Josh Elledge - Chief Executive Angel
There are no Trader Joe's in my area so I can't comment on Trader Joe's out of my own experience. But what I can give you is an overview of what I've learned from Trader Joe's shoppers.
First off, Trader Joe's is reported to be a fun place to shop with a variety of themes throughout their stores. Products include gourmet foods, organic foods, vegetarian foods, unique frozen foods, imported foods, domestic and imported wine and beer (where local laws permit), “alternative” food items and staples like bread, cereal, eggs, dairy, coffee and produce.
Employees are easily spotted decked out in Hawaiian shirts and you won't lack for friendly customer service. The philosophy at Trader Joe's is that shopping should be fun and not just another chore.
Since we're all about saving, use these tips to get the biggest bang for your buck at Trader Joe's:
Look for Organic Foods:
Trader Joe's has a good handle on lower prices for organic foods as compared to other grocers. If you like to buy organic, you won't be disappointed here.
Skip the Household Goods:
Need household items? Shop your discount stores instead.Household goods will be more plentiful and cheaper at other stores.
Use coupons where you can:
TJ's accepts manufacturer's coupons but the majority (approximately 80%) of the items they sell are their own house brand and they don't put out coupons for them. Neither do they do sales. However, you can use the FREE SavingsAngel coupon database for coupon savings on those name brand items you buy. Simply do a coupon ‘search' by name brand and see what comes up.
Try it before your buy it:
Speaking of house brands, being able to sample what they carry is a big selling point and great marketing strategy for them. You can find lots of things to sample at their “˜sampling stations' or flag down an employee if you really want to try something before you buy it. Employees are given the freedom to open any jar or package that you would like to sample.
Avoid prepared foods:
Trader Joe's carries a treasure trove of prepared foods and frozen dinners that are nice time savers but they are not budget friendly. Be careful, this is one place shoppers say it is easy to get “sucked in” and overspend.
Two Buck Chuck:
Trader Joe's carries Charles Shaw wines better known as “Two Buck Chuck” for their $1.99 and $2.99 price tags. Although some say that they like certain flavors of this wine, others say that you get what you pay for. You may want to use it just for cooking. This is the one item that you can't sample at the store.
No questions asked Return Policy:
If you buy something and discover that you or someone in your family simply does not like it, take advantage of their easy return policy. No sense paying for something when there's a no-hassle return policy.
Are you a Trader Joe's shopper? What can you tell us about your experiences, likes or dislikes about shopping at Trader Joe's?
