# Trader Joe's **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 24, 2003, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trader-joes/170731 "2003-04-24T01:00:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trader-joes/170731/41 "2003-04-24T18:36:09Z")
Wow, one of the reasons I _love_ Trader Joe’s is because they’re so inexpensive!!! ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trader-joes/170731/42 "2003-04-24T18:39:18Z")
**FROZEN EDENAME PEAS** As good, if not better than the sushi restaruants. ---
**Author:** ![Profane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47774/32.png) [@Profane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Profane)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trader-joes/170731/43 "2003-04-24T18:44:18Z")
I hate living here. I want a Trader Joe’s too! ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trader-joes/170731/44 "2003-04-24T19:03:36Z")
Come on out! We’ll have a Trader Joe’s DopeShoppingFest! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Lenny\_Carl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9dc877/32.png) [@Lenny\_Carl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lenny_Carl)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trader-joes/170731/45 "2003-04-24T19:56:01Z")
My fav’s… - Their sushi is great! Especially the salmon sushi and the spicy cali rolls. WOW! - Salmon patties - Salmon wt/ dill cous-cous - Spinach flatbread pizzas - Shrimp bowls - Portofino shrimp bowls (these are very hard to find, but oh. My. God.) - Rolled chicken burritos - Chicken taquitos - plus they have excellent salt-free tortilla chips. Mmmmmm, good stuff!! ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trader-joes/170731/46 "2003-04-24T22:39:10Z")
"Is TJ’s “Two-Buck Chuck” really as good as I hear it is? I’m guessing it is, as the TJ in San Francisco is always out of it. " Yes, it is. I tried a lot of it. Now I see other stores coming out with $1.99 stuff, like Raleys & Albertsons. their stuff tastes like watered down TJ $2 wine. ---
**Author:** ![SisterCoyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@SisterCoyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SisterCoyote)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trader-joes/170731/47 "2003-04-24T23:04:22Z")
The Two-Buck Chuck is a hit with my roommate, too (not really a wine drinker, m’self). TJ’s Flatbread Cashew Butter (none of this peanut butter dreck for me, thanks) TJ’s Meringues Cheap Brie Cheese Dip Hummus ---
**Author:** ![Spurious\_George](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/94ad74/32.png) [@Spurious\_George](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spurious_George)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trader-joes/170731/48 "2003-04-24T23:06:29Z")
I love Trader Joe’s, and go pretty regularly, but I also have to go to a large chain for staples like sponges, trash bags, etc. Did you guys know…According to my mother (out searching for jobs for my sister’s BF), Trader Joe’s stock/cashier/staff members START with a $40,000 annual salary. Managers start at $80,000. These may be Los Angeles figures, but those are excellent starting wages for what are essentially un-skilled retail/managerial positions. Those are 2-3 times what standard retail chains (GAP, Borders, etc.) pay their employees. Also, TJ’s apparently starts a 401(k) account for each employee and **contributes 15% on top the employee’s salary** to it. That’s to start, with no matching funds, and added to the 40k/80k base. No. I’m not a Trader Joe’s recruiter, but I have a new measure of respect for the company after finding out how well it treats its employees. ---
**Author:** ![Daniel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Daniel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daniel)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trader-joes/170731/49 "2003-04-24T23:12:03Z")
I like them for the beer. Nothing like spending $4 on a six-pack of “Frugal Joe’s Ordinary Beer” to finish off a long day. Sometimes I cross over to the dark side and buy their imitation sushi, but only because of the price. Calling their “let’s open up some of our imitation crab and make it look different” stuff “sushi” is like buying a big mac and calling it a steak. Still, good price. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trader-joes/170731/50 "2003-04-24T23:15:30Z")
Wow - no wonder the employees always look so happy! It isn’t just the Hawaiian shirts. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trader-joes/170731/51 "2003-04-24T23:17:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Is TJ’s “Two-Buck Chuck” really as good as I hear it is? I’m guessing it is, as the TJ in San Francisco is always out of it. I thought the merlot was quite good. Maybe a little _too_ sweet, but definitely drinkable. I’ve spent a lot more on wine that didn’t taste nearly as good. ---
**Author:** ![beckwall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b487fb/32.png) [@beckwall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beckwall)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trader-joes/170731/52 "2003-04-25T00:27:06Z")
Mmmmmmmm. Frozen sweet corn Frozen green beans Frozen peppers (yellow/green/red mix) Frozen fish of all varieties Frozen tamales/taquitos/enchiladas Frozen guacamole And for dessert - Frozen Chocolate Ganache, washed down with Two Buck Chuck Merlot Bon Apetit! ---
**Author:** ![Stinkum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Stinkum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stinkum)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trader-joes/170731/53 "2003-04-25T05:10:58Z")
TJs is the only place around here to get the No Pudge Fudge Brownie mix . . . . serious chocolate goodness and no fat. Drool, drool. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trader-joes/170731/54 "2003-04-25T05:28:32Z")
I don’t even want to think about this thread for a while. I’ll have to savor it in small bits. I do have my Trader Joe’s “Care” package, sent from back home, but it’s looking a little picked through. Some Trader Joe’s “UFOs” (mint chocolate) are always in the “Care” packages. Those sound really good right now. Damn. I hate not having a Trader Joe’s nearby. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trader-joes/170731/55 "2003-04-25T16:20:38Z")
Oh, I forgot about the frozen cream ouffs with chocolate sauce! We usually don’t even wait for them to defrost! 😃 If those numbers are accurate for TJs starting salaries, wow. It’s hard work being a manager though- like 14 hour days plus all the usual BS. The lower-level jobs would make a hell of a second job, though. Yowza. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trader-joes/170731/56 "2003-04-25T16:24:17Z")
I resent Trader Joe’s . . . They are moving into my mother’s neighborhood, and are running out of business a long-established Farmers Market right next door. The Amish farmers probably won’t be able to rent space in Trader Joe’s, as they can’t work Sundays and the space will apparently have to be customer-available seven days a week. They sound to me like the Barnes & Noble’s of food . . . ---
**Author:** ![Nymysys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f6c823/32.png) [@Nymysys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nymysys)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trader-joes/170731/57 "2003-04-25T17:03:37Z")
I married into the Trader Joe’s family. 😃 I can’t believe no one has mentioned the capuccino truffles yet. Jesus Smokin’ X. ---
**Author:** ![Zenham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a5b964/32.png) [@Zenham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenham)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trader-joes/170731/58 "2003-04-25T17:32:55Z")
Hrm, I hate you. Sounds like a nice place to be. But then again, you west-coaster’s don’t have a Harry’s. Neener, neener, neener. ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trader-joes/170731/59 "2003-04-25T17:39:53Z")
I’m going to ask what might be construed as a really stupid question. Can you use coupons at Trader Joe’s? 'Cause I got a bunch of Kashi coupons, and TJ’s has such a great selection of their products, that would be my best bet for buying them. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2003, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trader-joes/170731/60 "2003-04-25T17:44:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Eve \* > \*\*They sound to me like the Barnes & Noble’s of food . . . \*\* No. Not even “not exactly”, just No. We can debate whether places like B&N and Borders are better or worse than the locally-owned bookstores that they supplant. But there’s no question that such bookstores exist, and the biggies make it hard for them to survive, since they’ve occupied the same market niche. In the case of TJ’s…well, I’ve _never seen_ a grocery like a TJ’s. I can’t imagine what sort of place a TJ’s would drive out of business, niche-wise, although they’ll certainly make your Safeways, Food Lions, and Winn-Dixies seem boring by comparison. TJ’s really does _not_ compete with farmers’ markets, or threaten their market niche, which is mostly based around produce. TJ’s has some produce, but it’s not their strong point. If there’s a farmer’s market near a TJ’s, you’d stop at the farmer’s market on your way to or from the TJ’s and buy your produce there, the way I stop at Bagels and… in Annapolis on my way to the Annapolis TJ’s. While it’s a shame that the Amish farmers’ market’s space got bought out from under them by the new TJ’s, **Eve** , I’m sure it was simply about space. If the Amish market can find a new location, TJ’s shouldn’t be a threat to them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trader-joes/170731.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trader-joes/170731.md?page=4)