Recently, during a discussion about grocery stores in the Mirror office, it was brought to my attention that people don’t like Trader Joe’s. TikToks were screen-mirrored to TVs in our offices, and we watched arguments about how Trader Joe’s isn’t a real grocery store and that you can’t buy ingredients there.
To which I say, “Which Trader Joe’s are you going to?”
Because clearly, it is not either of my locations.
Not once have I been left yearning for more after shopping at Trader Joe’s. They have everything I could possibly want as a college student grocery shopping. I’ve found common things, like a bag of celery, for a mere $0.99. They have a wide variety of fresh produce, and I’m certain you’ll find what you need. Their bread – I love their ciabatta rolls and their mini baguettes – is excellent and as close as you’ll get to a real bakery at a grocery store.
They even have very niche ingredients in their aisles. When I needed nutritional yeast for chickpea noodle soup (I’m afraid of cooking chicken.), it was there. When I needed sesame oil, rice vinegar, and soy sauce (okay, maybe not all of these are niche), for a glaze I was making for a salmon dish, they had it.
The same dish called for a head of broccoli, washed and cut up. Instead, I found a bag of broccoli and cauliflower florets that had already been washed. It saved me some time, though I still gave them a rinse, just in case.
Another argument I saw was that there aren’t brands at Trader Joe’s and you have to navigate your way through the store brand. This is something I truly don’t mind. I’ve found better alternatives for certain snacks at Trader Joe’s. For example, their version of an Oreo is a Joe-Joe. I’ve come to prefer the Joe-Joe to the Oreo for a number of reasons. First, the cookie is more chocolatey. Second, the ingredients are a lot better. I’ve noticed this myself, but perhaps the most significant tell is the fact that my mother, a health coach, would purchase Joe-Joe’s, but in the 20 years I’ve lived in my house, an Oreo has not crossed the threshold of my front door.
Trader Joe’s also has other excellent products I haven’t found elsewhere, and depending on the time of year, you can get little treats specific to the season. Earlier this fall, I purchased an apple pie spread, which is exactly what it sounds like: the inside of an apple pie in a jar for you to put on a piece of bread. It pairs excellently with the ciabatta rolls I mentioned before. They also have sour apple gummies with a soft center, like a Gusher. It’s a new product they’ve recently introduced and one I hope they keep bringing back each fall.
So, when you consider where to get your groceries, I highly recommend giving Trader Joe’s a try. Even if it doesn’t seem as familiar as, say, Stop and Shop, you can get everything you need for a reasonable price, and you may just happen to stumble across your new favorite sweet treat.