We’re going to California for my son’s PhD ceremony (yay, sneak brag and owning it) and there is a Trader Joe’s in town, an unimaginable luxury for us rural Hawaii dwellers. What do you recommend that I buy and bring back? I will check a bag so liquid is okay. No produce, of course, and any fresh food needs to be able to survive about 12 hours in a suitcase without refrigeration. What should we buy?
Unfortunately, the frozen aisle is where TJ’s really shines.
This. Their frozen pizzas score a rare trifecta: Good, Cheap, and Quick.
Otherwise, the dried fruits and nuts are pretty good. I like their “Blister Peanuts”.
Their store brand of sardines and tuna are topnotch.
Around here, they sell small “ciabatta” baguettes, each one about the size of a generous submarine sandwich roll. They’re sealed inside a thick plastic bag and keep fresh a good while, though they need a bit of toasting before serving. They’re made in Canada and can rival any fancy bakery baguette.
Their store brand English muffins are my favorite, and they’re fork-split.
All their nuts are high quality and low in price.
Their canned artichoke hearts are the only ones I buy, because they have little or no citric acid added. I don’t want the hearts to taste tart in a lot of recipes I make, so I only buy TJ’s.
They have a wide assortment of very good crackers that you can use alone as a snack or with cheese, etc.
The peanut butter-filled pretzels might be the best of their kind.
Great comments, keep 'em coming. Re frozen stuff, we might try getting a bunch of things and insulating we’ll, so go ahead and suggest. No ice cream, but we might take a chance on pizza and the like. We can keep things frozen at our son’s place until we leave.
For non-refrigerated, non-frozen foods I’m a big fan of the smoked trout, furikake snack mix, the garlic jalapeno hot sauce, lemon sheet cake, & sweet onion pretzel twists.
They have a cheese, “Madrigal Swiss” which is actually a Made in France knockoff of ordinary Swiss cheese. But it’s extra good strongly flavored Swiss cheese. And not a stupid high price either.
Yes, it’s refrigerated. But I’m sure it’ll travel fine. If you enjoy eating cheese as a snack and Swiss cheese in particular, a wedge of the stuff won’t sit around your kitchen for long. So you shortening its fridge life from 3 months to 2 won’t matter a bit; it’ll be long gone before then.
This is one of the better items to fly home with. Small, shelf stable, and not easy to get or even substitute elsewhere. I think I could eat three or four cans at a sitting.
Gotta get some of this: Unexpected Cheddar Cheese Spread with Hatch Chile
And if you like sweets, don’t get this… it will just leave you craving more. 
Dark Chocolate Bark
Their triple ginger snaps are great.
In the frozen section I love their various dumplings and gyoza.
I used to hoard their natural peanut butter when I was eating totally sugar free. It was soooo much cheaper than any other grocery store. I’d still buy it as my regular peanut butter but I don’t eat that much peanut butter and I prefer the non-natural type that doesn’t separate.
But if you dig natural PB, check it out!
I’m a sucker for their frozen vegetarian samosas.
Their miniature peanut butter cups are also good.
https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/chili-lime-flavored-rolled-corn-tortilla-chips-061420
Trader Joe’s Chili & Lime Flavored Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips are spicy, ire-zest-tible little scrolls made from stone ground corn masa. Compared to similar snacks available elsewhere, these gluten free Chips are cut & rolled a little thicker for additional crunch.
I like these tightly rolled corn chip chili lime hot can’t stop eating them thingies. Did I mention they were hot and spicy? They might even cause pain, but you have to keep eating them no matter what.
Google tells me you can also get these at Walmart. But where’s the sport in that?
The Whole Grain Dijon Mustard, which is almost completely whole grain mustard seeds.
Oh, yes these are so good too! And the dark chocolate peanut butter cups.
I hadn’t known of them before this thread. But with these endorsements I’ll hit TJs on the way home today for a bag.
My general attitude to TJs is their snacks are great. Too bad the 1- to 2-pound containers amount to single-serving packages. For me at least; doesn’t matter what it is, it’s nearly impossible to stop eating it / them before the bag, tub, or [whatever] … is empty. Curses! But so addictive / tasty.
I don’t like biscotti but I LOOOOOOOVE their chocolate hazelnut ones. And the above mentioned peanut-butter-filled pretzels? They’re covered in chocolate. It’s not the season but their holiday gingerbread people are my all-time favorite ginger snacks.