you’d love the options you have at this place, with options for cheat meals here and there.
The staff here are some of the friendliest bunch I’ve seen. Although they work 8 hour shifts (props to them) they always seem cheerful and love engaging in conversation with each other and the customers. From the looks of it, it seems like they enjoy it there, which the same could not be said about other grocery stores I’ve visited.

This really is by no means a huge supermarket, but this is the reason why I enjoy it. Quality food at decent prices, as well as the staff is truly, genuinely friendly. On street parking right in front of the building hasn’t been a issue for me here, maybe because it is so near the university that most folks walk to look rather than driving. Best prices in town on soy milk, in the event you are into such things. Attempt their store brand (on the ledge, not in the refrigerated section), which comes in various flavours — including java and strawberry! TJ’s also provides a great choice of other organic foods, vegetarian and otherwise.

Ughh I usually try to avoid this place, but find myself here a lot because it’s the closest grocery store to my apartment.
Here are the things I like about this place:
–Cashiers are very friendly. I have yet to encounter a rude/​disinterested employee
–You can’t beat the frozen foods at TJ’s!
–Decent prices.
–Best bagels I have found on the West Coast. The sesame seed ones are yum.
Here are the things I don’t like about this place:
–CROWDED. No matter when you go, this place is insanely crowded. It’s difficult to even walk through the store, and to be honest, I think the layout of the store actually makes things worse. This is the number one reason why I avoid coming here!
–There’s always someone standing near the door performing/​asking for money/​trying to talk to you. It’s kind of annoying.
–For some reason i always end up buying things I don’t need. I don’t know what it is about TJ’s, but I usually leave with a bunch of random junkfood/​candy/​snacks that looked delicious in the store. This only happens at TJ’s lol.
–Sometimes their products aren’t as good as the name-​brand version and you have no choice but to get their brand :(
–Unlike supermarkets, they don’t have a wide variety of personal care/​toiletry items (though they have some), so if you need that stuff you have to go elsewhere anyway.

Trader Joe’s is one of my favorite grocery stores. They have a good selection of products at reasonable prices.
Disadvantage about this location: Parking can be slightly more challenging here. They do have a small parking garage, spaces are kind of tight, but it’s better than nothing.

Any Trader Joe’s is usually going to have a few items — with the TJ’s brand — that won’t be available at larger grocery chain stores, which itself makes shopping there worthwhile if you like something a little extraordinary. I like to put their tahini sauce into soups or on tamales. Their salsas can be quite good in curries. I can’t (in good conscience) recommend their many delicious desserts.
The University District TJ’s somehow seems a little bit smarter than some of the others — although at some you may occasionally find over-​educated people stocking groceries and I do not ask why — don’t ask me to explain this further.

I am a HUGE HUGE FAN of TJs! :) I absolutely love all the fun new international products, great prices, and great snack selection. And who doesn’t love the TJd flyer with fun descriptions of all the new seasonal products? :)
This would be 5 stars if I were reviewing TJs as a whole, but for this U-​district location I’m giving it a 3.5 because it is one of the tiniest TJs I’ve been to, it’s just trafficy surrounding the store, and the parking lot is very small and tight. That’s the biggest downside. Other than that the cashiers are generally pretty friendly and laid back, though I’ve definitely been to TJs with slightly more friendly cashiers overall.
So uf you have the choice, probably other TJs are better as far as size and parking (read Ballard), but overall really awesome products as always!!!

Service was rude, unapologetic, and just not friendly at all! I came during «restocking» time apparently, and I almost got hit TWICE with those big carts with boxes stacked high on them. I’m pretty reasonable and all they had to mumble was a sorry or «my bad» but nothing! I was hardly acknowledged at all. I saw a lady looking at the TJ reusable bags (which is hung by the warehouse swinging doors) and I saw the door swing open and hit her and her cart. The guy looked annoyed that she was there. Like seriously? Either don’t put items for sale near the door or LOOK before you swing the door open…
I’ve been to far better TJ locations to give this place any more than 2 stars.

If u have to go to this murdkerterjerkier place, bring a a few gsjuns, kponives, wear bullet proof gear… New Subject: Financial Fraud… Cash only… Small purchases… Not safe for family, vehicle, pets…
Horrible management. probable illegal intent…

Find a parking spot and leave it to Trader Joe’s to have everything you want. This is near the University of Washington and has lots of foot traffic to this store — emphasis on the traffic. They have great prepared foods for lunch and dinner needs. Also, the price point is so good that you may as well splurge and take uBer Black Car here. The quality of food is great and has great shelf life. The staff is very friendly and will help you with all your food preparation needs.

How can you not love Trader Joe’s? The parking lot at this location can be challenging if you go during rush hour which is why I’m giving it 4 starts. Other than the parking issue, the staff is always courteous and helpful, the produce is always fresh, and prices are cheaper than other grocery stores.

The parking lot is small with tight spaces, but I usually come at the grocery witching hour (5 – 7 PM) and have always found a spot.
I usually prefer the Ballard TJ– it is just so much bigger and easier to navigate when crowded, but since this one is closer to home I ended up defaulting back here, especially when I was without a car.
There always seems to be tons of employees around, which make for short wait times and ease of finding items. Unfortunately, for some reason they seem to constantly be having some employees stock. Is this necessary during the day, and especially during grocery witching hour?
Despite starting with all complaints, TJ has what you need for cheap. I like that they always have a sample going, and it is usually something totally nuts. I’ve seen tater tots with sauce, beans and franks, pasta… Leave it to TJ to suggest weird mash ups of their products.

The people who work here are fantastic. Always helpful, always friendly (seriously, they all have a smile on their faces as they serve you), and so fast at what they do. I always try to bag my groceries as they ring me up but by the time I get my card out to pay and fumble around in my bag they’ve done it all and they’re the ones waiting for me to finish the transaction.
The free 45 minute parking here is convenient if you have a car but on weekdays after work hours, it’s often really crowded and it’s a tight garage so just be cautious, particularly if you have a large car.
I’m obsessed with the food here — everything from affordable produce, a large selection of ready to eat foods like packaged salads/​wraps/​sushi, free samples of coffee and some sort of food item, the best frozen food selection EVER, cheap wine and cheese… there’s a lot of good stuff in a not so large space so you can be in and out. It does get crowded and hard to squeeze between people but that’s where a basket comes in handy if you don’t need a shopping cart.
I do have to say that I’ve had some instances with food going bad or being moldy very soon after I bought the items. Bread going moldy after 2 days and it was kept in a cold fridge, hummus going bad a week before the expiration date, etc. The return policy is great here. I usually haven’t brought things back, though, because it’s a hassle, but it’s nice to know that it’s an option. It does raise a red flag in my mind, but there are still so many pros about this place that I can look past it for now. I’ve picked up a container of grapes before that had some mold on it already so I just handed it to a stock person near me, who apologized. I don’t think it’s a rare thing just from reading some of the reviews here. but clearly, they are doing some things right if people still come. I know I will continue to shop here.

Consistent A+ customer service. I recently came to return some bread that had grown mold after purchasing it a few days prior. The manager took it without question, offered some tips to keep it lasting longer (keep in fridge during hot days), and I was out the door with a new loaf of bread. I appreciate their ‘no questions asked’ return policy.
In addition, the lines are never long, the crew members are in good spirits, and it’s an overall ‘fun’ shopping experience.
Thanks Trader Joe’s Team in the U District; you have a customer for life.

Great Trader Joe’s! I always love this place and there are so many yummy foods, snacks, and even plants. The items here are usually organic or «healthier» than what you find at other grocery stores. The groceries are fresh as well. Tons of variety of cheeses, beers, and snacks.
The people here are willing to help and there is a lot of things to buy here. There are also samples for you to try new items :)

I literally come to trader joes once a week. It’s the best option for broke college students that want a healthier option that hate Safeway & qfc is pricey & a bit far.
I love the cheap dinner options, I somehow always manage to spend less than 20 bucks a week at this place, but still feel totally satisfied of my purchases.
You can’t beat the 30 cent water bottles, the dark chocolate peanut butter cups & the great selection of fresh pasta under 5 bucks. My only complaint is that the majority of the staff look like they hate being there & tend to have a smug face. But there’s always at least one good seed to help you out there.

Oh, I love grocery shopping here! It’s like a mall to me, I come out with no money left! You most def have to check out the cookie butter. Also, you should search up Trader Joe’s Roasted Brussel Sprouts and pick up some of those items and try it out! Don’t know how something so gross be so delishhhh!

THE PROBLEM: If it’s your first time, prepare to come home $ 50 poorer and with random crap to add to your pantry/​fridge like dehydrated kimchi, flash fried mangoes, an assortment of ground up nuts, enough cheese to make a lactose intolerant person’s stomach hurt just being next to you, Joe Joe’s cookies (ALL the flavors), frozen Indian food and a couple of bottles of Two Buck Chucks. Do you need any of it? Not really.
THE PROMISE: But you will wisen up, young padawan. Eventually you’ll know which items to skip and which ones do not compare to other brands. You’ll also learn to limit yourself to one novelty item per trip. All will be well in your wallet again.
THE GOOD (The VERY good): Trader Joe’s appeal is pretty amazing stuff and even some novelty foodstuffs at generally reasonable prices. It never has everything I need for my once a week grocery store trip but I make a stop here in addition to going to my local grocery store and Sunday market because some of the items here can’t be beat. I particularly love their Indian food which is shamefully the basis of what I think good Indian food should taste like. Their Cuban black beans mixed with rice, some chicken broth, lime juice and cilantro makes crack rice like no other can of black beans. Their coconut oil is perfect for all my skin and hair care needs. I even buy a separate one for culinary use. They also have such a great variety of cheeses and mostly at cheaper prices than you’ll find anywhere else. Their basil plants are also amazing for the summertime. For the price of the whole plant which, with consistent pruning, will last you the whole summer, you can buy a small thing of fresh basil leaves in other places.
THE CUTE: You know what is adorbs? Every Trader Joe’s hides a stuffed animal for kids to find. When they can tell the cashier where the animal is, they get a treat. I believe for this one it’s a stuffed gorilla. There’s another animal but I can’t remember.
THE BAD: I generally dislike their produce (except for the bags of arugula, kale and baby spinach). The prices almost never change (no sales) but for the most part, in-​season items are cheaper just about anywhere else. I also don’t like their milk because the carton doesn’t have the screw-​on top. My milk from here tends to go bad sooner because as soon as you open the tetra-​pak situation, the milk is constantly exposed to open air.
THE VERY BAD: If you come on a weekend, watch out for all the babies and little children. I love kids. I do. I don’t like living my life in constant fear I will run one over with my cart full of frozen Indian food. While we’re at it – baskets, people. Use baskets and leave them at the end of the aisle. If you are otherwise a healthy and even remotely strong person, no carts. The aisles are so narrow and they almost reach near code violations of crowdedness. Find a spot for your cart and/​or basket and drop things off in it.
THE UGLY: The parking lot situation is also stressful. This is where my octogenarian impatience shows because I would much rather pay $ 0.25 — $ 0.50 to park on the street and do 15 – 30 minutes of shopping than spend 15 – 30 minutes trying to get in and out of their dark parking lot. It also constantly appears as if someone parted the Red Sea there because there’s a never-​ending stream of people walking around in the lot who walk with the carelessness of someone who has forgotten how freaking dark the lot is and, even though you don’t want to, you just might hit them. Everyone also seems to want to park closest to the store backing everyone up on the lot. Don’t be that guy unless you’re unable to comfortably walk an extra 10 feet. Do the loop and park closer to the way out. You can thank me later.

I like TJ’s as much as the next.
You can’t go wrong when shopping here. Food is good a at a fair price. Workers always seem to be having fun and are more than willing to help you out.
Watch out when parking. The lot is small and a little cumbersome when people aren’t paying attention or forget etiquette.

I usually buy select items at TJ when it comes to groceries simply due to price. They have a great selection of chocolate, cheeses, beer, and other snacks. I recently found out that they make and sell their own liquor! Since WA increased liquor tax and added addition volume tax, I usually stay clear. But how could I when TJ Kentucky Bourbon that was priced at $ 15! (W/​tax came out to $ 18).
My only complaint about TJ is their produce. They price it per item rather than per pound. Makes for some confusion for 1^st timers.

While Trader Joe’s doesn’t have a huge selection, you can get all of your necessities (and some not-​so-​necessary things) at a great price. The prices here are a relief from the more expensive grocery stores like QFC and Whole Foods, but the quality is just as good.
This location is the one I usually frequent, but it is almost always very busy. The interior of the store is pretty small (esp. compared to the Queen Anne store) so even when there’s not a horde of customers, it can still feel somewhat packed. Even though its busy, TJ’s compensates by keeping open most of their checkout lines during the busiest periods. I really appreciate that. I hate going into a busy grocery store and seeing 2 checkout lines open. You always end up getting stuck behind the person with two cartloads of groceries, right?
Anyways, parking here is a little trickier, because the only free parking is inside the adjacent garage. The garage itself has a funky layout, but its not too bad. Its better than no free parking at all.