Their Peanut Butter-filled Pretzels are the best I have found, and pretty cheap.
Same for their potato chips, roasted cashews and pistachio nuts, sliced smoked Gouda cheese.
Also, try any of the varieties of goat cheese and the Cubano sandwich!
I didn’t know that. That does explain why even though my local TJ’s in a shopping center, there seems to be a limited amount of parking on the end where their store is. The lot is quasi triangle shaped, with a massive amount of parking on the other end in front of Lowe’s, but tapers off and gets smaller on the end where TJ’s is.
That’s interesting, because the neighborhood adjacent to the shopping center where TJ’s is probably one of the more affordable neighborhoods in my city, mainly because it’s made up of older, more modest sized homes than the newer subdivisions around here. In fact being more affordable was the other selling point. But perhaps my house is worth more than a modest 1970s ranch house would otherwise be worth around here to the proximity to TJ’s.
Generally true; for most categories, they only sell their own brands (and they have a number of different “store brand” names). There are some categories, like some cheeses and beers, where they sell some brands that you would find in other stores (but even then, it’s typically not the major brands – craft beers, smaller cheese brands, etc.)
As others have noted, TJ is a lot smaller than a big supermarket like Kroger. And, if you visit once, don’t expect that everything you find on the shelf that day will be there the next time you visit – while some products are always there, others rotate in and out.
As far as specific products to try – they have a brand of sandwich cookies (i.e., Oreos) called “Joe-Joes.” They do special seasonal flavors for Joe-Joes, and the candy cane ones (which are typically only in the store for a week or so in December) are something that my wife and her friends obsess about. 
Trader Joe’s strictly controls its inventory. You don’t get any choice with respect to brands. If you like it it’s because they have things you can’t get anywhere else. But if something stops selling well, they’ll ruthlessly discontinue it.
These are the kinds of we get there—
Cheese sticks
Unexpected cheddar — really exceptional cheese
Prepared salads
Dried bean snacks
Nut and fruit-and-nut mixes
Peanut butter
Canned beans
Frozen pizza—they have a Torte d’Alsace that’s fantastic
Frozen berries for smoothies
Frozen vegetables
Frozen dinners
Prepared smoothies
Oatmeal, breakfast cereal, breakfast bars
Bath soaps, salts, moisturizers, etc.
Bags of vegetables like English peas, spaghettified zucchini etc.
The wine and beer seems to be very popular (Four-Buck Chuck)
Cookies, crackers, and chocolate
We never go there for full grocery shopping, just for a few things you can’t get anywhere else. The prices are generally good, especially compared to Whole Foods.
Wait, they have a Cubano sandwich? Why did I not know about this? I’ve been craving a Cubano ever since the recent discussion about someone’s disappointing experience with one at Panera. I was planning on trying my hand at making one myself. In fact was planning on substituting Trader Joe’s pre-cooked carnitas for the roast pork even though I know that’s not exactly right, because that’s about the only roast pork I can obtain apart from roasting it myself. But it’s a challenge finding the right kind of bread. I was going to see what a nearby international market has, but I’m not optimistic about finding Cuban bread there. Finding Mexican ingredients in California is of course pretty easy, but Cuban ingredients not so much.
And a lot of stuff is seasonal, and you’ll never know when they run out. Speaking of which, I need to go stock up on Butternut Squash Mac N Cheese.
Triple Ginger Snaps. They’re one of TJ’s top-selling items… and for good reason.
Twice a week I buy TJ’s Cobb salad. Just finished one, in fact. I cut out carbohydrates a year and a half ago, and the Cobb salad has been my go-to lunch on commuting days. Still not tired of it. If you’re not avoiding carbs, try their other salads. (Personally, I would not recommend the Vietnamese wraps.)
Carnitas. It’s in the refrigerated section. Pretty tasty, and easier than making it yourself.
Pizza dough. It’s in the refrigerated section, packaged in little bags. Each bag of dough makes one pizza or two calzones.
Fish. Wild-caught Alaskan salmon and wild-caught white fish are tasty and cheap.
Cookies, candies, nuts, cheeses… Almost everything is good. And if you don’t like it, bring it back for a refund. (After shopping at Trader Joe’s since 1987, I finally returned something a couple of months ago. Their limoncello tastes a bit like bug spray. Got a full refund.)
Here’s what you do: Browse the store and get some things that look good. They usually are. Then every time you go back, pick out something you haven’t had before. And don’t pass up the samples they make at the back of the store. They have some good ideas for using ingredients they sell there. (And they have the ingredients next to the demo.)
Agreed. I always buy salads there. Their pre-made soups are also good.
Actually, it’s a Cubano wrap. But very tasty!
Kroger is in no danger of losing your business. A trip to Trader Joe’s is a fun and interesting diversion, and you might stop in occasionally to pick up your favorite items, but I can’t imagine doing 100 percent of your grocery shopping there. It would be like trying to buy all of your clothes at Old Navy.
I don’t have any favorite TJ items, but my daughter loves their Cookie Butter.
Pretty good analogy. My wife adores Trader Joe’s (and our local store is only 10 minutes away), but she might go there every three to four weeks. Whereas, we go to our local supermarket two or three times a week.
I’m glad that I started this thread.
My impressions of TJ’s was completely off.
We have a Whole Foods that I visit occasionally. I like their yogurt and take out food. Really good cakes. Whole Foods isn’t a replacement for a supermarket.
Love TJs… do all my shopping there on bike, except the big stuff that my wife gets in the car.
The “all your shopping at Old Navy” analogy works… if you don’t mind looking like an Old Navy mannequin, you’re okay.
Little Rock Arkansas
NLR is North Little Rock Arkansas. A different city.
I kinda agree with this. Usually when I go there I come home mostly with treats.
But they are also good for produce, nuts & dried fruits and cheeses. Their nut selection is vast and inexpensive.
Is that deliberate or just a consequence of locating in small lots? The store closest to me is in a small lot, with a Walgreen’s next door but the lot is often full, so I have to visit the next-closest one, located next to a largish municipal lot.
I like some of the snack foods there, along with some of the Indian and other frozen meals. aceplace57 should just visit the store when it finally opens, even if he doesn’t buy anything, just to get an idea of what he would like although I suspect that, as the first new Trader Joe’s in his area, it’s going to be really crowded for the first week or two or even for the first month.
And to give you an idea of just how nuts some people are about the store, there was a guy in Vancouver, Canada who would travel to Trader Joe’s stores in Washington State, buy stuff in bulk and then resell it in his own store, until they sued him to stop him doing this.
An interesting tidbit about Trader Joe’s: the chain is owned by the family which owns the German grocery company Aldi Nord. Aldi Nord operates as one of the two Aldi chains in Germany, and in some European countries. Aldi stores in the U.S. are owned by a separate company, Aldi Süd, which also operates the Aldi stores in other European countries.
Whatever you get at Trader Joe’s, don’t fall in love with it. It will be gone next month.
I actually do a fairly large amount of my shopping there. Maybe not 100%, but a fairly high percentage. Like I said upthread, they’re walking distance from my house, so they’re the most convenient place to shop. And there are certain staple items that I prefer the TJ’s version of, namely OJ which I also mentioned upthread, so I go there once a week just to stock up on that.
My usually shopping routine goes something like: A trip to the farmer’s market Saturday morning for fresh produce. Then to Trader Joe’s for as many of the other items on my shopping list that I can find there. Then Target or a regular grocery store if there was anything on my list I wasn’t able to find at TJ’s.
Actually I would say produce is one of the things Trader Joe’s doesn’t do all that wall. Much of what they have is packaged in plastic and isn’t as fresh as what you can get elsewhere. I’ll buy it there if I need something and I don’t feel like going to another store, but I wouldn’t recommend going there specifically for produce.
Sam’s Club is like that with some food items.