Trader Joe's - Whole Foods

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goodfood

Assistant Cook
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When visiting in US have always found TJ to be good source for ingredients. Now see Whole Foods starting big ads re pricing, no artificial additives, etc. Whenever I went there I found pricing to be totally exxorbitant.

Has anyone started to get a handle on how this 'competition' is going to develop in these 'Amazon days?'
 
Too soon to tell in my opinion. I'm not even sure who they plan to compete with. Hoping they don't stay exclusively in the boutique grocery market but take on Wal-Mart as well.
 
" but take on Wal-Mart as well"

Doesn't US have enough Lay's and Frito's? :)

A couple of years ago I paced off some 10-12 meters (30-40 ft) of 'chip'' shelf space - in some market in Calif.
 
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Doesn't US have enough Lay's and Frito's? :)

A couple of years ago I paced off some 10-12 meters (30-40 ft) of 'chip'' shelf space - in some market in Calif.

Don't know what Lays and Fritos have to do with it. By taking on Wal-Mart I meant selling milk, eggs, carrots, and ground beef at price points competitive with Wal-Mart. Amazon could certainly afford it even if they lost money for a while. I'd take even money on them doing just that.
 
Trader Joe's and Whole Foods are two totally different types of markets, but I have never seen the attraction for either.

Whole foods gets away with their exorbitant prices because they subtly pander to people with too much disposal income, making them feel like they are special because they can afford to shop there.

Trader Joe's, on the other hand, has an almost cult-like following that treat a shopping trip more like a pilgrimage to Mecca, but at least they do have a few things you can't find anywhere else.

As far as I am concerned, neither place is worth going out of your way to shop, and as they are both out of my way, I don't shop there.
 
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Trader Joe's, on the other hand, has an almost cult-like following that treat a shopping trip more like a pilgrimage to Mecca...

:LOL: Yeah, there's a lot of truth to that.

The only reason I frequent TJ's is because they have several locations all very close and conveniently located to my home and work. If I had to drive 5 miles out of my way to get to TJ's I wouldn't even bother.
 
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Trader Joe's and Whole Foods are two totally different types of markets, but I have never seen the attraction for either.

Whole foods gets away with their exorbitant prices because they subtly pander to people with too much disposal income, making them feel like they are special because they can afford to shop there.

Trader Joe's, on the other hand, has an almost cult-like following that treat a shopping trip more like a pilgrimage to Mecca, but at least they do have a few things you can't find anywhere else.

As far as I am concerned, neither place is worth going out of your way to shop, and as they are both out of my way, I don't shop there.
Did you write this, SLoB? [emoji38]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/huppke/ct-amazon-whole-foods-huppke-20170825-story.html
 
The comment about Lay's and Frito's was sarcasm that Walmart sells snacks, candy and some protein and carbos so that you are permitted to have 'dessert.'

Let Aldi's compete with WM -

TJ's has offered better quality items at good prices - their ready-to-eat stuff wins no prizes nor does anyone else's for that matter.
 
So you started this thread to disguise a thinly veiled insult as witticism? Who is this "you" with dessert permission?
 
The comment about Lay's and Frito's was sarcasm that Walmart sells snacks, candy and some protein and carbos so that you are permitted to have 'dessert.'

You must watch a lot of "Chopped" to assume any of those items are used in dessert. Not in our homemade desserts. We don't shop at Aldi, Wally World or Trader Joe's. We only go into Whole Foods and/or Fresh Market for items we can't find elsewhere.
 
Jeannie reads the weekly grocery ads and shops for things she wants to, wherever..
I cook so, I shop meal ingredients at Trader Joe's... TJ's is consistently lower or equal in pricing to the chains ( Safeway, Lucky's, Raley's) near me.. To me, the best thing about shopping at TJ's are the stores themselves (clean and fun atmosphere) and the employees ( have yet to see a "too busy to bother" clerk) .

Ross
 
I didn't mean THOSE items necessarily go into 'desserts' - just that WM only works with check-list 'protein and carbos' - and one can then say bring on the dessert - which may well be whatever has replaced 'twinkies.'
 
No, but I am sure I could have.

I have never shopped at Whole Foods, but there is one next to Panera Bakery where I buy my bread and when parking is scarce I have to walk by Whole Foods to get my bread. I peeked in one time and saw they had Hatch chiles for $1.99 a pound. The next day I saw Hatch chiles at my local groshree store for 99¢ a pound, and since Hatch Chiles only come from one place, Hatch, NM, they had to be the same chiles, and I am sure they got from New Mexico to California in the same way, so how does John Mackey justify the outrageous price? If you have to ask how much, you can't afford it.
 
Jeannie reads the weekly grocery ads and shops for things she wants to, wherever..
I cook so, I shop meal ingredients at Trader Joe's... TJ's is consistently lower or equal in pricing to the chains ( Safeway, Lucky's, Raley's) near me.. To me, the best thing about shopping at TJ's are the stores themselves (clean and fun atmosphere) and the employees ( have yet to see a "too busy to bother" clerk) .

Ross

Try your Smart & Final Store in Seaside.
 
Jeannie reads the weekly grocery ads and shops for things she wants to, wherever..
I cook so, I shop meal ingredients at Trader Joe's... TJ's is consistently lower or equal in pricing to the chains ( Safeway, Lucky's, Raley's) near me.. To me, the best thing about shopping at TJ's are the stores themselves (clean and fun atmosphere) and the employees ( have yet to see a "too busy to bother" clerk) .

Ross

This. ^

Since the closest TJ's is about 100 miles away, it's a real treat for me to shop there. There are so many things that I really like and stock up on when I'm able to get down there. I LOVE their cheese section, for one.

I shop TJ's maybe once or twice a year, love them, stock up when I do get there, and am not the least bit affected by those who feel otherwise. To each their own. :)
 
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No, but I am sure I could have.

I have never shopped at Whole Foods, but there is one next to Panera Bakery where I buy my bread and when parking is scarce I have to walk by Whole Foods to get my bread. I peeked in one time and saw they had Hatch chiles for $1.99 a pound. The next day I saw Hatch chiles at my local groshree store for 99¢ a pound, and since Hatch Chiles only come from one place, Hatch, NM, they had to be the same chiles, and I am sure they got from New Mexico to California in the same way, so how does John Mackey justify the outrageous price? If you have to ask how much, you can't afford it.
I have walked through a Whole Foods once. I was not tempted by much and the prices were ridiculous, so I left empty-handed and never went back.

The closest Trader Joe's to me is across the street from Whole Foods (a half hour away in a very busy part of Virginia Beach, with a toll each way). Their fresh food section is very small and doesn't have much that I can't find in my local Kroger. We don't eat a lot of prepared snacks, so no need for that stuff.

Btw, goodfood, maybe it's been a while since you've been in a Walmart, but their produce section is large and pretty nice. They have an organic food section (doesn't impress me, but some people like it) and good meat. We only get pet food and a few other things there since the Kroger opened nearby, but it's not the worst place in the world to shop.
 
This. ^

Since the closest TJ's is about 100 miles away, it's a real treat for me to shop there. There are so many things that I really like and stock up on when I'm able to get down there. I LOVE their cheese section, for one.

I shop TJ's maybe once or twice a year, love them, stock up when I do get there, and am not the least bit affected by those who feel otherwise. To each their own. :)
Uh huh... :)

Ross
 
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