I am a semi-regular at Trader Joe’s and I stopped in to Whole Foods today on a whim. I was quite impressed at the selection and layout. Didn’t buy much - an avocado, a lime, some grapes and some peppery feta - but there were many more items I would have liked to grab.
Anyway, I’m curious if anyone has a strong preference one way or the other.
The poll is intended for those who are familiar with both establishments.
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I like them both but for different reasons. Trader Joe’s is good for frozen stuff you can just pop in the oven or microwave when you don’t have a lot of time to make dinner. They also tend to be reasonably priced.
Whole Foods is expensive, and therefore I only shop there for special occasion meals or to get ingredients I can’t get reliably anywhere else.
I go to both, and to “regular” supermarkets pretty much every week because I get different things at different places.
It would be too expensive to just buy everything at Whole Foods, but there are some things there that are irreplaceable, such as the cheese counter or the hot food bar or the dairy car or locally roasted coffee.
Trader Joe’s on the other hand doesn’t have a wide enough selection to serve as a sole source of groceries, but they have several unique items that aren’t replaceable.
So I don’t quite know how to answer the question. They are both—along with the regular supermarket—a necessary part of my routine.
Trader Joe’s does indeed have some excellent frozen food, in particular their ethnic specialties, as well as a good selection of imported cheeses at reasonable prices, but their produce is way too high, and you can find better for a fraction of the price at any farmer’s market or even a “Hispanic” or “Asian” supermarket.
Living in Poland, where frozen “convienience food” is an (relatively) expensive novelty and generally of mediocre quality, I really miss being able to have a few Trader Joes Indian or Italian meals in the freezer for nights I want to be lazy.
They each have their merits. TJs packages vegetables and fruit in non-recyclable clamshell plastic, so I only buy the ones I can’t get elsewhere. WF supplies many more allergen-aware products. There are also several organic/natural groceries and farmer’s markets near me, and local fish an meat shops, so it’s largely a question of specific products or where I will be that day.
I tended more to Trader Joe’s when I was single. My girl friend loves Whole Foods though and they have those turmeric shots that she loves among other things so I am now biased the other way.
I guess strongly Trader Joe’s for me, because I actually go there. Whole foods is off the rotation totally because there is a local independent that is closer and does everything better than WF.
As suggested in another reply, WF is not a practical place for all your supermarket needs unless you’re very price insensitive or perhaps you don’t cook at all and stick to their prepared stuff. WF is a reasonable alternative to a restaurant, but not to a regular price supermarket, IMO. TJ’s in contrast is as or more economical than a regular ‘mass market’ supermarket. So pretty different places.
We buy a few items at WF’s, some natural medicine/cosmetic type stuff, each lunch there sometimes, buffet spread if we’re having guests, etc. It’s not one of our mainline supermarkets like TJ’s, Shoprite and Korean supermarkets. IOW if we have to drop either WF or TJ it would 100% be WF’s we’d drop. But it doesn’t mean we avoid it altogether.
I have friends who say they only shop at Trader Joe’s and the products I’ve seen in their house certainly back that up, but I have no idea how they are able to sustain themselves on the irregular and crappy selection I see at TJ’s. It’s not a grocery store, it’s a supplemental grocery store.
At least Whole Foods is a full-service grocery store, however expensive their products are.
I used to go to Trader Joe’s semi-regularly for specific items I couldn’t get at Safeway, and had only been to the Whole Foods a couple of times because I was in that neighborhood.
Then the Trader Joe’s moved last fall to some place so out of my usual routes that I’ve no idea where and haven’t yet had the incentive to try and locate it. So for fancier items, I’ve begun going by Whole Foods more often. I like their bakery if I want an artisan bread (although it looks like I couldn’t get a plain sliced bread just for everyday sandwiches) and I love their cute little decorated cheesecake, mousse, or other treats when I want to get something special for a holiday tea.
I agree with this.
Trader Joe fresh produce is deplorable, but a lot of their specialty items are great.
I suppose that given the choice just between those two, I’d pick Trader Joe’s, just on basis of price. But I can get most of what I need at Aldi, and what little I can’t get there, is at Giant Eagle, Bi-Rite, Marc’s, or Dave’s, all of which are cheaper and/or more convenient than either.
I like Trader Joe’s food, but not their policy of setting up as small a parking lot as they can get away with, so it’s a pain in the ass to park there.
Our closest TJ’s is in the same center as a huge Vons, so parking is never a problem. For that matter neither is shopping: Vons for everyday items, then Trader Joe’s for some frozen stuff and specialty items.
Whole Foods is nowhere near us, so it is never a temptation. Besides, we also have a great boutique market that is local and killer. Cheaper than WF by a mile.
Trader Joe’s, for sure, but I have one of the newer Whole Foods 365 near me. It’s Whole Foods attempt at a lower price point store, to compete with Trader Joe’s. The specific location written about in this article is the one I go to. I like it quite a bit, actually. I probably still favor Trader Joe’s, but by a slimmer margin than over a normal Whole Foods store.
I just walked in the house from a day trip to Buffalo, specifically for a Trader Joe’s run. We did stop at the new Whole Foods in Buffalo for lunch and a few things that WF in Toronto doesn’t carry, but we really stocked up on close to $300 worth of stuff from TJ.
If my regular grocery store was besieged by aliens and I needed to buy groceries, I’d go to Whole Foods. I find TJ’s selection to be rather limited and I’m kind of put off by their vegetable pricing by unit rather than weight, and they had a few too many recalls of their store-brand stuff for salmonella or listeria for my taste. I also find TJ’s store-brand beer to be sub-par, but I live in the same block as a liquor store so that’s not an issue for me.
The Trader Joe’s near me is in the same shopping center as a Target. Anything I can’t get at Trader Joe’s, I can get there. I really like the wine at Trader Joe’s (2 buck Chuck. It’s up to $2.75, but still a good deal) and the frozen stuff. I really like their dark chocolate peanut butter cups also.
I was in the Whole Foods today, they have better cheese than Trader Joe’s, but the produce prices were ridiculous. Anyway the Costco has better cheese than Whole Foods, if a more limited selection.
The local Asian grocery has good produce too, and cheap. And the kim che with fermented squid is to die from.
Neither is my primary store but I’m spoiled that way as there are 8 different stores within easy driving distance. That being said I regularly shop at TJs while I walk through WF a few times a year just to see if there’s anything interesting and I always leave empty handed.
They are both for supplemental items, not regular groceries. Here in Florida, I go to Publix for regular grocery items, and for special things, Fresh Market, Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s last. When I’m back up north, Wegman’s meets all needs and desires, and replaces them all.